THE HOMES OF AMBROSE A. CALL, PART II

The 1860 census which was taken in July of that year finds Ambrose Call residing with his sister, Mary Call Blackford, her husband, John, and their young family just outside of Algona.  The Blackfords had followed the Call brothers to the new town in 1855.  It is unknown how long Ambrose actually lived in his log cabin after Asa and Sarah moved into Algona, but at some point he likely tired of his own cooking and solitary existence or perhaps his big sister felt sorry for him and invited him to move in.

A question on the 1860 census form inquired as to whether or not the person was married during the year to which Ambrose had checked yes so it is likely that by July Ambrose was engaged to be wed to Nancy Henderson before the end of the year.  She was the daughter of Hezekiah Henderson who had been an early settler of Algona. 

“Ki” Henderson had built a large log cabin at the site of the current AMU building on Call Street and took in boarders who slept in the spacious loft.  Nancy had been a 12 year old child when she first came to Algona.  After a year or two, her father decided to move again but Nancy did not go with him, choosing instead to go back to Illinois for further education.  She could not forget Algona, however, or the dashing Ambrose Call.  After a year of school, Nancy and her brother traveled back by covered wagon in a harrowing journey.  Although there are no written memories of their courting and engagement, we know that 26 year old Ambrose and 16 year old Nancy were married October 30, 1860, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, in the presence of the Henderson family.

A FAMILY HOME

With his engagement came the realization that Ambrose would need a larger home for his wife and future children.  Picking a site for the location was an easy one.  He owned a large tract which stretched from the edge of the new little town all the way to the area now known as A.A. Call State Park where his log cabin had been located.  Ambrose chose the top of the hill located in the area we now know as the corner of Hall and College Streets.  The exact location of the house on this tract is believed to have been in almost the same spot as the mansion built many years later.  Not only did the site overlook the Des Moines River but was within view of the Blackford residence. In times of distress a red blanket was hung from an upstairs window signaling Mary Blackford to come at once.

From A.T. Andreas Illustrated Atlas of Iowa 1875

This new home would be constructed from board lumber straight from the local saw mill.  A drawing of the home was pictured in the “A.T. Andreas Illustrated Atlas of the State of Iowa” published in 1875.  Two stories tall, the main section of the house had a small front porch.  One story wings were added on either side.  It is not known if the wings were part of the original structure or were added later.  In the book “Early Algona,” Florence Call Cowles (the Calls’ oldest child) stated, “Do you know the old-fashioned plant called “hen and chickens?”  Our houses were like that plant—one more pretentious part surrounded by many additions built on here and there as necessity demanded.”

KEEPING HOUSE

Nancy was an inexperienced but eager-to-learn homemaker.  Mary Blackford took the new Mrs. Call under her wing and taught her many housekeeping skills which were put to good use.  Again in “Early Algona,” Florence described what life was like for the family:  Those were the good old days in the ‘60’s when mother made soft soap in a big kettle in the yard while the children danced around like the three witches of Macbeth.  Father melted and ran bullets in the bullet mould.  Tallow candles, too, were made at home altho almost everyone had one kerosene lamp.  Hominy was boiled with lye, washed and boiled and boiled again.  Parched corn was a treat, occasionally.  The sweet corn sometimes turned out to be partly of the dark blue, almost black, variety, and we called it “squaw corn” and roasted it over the coals.  Mush and milk made a delicious meal in those days of real appetites.

“Instead of the elk meat and venison of the ‘50’s the hired men butchered a hog and salted down part of the meat in a pork barrel. Mother made sausage, oh, so good, and so were the spare-ribs, but how we detested the day when mother “tried out” the lard!  Pies were made of dried apples and the extra crust was made into turnovers for the children. . .Mother did the sewing, for nothing could be bought ready made in those days.  In the evenings she knit the mittens, socks, and stockings.  She baked the bread, for there were no bakeries, and what bread ever tasted like mother’s!”

Children, too, had their chores.  “The children brought in the wood, picked up the chips for kindling, helped wipe dishes, set the table, turning the plates bottom side up, shook the table cloth out of the back door for the chickens, rocked the cradle, for in those days we knew no better than to rock the baby to sleep.”

Speaking of rocking the baby to sleep, one of the prized possessions of the family was a cradle that had been hand crafted by John Heckart.  It had been custom made for the family when they discovered their second child was on the way.   

As told in the poem “Eda’s Cradle” written by Florence Call Cowles, Ambrose and Nan sold a load of firewood and used the money to hire Orange Minkler and his ox team to fell a walnut tree in their timber and haul it to the Heckart home. “Grandpa Heckart” as he was affectionately known by Ambrose’s children, skillfully crafted a cradle from the old walnut tree, with smooth, even rockers, slats, spindles and knobs at each corner.  When second daughter Edith (a/k/a Eda) was born in February of 1864, the cradle was ready to welcome her.  She would snuggle down in the pillows and blankets and drift off to sleep while being gently rocked.

FIRE AND DESTRUCTION

Early in the morning of Tuesday, February 11, 1868, Nancy was busy preparing breakfast for the family.  By that time the cradle had been passed down to their youngest child, Etta.  That morn it was in the busy kitchen with Etta inside it watching her mother.  Around 7 a.m. flames were suddenly discovered on the roof and garret above the kitchen.  A stunned Ambrose began yelling “Fire” with all his might and rushed outside to grab a ladder to use to fight the fire.  Neighbors and townspeople came running with buckets in hand to help. 

In all the excitement, Nancy suddenly remembered Etta in her cradle.  She quickly seized the little girl and as she turned to leave, flaming fragments of the kitchen ceiling crashed down landing right on top of the cradle where Etta had been just an instant before.  At that moment, Lewis Smith burst into the room. Assessing the situation, he quickly hurled the burning blankets from the cradle which he then carried outside and tossed it into a snowdrift.  It was there that Ambrose found the cradle rocking in the winter wind.  While most of the household goods were saved, the house was a total loss.

The Calls received an insurance payment of $860.80 from Hartford Insurance Company to cover the loss they suffered.  They used the funds to rebuild a house very similar to the one they had lost.  The cradle once again had a home.

The final installment of this story will tell the story of the Call Mansion built in 1886.

Until next time,

Jean

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