M y grandmother, whose name was Matilda Cassebohm, came from an island called Heligoland in the North Sea. This island was between three countries -- Great Britain, Germany and Denmark, so sometimes it belonged to England, sometimes to Denmark, and sometimes it belonged to Germany. When my grandmother was born, it belonged to England, so she was a British subject. She could speak both English and German.
Her grandfather owned a small fishing fleet. Her own father owned a bakery. Because the island was so small, there were no cows or horses on it. The prospects for his four children seemed limited, so her father made a trip to America to survey the situation. He returned full of enthusiasm, and plans for emigrating began in earnest. Unfortunately he was killed in an industrial accident. This did not deter Grandmother Kate, and after much scrimping and saving, they crossed the water to the land of opportunity.
They made their way to Cleveland. I never did know why Cleveland was their choice. It seems that her two brothers got jobs, and she and big sister Kate finished their schooling. Grandmother was eleven when they made this move. As there was little money, when she was sixteen she went to work for a tailor. Her job was to make the buttonholes for men's vests, all by hand. This was a skill she taught me, but I could never do it as beautifully as she did. Her two brothers, Gustav and Adolf, had joined a gymnasium where they spent many evenings after work. A young fellow who spoke German turned up one evening. His name was Gustav Adolf Roedde - oddly enough he had the same Christian names that they did. When Halloween came around, they invited him over to their house after the gym. They said their sister Tilly (Matilda) was making pumpkin pies. The old saying about the way to the man's heart is through his stomach seemed to have worked in this case. Grandfather never looked back!
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Matilda Roedde's Glasses |
After Grandmother and Grandfather were married and had their first two children, they moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. They built the Roedde House where they had three more children and adopted one. My little Grandmother was very short (under 5'tall), but that never stopped her from working as hard as Grandfather. Grandmother was a fine cook and baker, and laid out the lunches and Sunday dinners that our family and friends enjoyed so much. Her baking filled the house with dizzying, delicious aromas, and at Christmas and on special occasions her fresh bread, coffee kitchen, cinnamon rolls and apple cake covered the kitchen table. 
When Grandfather first opened Vancouver's bookbindery in 1887, he, Grandmother and his two young daughters lived at 225 Harris Street . My Grandmother worked with Grandfather in the printing shop occasionally in the early days.
As we waited for the end of the First Word War, Grandmother keept us children busy canning ducks and darning socks to send to men overseas. My Dad and uncles were away fighting in the war, and though I didn't care much for darning socks, I felt like I was doing something to help. Grandmother was also actively involved with the Native Daughters of British Columbia and was a regular churchgoer, attending the old St. John's Presbyterian Church on Broughton Street. Grandfather never went to church. He wouldn't sit still long enough to go!
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