David Workman - Letter from Alabama: The Inspiring True Story of Strangers Who Saved a Child and Changed a Family Forever

The Inspiring True Story of Strangers

Who Saved a Child and Changed a Family Forever

By David L. Workman

Copyright 2015 David L. Workman

All Rights Reserved

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Table of Contents

This is the story of a little boy and aninfant girl abandoned, and of a family and complete strangers whoacted to save them both.

Its the story of human failure, and humantriumph. Forgiveness and redemption.

This story is written as a testament to, anda prayer of thanks for, good and decent people everywhere who standup for a child when they dont have towhen they have nothing togain and perhaps much to lose.

Its a tribute to those who see thepotential in a young person and give that person a chance to be thebest that he or she can be. They are the heroes for whom this storyis now committed to writing.

David L. Workman

Olympia, Washington

United States of America

February 2015

M arch 23, 1950, seems verynormal in north-central Ohios Richland, Ashland and Holmescounties. The Mansfield News-Journal, one of the major sources oftimely news for this region, will record temperatures in the 30s inthe morning, and edging upwards at noon.

Numerous people will see their names in thepaper, as patients at General Hospital and Peoples Hospital. Deathhas claimed several people in the areasome from natural causes andtwo in a car-truck collision in nearby Galion. Six babies were bornyesterday at General Hospital.

Twelve OClock High is showing at theMadison Theater; Tornado Range and Chicago Deadline are at thePark Theater; I Stole a Million and The Secret Garden are atthe Ritz.

Tonight, the Free and Accepted Masons Lodgeis meeting, as are the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Order ofOwls, the Knights of Pythias, the Mansfield Model Airplane Club,and the 37th Division Association of the Veterans ofForeign Wars.

So it goes in this city of 43,500 people,which is the seat of government for Richland County and a majorgo-to place for shopping and other services, among the small townsin the surrounding countryside. Including Loudonville.

In the village of Loudonville, 21 miles tothe southeast of Mansfield on State Route 39, Hortense Laswell is a43-year-old mother of four who grew up in this country and recentlymoved back with three of her four sons and her new husband George.This morning, she tells 17-year-old son Gene and 13-year-old Jackthat she will be driving today to Mount Vernon to bake cookies withAunt Grace.

This, too, is quite normal, althoughmomentous.

In Hortenses family, Grace Berry Koppertoccupies a very special place in the family. She will always beknown as Aunt Grace, although on a standard family tree drawing,she would show up as a cousin. For much of Hortenses childhood andadolescence, Grace was the closest person Hortense had to amother.

Their bond was established soon afterHortenses mother, Della (or Delphina), died tragically on Nov. 10,1906.

Della Spreng had married Frederick Huffmanin 1898 in Loudonville. Della and Fred were a young couple livingon one of the Huffman family farms in Washington Township, HolmesCounty, just outside Loudonville. On the farms and in nearby townsand townships lived members of their extended families, who wereimmigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Alsace region ofFrance.

In 1906, Della was pregnant, and as her duedate approached, there was growing excitement among theAlsatian-American families in the Loudonville area. Dellas andFreds child would add another life to the extended group ofcousins, aunts and uncles in this part of Ohio.

In October 1906, the doctor was called tothe Huffman farm to help deliver Dellas child. In these times inrural communities across America, it was common for doctors tovisit and care for their patients at home.

Exactly what happened that day is notofficially recorded, but the story will still be remembered acentury later in Dellas and Freds family. As the story has beenpassed down, the doctor was compromised by alcohol, and hedelivered a little girl whose name would be Hortense Huffman. Whatthe doctor did not realize, according to the family memory, is thatHortense was a twinas was her father Fred.

The doctor failed to deliver Hortensestwin, who remained in the womb. When the dreadful error wasdiscovered, it was too late. The second baby girl was dead, andDella was dangerously ill from blood poisoning.

The little body of Hortenses twin sisterwas buried in the orchard on Fred Huffmans hillside farm.

Three weeks later, on November 9, 1906,tragedy struck again. The Loudonville newspaper reported: Thecommunity was greatly shocked last Saturday morning to hear of thedeath of Mrs. Fred Huffman. She had passed through a seriousillness and was gaining strength and while the physicians could notyet hold out much hope, the family was much encouraged and lookingfor her recovery. Friday evening, she expressed a wish to sit up alittle while, which wish was granted. She was soon afterwardsseized with a chill and sank rapidly, her young life coming to aclose on earth at 7:15 oclock Saturday morning and her soulreturning to her savior.

The obituary continued: To the motherlessbabe, needing so much the mothers care, to the grief strickenhusband and to the large circle of relatives and friends in thishour of bereavement is extended the sympathy of the community. Godabove can offer satisfying consolation. May his peacefulbenediction be upon you.

Suddenly, Fred had become a young fathersolely responsible for an infant daughter; in his grief, he wouldhave to find a way to go on without his young wife, Della.

At times such as these, there can bestrength and solace in numbers; and so it was among theAlsatian-American families in the Loudonville-Nashville area ofOhio at the beginning of the 20th century.

Among the network of relatives, Fred wouldfind exactly the right nanny for his new child, Hortense. GraceBerry is 21 years old at the time, and for the next 16 years, sheis the person who will help Fred bring up and nurture Hortense.

GraceAunt Grace as she will foreverafterward be known in Hortenses familywill become a surrogatemother to the child. Ironically, Grace will never give birth tochildren of her own, even after marrying Bill Koppert.

Although Hortense's father eventually findsa new wife during Hortenses teen years, Aunt Grace will alwaysretain her special place in the hearts of Hortense and herfamily.

As a child, Hortense is baptized into theChristian faith at Trinity Evangelical Church in Loudonville, whereHuffmans and Heffelfingers and many other related families fill thepews on Sunday morning.

Each of her children will be baptized hereas well.

Hortense will grow up loved and encouragedand watched over by countless grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins,and friends. Not to mention Fred Huffman and Grace BerryKoppert.

In 1997, Loudonville High School classmateHarold Obrecht will recall Hortense as a good student and afriendly person who was easy to talk to, well-liked and respectedat school. Both of them will graduate among the 33-member Class of1924. In such a small class, the students get to know each othervery well during four years together in high school.