WIKITONGUES: Vernell speaking Texas German

My name is Vernell Ehler.

I was born 6 miles north of Fredricksburg.

At that time, many children were
born at home still.

And I can't remember a time when I could
not speak both languages,

German and English,
I learned them at the same time

and then I went to a Country School
for 3 years

and then they sent us to the city

and then I finished school and
high school here in Fredricksburg

and then I worked in the city
for three years

and then I got married.

My husband and I hope to celebrate
our 57th anniversary next month.

We always lived on the land:
I've never lived in the city.

We had 3 children,
but they don't speak German.

The children didn't live in Fredricksburg
when they were little,

so the other children
didn't speak German with them.

So they didn't learn any German.

They've all moved to other places because

there's not much work here in Fredricksburg.

So they all went to college and they all work
in cities where they can make more money.

My husband and I have always lived outdoors
on ranches.

My husband worked for big landowners.

We looked after sheep, goats and cattle.

We still have rambling sheep, that we
have to shear, and also goats for meat.

We also had Angora goats, but they don't
bring in so much money anymore.

So we have goats that are called Boer goats
that produce more meat.

When the children were small I was always
at home with them.

As they grew up I took different jobs in the city.

I now work in the Pioneer Museum, that tells
the history of Fredricksburg.

When people come, I collect their money and
tell them something about our history

and then send them out into the museum
so they can look around for themselves.

I have one sister, so we were two girls.

My father only had girls, so we had to
learn to hunt.

We still do like to hunt deer.

My sister can't hunt anymore but she
hunted a lot before.

My father served in the First World War
in France, and happily he returned home.

When he was in the War, he and his father
and brothers wrote to each other in German.

I still have a letter my father wrote to
his brothers.

And it's written in German.

I had a somewhat hard time reading it.

My father had just four years of school
and was the first child.

His father was crippled in his leg

so my father had to work the fields
and help out with his

seven siblings, and so he only
had four years of school.

But he could read and write German

and I have his little school book that

he wrote on one side in German and
the other side in English.

There aren't many people who
could speak and write

German and English with such
little schooling.

When I was growing up,
we didn't go out much,

but we always went to Church on
Sundays.

It was never questioned that we would go
to Church on Sundays;

we always went to Sunday School and Church.

That's how we grew up.

We still go to Church today;

it is very important for us that we
believe in God

and try to do the best that we can.

When people from Germany come
here, most of them

can speak good English.

But if any of them can't speak English,
I can still give them

a tour in German.

When they come from Germany

I don't usually have problems
understanding them.

But if they're from Bavaria I cannot
understand that.

But I don't have any trouble if they
speak standard German.

I guess that's it!