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The Expression on Grandma’s Face

June 30, 2010

My paternal grandmother Edith married when she was 14, on October 4, 1911. Her husband – my grandfather, Harry – was 38, 24 years old years older than his bride. My grandfather is the in the front row on the left. My grandmother, his new bride – is in the second row standing, second from [...]

Father’s Day

June 20, 2010

My Dad died 28 years ago. He had a massive heart attack when he was 60 and lived for a couple of days after it. My husband and I hit the road to drive back home as soon as we heard that he was in the hospital, but we got there right after he died. [...]

Family Vacations

June 1, 2010

During my childhood, I only had 2 real family vacations. I have vivid memories of both of these vacations – I can remember the tiniest details of each trip. Traveling in the car through the countryside made quiet an impression on me. Other than visiting my mother’s brother in Indiana or going to Cedar Point [...]

Dozens of Cousins

May 20, 2010

I have a plethora of first cousins – 58 at last count. My Dad was one of 14 children (See Being a Middle Child, #7 of 14) and most of his siblings had several children each. Most of my cousins lived in my home town and I had regular interactions with them. I also have [...]

She Laughed ’til She Cried

April 26, 2010

To an outsider, Mom probably appeared to be a dour person. She was nice to people, and she always taught us to be respectful. But unless she had a reason to really be friendly to someone, she didn’t necessarily smile. Now to her family and friends, she laughed more often. But to people who she [...]

Pilgrammage to Campbell Mountain

March 26, 2010

My Mother told some stories that were just a bit difficult to believe. Now, I’m not saying that she was fibbing or anything. They are, certainly, her stories and her history. I’m just saying that they seemed a bit far-fetched. Several years before my mother died, my sisters and I persuaded our mother to travel [...]

The Untold Story . . .

March 3, 2010

For every story told in my family, there are innumerable mysteries. I wish I had asked more questions of my relatives when they were alive to get answers to those burning questions I have now. For instance, my father’s mother – the one who had 14 children (see Being a Middle Child, #7 of 14)- [...]

Campbell Mountain

January 27, 2010

It was Scottish tradition that when the patriarch died in an Scottish family, the oldest son inherited all the land and the others received nothing. And, as luck would have it, my Scottish ancestor was not the oldest. My great-great-grandfather left Virginia and moved to the Appalachian mountains with his family. The mountains of Tennessee [...]

New Year’s Eve

December 29, 2009

When I was a child, New Year’s Eve was the second best day of the year. Christmas day comes first, of course. We anticipated New Year’s Eve with almost as much enthusiasm. My parents were married on New Year’s Eve, and every December 31st we celebrated their anniversary as a family. Beginning in the morning [...]

Sew What?

December 8, 2009

My Mom made all of our clothing. She purchased underwear and socks, but used her Singer sewing machine to stitch together everything else that we wore. It was the only way to cloth a family of 7 for under $10,000 a year. Our family “made do” in many areas to survive having little money (See: [...]

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