GRANDMA GARNER - SOME MEMORIES OF HER

Last night after the DAR meeting several of us were discussing the large families of yesteryear, and we wondered how in the world they managed to feed and clothe so many children.

Source: Bing clip art

My comments revolved around my Grandma GARNER and a conversation she and I had when I was a mom with one toddler on this very subject.  She had a hernia plus my uncle's birth had been very difficult (and the doctor was drunk) and after 2 children (my mom and uncle) the doctor told her no more children.  She had 3 more. 

 I asked if they tried any form of contraception, and she stated that she did not ask or expect Pappy to sleep on the couch the rest of their lives.  I asked why she didn't buy condoms, after all they had been available for many years prior to the 1940's.  Her answer after she stopped chuckling was, "I had plenty of food to feed more mouths, but I didn't have cash money to go to the drug store with."

Several of the older women who were in on this conversation last night smiled and nodded in agreement - they understood exactly what my grandma meant. 

 The Great Depression was just ending, and we were in WWII - cash money was just not available to most working people after paying for the necessities. Back in the day, most people had a vegetable garden, a few chickens, and maybe even a milk cow and a pig.  While food variety might not have been great, most people, especially in rural areas had food.  Both Pappy and Grandma Garner's parents were alive and still on the farms.  My grandparents had a large home vegetable garden (I can remember Grandma still tending one in the 1970's).

Source: Bing clip art

Grandma often spoke of how during all the rationing of WWII, she took in laundry and ironing to help meet the cash needs of her growing family, while Pappy delivered milk for Moore's Dairy and later worked for Bushon Feeds. Grandma did not drive, and the car had to get Pappy to work and back anyway. 

Source: Bing clip art

Gas was rationed and in order to go to church on Sunday and to their own family's farms after church they did no running during the week.  Whichever of their parents farm they went to on a given Sunday for lunch and visiting also stocked them up on eggs, fresh milk, cider, and other items that Grandma & Pappy either didn't grow themselves, couldn't get in Lancaster, or did not have enough ration cards for. It was a hard time for many people, but I don't remember my grandma really complaining about it - they toughed it out.

A side note of this is that my mother had bad teeth, by the time I can remember she already had false teeth.  My sister asked me about it and in my opinion, it may have been caused by a lack of milk or other dairy products in her early years while she was really growing.

I remember Pappy talking about how they bought the house at 1747 Temple Ave in Lancaster in 1937.  They had lived in downtown Lancaster, not far from John and Emma (RESSLER)REESE, however, when Grandma became pregnant the decision was made to find a house on the outskirts of Lancaster. 

I don't remember all the details anymore, but I believe the house was purchased from 2 brothers for $4,000.  Pappy said when they paid it off, it actually cost them $6,000 with all the interest they had to pay. When Grandma sold the house in the mid-1990's it brought $61,000.  I wonder what Pappy would have thought of that. The reality is that $4,000 in 1937 was a huge amount of money to a regular working person.

When I was in Lancaster this past August, my sister and I went by and looked at Grandma & Pappy's old house on Temple Ave.  It looks totally different with siding and fencing.  But what sticks in my mind is how small it actually is - somehow with all the love and good memories that were produced in that home, it always seemed so big.  My sister and I drove thru the alley and actually got caught by the current owner as we were peeking over the back privacy fence!!  He was actually the person who purchased the house from Grandma, and once we explained who we were was very willing to talk to us about the house.  The back yard was tiny - how in the world did we play games and have so many family meals and picnics in that tiny yard !!!!

Source: Redfin

This is 1747 Temple Ave., Lancaster, PA looks now. In my memories, the house was white with dark green trim. The front porch had a metal swing and a couple of metal chairs. Lots of visiting and waving at folks going by happened from that porch. 

The yard was small, but from my current perspective it is tiny. It must have been all the love and good memories in that home that made it, and the house seem bigger. How we got so many people crammed in there for Sunday meals and holiday dinners is beyond me, but we did.

After those big meals, people scattered into the living room, porch, back yard, or on neighborhood walks to visit or play games. Good memories happened during any or all of that.

NOTE: THE PHOTOS USED IN THIS BLOG ARE IN MY POSSESSION UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.  THE WRITTEN CONTENT IS MY OWN UNLESS NOTED.

MY ORGANIZATION SYSTEM

     So I was recently contacted and ask how in the world I actually keep track of all this stuff??? My system is anything but perfect and generally pretty low tech.  However, keep in mind, that I am super over the top about stuff being where it belongs - and that means any item you care to name.  I work the paperwork side of medical (HIM) and a definite mind set to being successful in this is simply being super organized. Another common personality quirk in this field is liking mysteries and/or puzzles. I spend all day digging thru medical records and doing research, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I have no issues about coming home and spending time digging thru more records trying to solve genealogy mysteries.

     That being said, as a teen when I started on this family history journey, I recycled a bunch of old manila file folders.  On each I put the name of a person, their birth and death years, parents names, and known spouses.  Inside I just stuck anything I found that fit that person. I was happy to just have it in one spot. Each person had a file, ok, some people ended up with 2 or 3.  They continue to look the same:

     As I collected more and more info and documents, I added 3 ring binders for direct ancestors that I was specifically looking for and so had lots more stuff (remember the people who had 1 and more files).  I put the documents in date order and use plastic acid free sheet protectors to put these in.  If the paper is double sided, then it is in the sheet protector by itself - if it is a single side then I put 2 in. This way I can simply flip thru and see what I have - it kind of works like a timeline. I am very visual, so this allows me to see what is there.  I also highlight with a yellow marker dates and names so they stand out.

     I recently started making a binder for all the known children of a set of parents (excluding the one who is actually a direct ancestor and has his/her own binder). I simply take the manila folder that the papers were in inside the file cabinet (I have 2 four drawer ones for genealogy), punch 3 holes in it and put all that person's papers behind it.  I put the children in birth order.  On the folder for my direct ancestor I write somewhere to "See Binder" because everything for that person has been moved to a personal binder.  While not actively searching out all the various children and their descendants, I do end up finding stuff on them as I search for my own ancestors so this allows me to have plenty of room for this extra info. Again, all the papers are in sleeve protectors. (Tip: the local Goodwill here tends to have 3 ring binders and for 49 cents each I get lots of them.)

     As I research now, I save a copy of what I find onto my computer and also print off a copy that will go into that person's binder or file.  Yes, it is a little bulky, but it is what works for me.  I then back up all my computer files onto a very large external hard-drive.  The external hard-drive is kept in a fire proof safe.
     I also purchased 2 techie items that I feel are very important:

• 1. A good quality scanner - mine does negatives, slides, photos and documents.  It also has a labeling program for the photos, so I can label the photos right on the front (no more unlabeled photos or lost postie notes).
• 2. A high end digital frame that I can put several thousand photos on.  It is in the living room and I have a really nice way to display so many of the old photos that are now in my possession. 

    Please realize that I have thousands of photos and documents and the scanning project is a long way from being complete, however, it is in progress.  Each day sees a few more items scanned in and saved on the computer. I end up having 2 complete sets of photos in the computer because I keep the original, plus the photo that is labeled on the front. Aw yes, and let us not forget the actual printed photo that was scanned in to begin with.

     So how to I store the photos?? Well the first thing I did was took them out of those old sticky "magnet" photo albums that were so popular in the 1970's and 1980's.  If they weren't labeled, I took a few with me every time I went to family and tried to find someone who knew who, when, and where. For many years I felt like I really was drowning in photos and it was an overwhelming project.  I still have boxes of photos that are not scanned in.  However, as I scan them in and they get labeled, they they go into acid free photo boxes by year.  I don't know that I will ever get them put into some form of photo albums, but at least they are in one place.  I know those acid free photo boxes can be a little pricey, but for me they are worth it.

     So below is a shelving unit that is neat and tidy.  More important, I can find the people or photos I am after without alot of muttering and frustration.

     I keep reference books in one certain spot, however, they are in no particular order:

     I recently went on a research binge, so now I am catching up on my filing again.  It's ok though, because all of it has a spot to go to when I get to it.  I guess my advice is to simply find or make a system that works for you and then stick to it.  If I (or you) can't find the documents or photos they are not doing any good for family history.

     A side note: figure out how you are going to label your individual documents or files on the computer and then be consistent.   I tried several different naming systems over the years and when I finally settled on a way that I really liked, I had to go back thru years of files and rename all of them consistently.  It took weeks and turned me into a blithering idiot for the time I was working on it. I am now labeling my computer documents like this: surname-first name, date, state or place, item

    Years ago, I saw somewhere a suggestion to use colored file folders for the various branches of a family tree.  Since I was (and still do) use recycled manila file folders, they are all that lovely off white color. So, I bought cheap star stickers at a store in blue, green, red, and yellow.  I put a colored sticker beside the name on each file or binder that are my direct ancestors. The colors to me mean:

• Blue = my father and his paternal line
• Green = my father's maternal line
• Red = my mom and her paternal line
• Yellow = my mom's maternal line