From Aunt Ethel: Childhood Days

Memories of Home

(Written for Doris’s 80^th birthday, 2001)

How well I remember the carefree days of childhood, when we lived in the big house by the Cornwall Pike. Three little sisters, how we loved to play in the big yard. We had tea parties. We played hide and seek and tag. We walked to Miss Mollie’s Inn for penny candy.

Our house had a living room, dining room, kitchen and a big spare room that was our playroom. The second floor had bedrooms and a third-floor attic.

We felt loved and secure. We had our mother and daddy to watch over us. And also for a while our grandma, whom we called Mam, lived with us. She loved us and rocked us and gave us candy from a special drawer in her room.

When Doris went to school and learned to read, she read to us. Some of my favorites were Aesop’s Fables and Pinnochio.

We made dollhouses out of cardboard cartons. We cut out doors and windows and pasted paper for curtains. And we made up adventures with our little dolls. Sometimes we made tents by putting down chairs and spreading blankets over them, then crawling around underneath. Sometimes we put on plays for mother and daddy. I guess, at times, we got pretty rambunctious. Then Dad would holler “Pipe down!” and that made us giggle.

Our neighbors were the Keith family. We played with Doris and Winifred. Frankie was just a little toddler. He grew up to be a great basketball player and later a coach.

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Christmas was always a magical time. We woke early on Christmas morn and rushed downstairs to see if Santa had arrived. We were never disappointed — there was always a large beautifully decorated tree and presents.

We loved our Harrisburg relatives. Grandma Blough, our mother’s mother, was sweet, stylish and full of fun. She usually brought along graham crackers, peanut butter and marshmallows. What a treat! Mother’s sister, Aunt Ethel, and her husband Uncle Charl brought our sent us a bag of gifts.

Uncle Charl sort of looked down his nose at our noisy gang. He tolerated us except for Doris. They loved Doris dearly and would have adopted her as their own. But of course, Mother and Dad would have none of that. But they felt sorry for Aunt Ethel and did share Doris with them in the summers. So she was lucky. But I guess there were times when she would rather have been in the bosom of her family.

The day came when we had a little brother Peter and eventually another brother Paul. We loved the little guys and love to hold and play with them.

When the Depression came, Dad moved us to Quentin. He bought us a home and we lived there until we were grown and on our own. What dear memories I have of that little home. We explored our new neighborhood and soon settled in. The school was just up the lane, so we came home for lunch.

Harry and Katie Sechrist were our neighbors. They had a little son, Harry. They were good neighbors and Dad and Harry become life-long friends.

We liked the Quentin school and had some good teachers. On holidays the school put on little plays. We were so proud to have Mother attend the performances.

Dad became a huckster to feed and support the family during the Depression. He drove to Philadelphia in our Dodge car and bought fruit and vegetables and some meat and beans, then sold it in our neighborhood. Also we had fresh vegetables from Dad’s garden. We also had a grape arbor and a patch of rhubarb.

I remember eating puffed rice and shredded wheat for breakfast. Also, Daddy made delicious mush. We loved it warm with milk and sugar or fried and covered with molasses.

A little brother, Allen, was born a handsome babe with a great big grin. It seemed Mother always had a baby in her arms. The years kept going by. We girls loved to roller skate at the school grounds on the sidewalk. And once in a while at the Mount Gretna Roller Rink. What a treat!

Doris was the oldest and always broke new ground for the rest of us. She was the first one to date — over Dad’s strong objections. But Mother intervened and eventually Doris dated and the world didn’t come to an end. So by the time Alice and I wanted to date, it was alright as long as we brought our friends home for Mother and Dad to meet.

Another little brother, James, was born and completed our family. He was cute and curly-haired and, at a young age, quite a singer.

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The Cornwall Methodist Church played a big part in our lives. We went to Sunday school and church. When older, we sang in the junior choir and later in the senior choir. Mother sang in the choir. She had a beautiful alto voice. We girls were active in the church league and, when Reverend Johnston was minister, they always had a hymn sing for us at parsonage after church. Several romances blossomed there. Doris met Harold Light, the organist. It was a love affair that let to marriage and three wonderful children — Sylvia, Betsy and Barbara.

These are over 70 years of memories. I was always glad I was part of a big family. I never knew life any other way. From my first memories, I had sisters to play with and then brothers. The give-and-take of family life was the only way of life I knew. Mother and Dad tried to be fair. They loved us all.

When Doris went to college, I missed her greatly. We looked forward to her letters and when she came home for holidays. The same with Alice. She was away for long periods at school in Virginia. I had the opportunity to visit with her there.

Mother played the piano so we always had music in our home. She loved to get us children around the piano and have a hymn sing.

Other memories are of good home-baked bread — warm, fresh from the oven. Sticky buns and doughnuts! Dad made his special candy for Christmas and sometimes Easter. Mother made good taffy and we children learned to make fudge — still a favorite to this day.

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We loved our aunts and uncles and cousins. We had great reunions at Walnut Springs.

We children went away to school — then started to marry and have children of our own. But the little house in Quentin remained a sweet gathering place. It was there that I met my dear husband John. Brother Pete had brought him to our home. The family grew larger with in-laws, nieces and nephews. All were welcome and loved at our little Quentin home.

We were very happy for Doris, in later years after being a widow, that she met and married Arthur Wilson — another fine musician. We all love and enjoy him. He has been a great addition to the family.

“Happy Birthday, Dear Sister”