Memorials › Elmer James Carda
Elmer James Carda
18 Feb 1907 – 1987
| Birth | 18 Feb 1907 |
| Death | 1987 |
| Cemetery | Hillcrest Memorial Park Grants Pass , Josephine County , Oregon , USA |
| Added by | Diligence2 on 20 Feb 2011 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65926122 |
Bio
The author/editor of the massive Carda Heritage tome. An 800+ page genealogical pre-internet labor of love that took over 15 years to complete. Published posthumously by his daughter in 1987. =========================== Name Mr. Elmer Carda Gender Male Residence Date Abt 1932 Residence Place Farm . Ex Employer U. S. Experiment Farm Marriage Date 3 Jun 1932 Marriage Place Whapeton . N. D. Spouse Adeline Matejeck SOURCE- U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index ============================= ============================= P. 344 ELMER J. CARDA (BIOGRAPHY) I was born 18 Feb. 1907, eight miles west of Springfield, SD in Bon Homme County, Hancock Township, N W 1/4 Section 26 in the homestead "soddie" of Henry Walkling. The mid-wife was Mrs. Olov Swenson. I was baptized in the Lutheran faith on 29 Jan. 1911 in Niobrara, Nebraska, Knox County and am of Czech and German ancestry. The obligation of writing an autobiography of one's own life span may be considered premature, but, portrayed by another author, may have many personal variations. However, this is a brief story of my life while here on earth with an attempt to write the facts as they unfolded. The experiences and data of my life are in relation to the period's facts. The facts presented are general. It is my intention to maintain accuracy., with data given accordingly from my old diary, memory, and documented from old records. I found conditions and experiences difficult to convey so that one can learn fully the pleasure and anguish of another. It requires life's experience, thought and emotion to make up one's philosophy and heredity of a life long span. There have been other interesting events not covered that are equally deserving of mention but to do the memoir justice it would require valuable space for the want of remembering. My primary intent is to relate a few facts and present a few examples of my lifetime. Finally and humbly, with enduring thanks, into this record forever, I dedicate this memoir to my good wife and children. My Wife....................Adeline Clara (Matejcek) Carda My Son......................Wayne Gilbert Carda MY Daughter.............Lavonne Simonetta (Carda) Knapp My Son......................Merle Stanley Carda SOURCE- Carda Heritage, Elmer J. Carda, 1987 ============================ P. 348 My father (Mathias) Mike Carda was the youngest son of Frantisek S. Carda, then employed as a farm hand for Robert Kirk, Sr., a farmer seven miles west of Springfield, SD, during the time of my inception. My father's duties were that of driving the draft horses, plowing, seed bed preparation, seeding and planting, harvesting, haying, corn husking, threshing and corn shelling along with labor exchange with the James Kirk, Sr. and Henry Walkling farms. When Robert Kirk, Sr. sold his farm 1 Feb. 1908, my father then resigned his duties on the Kirk farm and moved with his family across the Missouri River to Niobrara, Neb. in the fall 1f 1908. Here my father followed the carpenter trade. I recall as a small child that we lived west of town with the house facing east looking down main street. I recall watching down main street the horse drawn wagon, buggy and horseback rider activities. By encouragement of Mike's relatives, Mr. and Mrs. John Smejkal, (Antonia Carda, Mike's sister) and Mr. and Mrs. George Hatwan (Theresa Koenig, daughter of Antonia Smejkal), who were established on homesteads at Opal, SD, Mike and family left Niobrara in August or September of 1910. We traveled by rail for Faith, SD where mt father purchased a wagon and team of horses, making preparation for the homesteading venture and purchasing supplies. I traveled with my parents by horse-drawn wagon along with our supplies from Faith, SD to Opal, SD. The first night out we camped at what I believe to be Lemon Butte, northwest of the butte in a draw containing a murky water hole. I recall the view of the butte to the southeast of our camp. We moved out early in the morning, southwest, traveling in the direction to Opal, SD. We traveled a distance of 32 miles in two days. After arriving in Opal, we stayed with John Smejkal and family while my parents were making homestead preparations. This was Sept. 1910 and they established residence on the homestead 7 March 1911. The homestead was E 1/2 - NE 1/4- E 1/2- SE 1/4 Section 15, Pine Township, Meade County, Opal, SD. My father built a one room clapboard claim shack 12' X 16' with a storage attic and a hand dug cellar (cave) 6' X 10' X 6' with a pole and dirt roof. The claim shack was banked on all four sides with sod. My parents made required improvements by fencing seven acres with 2 barb wire fence and later fenced a total of 40 acres. They built a two horse and one cow shelter from posts and chicken wire which was tucked with sage and prairie grass. This was about 12' X 14". My dad and mother had dug a well with my mother operating the windlass. They found water at 27 feet located about 1/8 mile from the claim shack along the west fork of the Beaver Dam Creek. My father broke sod on about 7 acres for the planting of corn, potatoes and garden vegetables. He planted several hundred trees native of the area as a windbreak along the homestead entrance roadway, on both sides, from the fence line gate to the homestead site. They were planted a rod (16 1/2'0 apart, about 1/8 mile. Our gate was established about 20 rods north on the east side fence line on the southeast corner of the homestead. We watered the trees by hauling water on a stone boat loaded with two 50 gallon rain barrels and watered them on by one with a bucket. I recall as a small child carrying water from the well to the claim shack for my mother with two, one gallon lard pails. Another occasion, when I was playing with matches in the wood box behind the cook stove, I caused a fire of which I got a good spanking by my mother. I do not remember my first day of school; however, I recall later in the fall and winter walking to school not having overshoes. I wrapped my shoes with burlap sacks to protect my feet from the snow and cold. This fashion was bulky and clumsy by today's standards and would stimulate ridicule and laughter. P. 349 More to come~ Because of a family disturbance between my father and my mother we moved to Lake Andes, SD. My father rented this 160 acre farm where we lived in a railroad box car. We lived here only a short while when my father traveled by wagon and horse with my mother and I To Ravinia, SD , about ten miles south from our home place. Here my mother picked up the passenger train. I was never given any motive or justification by my parents for the train ride. As the train was leaving the depot southeast I waved good bye at this moment of my mother's departure. With me was the sorrow of never seeing her again. I sensed a desertion, an injury engraved on my soul and this remained forever. The following twelve years I was not given any information as to her whereabouts. From this date, May 1916, my father sold out all the belongings and purchased a Ford Model T year 1913 touring car. We traveled northwest to Faith, SD where my father hired out to a rancher.
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