My Sister, Rose

The Life of Rose Anna (Gibbar) Bohnert

(As told by her sister, Jeanette Brown)

Rose Anna (Gibbar) Bohnert was born on April 22, 1927. She was the daughter of James Henry Gibbar and Mary Elnora (Belsha) Gibbar. they lived on Cranes Island, Illinois, which was on the Missouri side of the Mississippi River near a town called Belgique, Missouri. Rose was baptized at the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church. Her mother's sister and brother-in-law, Aunt Annie and Uncle Pius, were the Godparents. She was the sixth child born in a family of eight. her family consisted of the following brothers and sisters: Jerome, Harold, Jane, Paul, Jeanette, Rose, James Jr., and Harry Gibbar. Our father was a farmer and rented a farm from Joe Modde from Perryville, Missouri.

I was five years old when Rose was born. To the best of my recollection the reason Rose was born in McBride was because the river flooded the Island. Uncle Pius and Aunt Annie lived in McBride - they had a butcher shop there. They told Mother and Dad to move in with them. Mother's time to have the baby was almost here. So we got in a boat at Belgique. We were at our Aunt and Uncle's one week when Rose was born. We stayed two more weeks and then Dad had a wagon and team of horses take us to Belgique when the water went down.

Rose went to a school called Locust Grove School, which was located in Randolph County, Illinois, about one mile from home. She started attending school when she was six years old and graduated when she was 15 years old. It was a one-room school with about 15-20 students enrolled. We took a bucket lunch to school. Dad would take us if it was rainy or cold, but we walked to school most of the time. Rose graduated with two boys: Harry DeClark and Hubert Otto. Rose went from 1st grade to 8th grade. The next year the School Board got word that Rose and the two boys could go to McBride High School. They had two high school classes there and the State of Illinois would pay their expense and bus fare. They went for one year.

We had a pie supper at school one night and the boys would buy the pretty decorated pies. then in turn, you would eat the pie with the boy, whether you liked them or not. We enjoyed Christmas plays. At night you brought your coal oil lantern for light in the school. We also had Valentine parties. On the last day of school, which was May 1st, we had a picnic dinner with our parents. We enjoyed playing ball or jump the rope. Our bat was a stick or limb of a tree and Dad smoothed the handle.

Dad did a lot of fishing with a trout line in the Mississippi River, which was about 1/4 mile from the house. He once caught a big fish that was from your shoulder to the ground. It was so big that we were able to have a fish fry. We asked the neighbors to bring a dish of food and join us.

We had a rough time making a living when we were young, but we had a happy family. We lived in a one room lo house which was 20x20, and then we added on another room which was 20X15, and then a long room on the side which was 20 feet wide.

In the summer we would make the log room into a kitchen because it was cooler. It didn't have electric, just a coal oil light and a piece of paper for a fan to use at night until you went to sleep. In the winter time we made the log room into a bedroom. We had three beds so it was warmer. We also had a couch that pulled out to make a bed. The house was crowded with eight children, Mother and Dad.

​I remember one year the it had snowed a lot and we had about two feet of snow and then the ice storm came. Dad and our brothers had to walk to Belgique store to get food. They put the food in a pillow case or gunny sack and carried it on their backs. In the winter Dad and the boys would kill rabbits for food for the table. Back then you could sit on the fender of a car and drive around a field day or night and kill rabbits. Dad made a sled and hooked a team of horses to it and we would go through the fields when it snowed.

At Christmas we had a small tree and Dad and Mom would decorate it on Christmas Eve after we went to bed. Then they would have a cup of coffee and coconut cake. They would say "Santa helped himself!" Dad would say he heard a noise at the barn and go out and put a Santa Claus face on and come to the window. We would get so excited. He would ask us what we wanted for Christmas. We were very happy to see Santa.

I remember once Mother and I and Rose, James and Harry went to visit Aunt Annie and Doris. We told the children never to go to the river, but I lost them. Rose was 8 years old, Doris was 6 and James was 5. I lost them and they went to the river bank so I had to go get them. I had to climb a fence and when I found them I spanked them. I was so afraid they had fallen into the river and we would never see them again.

To get to Belgique we had to cross a chute of water. The neighbors built a barge to go across. There was a tree on one side of the chute and one on the other side. The men put a strong rope from one tree to the other and hooked a pulley on the barge so we could drive on the barge and take the rope and pull the barge across the chute and leave the barge there until someone else wanted to cross.

Inn the summer the water would go down and the chute would be about 12 feet wide. They cut small trees and lay them in the water and nail some planks across so we could drive that way until Spring came. Eventually the State of Missouri put an iron bridge there. That was the only way off the Island.

Flooding was a real problem on the Island. I encountered nine floods while living there. The flood of 1943 got all over the bottom land and Mother, Dad, Rose, James, and Harry were still at home. The water got in the house about two feet and they put a lot of small bedding furniture and big stuff on iron barrels, but the water got so high that the barrels floated and the furniture fell in the water. Then they moved.

they bought a farm at Hunt School and build a 30x30 "chicken house" with a window and screen and door. They lived in it from July until November. They built a house and had their first Christmas there.

Mother and Rose got a job at the Shoe Factory to make a living.

Doris Mattingly, our cousin, and Rose went to dances at McBride and different places. They looked a lot alike and people thought they were sisters.

Rose decided to be a beauty operator so she got to work at Cinderella Beauty Shop. I think she got $5.00 a week. It was enough to pay for a ride to town with the neighbor boy. I think that was about 1946 or 1947.

The war in Germany ended on May 8, 1945 - the day my son, Ray, was born. Rose was his Godmother. In August, 1945, the war ended in Japan. The town had a big party to celebrate the end of the war. I think it was at the Seminary Picnic grounds. That is where Rose met James J. (Chink) Bohnert, and married him on January 17, 1948, at church.

They had two sets of waiters, our brother James and Chink's sister Laura, and our brother Harry and Chink's sister Dot. Mother fixed a dinner at home for the wedding family. Then we went to the old KC Hall upstairs for the reception, which was unheard of before. We had bologna sandwiches and cake and wedding cake and drinks. There were lots of friends and neighbors. Jerome helped make the sandwiches and Harold and Paul served the drinks. They were getting low on sandwiches so Jerome went to Estes Grocery Store between the bakery and the bank and got some more bologna and bread. That still wasn't enough, so Jerome made a trip to the store for more. When it was over we had a big laugh about it. Jerome was a Godsend. Ha!

Rose and Chink had 8 girls: Gail Frances, Joyce Kay, Lois Leeann, Colyn Jane, Tracy Ann, Peggy Lee, Penny Lynn, and Jaye Beth.

One day Rose called me and said the doctor told her she was going to have twins and she started to cry. I told her not to cry. I told her I would come and take care of the children while she was in the hospital. So I took Sandra and Donald with me to stay with Colyn and Tracy. I stayed until she came home, about five days. I kept the house clean and Helped fix supper with the girls when they came home from school. Then I would go home about 5 in the evening.

When Rose brought her twins home I went to see her. She was so tired taking care of the twins and the other children. I went to St. Joseph Street where Mother and Dad lived. Dad had a stroke and was in a wheel chair so mother couldn't help her. So I called up Sarah Bohnert, her mother-in-law, and told her to get up to Rose's and help out so she could get some rest. She could tell by my voice that I wasn't too happy. So Sarah went up to Rose's and said "Rosie I thought I'd come stay tonight and take care of the twins so you can get some rest." Rose was so happy that Sarah got a big hug. I came to Rose's a couple of dats later and asked if she had some help the other night. She said Sarah had come to help and I told her it was after she got a call from me. Rose and I had a big laugh about that.

Rose always cut my boys' hair. Sometimes when I didn't have any money to pay, she'd say it was on her this time. The last time my son, Wayne, was over at Rose's we were sitting in the beauty shop and Wayne asked Rose if she remembered when she cut their hair for a dozen eggs a piece. I would have extra eggs and would bring them out to her. I knew she could use the eggs. Rose and Wayne had a good laugh about that.

One summer we had a dew berry patch out at the farm. I told Rose to come out and pick some. She put her children in the car after work and we left them at home for Grandma Brown to watch. We picked berries together two times. We had a crooked road to our farm house, down a hill and across a bridge. When Rose's family would come to visit, she always wanted to leave before dark because she was afraid of the road.

Once, when Rose was remodeling her kitchen me and Grandma Helen came to visit. Grandma waited in the front room for me while I went into the shop. Winkler Brothers were putting on a new counter top and his can of glue caught on fire with flames about six inches high on the can. Helen came back to the shop to tell Rose there was a fire in her kitchen. I went out the shop door and opened the front door. Mr. Winkler had the can in his hand and saw the door was opened and I was behind the door. He pitched the can out the door. The fire hit the porch floor and splashed on my leg. My leg was on fire and I had to roll on the grass to put it out. Just then, Rose's daughter Lois and her boyfriend, Pat, drove up. Rose had Lois drive me to the hospital. My leg was pretty bad. I ended up in the hospital 31 days.

Rose was a wonderful sister to me and mother to all of her daughters. She was a wonderful seamstress and sewed clothes for her children. She made all of the dresses I wore to my children's weddings. She would ask if I had a dress yet, and we'd go to the store and buy some material and make them. I thank the Lord for such a wonderful sister.

​I know Rose was happy to get to send all the girls to St. Vincent School and High School. She had it so close and handy, and she helped put the girls through college. She was proud when her daughter, Colyn, became a beautician after her.

​Our Mother moved close to Rose and Rose did a wonderful job taking care of Mother. She also took good care of Grandma Sarah at the Nursing Home. Rose would visit her two and three times a week. She would always makes her clothes. The funny thing was Grandma Sarah always said she loved the clothes, but when Rose was gone, she would give them away.

Rose painted beautiful pictures and made pretty quilts. She was loved by all her sisters and brothers.

- Love, Jeanette Brown