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Visit to the
Wegeners in Lake Charles
Summer of 1947
In the summer of 1947, the Leonard Hellmers family of
New Orleans visited the family of Pastor Theodore Wegener in Lake
Charles, Louisiana. Jovial, cigar-smoking "Uncle Theo" and gracious
Aunt Adeline hosted us in the parsonage of St. John Lutheran Church
on Ford Street. The "us" was Daddy and Mama (Leonard and Meta Hellmers)
and their then three children: Leonard Jr., Janet, and Norman. (Eileen
was born in July 1949.)
The Wegeners had five of their nine children still at home: Gitch,
Albert, Barbara, Marie, and Johnny. (Adeline, Ted, Esther, and Lawrence
were already married.) Our cousins treated us like younger brothers and
sisters. We went to Vacation Bible School with them, "toured" the Lake
Charles area, and generally enjoyed an idyllic visit in what we city
kids from New Orleans considered the "country."
Here are a few photographs that Daddy took to document the vacation.
(Note: These thumbnails and photos have all been reduced and
compressed for the web, and usually will not print out well.)
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image. |
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St. John Lutheran Church, 521 Ford Street, Lake
Charles, Louisiana (ca 1947).
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Parsonage of St. John Lutheran Church (ca 1947)
in the late afternoon sun, home of the Rev. Theodore Wegener and his
wife, Adeline (Amerland) Wegener, and their children.
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The family of Theo and Adeline Wegener. Left to
right: Gitch, Adeline, Theo, John, Barbara, Marie, and Albert. (The
baby being held by Aunt Adeline has not been identified.)
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The Hellmers kids with the youngest Wegener
kids. Left to right: Barbara, Norman in front of Leonard Jr., John,
Janet, and Marie.
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Albert (holding Norman) and Janet. |
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Norman (in Gitch's lap) and Janet opening pecans.
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Barbara and Marie.
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The Hellmers kids were invited to attend part of
that summer's Vacation Bible School. How many can you name?
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We visited downtown Lake Charles.
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Uncle Theo with John and Marie and the three
Hellmers children. We visited someone in the country who had lots of
pine trees.
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Marie and John stand by the Dodge we
travelled in from New Orleans, via Highway 90. The car was a
1947 model. The
car was not Daddy's, but was loaned to him by his boss, Fred Selle.
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The Wegener and Hellmers kids pile into the back
of an old car.
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Uncle Theo took us to visit Mrs. Elizabeth
Schmid, who lived in Sulphur, Louisiana, about ten miles from
Lake Charles.
Back row: Marie, Aunt Adeline, Meta, Elizabeth Schmid, Theo.
Front row: Norman, Janet, Leonard, Johnny.
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Daddy (Leonard Sr.) finally gets a break in the
swing on the porch of the Ford Street parsonage.
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Contact: Norman Hellmers
norm.hellmers
@ gmail.com
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