Uncle Ray wrote this remembrance:
Do any of you Van Giesen's remember our 23rd and Wayne times? I'm recall those gypsies that road around in wagons with horses pulling loads of old clothing,tires, bags of rags, and what all.........I remember him hollering "R-r-r-r-ags r r r r akes or wrecks- - -wrecks!!!" Wonder what happened to those folks........ And he used to roll those R's......
That prompted this reflection from Aunt Jeanie:
I remember the rag man in Erie, but I didn't know he was a gypsy. I also remember the ice man. Lots of our nephews and nieces have no clue why we had an ice man, but before we had refrigerators we had ice boxes. The ice man would bring a huge hunk of ice, with tongs, and slip it into the top of the ice box. In the summertime, we loved it when he came as we would get little pieces of ice to crunch on. Can't remember exactly where we picked these pieces up.
That, in turn, prompted my mom (Amy) to ask if anyone remembered Gypsy Smith. Aunt Jeanie Googled him and found this information:
Rodney "Gypsy" Smith 1860-1947 British evangelist. Gypsy Smith was born in England. His mother died when he was a small boy. His father led him to Christ at the age of 15. Two years later, Smith joined General William Booth's mission, and began preaching to crowds that numbered from 100 to 1,500. He conducted evangelistic campaigns in the United States and Scotland for over 70 years. He came to America 30 times and preached around the world twice. In the Paris Opera House he had 150 conversions out of the cream of Parisian society. He was a contemporary of Fanny Crosby and G. Campbell Morgan.
Gipsy Smith was, perhaps, the best loved evangelist of all time. When he would give his life story, the crowds that came to hear usually overflowed the halls and auditoriums. His trips across the Atlantic Ocean were so numerous that historians seemingly disagree on the exact number. Born in a gypsy tent six miles northeast of London, at Epping Forest, he received no education. The family made a living selling baskets, tinware and clothespegs. His father, Cornelius, and his mother, Mary (Polly) Welch, provided a home that was happy in the gypsy wagon, despite the fact that father played his violin in the pubs at this time. Young Rodney would dance and collect money for the entertainment. Yet he never drank or smoked, which may have contributed to his longevity. Cornelius was in and out of jail for various offenses, usually because he couldn't afford to pay his fines. Here he first heard the gospel from the lips of a prison chaplain. He tried to explain to his dying wife what he heard. http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=145
