As a child, after Albert and I were first married, and then even when the children were very young, we led a pretty nomadic life. We followed the work from Belfast to Wellsville, to Hornell and Canisteo and we finally landed in Greenwood.
We were living and working for George Burd on his farm in Canisteo when he offered Albert either a farm in Rexville or the one on Greenwood Hill that he had purchased from Ames Rogers. Albert thought the Rexville farm was too marshy, so he bought the Greenwood farm in 1946. We had the five children, Louise, James, Evelyn, Kathleen and Robert. It needed a lot of work. We would go on Sundays to work on the house. Lloyd and Bernice would go with us.
For whatever reason, Albert just kept stalling on moving. So, in April of 1947 during Easter vacation from school, I went to the barn and told Albert I was moving. And, with our pup Sport, I packed up Stubby (James), he was 10 years old and Evelyn, she was 6 along with two beds, some dishes, sheets and blankets, a few clothes in a wagon with a team of horses and moved to the Greenwood farm.
It was a dilapidated old house with the wind just whipping through it. It did have an old woodstove. And…
Mother, this is Evelyn, or Ezzy as you may know me, let me tell this part. Mother and Stub would go down back of the barn a ways and cut wood for the stove. They only had one of those large two person cross-cut saws. They would cut and cut; then, haul the wood back to the house on a horse and wagon.
Louise here. Let’s get this name thing straight right now. This is how our friends and family names came to be. I always called James Stub and he always called me Wease or Weasy and it stuck. After Kathleen was born, Evelyn took over with her. They were always together. She couldn’t say Kathleen so she called her Kappy and vice versa, Kathleen couldn’t say Evelyn, she called her Ezzy.
Yes, back to the wood. We cut down thorn apple trees and got a piece of tin and some plywood to try and cover the openings. I don’t think I have been warm since.
It took him a week; but, Albert packed up Weasy, Kappy and Bobby, along with our furnishings, into his old panel truck with the high sides. Much to my disappointment, and I use that word nicely, he stopped at the dump on his way to the farm and offloaded most of my antique furniture and old family things. Said we didn’t need them. For years whenever I brought up those antiques, Albert would say, “Where were you going to put ‘em?” I never had an answer.
Albert had a few head of cattle that he had earned as his half of what was born and raised per their agreement while we were on the Burd farm. He hired someone to bring them over along with Molly and Dolly, his favorite work horses.
Albert here. That first year, we cut what hay we had; but, we did not have enough feed for the animals to get through the winter and very little money. Billy Pease, he lived on what is now the McCormick farm, offered me some of his old hay for a good price. That turned out to be a major mistake, that “somsabitch” sold me mildewed hay and it killed all my horses and cattle.
Albert, now you stop that. Most of you that knew Albert also knew that he used colorful language. He didn’t mean any harm by it. It was just his way. It was a really rough start. We lost everything we had worked seven years to get.
James here. We hauled all the animals to the pasture down behind the barn. Dad said let the wild animals eat them. We called it the bone yard.
We lived lean those first years. We didn’t have electricity at first. We washed our clothes on a washboard, put them through a ringer and hung them on a line. Albert hooked a gasoline motor to it and we did laundry out on the porch. When we got electricity, he took that gasoline motor off and put it down in the barn and by gosh somebody stole it! Any of you boys that hung around the farm know anything about that? (ha ha)
Laundry on the porch and an outhouse. When it rained the water just swirled around the outhouse making it hard for us to use it. And, yes the old stories are true, we did use Sears catalogs sometimes too. In 1953 or 1954, I can’t rightly remember, we got a bathroom. Albert’s sister and husband put a new bathroom in their house in Scio and gave us the tub and all that and we put the bathroom in our house.
The payment of $100 on the principal and $100 interest was due to George each November along with the taxes. I worried every year about how we would find the money; but, we did. It meant I had to go to work off the farm.
Winters were hard on the hill in those days, snow drifts so deep vehicles couldn’t get up the road and most times even if it was cleared it was just to the gully, or as it is called now Bess Basin after the family that had a farm close by, to get the school bus in.
Evelyn again, when Mother worked at the Silk Mill in Andover and Dad was working away with the car, she would walk down to the bottom of Williamson Road through all that deep, deep snow to hitch a ride with another worker in the afternoon and then walk the two miles back up after 11 at night. I do not know how she did it. She would be back up working on the farm the next morning.
We had good neighbors. Freeman and Mildred Rogers lived right there above the gully. They would take the children in after their long walk out from the farm and give them donuts in the morning while they waited for the bus. Or, Pauline and Gordon Pease would take them off the bus as it came across and keep them until I could get there to take them home. Some days, our road was not passable and I would have to leave my car there along with the younger kids and Stub and I would walk into the farm to take care of the animals.
James here. Yes, Mother and I would walk into the farm through drifts almost over Mother’s head. Remember. She wasn’t even 5 feet tall. I remember one night, she was so tired, she said she was just going to have to lie down for a bit and rest. Even as a kid, I knew that was not a good idea, so I almost carried her the rest of the way in.
Evelyn again. I remember, it was my birthday, and we had to stay with the Peases. Pauline had a birthday dinner with cake ready for me when I got off the bus.
Yes, Pauline was good to the children. After a time and Louise getting frostbite on her legs from walking so far in the snow to and from the bus, I told them that the kids would not go to school until the bus came far enough to pick them up properly. Well, Pauline got a station wagon and she would come and get the children and bring them out to the bus.
In the spring we picked blackberries down in the pasture. One time, Albert’s mother was with us and she wanted to set down her pail. She said, “The cows won’t hurt them.” She left hers and when we got back the darn cows had been in there and what they didn’t eat we had to throw away. She was just about ready to cry. Bernice, you know my sister Bernice, she married Lloyd Mann and when her younger girls were in high school they moved to Greenwood. Anyways, Bernice and I had taken ours back to the house and we had plenty; so, we gave her plenty to take home.
Albert and I worked on the farm and away from the farm making the kids responsible for themselves quite often. As Louise said, Evelyn took over Kathleen.
Louise again. Kathleen was a good baby. Evelyn was good too but grew up too fast and had a mind of her own. I remember the day Kathleen was born. I couldn’t wait to get home from school to see her. She looked like someone’s little doll, her eyes were so dark they looked like black beads. Evelyn was only two when Kathleen was born. But, as soon as Kathleen could even sit up, Evelyn would drag her to her feet and try to make her walk. She did, at nine months. Evelyn also wanted her to use the bathroom, so she showed her how to unfasten her diaper and use the potty too. The two girls were always together.
Over the years, Stub and I learned how to do farm chores. Dad and Lloyd, you know Lloyd Mann, my Dad’s nephew, he lived with us and I guess you figured it out, he married my mother’s sister Bernice; well Dad and Lloyd would put the corn silage in bushel baskets and Stub would get one side and I would get the other and go down the mangers in front of the cows and each cow got a half bushel.
Louise, as the oldest, also had to do a lot of the housework. She took over a lot of chores when I went to work when she was about 11. She would do the laundry after school.
Yes, Mother. Think housework is hard, try doing it like we did. For laundry, cold water, and when I say cold, I mean hurt your teeth cold in the middle of the summer cold, came to the sink from the spring on the hill. We caught it in a pail, dumped it into a copper boiler on top of the wood stove. Heated it to a boil and put it in the washing machine along with some cold to fill it up. Whites first, medium colors next and overalls and barn clothes last. Two wash tubs were filled with cold water for a double rinse. I was always telling the girls to stay away.
Evelyn was old enough and was afraid of the wringer; but Kathleen, she was always trying to help by pulling things out. This one time, her little hand got caught. She started screaming and put her little feet on the rinse tub and pulled her hand free. Of course, the water in the tub spilled over her and the floor. Kappy was crying because she was wet, I was crying because, well, thank God she wasn’t hurt and there was a mess and I don’t know why Ezzy was crying. I was trying to clean it up and Mother came home just when we were all crying. I told Dad about it and he just laughed. Supper was a little late that night.
As I think about it now, they couldn’t have been very clean with the amount of clothes we washed in that same water. But, that was the way it was done. No dryer. Everything was hung outdoors, even socks and diapers. I was short, just like Mother, so I had to use a kitchen stool to reach the lines to hang them up.
Louise would iron everyone’s clothes too. Before we had electricity, she even used my old irons heated on the stove. We lost a lot of clothes then. Summers we canned all our fruits and vegetables for the year. Mostly grown on our farm, but when we didn’t have something, Albert would buy it from another farmer. We butchered a pig and a cow each year and canned that too. We put 14 quart jars in the bottom of the copper boiler on the woodstove and a rack with 14 more on top of them. Vegetables boiled for 3 hours, fruits at least a half hour and meats 4 hours. Albert loved to hunt and the boys loved to go with him. We supplemented with rabbits, squirrels, deer, wild turkey and whatever else was good as well as any wild greens that were edible.
Back then cow feed came in cloth bags with small pretty roses on them. Different bags had different colors. I made dresses for Evelyn and Kathleen out of them with pretty puffed sleeves and full skirts.
Evelyn back. That brings me back to the ironing. Those dresses were a nightmare for Louise. Kappy and I handled the easy stuff like hankies and pillowcases; but, Louise did the rest. When I was in sixth grade, Louise got married and ironing and fixing dinner became my job.
While the girls worked around the house and helped out with chores on the farm, the boys spent most of their time with Albert, farm chores and hunting.
Bob here. When I was about 10, I remember our horse, Old Dan, chasing Mother around the apple trees. She was using the horse and a stone boat to draw hay into the barn. She and Old Dan never did get along.
Kathleen here. Speaking of the animals. I had a pet goat. Black with silver tipped ears. I loved that goat. One day, I don’t know where we all were; but, the door of the house got left open and that goat went inside, ate the curtains and made a mess. Next day, Mother put that goat up for sale.
Evelyn again. I don’t think Kappy ever forgave Mother for that.
We all had our work to do and we did it somehow.
Evelyn here. Every Saturday the house had to be cleaned. That meant washing and waxing floors on our hands and knees upstairs and down. Always a cake to be baked, six pies and sometimes cookies. On Sunday, everyone came, 40 to 60 people. By Sunday night, the food was gone and the house was a mess. But, what fun we all had with all the cousins.
Our house was always open. You know at one time or another, I think most of my brothers and sisters lived with us. Bootie Sheehan stayed with us for two years until she graduated from high school and Bobby had two friends do the same.
Evelyn again. Mother and Dad didn’t go to church. Never enough time or money for the offering. Mother felt we didn’t have good enough clothes either. But, if ministers or church goers want to know what a true loving Christian is, they should follow their example.
Albert and I never missed a dance at the grange hall. Saturday nights were for round or square dancing. Freem and Mildred Rogers would play the piano, accordian and drums and we would dance the night away. Potluck dinners with lots of food and drink. Everyone came, kids and all. Sometimes we went to the dances at the old schoolhouse on Cunningham Creek in Canisteo. They had benches along the walls and kids sometimes used those as a bed and went to sleep while their parents danced the night away.
I was the lecturer for the West Greenwood Grange for a number of years. It was my job to plan all the parties and entertainment. We did Christmas plays, sang carols and Santa even showed up with gifts, small boxes with nuts, oranges and candy for the children.
Evelyn again. One time Kathleen and I had a hayride and wiener roast for about 40 people. Someone threw a glass of water at someone else and the water fight was on. Soon pails of water were being dipped from the spring and thrown. Eventually, those pails of water followed into the house and were thrown all over inside from the front door to the back.
Kathleen here. We thought Mother was going to kill us. But, Mother and Dad laughed as hard as us kids. I think they joined in and threw water too.
Those years while we were raising the kids were hard. But, they were joyous too. Albert and I would not give them up for anything. He will tell you a few tales when it is his turn.
Next up: If you think we had a lot of people around while the kids were growing up, wait ‘til you hear about our grandparent years.