#3- Sophia's Childhood

It is reported that the Ploeger children went to school. Some family traditions state that the children needed to break from speaking the German language in order to attend successfully. Sophia attended the Bungalow School in Elderon, Wisconsin. And this photo of students with teacher has both Sylvia and Sophia in it. From the left, they are the 6th and 7th girls. [In the original photo, one can even tell that their dresses are made of the same cloth.] The photo is a post card set to Emma Marquardt from Silvi and Sophia and maybe dates the photo to around 1917, probably Elderon, Marathon County, Wisconsin, since the 1910 and 1920 Federal Census shows the family residing in that location, although her following records dispute this.

On April 20, 1921 the family loses their mother. This tragedy affects much of the remainder of their childhood years.

On April 9, 1922 Sophia is confirmed at the St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Fremont,Waupaca County, Wisconsin by Pastor Erwin Schmidt. Her confirmation certificate is showed below.

On May 26, 1922 she graduated 8th grade (at the age of 15 years) from the Waupaca County, Wisconsin Schools. Her teachers name as signed on the certificate is Loretta M. Dempsey.(Below)

I am pretty sure that the next photo is of Sophia with another male student and their teacher, Loretta M. Dempsey at her 8th grade graduation.

Within a year of her mother's death, Sophia has been confirmed and graduated. We are not sure when her father remarried as that information is yet to be found. But, Sophia then is expected to go out to work. It was said that her older sister Sylvia stays home to help with the household and the younger children, and Sophia goes to Marshfield,, Marathon County, Wisconsin, where she finds employment as a maid in the Rhoddes family home. But later information states that Sylvia was also there working as a cook in that home. So as a teenager, she has lost her mother, and now is separated from her family. It must have been a emotional adjustment for her.

We have heard that she worked as an "upstairs maid" for this lumber baron. I do not know much about him, but maybe some research into the family would be interesting. We also have no idea of how long she worked for them. But, it is in Marshfield that we believe she meets and then marries my Grandfather.