Alphonse was born by Sauk Center. He and Joe attended school only until the 3rd grade. Being the oldest boys, they had to help on the farm. As a young man, he worked on his parents farm. One incident Dad (Alphonse) told about was when he hauled milk to Bluffton Creamery and picked up mail, etc. They had this team of horses that were well-trained and knew the way home. When he left Bluffton, he tied the lines to the post on the sleigh just sat there and let them go. The horses trotted along, but going over some rough snow, he felt off. He hollered and hollered and ran after them, trudging through the deep snow, but to no avail. The horses stayed on the same route going home and Dad had to walk. The horses stopped by the house (because he always took the mail in to his mom) and then went by the milk house where they stood and waited for him. Needless to say, he wasn’t too happy. He also worked in Browns Valley for a while.

Alphonse Wegscheid and Theresa Langer were married on November 18,1930, at

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Bluffton by father Junker. They started farming after they were married. Their first place was the present Norbert Rohr farm. Marvin and Vince were born there. Then they moved to the former Syl. Endres farm where Jerome was born. In 1,937 they bought the farm in town and Bob was born there. Marv remembers moving to town- he was 5 years old. Delores was born in the hospital. They farmed with horses and the four boys helped a lot and did chores. Dad would cut wood at Tamarac Swamp and bring long logs home with the horses and sleigh. The machine shed and smoke house were built from tamarac.

Since Bluffton was a German community, they spoke German at home. When Marv started school, he only knew Grerman. So they had to start talking English since that was the language used at school. Our place was the playground for Bluffton when we weren’t working. All the kids from town came over. Needless to say, there were a few windows broken. Dad and Mom sold eggs and the egg money was spent on groceries and clothes. They had a large garden and canned everything. Mom learned to tat white she was herding cows. Mom could look at fancy work and know how to do it. She could tie a knot on thread with 2 fingers. She did lots of fancy work and quilting. She was a charter member of the Mission Group.

Alphonse was a charter member of the Bluffton Fire Department when they purchased their first truck in 1923, He retired from the fire department in 1968. He was a church trustee for many years. Besides farming, he also did carpentry work. He worked for Nestor Vorderbruggen and also did small jobs for other people. He was always making things like plant stands, foot stools, etc., for all his kids. Dad and Mom loved playing cards. They moved off the farm and into a new house, right by church, in 1978. They wanted to be close to church.

They had 5 children, 25 grandchildren and 57 great-grandchildren. (as of 2003)

Marv, Vince & Jerry