Our Family Home

This is the old family home. It was located in East Cambridge on Central Avenue.  Six children were raised here. As we were growing up, we helped our parent’s plant gardens, and when everything was ready we would sit on the porch and clean and break beans to be canned. This was very interesting to me when I was little, as to how a seed could do so much. We had good family conversations while getting these beans ready. We made pickles, jam, you name it and we made it. At the time, a person never really realizes this, but as you get older, you look back at it and think of the money really saved by growing your own vegetables. We would grow all varieties. I can remember watching the tomatoes growing and wanting the first one to hurry and get red, so I could eat it. When it did, I ate it and later realized that my father was waiting on the first one also. He had good spirits and got to eat the second one. We had what was called a chicken house and grew chickens and had our own eggs. Of course, in being young, we never realized that our chicken dinners were coming from this house.

Dad had asthma really bad and for a while could not work. He was in and out of hospitals, laying in what was called a oxygen tent, with the doctor saying every time, he wasn’t going to make it through the night. He was a tough guy. He had family to take care of and he wasn’t going anywhere, he fought to live. For months, mom had to carry him from room to room, him weighing only 80 lbs. He was a proud man and would never ask anyone for help. This is where our canned food came in handy.

We were raised in an area which always flooded out after heavy rains. I can remember my dad measuring how fast the water was raising. He never would leave our home until we just had to go. We had several steps to our house and dad would wait sometimes until the water was almost at our porch before we left. We would step off the porch into a boat, to go to our grandmother’s house, until the water receded.

My parents were good people, if any one ever needed anything, they would help. No matter what was needed they would find a way to help out. No one was ever turned down, my parents were always there.

We were raised in church and taught the values of life. There was not a service that we ever missed unless one was sick. We participated in all the programs the church had. We were taught the golden rule and always lived it. At least did our best at it.

When we got older and married, we always went home for family get-togethers. Our parents loved to have us all in for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In the summer months we would all get together and play games and make homemade ice-cream.

In growing up, we had some good times and some bad times, as I know most people have had. We were always taught to be thankful for what we had, not be ungrateful for what we didn’t have. I can honestly say I had a very nice childhood. We may not have been rich money wise, but we sure were rich in life anyway. I don’t think there is a one of us six children who would not tell the same story. Maybe add some extra memories but feel the same about our life and our parents.

Outhouse Story

Grandmother’s Apron