July 1900-A block party happened on Charlotte St. in Peoria this past weekend. There are only 5 families living on Charlotte St., but that includes 6 adults and 5 children. Oscar Seeber and his new wife of only 4 months attended the party, along with Patrick Powers and his wife Catherine and their 2 young children. The other family attending was the family of Michael Flesner which included his wife, Annie and their 5 children. The party was a mix of ages and jobs: Oscar is 24 years old and works as a wood turner; Patrick is 32 years old and is employed as a day laborer; Michael is 40 years old and is a railroad car repairman. The men are each from different countries with Oscar being from England [*see note below], Patrick from Illinois and Michael from Germany.
None of these differences were obstacles to the families enjoying the block party. Oscar played mouth organ for entertainment and his version of "Red Wing" was most enjoyed by the party attenders. The men imbibed and the women gossiped! Catherine Powers had her 7 month old baby there and the women teased Ida about how soon she would be pregnant. The women all found Oscar Seeber to be a charming, handsome man, so the speculation was that a baby would soon be coming!
*Note: Karl Oscar Seg/Seeber was born and raised in Sweden, but hid that fact all his life, including from his wife and children.
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