MTFCA Forum

In reading John's post about the shortcomings of the early over the axle wishbone, I thought some of you might enjoy reading this.

My grandfather, Ben Ostergren (Sr.), bought a new T runabout in 1915 ( a 1916 model) when he was courting my grandmother Agnes Wernstrom. Grandma kept a diary and also wrote poetry. This is her entry from Sunday, April 15, 1917.

Over roads that were bumpy
Over some that were fair
Road a carefree youth and I
Under the sunny April sky

Thirty miles or more we rambled
Yours truly at the wheel
When, thud--and a little hill
Was mounted with perfect skill

But the engine stopped its coughing
And needed a physician's care
So 'twas up to the lad to feel its pulse
And of work to render his share

The wishbone rods from the steering wheel
Were pronounced to have the humps
And refused their function to obey
of guiding us on our way

So we yanked them from their places
And on rocks of stony grey
Hammered them with the tools we had
Till they looked their original way.

For two long hours nearly
On his back and under the machine
With the oil a'dripping into his eyes
And an aching head feeling twice its size
Worked the lad in misery

But as everything has an ending
We slowly retraced our way
This time in silence with much less zeal
And the lad at the steering wheel

And, here are Grandma and Grandpa...

Thanks Charlie, definitely related. Great story!!

Grandma and Grandpa both chose well. He got a woman of good literary skills and a sense of humor; she got a man who could fix her car when things went awry.

Did your grandparents live in Minnesota?

That looks like a 1915-16-17 Minnesota license plate. They were aluminum with embossed numbers filled in with red/maroon paint. A high number like your grandfather's had "Minnesota" embossed on left and "1915 1916 1917" embossed on the right - no paint - so they can fade into the background in photos.

I have a public directory of Minnesota automobile registrations from 1916 that covers numbers 51362 through 101899 for the 1915-16-17 plates.

Nice picture and poem best part is she is still smiling !

Great story Bryan. Was this where the talents for the model T began and through the years/generations refined to a point where you earned the prestigious Rosenthal award?
Frank

Erik,
Yes, Grandma and Grandpa were born and raised in Saint Paul. Grandpa, actually, on a farm in Maplewood on Edgerton St.

Frank,
I guess you could say it started with Grandpa. He traded the '16 in for a coupelet in 1917. Then a '21 runabout, and finally a '25 touring. I caught the bug from my dad. His first car was a '22 coupe that he bought at age 16 in 1936. He paid the princely sum of $5 for it while working at George Zerker's service station for 15 cents an hour.

Here's one more of Grandma. And interesting that the cowl light rims appear to be brass and the headlight rims black