No amount of Elizabeth’s inquiry about Grandfather Gustav Heim’s adult life in Germany went further than a mention of his job as staff trumpeter in the German Army. Nothing about his name surfaced, but many German Jews in America shortened their last names, covering up their heritage to survive and fit in.
Elizabeth was a resourceful nine-year-old and an avid reader. She spent hours in the library next to the Annie Heald School, and she made friends with the librarian, Charlotte Hobbs. Elizabeth worked her way through The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories that she checked out at the library. Out of the 26 published her two favorites were Nancy’s Mysterious Letters (1932), and The Clue in the Old Album (1947).
Charlotte Hobbs was the perfect person to ask for help. She researched local Lovell history and Lovell family genealogies including famous people who had lived in Lovell.
Elizabeth brought back the latest Nancy Drew books to the library. She put them in the return box inside the door. Miss Hobbs was checking books in from the stack on a rolling cart. Elizabeth browsed the mystery bookshelf until Miss Hobbs saw her.
“Elizabeth, is there anything I can help you find?”
“Well, not books, Miss Hobbs. Mom said it was okay to ask, if you weren’t busy. Seeing as you do research on families, can you tell me some things about my grandparents, Gustav and Edna?”
“I just finished checking in the books. I can help. There are some interesting newspaper articles and letters in a file folder. We can go over them at the reading table.”
Miss Hobbs warned Elizabeth. “Some things I found out about your grandparents may be a bit shocking to you. We’ll read the material together, and you can ask any questions to clear things up.”
Elizabeth’s interest piqued. “ Hope you mean mystery stuff like Nancy Drew.”
Charlotte Hobbs passion for reading and her personal comments kept Elizabeth’s attention, even though it took a few hours to reach the last file entry.
Elizabeth learned her grandfather’s life in the US was rich with music. At the time of the 1900 St. Louis World’s Fair he was the member of a fine orchestra, and immediately hired as first trumpeter for the Philadelphia Symphony, Detroit Symphony, then fourteen years in the Boston Symphony, followed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
There was a letter about her grandfather written by her grandmother Edna May to the Annie Heald School in Lovell. It was the school’s project to gather information about important people who had lived in Lovell. Some of his personal history in the letter answered questions about his character and early life in Germany.
Gustav F. Heim was born in Hilberghausen, Thüringen, Germany, May 8, 1879. His mother died when he was two-years-old, and his stepmother died when he was nine-years-old. He had a sad life in his youth, and loved the musical songs of his childhood. His father decided that he should learn how to play the coronet or trumpet. Musical or any other class of education was always very strict. One time at nine-years-old, his music teacher chastised him severely for not practicing his two hours daily. He ran over a mile to his home, only to be met at the door by his father, who sent him right back to school to do what he was told. He became a wonderful musician; his tonal qualities were world known. His phrasing, which no other musician has so far ever compared, may never be heard again. It was strange but true that the finest musicians are modeled from a life of sadness and disappointments. The teaching of the old German theory was that a child must do as he or she is told. There were no in-betweens.
Elizabeth’s grandmother was a strict, impersonal woman, but Elizabeth imagined she had tears in her eyes when she wrote these last words in the letter.
Although the golden tones, the fine phrasing, and interpretation of the finest music is now silenced, (there are) countless thousands of listeners, as well as his widow, his three sons and a daughter, (who) will never forget him, Gustav F. Heim, and his keen affection for Lovell and townsfolk.
Miss Hobbs showed Elizabeth an old newspaper photograph of her grandfather. He stood tall in a suit, white shirt and tie, well dressed like many educated, accomplished German artists of that time. He had a kind, handsome face, a trimmed mustache, a slight smile, and dark hair combed straight back.
Elizabeth exclaimed. “ Look, he’s holding his trumpet close to his chest over his heart. His eyes sparkle ‘cause he loved music so much. Someday, maybe I’ll ask grandmother to tell me more about him. But, I don’t know if she’d like that.”
Elizabeth’s Grandmother Edna was a no nonsense woman, who believed little girls should be seen and not heard. Similar to her grandfather’s strict upbringing of what children could do and not do. Elizabeth asking her grandmother questions would be sheer folly.
Miss Hobbs came to the shocking part of her grandfather’s life. A journalist wrote the article for a local newspaper. At first she thought of omitting it, but decided to paraphrase part of it, and carefully watch Elizabeth’s reaction.
Gustav Heim died in 1933 at age 52. It was said that he was an alcoholic, and alcohol killed him. It was also said that he could be completely drunk, stand up in the orchestra’s front row, and play magnificently. In 1926 he became a bootlegger, was arrested and jailed in South Paris, Maine. The citizens of Lovell presented the governor with a petition of pardon at no avail. When he got out of jail he married Edna Ostermeyer, and they both ran Sunset Inn. They were married for seven years before he died.
During his funeral service one of his neighbors described him as “brimful and good natured, radiating to all with whom he came into contact.”
His obituary recounted the following: Hundreds of times he paddled across Kezar Lake to a point where there are wonderful echoes, and there in the evening dews and damps would play the priceless gold trumpet with all the gusto of old military days, then the clarion notes of its strains from the old masters might echo and reverberate among the hills and across the placid waters of the mountain lake.
In 1923 Edna and Gustav took out a one-year lease on Quisisanna Camps at Kezar Lake. During that time they began building their own musical retreat next door and named it Sunset Inn and Private Cottages. The townsfolk enjoyed Gustav’s beautiful trumpet solos, especially in the evening when he played Schubert’s Evening Star.
After Gustav died in 1933, Edna retained ownership of the inn until 1952. The Inn changed hands a few times over the years, until it was bought and named again Quisisanna, as part of an all-inclusive, music-themed resort. Edna will be remembered as a businesswoman ahead of her time, the first “ham” operator in the state of Maine, and a farmer, with a tagline to the Sunset Inn stationary, Poultry and Vegetables From Sunset Inn Farm.
Miss Hobbs put the last piece of paper down, and looked at Elizabeth. “What do you think? That’s a lot of information.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Wow, being famous and all that was pretty great, but grandfather didn’t have a lot of luck in his life, did he? I want to remember something good about him, like his eyes sparkled ’cause he loved music so much.”
Miss Hobbs sighed. “ Elizabeth, that’s very sweet.”
Elizabeth added. “I remember hearing grandmother tap tap on her ham radio machine at the farmhouse. She never talked to me about it though.”
“Well, I know something about that. It’s not in the file, but your grandmother got into a bit of trouble with her ham radio communications during WWII. The ladies auxiliary group discovered she had a contact in Germany, and found out about the soldiers from Lovell and surrounding towns. She would tell the soldier’s mothers when she heard news, especially that they were still alive. The president off the group warned your grandmother that certain people knew about her actions and she’d better stop before she got into trouble. Then she whispered in her ear. ‘Tell me if you hear anything about my son.’ “
“Gee, Miss Hobbs, that was great, wasn’t it. But, grandmother could’ve gotten into trouble for doing something good though. I promise not to say anything to her about the ham operator stuff. I don’t think she’d like it.”
“You must remember that during wartime, mother’s especially wanted news about their sons. Elizabeth, your grandmother took the risk for the greater good.”
Elizabeth’s grandparent connection was with her only living grandmother, Edna May. For now Elizabeth stored away in her mind that taking a risk to do something good would not get her into big trouble.
Miss Hobbs gathered up the newspaper articles and letters and put them back in the Lovell’s Famous People file. She knew of all the things Elizabeth heard about her grandparents, she would remember something good about each one of them. And her mind would be on other things before she walked out the door.
“Thank you Miss Hobbs for helping me. I’ll go get the next Nancy Drew book, The Secret in the Old Attic to take out. I put the two I read in the return box.”
The next week Elizabeth returned The Secret in the Old Attic to the library. She put it on the desk in front of Miss Hobbs.
“You know, I found some old German books hidden in my attic. I asked Dad to teach me German, and he said no. I asked him to tell me about our German name and he said no. I asked Mom, and she said to ask you, Miss Hobbs. So, do you know anything about my name Heim, it means home in German.”
“We didn’t talk about that before, but I read something in a newspaper article that might be related to your grandfather’s heritage. It’s another shocking thing about your grandfather and his drinking, and it’s only a possible hint about the Heim name. There was an episode reported that your grandfather had been drinking and abusive to one of his private music lesson students. He told him. ‘Get out, Jew.’ It was unclear the reason he said that.”
Elizabeth was quick to reply. “I bet that was his only way to get rid of him. The man probably knew grandfather was a Jew, and he’d tell everybody. Dad told me grandfather’s last words, and I memorized them. ‘No one should know about my life in Germany, that history dies with me.’ I think that’s a big hint he was a Jew.”
It stunned Charlotte Hobbs that Elizabeth thought so deeply about this. “Elizabeth, remember it was not an actual fact about your grandfather’s heritage. I know you think it’s chancy to ask your grandmother about such things, but she’s the only person who knows the truth.”
Elizabeth scrunched up her face. “ Boy, I’m gonna need a lot of luck to get an answer from her. She’s not easy to talk to.”
Elizabeth was left with only one grandparent, Grandmother Edna May. She missed out knowing her maternal Grandmother Madelyn Elizabeth, a saint of a woman.
Her experience with maternal Grandfather Franklin was not a good one. He died of prostate cancer. Elizabeth remembered when he stayed with them under her mother’s care. Elizabeth visited him one morning in the sunny front room. She stood by his bed and watched him wake up from a fitful sleep.
He looked at her and barked. “ Get me that tumbler.” He pointed at the bedside table full of medical supplies and personal things.
Elizabeth hesitated and looked at the cluttered table not knowing the word tumbler. He yelled, “The tumbler, you stupid child.” She cried and ran out of the room.
Grandfather Franklin had been a drinker and a poor provider. Her Grandmother Madelyn, called Maddy, was another story. She was a loving woman who took care of elderly people to make a living for their four children.
Elizabeth’s mother told the story. “It was a hot, muggy fall day. The exact minute a heart attacked killed my mother; I felt a cool breeze touch my body. It was her soul going up to Heaven.” Elizabeth took it that Grandmother Maddy was a saint.
Elizabeth pieced together missing family history. The dark secret, verboten to ask, never answered in Truth.
She wondered. Was grandfather a German Jew, and he shortened our last name? Was there a missing lich, mann or berg on the end?
So far, the history preserved Elizabeth’s childhood memory of her parental grandparents and Sunset Inn. Part of a bigger family, their survival ups and downs helped her handle childhood troubles.