Background and early days of Albert Frederick Deckert and Nellie Louisa Reeder

Nellie Louisa Reeder was born on July 28, 1880, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Emma Jane Meredith, age 25, and John Amos Reeder, age 30.

Nellie married Albert Frederick Deckert in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 28, 1899, when she was 18 years old. They had 8 children, four of whom passed away as infants or toddlers.

She died in 1940 in North Olmsted, Ohio, at the age of 60, and was buried there.

Her daughter Eleanor recorded her remembrances in 1977:

Eleanor’s Mother – Nellie Louisa Reeder
    Nellie’s Father – John Amos Reeder
    Nellie’s Mother – Emma Jane Meredith Reeder
        Emma’s Mother – Louisa Small Meredith
        Emma’s Father – John C. Meredith

They were of English descent. Nellie had one brother, he died as a small child of small pox.

She used to tell us that she was a “tom boy,” played with neighbor boys – no girls around there, and she was good at running and at throwing a ball.

In school she was a good reader & won all spelling bees.

Both parents had died while she was in her teens. She went to live with a cousin.

She worked in a perfume bottling factory to pay her way. She tells of hanging her work dress in the closet with her Sunday dress, so that the whole closet was perfumed. She wore an “apron” over the dress at work, & it only was changed more than once a week.

(Her grandfather was an early ”travelling Methodist Preacher.”)

Albert Frederick Deckert was born on April 27, 1878, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Marie Eleanor Von Seicke, age 31, and August Deckert, age 39.

Albert Frederick Deckert married Nellie Louisa Reeder in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 28, 1899, when he was 21 years old. They had 8 children, four of whom passed away as infants or toddlers.

Nellie passed away in 1940. Albert remarried some years later to a woman named Edna, and they had a daughter, Hazel.

Albert died on March 20, 1969, in Westlake, Ohio, at the age of 90.

His daughter Eleanor recorded her remembrances in 1977:

Eleanor’s Father – Albert Frederick Deckert
    Albert’s Father – August Deckert
    Albert’s Mother – Marie Eleanor Von Siecke
    Both parents born in Germany

In approximately the 1850’s his grandfather brought his family of boys to America to escape the compulsory military training in Germany. They grew up to become soldiers in the Civil War here!

The only brother of August’s I remember Dad mentioning was “Uncle Julius,” who had a farm outside of Baltimore. He & Mother would take streetcar rides out there on summer Sundays to visit – as did many cousins, etc.

August had a livery stable for some years – ran into some bad years, and when Dad was about 6 years old, and his mother was expecting their eighth child – August shot himself.

She raised the eight alone – with the help of a nite scrub-woman’s job, and the charity of the church, plus doing laundry.

Dad’s brothers & sisters were: Henry, Conrad, Emma, Lillian, Elizabeth, Frank and Mary Lou (Aunt Lula).

The boys all went to work instead of to school, to help. My Dad only went to school 2 years – then got a job (8 years old) delivering the laundry by streetcar. He would have to stay with the basket on the back platform – rain, cold weather, or hot.

Nellie and Albert meet, marry and begin their family. Eleanor continues their story.

She met my Dad when he was 19, she 17 – they were married in 1898, June 28th, within the year. They walked to the “preacher’s,” alone, and then back to the cousin’s house to live. (Nellie was a tiny gal. He told us he could “circle her waist” with his hands.)

My Dad soon arranged to rent a “flat” – said he just had to “have his feet under his own table.”

Mother learned to cook, mostly from his Mother, my Grandma Deckert. (She died when I was 9.) They would shop together on Saturday nite (pay-day) and buy one piece of fresh meat, and one piece of smoked meat for the week, spending $5 for meat, groceries, milk, veg, coffee too.

His first “good” job after he was married was Motorman “on the cars” (street cars). At the end of his run in the country he ate his packed lunch, and drank water from a well there. He contacted Typhoid fever from the water – and nearly died – was in bed so long he had to learn to walk again. For money to eat they pawned, among other things, his gold watch. (Al now has the watch.) When he was able to work again he took a job a friend told him about – as “cutter” in a ladies suit & coat factory. His friend “Lloyd Alexander” said “you just watch me, you can do it” – so off he went. Mother had to teach him to read a yard-stick and to figure yardage. He made it! and spent the rest of his 90 years in that business.

In the meanwhile the babies started coming. First, a boy, “Lloyd Alexander” – He died in a few months – then “Lillian Eleanor” then “Emma Myrtle” both of whom died in a few weeks or months.

Then “Mary Eleanor” (me) I fooled ’em – I made it! I could not digest milk – so the doctor said, “If you’ll do what I say, and don’t pay attention to old ladies’ advice, we’ll save her.” So, for that first summer I lived on diluted port wine, and whey (the liquid off clabbered cheese). It was September when they gave me milk in any quantity. Next – “Margaret Elizabeth,” then “Albert Frederick, Jr.”, and “Grace Kathryne” completed the family. “Nellie Marjorie” came between Al & Grace. Died age 3.