One in a collection by Allen Bachoroski,
Local Historical Writer,
Tales Along the
Highway of Legends
Note: This
is one in a series of historical stories about local families
in the Trinidad region.
Click here to find out more
about how these stories were collected.
Josie
was born in Engleville, Co. on Dec. 20, 1920, to Apolinar
Vera and (Della) Maria Delfina Dominguez, and was christened
Theodora Aurelia. It is unknown how she became to be called
Josie. She was the second child and the oldest daughter,
Ben being the oldest (deceased), followed by Antionette,
Minnie, Ruby, and Vincent. The family lived in Morley,
where she attended school till mid 8th grade, then made
the move to Trinidad. Here she completed the 8th at Rice
school.
She still marvels at how well her parents provided for
their six children during the depression years, though
little help was given families. She recalls taking a five
pound bucket and walking to the YMCA where milk was given
each morning. Her father worked a couple days a week in
the mine, but he raised rabbits, occasionally a pig, and
a garden. They made sausages and bacon all covered with
salt to preserve it. The sausages buried in lard. Despite
the hard times, she never went hungry or did without shoes
or clothes.
Sometimes
they were given a sheep or goat by her aunt Frances and
Uncle Cayetano who owned a sheep ranch. There was no refrigeration,
but somehow food never spoiled. She never felt poor, because
everyone in camp was in the same position. Water was brought
into the home from an outside faucet, in a bucket and
a dipper was placed inside for drinking. Bath water was
heated on a coal stove, also for laundry. The "privy"
was outside, which usually got turned over on Halloween.
She and her siblings were very inventive in their play,
finding ways to amuse themselves and making their toys.
They would use discarded baby buggies, hook them together,
and ride them recklessly down a hill. Fortunately no broken
bones, as they usually turned over. Ben would make stilts
from wood, some short some tall, and home made scooters.
Out of strong, rigid wire a rod with a book was fashioned
and used to push a wheel around. Tin cans were forced
on shoes and clumped around on these. Fond memories are
recalled of
a swing someone had attached to a very large tree, made
of a single metal cable with a hoop on one end. This cable
would carry the swinger way out over Raton Creek.
In the winter a coal shovel or card board improvised for
a sled, often water was poured on the hill to make it
icy for sledding. This was also the time for jello as
the bowl with unjelled jello was imbedded in the snow.
In the spring or summer evenings "hide and seek",
"run sheep run", kick the can", "Red
Rover, Red Rover" and other games were played. Baseball
and marbles were also popular with boys, while girls liked
to play with paperdolls, school or house. The little money
that was available went for essentials and attempts to
get out of debt at the company store. After the work seemed
to improve, her mother became the proud owner of her first
washing machine, A Faultless-wringer. What a blessing
on wash day.
After moving to Trinidad, Co. and attending high school
and Junior college, graduating in 1941, she married Mike
A. Garcia from Aguilar (Father-Waldo Garcia, Mother-Elvira
Falsetta). She taught school in Engleville and Barela,
both were single teacher schools. In 1943 California beckoned,
after her husband's release from the army service. Both
found employment with the Federal Government and made
their home in El Cajon which is out of San Diego. A daughter
Vera-Eileen was born to them on Jan. 28, 1946 and a son
Michael Paul in Aug. 7, 1948. At 18 Eileen married Earl
Clinton Perkins producing a son, (Todd) Earl C. Perkins
III. Her second husband, Bill Schwarberg, died of a heart
attack. She is accounts manager for the San Diego Union
and Tribune newspapers.
Michael
married Cheryl Berwald Jan. 30, 1970 and had 3 daughters:
Rachel, Andrea, and Michelle. He is employed at the Naval
Air Station in San Diego as Branch Manager for computers.
He and his family returned from Spain (1986) after a year
working with the Spanish Air Force. He was sent there
to program parts for the F-18's which the Spanish were
getting from the U.S., including the computers. They enjoyed
their stay in Spain and meeting relatives and had amusing
and not so funny experiences. Josie and Mike have a summer
home in Valdez, Co., where she teaches oil painting. Her
love of painting blossomed after her retirement in 1972.
Her love of travel has taken her numerous times to Europe,
especially Spain where she has many relatives--from Madrid
to the French border.
(Note:
if you have Photos of this family or know of anyone that
does, please have them get in touch with us so that we
might share some photos of the family here)