Of the family of John Umiker (b 1884)

Eldon Umiker remembers the following of his grandfather, John Umiker (b 1884). John's mother, Elizabeth Deibelbeis, died in childbirth when John was two. John said he saw his mother with the infant together in their casket. Later, his father Johann (b 1843) immigrated to America. John spent some time in an orphanage or "boys' home" as he "had not been a good boy, details unknown". He told Eldon, "there were times I was so hungry, I waited for the neighbor's chicken to cackle or sing, and I would go steal the egg and eat it," and he showed young Eldon how he would poke a small hole in each end of the egg, and suck the contents out. . . "He always told me," recalls Eldon, "that the Europeans could live on American wasted food"
John was 18 or 19 when he and his sister, Marie, came to America in 1904 or 1905, John was trained as a blacksmith in Germany, as he had to have a trade to immigrate. Their father, Johann, was already living in LeMars, Iowa, and John and Marie joined him there. Marie married a Mr. Matgen in Iowa and they had a son, Werner, with whom Eldon was aquainted. Eldon remembers Werner being very particular in many ways, "but especially returning his tools of trade to their proper place". He told his wife, Mable, who later related it to Eldon, "If you want to find something, put it back where it belongs."
Johann, Marie, and Werner are all buried in LeMars and their graves are well tended. Johann's son, John (also known as Johann) is buried in Lebanon, South Dakota. He had been a blacksmith in Lebanon until his shop burned down and he turned to farming. He farmed land south of town and kept a forge and tools in a granary to do his own blacksmithing. John married Amelia Litkea (from Poland) and together they had five children. One child died at age 3 or 5. Eldon says of them, "They experienced very hard times during the depression, were good Lutherans, and really never ever got over the hard times, as they were very conservative to the end. . . " John and Amelia grew a large garden irrigated with well water, kept chickens, and milked 8 cows (mostly Guernseys for more cream). They farmed with four big workhorses. Eldon remembers being given several rides in the hay wagon with the horses pulling it. The horses remained on the farm until after John's death for, as he told his sons, "they deserved to, as they owed him nothing".  They drove a Model A Ford until 1952. Eldon "loved" to stay over on Saturday night at his grandparents (John and Amelia's) and ride to church with them in the old Model A. "Grandma and I and the dog rode in the backseat." John took out the passenger seat and would carry his cream and eggs to sell to the creamery lady after church.  She was a member of their congregation.  They seldom took a trip to town other than Sunday mornings. 
Six months before his death, John bought a new 1953 Chevrolet and Eldon felt privledged to drive him to doctor visits. John suffered from an enlarged heart and the doctor had ordered him not to drive.