George Adam Helle
George and Ida
GEORGE ADAM HELLE, 14g (Frederick 13)
b.
Smithfield, IL; 27 Oct. 1873
Smithfield, IL; 27 Oct. 1873d.Freeport, IL; 23 Nov. 1943 br. Cuba Illinois, Sinneit Chapel Cemetery
Freeport, IL; 23 Nov. 1943 br. Cuba Illinois, Sinneit Chapel Cemeterym.Cuba, IL; 1 Sep. 1901
Cuba, IL; 1 Sep. 1901IDA LODEMA KALER, daughter of Joseph F. and Nancy Pauline (Bayless) Kaler
b.Cuba, IL; 19 Oct. 1878
Cuba, IL; 19 Oct. 1878d.Savanna, IL; 17 Dec. 1971 br. Cuba, IL; Sinnett Chapel Cemetery
Savanna, IL; 17 Dec. 1971 br. Cuba, IL; Sinnett Chapel CemeteryGEORGE ADAM HELLE was born on the Helle Home-stead northwest of Smithfield. His oldest surviving son, Joe, tells about the lives of his parents: "When Dad was a youngster, Grandfather Helle got involved with a thick and thin sawmill. When the regular sawyer failed to show up for work, Dad tried his hand at sawing and was never able to let go again."Somewhere Dad also found a fiddle and this, too, he could not let go of. Not a violinist, he could not read music, but in his youth his musical talent was a main source of income earned at barn dances. Somewhere about that period in his life he became enamored with a girl from the Buckeye country and life was never the same again. His carefree days were behind him. Sawmills, threshing machines and this Buckeye Girl were his life from then on."Their first home was a small house in Smithfield. With three boys in a few short years, they moved to a larger home across the street. Then five boys and a move to a farm in the country to hold the growing family. Next a girl, then what? Five more boys. With a reputation far and wide then, yes, two more girls for a total of thirteen."Saw-milling. Farming. Threshing. A disastrous detour into a coal mining project. There were many setbacks common to us all. The older sister and many of the older sons were establishing homes of their own when Dad and the younger boys gave up farming and headed back to the tall timber where they were more at home."At this time, if you listen, you can hear the whine of a
chain saw or the deeper voice of a circular saw and know those
Helle Boys have yet to find their way out of the woods."
note; this still holds true today.
Their thirteen children were born:
b.Smithfield, IL; Jan. 1903d. 17 Feb 1984b.Smithfield, IL; Feb. 1904d. 25 Sept 1979b.Smithfield, IL; Jan. 1906b.Smithfield, IL; Mar. 1907d.b.Smithfield, IL; Sep. 1908d. 18 July 1961b.Cuba, IL; Feb. 1910d.WALTER HELLE, 15g
(Originally William Frederick; see his biography.)
b.Cuba, IL; June 1912b.Cuba, IL; Nov. 1913 d. Jan 1997b.Cuba, IL; May 1917d.Aug 1980b.Cuba, IL; July 1918 d. Wyoming,IL Sep 2004
GAIL HELLE, 15g
b.Cuba, IL; June 1920d. June 1982b.Cuba, IL; Dec. 1921 d. Savanna,IL 2 June 1988
b.Cuba, IL; June 1924d.Cuba, IL; Aug. 1932br. Cuba, IL; Sinnett Chapel Cemetery
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Nurtured by their father's love of music, the children learned early to love music and to play an instrument. "We always had a parlor with a piano in it. Pop played the fiddle,Delbert the violin, Royle any instrument, Don the fiddle, Walter and the younger five accordion and harmonica, Verle the violin, Gail a horn and Morn or I the piano." -- Charlotte.
The focus of this family revolved around the deep and abundant love for children. "He would hold each new one up above his head and call upon any and all to see the miracle." Clara (Helle) Palmer. Fifty - seven years later. "Every birth (in the family) is rejoiced by all." -- Charlotte (Helle) Osborn.Charlotte further states, "Pop, a German, was probably one of the most gentle pops in the world. He never spanked a one of us (We were good kids.) Now, Mom always kept a couple switches in the corner. Mom and Pop must have had cast iron nerves. My younger sister, four or five brothers and I would chase around and around that long dining room table whoop and hollering playing a game we called 'Bear Round the
Table.' We were never scolded or ordered to stop our game."
Grandchildren remember even more vividly the love and special feeling both George and Ida had for them. All who wrote agree with cousin Margail (Helle) Roberts: "Grandma Ida greeted me with hugs and kisses as if I was the only grandchild she had. She had a way of making each child feel like he or she was 'the special one."' Sharon (Osborn) Bearce: "She (Ida) had a deep love for each one of her family and they loved and cherished her. All of her children, in turn, became very loving and passed that love on to their children."
At age seventy George died. His obituary reads in partG.A. Helle Dies in Freeport, lLL.
Smithfield, Nov. 22 -- (Special) -- George Adam Helle, died at the St. Francis hospital in Freeport, ill., at 10:55 p.m. Saturday. Mr. Helle was engaged in farming, living 25 milesnorth of Cuba, then moved to Bureau county and later Wyoming, Ill., in 1932.
He was born Oct. 27, 1873, a son of Fred and Catherine(Krauser) Helle. Mr. Helle was a member of the Christian church of Buckeye.
Surviving are the widow. . .; ten sons;.. . two daughters: four sisters, Mrs. Dena Kuehn and Mrs. Bertha Bolon, both of Smithfield, Mrs. Kate Blout of Ellisville and Mrs. CameWalters of Frederick; and 29 grandchildren. One daughter: preceded him in death.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Smithfield United Brethren church with the Rev. C.W. Martin of Decatur officiating. Burial will be in the Sinnett Chapel cemetery.======================================================================
Ida made her home with the family of daughter, Charlotte. her children and their families were always eager to visit to share the warmth of her love.Lovingly cared for, Ida lived to ninety - three years of age.Her obituary reads in part: Mrs. George (Ida) Helle of Savanna died Fridayin Savanna City Hospital. She was a member of Fulton County Christian Church.
Born Oct. 19, 1878, in Fulton County, she was the daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Bayless) Kaler. On Sept. 1, 1901, she was married to George Helle in Fulton Co.
Surviving are nine sons, ... two daughters, ... 46 grandchildren,... 94 greatgrandchildren, two sisters, Mrs. Ethel Patterson of Hobart, Ind, and Mrs. Nellie Deakin of Cuba; and a brother, William of Motley, Minn. She was preceded in death by her husband, a son, a daughter, five grandchildren, and four great - grandchildren.A prayer service will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Law Jones Funeral Home, Savanna . . . The body will then be taken to Hukill Funeral Home, Cuba...Funeral service will be at 1 p.m. Sunday in United Brethren church of Smithfield. Burial will be in the Sinnett Chapel cemetery, rural Cuba.Picture of George and Ida this is part of the ordinal site that Homestead lost. Homestead was able to recover part of what was lost. There is some duplication of a few of the pictures. More pictures added since this page was made
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Lloyd and Opal
LLOYD CHARLES HELLE, 15g (George A. 14, Frederick 13
bornSmithfield, IL; Jan. 1903
Smithfield, IL; Jan. 1903diedAvon, IL (Nursing Home); 17 Feb. 1984
Avon, IL (Nursing Home); 17 Feb. 1984buried Cuba, IL; Sinnett Chapel Cemetery
married.Gladstone, IL; 12 Sep. 1928
Gladstone, IL; 12 Sep. 1928OPAL MAXINE BEHYMER, daughter of Lewis
and Daisy (Chambers) Behymer
b.Rural Fulton Co., IL; Aug. 1909d.Avon, IL; Feb. 1981br. Cuba, IL; Sinnett Chapel CemeteryLLOYD CHARLES HELLE was the oldest son of George
A. and Ida (Kaler) Helle. He was the second father (or
mother, if necessary) to the other children throughout his life
under his parents' roof. When twenty - five years of age he
met a girl "with a big smile and dark eyes," OPAL MAXINE
BEHYMER, and made her his wife. They had four children:
RICHARD LLOYD HELLE, 16gb.Canton, IL; Dec. 1930 d. Jan. 1983
Jan. 1983br. Cuba, IL; Sinnett Chapel CemeteryNEVA MARJORIE HELLE, 16g
b.Canton, IL; May 1932DAVID JOSEPH HELLE, 16g
b.Canton, IL; July 1934BARBARA LOU HELLE, 16g
b.Canton, IL; Mar. 1937David Joseph Helle, Neva Marjorie Helle, Opal M.
(Behymer) Helle, Barbara Lou Helle and Lloyd C. Helle;
30 June 1957
Lloyd was a farmer for forty years, road commissioner forthe thirty years prior to 1976 and worked at the Truax Coal
Company for twenty - five years retiring in 1968.
"We Remember..
Gail Helle, brother
Lloyd had to put up with us as little brothers and sisters.There is a special place in my heart for him; quiet, unassuminging, always gentle, kind never cross. What a thrill it was when Lloyd brought us our first new sister-in-law. She bought me a handful of commies; poor boys marbles, made of clay and painted all colors. I always looked forward to Lloyd coming to Wyoming on Sundays for he would give me a dollar for washing his car. I thought that was dumb because he knew I would have done it for nothing.
