NOSTALGIA

This from BALDY AKA SAM ( sayit) , attempting to copy and paste a story of a Dear old Pioneer, GRANDMOTHER ERMEY.
This story is in 'My Documents' and have several other stories , some telling of little Mary Jane, a grand daughter whom I married in 1946.

GRANDMOTHER ERMEY

During my childhood our history books in school taught we students of the pioneers,not only of the 'Mayflower'anchoring near the harsh shores of 'New England'and the following Centuries,we learned of the Westward movement through the vast unknown.
Now to the ERA of the early 1900s,grandma Ermey was then a schoolchild in western Kansas. Graduated from the 8th grade of a one room school.
Her teacher Charles Ermey had told the students he would not be back for the next Fall Classes as he would be going to College full time to study to become a Pharmacist.
Grandma Ermey's maiden name was Bertha India Shidler.Just before leaving for College,Charles Ermey asked the young Bertha Shidler to marry him.
They departed without goodby's to her family,whom would object because of Bertha's youth.Married now,Bertha studied along with Charles,helping and encouraging,also working a job to pay expenses,the months and years required for pharmicist position came to time for the qualifying tests.Bertha accompanied Charles to the Test Room,insisted in also taking the test and indeed passed with a slightly higher score than Charles.
Now with each having a nice income while working as pharmacists,looking forward to wanted babies,by now Bertha's dad's fears had subsided and all were happy.
Charles Ermey was offered and accepted a job of top salesman for a wholesale Drug Route.
Now in the 1920s,living in Tulsa,Oil Boom ongoing,bought larger house to accomodate the children,and even though had bought a 'Terraplane',an expensive car,kept the trusty Model-T Ford.
Bertha was one of those pioneer ladies that could handle just about any problem presenting itself.She told of the time driving the Model-T to Arkansas, 90 miles east of Tulsa,running low on gas when starting up Flint Creek Hill,the engine quit.The gas tank being under the seat,gravity flow to the engine,steep uphill and naturally the engine starved for gas.She knew this of course,so turned the car around with help of the friendly Okies that came along.No problem now,just back up the Flint Hill,only one half mile to the top.
During this pleasure tour was when Bertha bought 40 acres at the edge of Weddington Arkansas.She was traveling by herself on this trip.Very adept to making business deals on her own,arranged with a contractor to build a big nice barn on the undeveloped 40 acres.
Later when informed the barn was finished and ready for use,Bertha arranged for a family re-union at the barn and of course invited all the children and theirs to be there on the 4th of July,a few weeks away.
I loved to hear her tell about that re-union.From different States,some arriving a day or two ahead of time,brought bedrolls ,sleeping bags,mattresses and even complete bedsteads,staking their claim in the huge Loft.
Weddington's population of 40 increased to more than double by July 4th.For several years the'barn' was the location for family re-unions,however,some occasionally were down on their luck and just took up residence in the Barn,there to meet and greet weekend visitors that hopefully would bring a nice supply of groceries.
Years passed as they must,and in 1946 I married Mary Jane,Bertha's grand-daughter and Mary Jane was anxious for she and I to go see her grandma at the Barn.Tulsa was now in the past,Charles and her retired and enjoying life on the farm in the Barn which now had presentable living quarters downstairs and the upstairs remaining as the original with beds waiting for occasional weekend visitors.
Only one of Grandma's children was younger than I,even so they are all gone now,dear old Bertha Ermey living longer than some of her children.
I am certainly looking forward to the next re-union.
Monday, August 14, 2006 sam