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Ellisville in the bend (Babylon Bend) of Spoon River. She was trained by her parents to know that farm like few people ever know a farm. She helped her father with fencing projects, animals and crops and her mother with gardening and homemaking projects. She drove the family car at the age of thirteen since her parents did not want to drive. The car salesman thought someone ought to be taught something about the vehicle before he turned it over to the family. Alta's father did learn to drive it later on, but, generally, she was the driver. She was quite proud of the fact that she never struck another vehicle. She drove a car until a stroke in June of 1974 left her paralyzed until her death in September of that year.

Alta kept a detailed diary of all fanning activities, weather conditions, farm and home improvements, facts on cattle pedigrees, hatching of turkeys and chickens and goings on of friends and family. She had a reputation as an excellent marksman in gun shooting contests. She could and did shoot squirrels and rabbits for food in early years. She played horseshoes with her father. With her mother as a teacher she knitted, crocheted, tatted, embroidered and sewed everything from underwear to dress coats. In her lifetime she quilted approximately 50 quilts; baby quilts to regular size bed quilts. She could use a hammer and saw as well as most men. Her husband would boast that she could guess the weight of a hog as accurately as most men; but at the same time, she could bring a smile to the tiniest child as she poked a spoonful of cereal down the child's throat.

At age thirty Alta married ROYLE GEORGE HELLE and they became the parents of:

AVA JANENE HELLE, 16g

b.Canton, IL; Apr. 1930

LEILA JANETA HELLE, 16g

b.Ellisville, IL;  Sep. 1931

NORMAN JEAN HELLE, 16g

b.Ellisville, IL;  Aug. 1932

LODEMA JOYCE HELLE, 16g

b.Eliisville, IL;  Oct. 1934

ROYLE GLEN HELLE, 16g

b.Ellisville, IL;  Apr. 1936

Alta corresponded with relatives and friends from all over the world; including the Krauser and Helle cousins in Germany. She worked faithfully as a school board member at Mt. Pleasant. She was a member of the Lutheran Church at Zion and later at Wiley Lutheran Church. She also attended many activities at the Checkrow Community Church and Bushnell Methodist Church. She was an active member of the 4-B Sewing Club for many years.

Alta's saddest times in her life were at the time of her parents' deaths in 1928 and twenty years later in February of 1948 when her third daughter, Joyce, died. As she ruefully confided to her remaining family, "The Gods Were Angry With Me For Being So Happy," and she was happy with her five children and husband. Her first child was born when she was thirty - one years of age. It took adjusting on her part to take care of five children after being raised as an only child.

Although she was denied the opportunity to attend high school or college due to her remote rural location and her parents' health and needs, she was very interested in education. She took correspondence courses, read everything she could get her hands on and, thus, taught herself. Her proudest moments were when her children graduated from high school. Later years brought college graduation for her daughters and a daughter - in law; and college attendance for both of her sons.

Royle George Helle, second son of George and Ida (Kaler) Helle, thrived on the love of family, friends, music and farming. With nine brothers, three sisters, parents and other relatives in his childhood home, he grew up thinking it very lonely indeed with just a handful of people.

Royle graduated from Cuba High School, Cuba, Illinois, and attended a few months of school at a trade school in the Chicago area and briefly attended Jacksonville College in Jacksonville, Illinois. His most different type of education was secured when he traveled with a carnival one summer. This gave him an exposure to different people in many different states. He played clarinet, piano, drums and saxophone as needed. He was well enough versed in music to be able to teach guitar, banjo and accordian. In later years he played the piano, violin and saw. He would tape the piano part; play the violin with the tape of the piano part and tape it, then take the tape of the piano and violin being played together and play the saw to produce just what he wanted; one man playing all three instruments. Of course, he always said, "I'm a fiddler. My brother, Delbert, is a violinist."

Royle could play any saw; even his grandson's toy saw produced songs such as "Peggy O'Neal" when his skilled hands and fiddle bow plied it. Performing for church and community events gave him particular enjoyment. He tuned pianos, gave music lessons and repaired musical instruments for just a " Thank You"

Songs, letters, articles and poems flowed from his hands.

One poem, untitled, was written sometime between 1974 and 1979 and is a tribute to his parents, Alta - his wife -, daughter Joyce, sister June, brother Don, nephews Lyle, Richard, and Bumette, niece Phyllis Helle, grandson Samuel Edward Boyce and many dear cousins, friends and grandparents.

As we travel down the vale of tears

We have our hopes and our tears

We have our sorrows as well as fun

Then we take leave of a loved one.

The smile on our face is just of the skin

It is a mask to hide the heartache within

The world hears the laugh on the outside

But doesn't notice the cry on the inside.

Oh, yes, in just a little while

We, too, will travel our last mile

And with a smile we will grab each hand

Of our loved ones in that Promised Land.

We will be crying with joy on the outside

While filled with happiness on the inside

When we reach that golden shore

Where the sun shines forever more.

There our loved ones shall wait

To greet us at the Golden Gate

And with a smile shall erase

All those sorrows from our face.

No more grief that sight will destroy

Life was not all music and poetry for Royle. He worked hard as a farmer on Spoon River from 1929 into the 1970's. He did some lumbering with his father and brothers from his late teens to 1925. He was a person who found it easy to work with a group and was proud to represent McDonough County one year at a state Farm Bureau meeting. He was a lifelong member of the Lee Township Farm Bureau, holding many offices in that organization. He served as a member of the Mid Century Telephone Company when it was first organized. He was also a Mt. Pleasant school director and enjoyed working with the community.

(All biographical information was written by daughter, Ava (Helle) Boyce.)

I Remember.. ."

Paula Jean (Helle) Hopping, granddaughter

My fondest childhood memories are of my grandparents; Royle and Alta Helle. My grandmother taught me to love and appreciate the fruits of hard labor. I remember how hard she worked in her gardens and flowerbeds from sunrise to sunset and then canning and freezing in the evenings. When she would finish, she would sit in her favorite rocking chair and record the day's events in a diary. She knew some day her great - grandchildren would want to know more about her.

Grandpa loved music; everything was musical - baling hay, cherries bouncing in the bottom of a pail -- it was all music to him. After all, how many people do you know who play a saw? two bows, no less! At the age of six he had me cording on the piano while he played fiddle tunes. Not too long after, Grandpa had his granddaughters performing here and there with him; for awhile it was every weekend.

A book could be written about the life of Royle Helle, but to simplify, he loved people and people loved him! He will long be remembered.

AVA JANENE HELLE, 16g (Maternal: Alta Fouts 15, Tracy

Helle 14, Frederick 13. Paternal: Royle 15, George A.

14, Frederick 13)

b.Canton, Il; Apr. 1930

m.Rural Ellisville, IL;  Nov. 1953

SAMUEL EMERSON BOYCE, son of Joe and Franklin "Frankie" Harrison (Schraeder) Boyce.

b.Joshua Township, IL;  Oct. 1916

AVA JANENE HELLE, like many other Helle descendants, grew up on the banks of Spoon River -- south of Ellisville --, in the Babylon Bend. Her autobiography follows:

I remember music, good country food, books, a humming sewing machine, cows to milk and eggs to gather. Our recreation, work and life seemed to center around food preparation for our family of five children and two adults plus anyone else who happened by. We gathered wild blackberries, hickory nuts and walnuts, apples, beans and peas, stemmed gooseberries and picked grapes. We splashed in creeks and played around "The Rocks," built tree houses and sand castles and mud farms, a real bank barn and sheds, and finally, a real house on the Bushnell farm. Dad made teeter - totters, swings, merry - go - rounds and even a Ferris wheel. But the Ferris wheel didn't turn out to be successful as Leila can testify. No matter what happened, we always saw Uncle Lloyd's (Helle) family at least once a week. We were kept so busy we never missed the excitement of town living.

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