Merry Christmas to each of you. May God bless your Christmas with much good cheer and wonderful family times. We ask for God to look down on each of us during this most special time of the year. We ask for God’s blessings especially for our very dedicated First Responders … we are so thankful for each one of you.

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This Christmas we remember those who came before us to our beautiful Valley Home. It was with many hardships and long journeys that the German settlers traveled with their families to this amazing area, a land of milk and honey. They settled here, built homes, created jobs, started a school, built churches, mercantiles, even a hotel … they became a thriving community. With a prosperous railroad running right through town, the little town thrived. The community would eventually be called Thalheim. According to the 1923 register for public elementary schools in Stanislaus County, the small country school was called Thalheim Jr. Elementary. Here are a few of the names that are mentioned in the records of this early community school … Hardester, Belletto, Benedix, Wedegaertner, Ward, Cook, Clark, Volkman, Nurse Miss Sewell, Attendance Officer JE Gore, County Librarian Bessie Silvereton, and Trustee OL Wieber, among many, many other names shown in the records.

Christmastime in Valley Home in those days must have been very special; however, in years to come, times would change. During the War the German settlers would be told by a visiting government agent that they could only speak in the English language during church services … the war affected the tiny community in many different ways.

At Christmastime we pay tribute to these amazing folks: the settlers, the brave families who came before us … to a beautiful place that we now know as our “Valley Home”.

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May God bless each and every one of you. Merry Christmas to All!