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Feb 4. 1899. was an eventful day on the Eastman homestead farm in Magnolia Township It marked the birth of identical twin daughters, Maude and Mae, born to John Elmer Eastman and Ma bel Kinsey EastmanNinety years later Maude and Mae are' going strong They glance back over the years but don’t dwell on them They live in the present and look to the future Maude’s home is in Janeville, Mae’s in rural JanesvilleMaude can claim seniority she was the first born, weighing in at 44 pounds and 15 minutes ahead of Mae, who weighed 34 pounds An Evansville doctor delivered the girls He was assisted byHelen Baxter mother of JohnThis weekly column of commentary and opinion will cover the waterfront in people, places and things. Reader comments and contributions are welcome.Eastman and a well-known midwife in that vicinity, and by Mabel Kinsey’s sister, Anna Kinsev Rodd1 S Parker Dnv Janesville. Wis (608) 754 3311GAZETTE PRINTING CO M W Johnston Chairman of the Board Sidney H Bliss President CrondeH W Bliss Vice President: James E WarrenSecretary Robert J L»sser TreasurerRobert W Blf.iPublisherDavid A. JohnsonGeneral MonuyetM. Mitchell BlitsEditorMark TorlnutManaging Edi*orScott AngusNews EditorGreg PackSunday EditorPubilihariHoward F. Bliss 1883-1919 Harry H Bliss 1919-1937Co-PubllthariSidney H. Bliss 1937-1969 Robert W Bliss 1937143 years of community service...since 1845Sunday, February 5, 1989READER REACTION EDITORIALCan Americans afford health care for all?The sisters went through eighth grade in a one-room school in rural Evansville Before you couldreceive your diploma, however, it was necessary to take an examination given at the courthouse in Janesville. Their teacher, Miss Josephine Peterson, accompanied them for the test, which both passedThen came entry into Evansville High School Their formal schooling ended after one year, though, when Maude took a job at The Parker Pen Co in Janesville, which at that time was housed on the second floor of the old Gazette building at East Milwaukee and Bluff streets (the latter now Parker Drive) Mae dropped out of school after contracting whooping cough.In her working years, Maude had a room here and took the train to Evansville after work on Saturday to spend weekends with the family on the farm. She was paid $18 a week for the 54-day work week. Her Parker career ended after seven years when she married Robert Spaulding Austin on March 23, 1922 They operated a beef and dairy farm. The couple had a daughter, Jean Austin Jeffrey, who retired nearly two years ago from lier K mart position. Her husband is Harlan “Pete” Jeffrey, well-known retired furniture salesman. There are two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.Mae was married to Wallace Thompson on Feb 4, 1918 They worked an 80-acre dairy farm west of Janesville. He died in 1954.World War II left a heavy imprint on the Thompson family, when a son, Howard, an Army infantry sergeant, died April’ 27, 1945, in the waning days of the battle against the Japanese on Okinawa. Another son, Robert, lives in Cainville, near Evansville.Sadness hit the Austin side of the family, too. Maude's husband died in 1971 when a tractor he was operating tipped over at the homestead farm on Highway 14,14 miles east of the intersection with Highway 26 incidentally, theSure, it sounds like a good ideaMaude, left, and Mae as they were then and as they are now.Mauda and Mae have always been close. They maintain their own households and talk with one another on the phone a couple of times or so every day.farm was homesteaded in 1837, nine years before Wisconsin was admitted to statehood, and is still in the family.Maude and Mae have always been close They maintain their own households and talk with one another on the phone a couple of times or so every day Maude can’t wait to get to her ceramics class taught by Margaret Brown every Wednesday She’s been at it for 15 years or so and is very good at it, according to her son-in-law Mae enjoys cards a couple of times a month with a group The sisters are members of Magnolia Advent Church where Mae is also a member of its Ladies Aid and also belongs to the Cainville Woman’s Club They have a younger sister, Alice Eastman, who resides at Evansville ManorMaude underwent surgery a few months ago but bounced back quickly. It was the first time she had been to a hospital since the birth of her daughter 65 years ago.Although their 90th birthday was yesterday, the milestone is being celebrated with an open house from 2 to 4 p.m today at the Hoffman House Familv andwfriends are welcome It is requested that there be no giftsAge may have slowed the twin sisters some, but they are a long way from sitting back and rock ing the days away.Transplant waitSharon Rieker, 27, along with her husband, Ray Rieker Jr., are living in Minneapolis where she isawaiting a donor for a heart/lung transplant.A sister, Mrs. Rodney (Bonnie) Thiele of Janesville, reports the ordeal has strapped Sharon and husband financially. Following intensive tests run on Sharon at the University of Minnesota in December 1986, Sharon qualified as a recipient for the heart/lung transplant She lives in Minneapolis because those awaiting such transplants must live close to the hospital until a comparable donor can be found.She suffers from pulmonary hypertension. resulting from a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart. The condition hasbeen present since birth.Several of Sharon’s friends, plus churches in her hometown of Lemmon, S.D., have conducted fund-raisers Meanwhile, the wait goes on and the expenses do, tooBonnie is trying help alleviate her sister’s plight by establishing a trust fund at a bank here Anyone who can help is welcome to send a contribution to: The Sharon Rieker Fund, Valley Bank of Janesville, 100 N. Main St . Janesville, 53545.
Newspaper Details
Janesville Sunday Gazette
Janesville, Wisconsin, US
Sun, Feb 05, 1989
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 01 Jul 2023
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