Olive Guild
also written Olive, Grandmother Olive Wooster Guild, Olive Wooster Guild in the book
Biography
Bernard's grandmother; described as sweet, beautiful, and tall with pretty hair. Adored Bob and Bernard and praised Bernard for cutting her fried egg sandwich. One of Merlin Ringering's grandparents. Orville Prescott helped clarify events leading up to her marriage to Dan Guild. Widowed at age 30; sought help from Dan in an 1898 snowstorm. The passage also says she was ten years older than Dan, who was then 21. Had six living sisters, unnamed here. Married Dan in 1899 after becoming pregnant. Suffered severe arthritis and reportedly had scars from hot irons applied for pain relief. Accounts portray harsh discipline and complaining, but also tenderness toward Iris, Bob and Bernie Guild, refuge for her daughters, and devotion between her and Dan. Her Vosburg children wanted her buried beside Clarence Vosburg but did not get their wish. Was ecstatic about the inheritance but predicted, “Dan will ruin it, somehow.” Moved into the granary with Dan, Floyd, and Clarence. Recorded Myrtle's minnow sales on her 1918 wall calendar. Suffered arthritis throughout adult life. Died at age 81 from complications of congestive heart failure, a broken hip, and pneumonia; also described as senile. Merlin's grandmother. He remembered her as mean, sticking her tongue out at him and getting his mother to switch him. Had five children before meeting Dan. Moved in with Dan and his roommate after Clarence Vosberg died, then married Dan while expecting Bessie. Said to have had eight children by three husbands; the third husband is not named.
Timeline
An 1898 snowstorm and shortly afterward
Olive seeks shelter for her children
Olive first arrived with three younger children; Florence and Edith appeared when she moved in. Dan offered shelter in exchange for cooking and keeping house.
History of the Guild Family1899
Olive and Dan marry
Married as Seventh Day Adventists after Olive became pregnant.
History of the Guild Family1901
Birth of Pearl
History of the Guild Family1902
Birth of Clarence Newton
His middle name honored Dan’s father Newton.
History of the Guild Family1904
Birth of Floyd Raymond
The passage says Dan then had ten mouths to feed and ten bodies to clothe.
History of the Guild Family1909
Birth of Harold Herman
History of the Guild FamilyPossibly around 1910
Dan’s battery and radiator repair business
Business was in both names. Dan rebuilt and resold batteries, repaired batteries and radiators, and continued farming. Children reportedly had battery-acid holes in their clothes.
History of the Guild Family1917
Bessie's diphtheria quarantine
The sheriff quarantined Ira, Olive, and Dan at the farm when Bessie contracted diphtheria. Ira nursed her; Floyd and Clarence ran away to avoid quarantine.
History of the Guild FamilyOn a 1918 calendar
Floyd practices his signature on Olive’s calendar
Floyd wrote 'Mr. Floyd Guild' three times and 'Wrote this with Ralph’s pen.' Arnie Guild possesses the calendar.
History of the Guild FamilyPerhaps about 1918
Dan Guild family receives a bachelor's estate
Township elders selected the family as the poorest in the township, qualifying them to inherit 160 wooded acres, an operating sawmill, and outbuildings.
History of the Guild FamilyJuly 27, 1918
Myrtle's big day selling minnows
Olive's calendar recorded that 22-year-old Myrtle sold 52 dozen minnows.
History of the Guild FamilyJuly 19, 1918; described as 'two days later' than July 27
The minnow sign comes down
Calendar note: 'Took down the [minnow] sign.' The date and stated sequence conflict.
History of the Guild Family1925
Dan leaves for the shop and returns to Olive
Dan moved in with Clarence and published notice that because Olive had left his bed he was no longer responsible for her debts. Olive walked to town, ordered him home, and said he was forgiven. He returned; they never divorced.
History of the Guild Family1951
Olive's death
Died at 81 from complications of congestive heart failure, a broken hip, and pneumonia.
History of the Guild FamilyAfter Clarence Vosberg died
Olive joins Dan Guild's household
Olive moved in with Dan and his roommate.
Barbara's ChapterWhen Bessie was on the way
Olive and Dan marry
According to Merlin's account, they married quickly because a child was on the way.
Barbara's ChapterSoon after Olive and Dan married in 1899
Birth of Bessie Amelia
Their firstborn.
History of the Guild Familydate not given
Olive marries Dan Guild
Orville Prescott helped clarify the events leading up to this marriage.
Iris's ChapterBefore Olive sought help in the 1898 snowstorm; Olive was 30 when widowed
Accidental death of Clarence Vosburg
His tragic accidental death left Olive unable to farm or pay rent, with eviction imminent and food running out.
History of the Guild FamilyWhen Merlin was seven or eight
Merlin accidentally spoils his grandparents’ onions
Urine from the upstairs window soaked onions drying on the porch, spoiling bean soup and liver and onions. Merlin received a willow-switch whipping.
History of the Guild FamilyAfter the inheritance, perhaps about 1918
The family makes a home in the granary
With no residence on the land, they sealed the windowless granary's open slat-work for winter and camped inside.
History of the Guild Family
Stories mentioning Olive
- Merlin Remembers the Older GenerationMerlin recalled disliking his grandmother Olive, who stuck her tongue out at him and prompted his mother to switch him. He related that Olive had five children before meeting Dan Guild and moved in with him after Clarence Vosberg died. Olive and Dan married quickly because Bessie was expected, a revelation that still disturbed Merlin. Dan was remembered as quiet, mechanical, and a poor dirt farmer. The account says Olive had eight children by three husbands and Daddy had five half and three full siblings; it separately calls Gertie Dad's stepsister.
- Minnesota Visits, Grandma's Sandwiches, and Northern LightsBernard recalls visiting Dan Guild's Minnesota grave, where aunt Myrtle seriously suggested digging him up. He remembers attending Dan's funeral at eleven in 1947, Grandma Olive's kindness over a fried egg sandwich, and visits with his father's relatives around Brainerd. His memories include attic sleeping, fresh warm milk at Uncle Clarence's farm, glowing swamp gas, brilliant Northern Lights in 1947, fishing, and mosquito bites.
- A Snowstorm, an Open Door, and a Growing FamilyDrawing partly on Floyd’s accounts, the family recounts Dan and Bernal’s rented farm and Olive’s desperate appeal after Clarence Vosburg’s accidental death. Dan offered shelter in exchange for cooking and housekeeping, initially unaware of her two oldest daughters. Olive and Dan married in 1899 and had five children, two of whom died young. The account also recalls Carrie’s devout household and Bernal’s departure after Newton’s death to sell sewing machines, including his meeting with Belle Woodley.
- Gathering the Family's Memories, Facts, and First-Class MythsBernie introduces accounts of Floyd, Ethel, and Edward Williams compiled after family members had already written their memories. Earlier impressions were deliberately left unchanged. Bernie credits relatives' recollections, photographs, grave-site work, genealogical tracing, and oral-history interviews, including Diana's margarita-assisted conversations with Mom. Although initially described as true stories based on the most reliable information available, the accounts are also explicitly called anecdotal, possibly allegorical, and unprovable.
- Hard Work, Strong Tempers, and Lasting Family TiesThe family describes poverty, shared winter coats, uncertain meals, Dan’s mechanical ingenuity and repair shop, and the heavy household work borne by Olive and her daughters. Severe arthritis and unproved suspicions of infidelity colored Olive’s marriage and behavior. Recollections differ sharply: some emphasize harsh discipline and complaints, while grandchildren recall kindness and others see a devoted couple with stubborn tempers. Dan’s brief 1925 departure ended in his return, and they never divorced. The narrative also remembers affectionate sibling bonds, Floyd’s signature practice, and Olive’s willingness to shelter daughters between marriages. Sweeping judgments about the Vosburg and Guild children are presented as family opinions rather than independently established facts.
- Merlin and the Unfortunate Sack of OnionsWhile visiting his grandparents, Merlin urinated from an upstairs window at night to avoid waking them. Unknowingly, he soaked onions Dan had left drying on the porch. Olive’s bean soup and liver and onions were spoiled and went into the hog’s slop barrel. Merlin received a willow-switch whipping but remembered the accident as getting even for punishments he considered undeserved.
- An Unexpected Inheritance and a Granary HomeAn elderly bachelor left his wooded 160-acre property and operating sawmill to the poorest family in St. Mathias Township. The township elders chose the Dan Guild family. Floyd and Clarence saw a hopeful future, while Olive feared Dan would ruin their good fortune. Dan, Olive, Floyd, and Clarence made the windowless granary livable by sealing its open slat-work. Bessie had already left home to marry Ira Ringering, recently returned from World War I, and Pearl had died of diphtheria at 16 a year earlier.
- From the Old Farm to a New Start in MolineFamily memories follow Dan and Olive on the Falk property, the mysterious driveway inscription, Myrtle's minnow sales, and Bessie's diphtheria quarantine and marriage. After Dan lost the property, Clarence moved to Bessie's home and Floyd stayed with Uncle Bernie, learning horse care and practical jokes. Gus Falk helped Floyd move to Moline and find work in 1921. Relatives admired his success, and visits and reunions continued through his parents' later years. The passage preserves contradictory dates in Olive's calendar account and the boys' refusal to admit writing the inscription.
Referenced in
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