At some point in the near future, I think I’m going to start writing about some of the old time history we have around here, but this week I’m going to mention a name that many of you have not heard of and probably can’t even pronounce properly. The family name is Johlke. There is also a variation on the spelling named Jolke, but to the best of my recollection, I think the local spelling is with an H in the middle. To phonetically pronounce the name you could say…Yoll Kee.

Now, I know I already need to apologize to the local family, but my memory, and that of my mother’s, says the spelling is Johlke around these parts. The only reason I remember the name in the first place is because my Grandma Osgood used to mention the family’s name occasionally.

When I was a little boy, my grandma used to tell us different stories and she would refer to locations, not by road names, but by the family that lived closest to or farmed the area where the story occurred. She didn’t say people lived on such and such road, but so and so lived just past the Weiser Homestead or the Parker Homestead or the Dobschlough’s Farm or the Gabriel Dairy and things like that. Some streets probably didn’t even have official names, so she best described them by family. That is how I first recall hearing the name Johlke.

Somewhere down the line they are kin to the Rudel Family and probably, if I dug far enough back, I would find out that they married one of my cousins or distant kin. Back in the early days around here everybody married somebody who may be kin by marriage somewhere down the line.

I have been writing over the last few weeks about funny stories I have heard from pastors and preachers and the things that have happened to them in their church life. A few weeks ago my friend, Paul Michna, told me a story about Mrs. Johlke who went to church with him.

Paul’s family lived in Hufsmith for a part of their lifetime. Of course, as with most people around here, our church life has always been an important part of growing up and as we develop our lives as adults, church continues to be very important to us. In his case he eventually became a Minister of the Gospel.

He had moved away for a while and then moved back to this area. Shortly after arriving at a church in Tomball as a new member, he was approached by Mrs. Johlke one Sunday morning. Mrs. Johlke was very anxious to sign him up with his new voter registration card since he was a new voter in the area after moving back. Paul knew he had to register, so he was glad she assisted him.

As voting day came and went, Mrs. Johlke approached Paul one day after church and questioned him as to why he had not voted. He explained to her that he had in fact voted on Election Day. I am taking liberties now with this story, but the conversation turned a little more tense and she challenged him again by telling him he had not voted.

“Yes I did vote, Mrs. Johlke.”

“No you didn’t,” she replied.

“Yes I did.”

“No you didn’t, because I was at the polls all day long and you never came by to vote!”

Paul explained to her that he had in fact voted in the Republican Party. It was only then did Mrs. Johlke realize she had registered a Republican because she was a lifelong Democrat, and a very staunch Democrat to boot. She was somewhat miffed at him and properly told him that “If I would have known you were a Republican I would have never helped you register.”

Paul and I laughed about this as this is a moment in his church history he will never forget. Mrs. Johlke has left this world of Democrats and Republicans and is at a place where it just doesn’t make any difference which party you belonged to on this earth. She may be gone, but she is definitely not forgotten. It’s a moment we can all appreciate. She stood for what she believed and she did her part to forward those beliefs. I just wish more Americans would stand up and follow her example of hard work.

Clifford

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