Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Notes Taken In 1990

I took the following notes while talking to my dad one day. He died in 1998. I am sure most of this will not even be of interest to anyone other than my family.

The house my dad lived in while growing up in Nebraska had two bedrooms upstairs. The girls shared a room and the boys shared a room. One bedroom downstairs was for their parents.
My Grandma ( his mom) use to heat some type of irons and put at the bottom of the beds to keep them warm.
The bucket that they used to go to the bathroom in was frozen many winter mornings.
My dad went to school from first to eight grade in a one room school house. He got glasses when he was in the fifth grade. He got very sick in the 11th grade with Scarlet Fever. He was out so long and got so far behind that he never went back. He finished his high school education after I was born and in grade school.
The teachers sometimes live with my dads family.
After the 8th grade he had to go away for high school, in Curtis, Nebraska.
Grandma (his mom) use to read stories or play the piano at night. She played the Black Hawk Waltz. I use to call this the wiping song because she seemed to wipe her fingers over the keys. It wasn't until years later that I even knew the name of the song.
In 1948, Grandpa and Grandma ( my dad's parents), my dad, my Aunt Alta, Uncle Delbert and Uncle Charles moved for Nebraska to LA, California. My dad was 22 and his youngest brother Charles was 7 years old. My dad and Uncle Delbert drove together. My dads oldest sister Gen and her first husband Harry already live in CA. His older brother Albert was in college in Lincoln, Nebraska. His younger sister Sylvia was in college in Kearney, Nebraska. His younger sister Zella was married and lived in Lincoln, Nebraska.

My dad worked at a gas station and my mom worked at a movie theater near by, when they were very young. My mom would sit on a bench at the bus stop and my dad would see her sitting there. One day he asked her if he could drive her home. That was the beginning.

My dad tried to in list in the Navy but was drafted in the Marines.
The first 6 months of my life he was in the service.

Our house in CA cost $10,000. $250 down and $67.50 a month

I have more notes like this packed in boxes. It's fun for me to go back and read them from time to time. I wish I had asked more questions when my parents and grandparents were living and that I had written more down. If your parents and or grandparents are still living be sure to ask and write down any questions you have. I wonder how many people do this.

26 comments:

CiCi said...

We live outside Omaha Nebraska so the cities are familiar to me and lots of this was interesting anyway.Imagine going to school first to eights grade in a one room school house. My mother taught in a one room school house in North Dakota before she moved to CA. Seems like CA used to be the state to move to long time ago.

Coffeypot said...

I love these old family stories. And I looked up the Black Hawk Waltz on YouTube. Nice melody, but it wouldn't have made it on American Bandstand.

Blasé said...

Checking back with family roots can be interesting.

Brian Miller said...

i am glad you captured these and can look back on them...its good to remember where we came from...hope you had a great day!

Ann said...

My father used to tell stories about the one room school house that he went to when he was a kid.
Love the part about how your parents met.

Kathy M. said...

I love hearing people's stories, and I agree it is fun to pull them out from time to time. I know what you mean about wishing you had asked more questions. I felt jealous when I read about how your mom and dad met. That's one of those questions I wished I'd asked. But I also have documentation about the cost of a California house in about the same price range. Shocking, isn't it? Thanks for sharing.

Gigi said...

How clever you were to make those notes! Capturing the memories... wish I had done that.

Menopausal New Mom said...

How thoughtful of you to take those notes. When my grandfather passed away we lost so much of our family history with him, some good and a lot of his bad behavior that would have provided a good chuckle today. I wish I had been as clever as you to have done this.

Kathy said...

What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing. Three of my grandparents died when I was young. I wish I had known them better. I know a little about my mom's mom, and quite a bit about my parents, but I do wish I had asked more.

I had bought my mom a cassette recorder and some tapes and she was going to start recording her life for me. Sadly she passed away before she was able to do that.

Good for you for writing things down to pass along to the generations.

Fearless_Fabulous_Gayle said...

It is kind of hard to believe how different life was back in the "good old days." For example, how they heated up irons to put at the end of the beds to keep warm, had buckets to potty in, and houses were so cheap.
I remember some things, but wish I had asked my Mamaw more things before she passed. She was inspirational in my life. She taught me how to cook some good food though (that no one else in the family can), like homemade dressing for Thanksgiving, and "goulosh." Her and my grandfather (Poppy) were divorced. And several times while going through my own struggle of divorce, I have wanted to ask her things, but she is gone!! I will never know the answers:(
It is great that you wrote all this stuff down, and can look back on it:)

Jeanie said...

How great that you have these notes. Thanks for sharing them. My parents both died when I was 18 and there is so much I wish I had asked them.

jules said...

I actually love these old stories...thanks for sharing.

betty said...

how neat that you wrote down as notes what you remembered or what was shared with you about your parents and their growing up times. It is always good to have this connection with them to be able to share with your kids and grandchild. lots of similar things you shared about your dad growing up that my mom had experienced with her growing up (she too has passed)

thanks for sharing these

betty

Joanna Jenkins said...

You were so smart to take notes!!!!! What a lovely treasure to have.
jj

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

I think it's wonderful that you have documented this rich history and will be able to pass it down to Bryce someday.
Our second house in LA cost $28,000in 1970 or so. My car cost about that in 2005. Unbelieveable to think that your house cost $10K. You couldn't get a driveway for that now!
Cheers,
Robyn

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

PS I meant Bryson. Sorry. (I know a Bryce through work, so the name slipped out.):)

Tracie said...

My parents went to school in a one room school house, too. Writing down family information like this is something that I want to do so badly. Every time I approach my mother about it, she clams up and stops talking. Very frustrating.

Liz Mays said...

That was completely fascinating to me! When I had my first child, I gave each of my parents a book in which they were to record some of this kind of thing. I treasure those now sooooo much! You are lucky too!!!

Can you even believe that mortgage payment?

Meeko Fabulous said...

What fabulous memories! A very nice way of preserving the past. :)

The Me Within said...

WOW I found a jounal tucked away in a boxof photos aftermy mom died. You know I felt so much warmth just seeing her handwriting. Ididnteven have to read the words. Iam sorry about your Dad. Woeds can never explain how painful that is to lose a parent. Thanks for sharing!
themewthin.com

Aunt Juicebox said...

That was really neat! I love it when my mom tells me stories about how she grew up on a farm, and stuff about ironing everything even sheets because they didn't have permanent press, etc. Very interesting stuff, I'm glad you wrote it all down.

judy said...

I think that's very interesting! I'm so glad you had the presence of mind to write down stuff. I did that too with my family and try to get my children to do it also. They don't realize how much it will mean someday.

Anonymous said...

Wow how interesting and cool. When my mom was dying I sure wish I would have thought to ask these kinds of questions. Kuddos for you for keeping up with your family history.

Anita said...

Thank you for that suggestion! I have a list of questions from a magazine that I thought about asking my mother. After reading your post, I am going to muster up the courage to do so.
EnJoy your weekend!

Holly Lefevre said...

This is fabulous. How wonderful to have such information and treasures. I am trying to ask more and more of my parents, as I learned too late to do this...all of the older generation is gone (and has been for many, many years). Love that a house in LA cost $10,000. My great uncle paid $67,000 for his house in the late 60's in Redondo Beach...sold about 5 years ago for 1.25 and then was completley remodeled. Oh how I wish some more members of my family would have bought real estate!

Vegas Linda Lou said...

Very interesting!