Albert and Flora, to date, created a family of 138 with spouses, grandchildren, their spouses, great grandchildren and spouses and great great grandchildren...have I added enough greats?
Now a few words from Albert, himself...
I was born on the Sherm Burdick Farm on the upper part of the Vandermark in Scio. As a youngster, I attended a country school near Decker Road. My family soon moved to the Williams farm down before the railroad track toward Belmont, you may remember it as the Ramsey Place. We lived there for a short time before moving to the Penalton Place (later owned by the Windus) on Black River Road. At this time, I attended the Scio Union School on the corner of Washington Street and the Vandermark. In 1925, we moved back up on the Vandermark to the Charlie Barnes farm (now Whiskey Creek) and I had to leave my teacher, Viola Ball Palmer. She just bawled when I left.
I attended a school in what is now the Town of Ward Bldg. I only completed eighth grade.
As Flora mentioned, I always enjoyed hunting. I would trap raccoons, mink and muskrats to sell their skins. I also hunted pheasants, rabbits, squirrels and partridge.
I you have heard tell about town baseball teams. We had one too. I played on one. We used the field across the bridge on the Vandermark. I was a catcher and played second base.
Albert's brother Alton here. Yes, we enjoyed playing baseball. I played, along with Leon, Cecil Wyse, Harold Rifenburg, Glen Sheldon and anyone else who was available.
Sometimes I would have to stay up to three days at a time with someone to play games. We played 15 games in a row. People paid 1 cent per game to come watch.
I helped my Uncle Clarence Wyse cut wood. One day when Alton and I were cutting down a tree and dragging it out of the woods, I cut my foot pretty bad. Uncle Clarence got me on a horse to get me to my dad. Dad didn't handle it well, he was white as a sheet. So, Alton stayed behind to help Dad and Uncle Clarence took me on to Doc Comstock in Wellsville. He sewed up my foot. But, there were days when I would say I wished he had cut it off, it bothered me so.
After my recovery at my sister Lura Walther's house, I went to work in Boliver making gasoline from natural gas. The depression hit, people couldn't afford the gasoline or the natural gas for heating anymore; so, the company went out of business. I had to return to the farm and would help out other farmers.
One of those farmers was Glenn Madison, he lived up on the Vandermark across from the Archie Thomas farm. They had a pretty girl, blond and petite, named Flora.
Alton again. Albert always wanted to meet Flora. So, I was friends with her brother Taylor and they were hosting a square dance at the Madison's. I kinda liked her sister Alice too. Taylor said, bring Albert. The beginning of Flora and Albert's romance.
Flora told you she ran into me in the barn and we decided to go to the dance together. Alton and I danced with the girls that night. We attended parties together on the Vandermark, took horse and buggy rides and walks.
Flora here. Albert and I were married on March 17, 1934 in the Scio Methodist Church with Albert's sister Lura and her husband Philip standing up with us. We had a reception at Lura and Philips home. Grandpa Norton, Philip's step grandfather, taught the kids to short sheet the bed that we were to sleep in that night. And, Phil's sister, Fleda Hinnman, got a bit intoxicated and put her hand right into the wedding cake.
We moved in with my parent's on their farm and Louise was born there. James and Evelyn were born while we were living on the Lewis' tenant farm in Boliver. After that, in 1937, we moved to the Seaberry farm in Belvidere. I miked cows for hours a day there. We lived in a house down the road with no electricity, water had to be brought from the barn and of course an outhouse.
Louise here. One day Mother, Stub and I walked to a neighbors across from the barn where Dad was. Mother told us to stay put and crossed the road to go see Dad. Stub decided to follow her, and Dad's dog who had followed us, went right with him. A car came down the road, Stub was okay but the dog was killed. Only years later, did I find out that Dad had that dog since he was a teenager; he was his pride and joy.
Then it was back to the Lewis farm. I remember Louise graduating from kindergarten in June of 1940. Flora went to Olean and bought her a new dress. That dress cost 98 cents. A full day's pay for me.
From there, in November of 1940, we moved to the Byrd Barn in Canisteo where Kathleen and Bobby were born. I earned one half of everything born and raised on the farm. But, I also owned half the debt. We were able to stay in a big ol' house for free; but, it took a lot to heat it with those 14' ceilings. I took the milk to Elmhurst Dairy in Hornell everyday and stopped in Canisteo to the saw mill to get wood for the stove. My nephew Lloyd Mann came to live with us here.
During WWII, we raised peas for a canning factory. Birdseye representatives would come by and tell us when they needed to be harvested and gave us 24 hours. The whole family would have to work to meet the deadline. We also raised chickens. I had an egg route in Hornell to delivery them for sale. People would come by on Saturday nights to get chickens for Sunday dinner. Flora would go out to the coup, kill and dress the chickens.
On to Greenwood...