A Wedding Day in Grafton, Worth County, Iowa
This beautiful photograph captures my great-grandparents, Ervin John Schultz and Anna Kruger, on their wedding day—a cherished moment in our family’s history.
Ervin, born Erwin Johann Ludwig Schultz on February 20, 1889, in Union Township, just south of Grafton in Worth County, Iowa, was one of ten children born to Charles “Charlie” John Christian Schultz and Katherine “Kate” Margaretha Arzberger. Raised in a tight-knit German-speaking household, Ervin and his siblings grew up immersed in the culture and language of their immigrant parents.
As recalled by his granddaughter Shirley in a voice-recorded interview, the Schultz family spoke almost exclusively German at home. When Ervin and his siblings started school, they faced the daunting challenge of learning English—a process that took nearly two years before they could comfortably read a book. English was rarely spoken in the home; what little the parents knew was picked up from their children.
Ervin fondly remembered how, after returning from school, their mother would have a hearty bowl of sauerkraut and potatoes waiting for them—an enduring symbol of comfort and tradition. The Schultz family farm was also touched by the encroachment of the railroad, which ran straight through their property. Sadly, passing trains often struck their livestock, causing frequent and devastating losses.
Ervin and Anna went on to become the parents of Gerald Schultz, the father of Geralyn Mae Schultz and Marlene Faye Schultz, carrying their legacy forward through generations.
