"Our parents - Magdalena Otilia Haaf (August 25, 1881) and Joseph Leander Kampa (February 27, 1877) were married in October 1899 at the Catholic Church in Duelm, Minnesota. They had met at Clear Lake where Grandfather Haaf operated a hotel. Dad had become a blacksmith and worked at a shop there. Grandpa objected to the marriage -- perhaps because he thought her too young or possibly he didn't like losing his eldest daughter who was a big help at the hotel. She used to laugh when she told how he threw stones at the train when they were leaving Clear Lake to be married.
"They lived in the communities of Duelm and Foley. Their first child, Edmund Peter, was born on March 4, 1901. They had rooms above a livery barn and a room below was occupied by a watchman. One bitter, cold January night in 1902 they were awakened by breaking glass and realized the building was on fire. The man below had crawled up the front to arouse them. Dad wrapped baby Ed in blankets and carried him while mother led the way down the long dark hall, carrying a lamp. There was no time to dress or gather up any possessions. They were lucky to have escaped with their lives. So they had to start anew!
"Frances Katherine was born on December 13, 1902 followed by Ernest George on October 16, 1904 -- at Foley, Benton County, and Minnesota. When Frances was about six weeks old -- it was thought dad must have carried small pox germs. He didn't get the disease but Frances was covered and very ill. Edmund had only one pox - - his pet cat caught the malady dying as a result.
"In 1905 or 1906, the family moved to Claremont, Dodge County, Minnesota where Dad went to work at the Tom Lacy Blacksmith Shop located on the back street. (Lacy was a Sophie Bzoske's brother in law.) Dad rented a 2 story house at the end of the street, near Wally Morse's house. Here Martha Theresa was delivered into the world on November 9, 1906 by Doctor O.F.Way.
"Tom Lacy decided to sell his business so dad bought him out. There was another shop at the other end of town operated by a pioneer from New Hampshire. Mr. Owen's shop was back of his home where he carried on for many years.
"We moved to a house near the Tom Escott home. Looking for a better location for the shop. Dad bought a piece of property on Front Street adjacent to O.P Kidder's machine shop and the Livery Barn where the original building still stands. The Pat Redican family that included six children operated the livery stable. We were lifelong friends - playmates -- church and schoolmates. On the West side of the shop was a house occupied by the "Outlaw" Charlie Jones family. The Jones kids gave Dad a bad time by being pesty so Dad decided to buy that property to get rid of them.
"We moved into that house. The first baby born there was a little boy named Alfred. He lived about a week - apparently had a defective heart. I remember Mother holding him in her arms and baptizing him. Mr. Meek the cabinetmaker made a little white coffin for him, and Pat Redican drove Dad to Sacred Heart Cemetery at Owantonna for burial. I don't know his birthday but the year was probably 1908 or 1909 and would be recorded in Mantorville. His little grave evidently wasn't marked and the records didn't show the site. When mother died in 1934 Dad had to buy another site there. (Another grave site for the baby. Ed. Note)
"Alvina Marie was born on August 5, 1911. Meanwhile Grandpa Joseph F. Kampa wasn't well and our parents felt that we should see our grandparents, whom we didn't know or remember. Dad arranged a trip to St. Cloud, Clear Lake, Duelm, and Foley for mom and five children. We took the train at Dodge Center and changed trains in St. Paul. I can still see the big, puffing engines rushing into the station there. We were impressed seeing black people for the first time. A lady was nursing her baby and we stood around to watch. I guess I thought the babe was a plaything for I told Mom I'd like to have one to play with.
"Finally we were on our way to St. Cloud where mother's Uncle John Kaufman lived. (John Kaufman was a soldier in the Civil War. There are clippings about him with the family pictures.)* They had a nice home where we stayed until Grandma Kate Haaf (his sister) came to pick us up to take us to Clear Lake where Grandfather John Haaf ran a livery stable. She came in a surrey and we crossed the Mississippi River on a ferryboat. We stayed there a few days and then went to Duelm to visit grandpa and grandma Kampa. A larger house had replaced the log cabin of their Pioneer days. Grandpa sat on the front porch. His legs were heavy with fluid since he had dropsy. His working days were over but the two younger sons -- Wilfred and Louis carried on the farm work. Grandma was always busy. She was a wonderful baker and made delicious breads and coffee cakes which filled the pantry.
"Grandpa Kampa died in 1913 and was followed by Grandma in 1921. Uncle Louie had married Viola -- He continued operating the farm until his retirement to St. Cloud in 197? His son Ralph continues to run the homestead and has increased the acreage.
"Duelm was a community of largely Germans and Polish. Grandparents came from Neudorf, Germany. There are many other Kampas there but not related to us as far as I know. Grandma's family name was Balder."

-- "These memoirs were hand-written on lined note paper. I copied the spelling and punctuation as Aunt Frances wrote these words. She apparently intended to go on with her memories but I am not sure if she ever wrote anything more."
Richard Kampa, November 26, 1999

* "I have not found those clippings in my search through the letters and photo albums passed on to me by my dad Donald J. Kampa, Frances' brother."

-- "Here is another brief hand-written memory by Frances in an undated document that duplicates some of the previous recollections. It is written on a different type of paper and the style is in the form of notes made in a hurried fashion."
Richard Kampa, November 26, 1999

"Home again. Everyone in Claremont School on weekdays, catechism on Saturday and church on Sunday. Dad was strict about us attending school regularly. That was our job and he expected us to be there. Our parents always 'supported the teachers.' The only cut up was precocious brother George, altho I can't recall too many problems.
"In his Senior year of H.S. Ed attended H.S. in Rochester where he stayed with some friends who once lived in Claremont -- the Sterns. He hoped to attend college and felt he needed better preparation than that offered at C.H.S. Graduated in 1919.
"U.S. entered W.W.I in 1916 but he was too young to go. -- It ended in Nov. 1918. Big Flu epidemic swept the country. There were many deaths amongst both the Armed Services and Civilians. Aunt Rose's Redican died in Camp. All of our family got the Flu except Mother. She nursed all of us and then cared for our neighbor Blanche McGuire who was pregnant and died. War was over in Europe. Claremont lost one loss -- Albert Connell. He had a Military funeral from the Presbyterian Church."