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Family Recordings

Audio restored from cassette tapes and reel recordings kept by the Peterson and Schoen family lines, WWI-era letters read aloud decades after they were written, and a home video from the Boger 50th anniversary. Press play on anything below.

Boger 50th Anniversary

Home video from the Boger 50th anniversary celebration, converted from the original tape for the web.

WWI Letters to Henry Peterson

Henry Peterson was the brother of Curt's maternal grandmother Marie (Peterson) Schoen. These letters were written to Henry while he served in the Army in WWI, in 1918. In these recordings he reads their contents, probably at least 50 years after they were written.

There are letters from his sister Marie and her husband Carl; from his little sister Belle; and from his father Jorgen. The latter two are in Danish.

  • From Marie — Nov 12, 1918

  • From Marie — Nov 24, 1918

  • From Marie — undated

  • From Belle — Dec 15, 1918 (Danish)

  • From Belle — Dec 19, 1918 (Danish)

  • From Jorgen — Sept 4, 1918 (Danish)

Marie (Peterson) Schoen \u2014 Life Stories

In the 1970s, Curt's maternal grandmother Marie (Peterson) Schoen recorded several audio cassettes documenting portions of her life. There are stories from her coming to America, singing, and a lot more.

  • Part 1

  • Part 2

  • Part 3

  • Part 4

  • Part 5

  • Part 6

  • Part 7

  • Part 8

  • Part 9

  • Part 10

  • Part 11

  • Part 12

  • Part 13

Miscellaneous Marie Schoen Tapes

A variety of tapes Marie kept in her home when she passed away in 1986. A tape Wanda sent for Christmas 1977 features Barbara on clarinet and Wanda, Lorna, and Barb singing carols. Another, sent to Terry for his 1969 birthday while he served as a pilot in Vietnam, was passed around Kansas so everyone could say something — you'll hear Clarence, Patsy, Corrine, Sam, Lola, Polly, Roy, Peggy, Otto, Marie, and others.

  • Kansas Family: Happy Birthday to Terry at War (1969)

  • Kansas Family: Happy Birthday to Terry at War (1969) — Part 2

  • Barb Plays Clarinet for Christmas (1977)

  • Wanda, Lorna & Barb Sing Christmas (1977) — 1

  • Wanda, Lorna & Barb Sing Christmas (1977) — 2

  • Wanda, Lorna & Barb Sing Christmas (1977) — 3

  • Wanda, Lorna & Barb Sing Christmas (1977) — 4

  • Wanda Signs Off, Christmas (1977)

  • Wanda to Marie, Christmas 1977

Kansas Folk Music from the Petersons

A 1985 tape sent to Marie from her brother Sigvald and his son Arlo: a treasure trove of folk music with Arlo on guitar and Sigvald on the “mouth harp” (harmonica), played entirely from memory.

Remarkably, Sigvald was 85 at the time and living with significant dementia, yet it never affected his ability to remember the tunes. Some song titles were hard to make out, so take the names with a grain of salt.

  • Amazing Grace

  • Buffalo Gals

  • Before IMet You

  • Better Edged In Black

  • Aunt Dinahs Quilting Party

  • Captain Jynx

  • Cattle Call

  • Church In The Wildwood

  • Dixie

  • Dont Fence Me In

  • Down The River

  • Little Brown Jug

  • My Blue Heaven

  • Put Your Little Foot

  • Comin Round The Mountain

  • My Faith Looks Up To Thee

  • Red River Valley

  • Listen To The Mockingbird

  • Wabash Cannonball

  • Tennesee Waltz

  • Danish Tune 1

  • Danish Tune 2

  • Danish Tune 3

  • Danish Tune 4

  • Danish Tune 5

  • Danish Tune 6

  • Old Danish Song From Jorgen 1

  • CooCoo Waltz

  • Cut Down The Old Pine Tree

  • Fannies Two Step

  • Gently Sweet Afton

  • Home Sweet Home Waltz

  • How In The World Do the Old Folks Know

  • Mandolin Square

  • My Silver Bell

  • Nellie Gray

  • Oklahoma Hills

  • Old Faithful

  • Over The Waves

  • Peekaboo Waltz

  • Rocking The Baby To Sleep

  • Skip To Mloo

  • Smile A While

  • So Long its been good to know ya

  • Soldiers Joy

  • Song From Grandpa Jorgen

  • The Old 400

  • The Old Oaken Bucket

  • Under The Double Eagle

  • What A Friend We Have in Jesus

  • You Are My Sunshine