Day by Day

Day by Day (p. 1)

Day by Day (p. 2)

[corresponds to inside cover of Day by Day]

[illustration]
Community Library
Sunbury, Ohio

Day by Day (p. 3)

[corresponds to unnumbered page of Day by Day]

Day by Day

[illustration]

Doris Davidson Day

Community Library

Sunbury, Ohio

1995

Day by Day (p. 4)

[corresponds to unnumbered page 1 of Day by Day]


Grandchild

Child of my child

Heart of my heart


Your smile bridges the years

between us - I am young again

discovering the world through your eyes.


You have the time to listen

and I have the time to spend


Delighted to gaze at familiar loved

features, made new to in your eyes again.


Through you, I'll see the future.

Through me, you'll know the past.

In the present we'll love one another

As long as these moments shall last.

- Perfect pleasures

Day by Day (p. 5)

[corresponds to page 2 of Day by Day]


Preface

Many of us in our lifetime have been a part

of, or know of, a 5-generation family because it

represents a span of about 80 years.


We have had 8 generations of our family living

since the early 1900's to now. If all the

grandparents back to 1750 were still living you

would have several million grandmas and grandpas

and wouldn't that be a pretty kettle of fish. Talk

about being spoiled!


Of course, you have only a few grandparents

living EXCEPT - you have little bits and pieces of

all these other grandparents in you. and that is

what sets you apart as unique. Perhaps one of you

got grandpa's red hair, or grandma's blue eyes, or

a mind for math, a dread disease, a gimpy knee.

Thank, or blame, your ancestors.


I want to begin by honoring your grandparents

by writing what I know, or have heard about them.

I will then tell of my married life from my

perception, taking it up to the time our children

were married. From there you will have to have

them write their history for you.


I hope you'll enjoy my reflections on

childhood, marriage, work, joys and sorrow of

what, looking back, seems a long, long time.

.2.

Day by Day (p. 6)

[page 6]

[corresponds to page 3 of Day by Day]


The Family Tree

Great-Great-Great- Grandparents

Mrs. Dixon
? ? ?

Mary J. Covert Davidson
Thomas Davidson


Great -Great Grandparents

Middleton and Sarah Day
William and Mary Glenn

Annie C. Davidson Cline
Spencer and Maggie Cowell

Great Grandparents

Truman and Katie Day

Cliff and Maye Davidson


Grandparents

Wendell and Doris Davidson Day
(PaBee) and (Bee)

.3.

Day by Day (p. 7)

[corresponds to page 4 of Day by Day]


I grew up thinking that I only had two sets of

grandparents. Mom and Dad had never mentioned

having any grandparents, so I guess I assumed that

older people didn't have any.


As I grew older and learned about ancestors, I

did ask a few questions but received no answers

that helped so it was stored away some where in my

brain never to be thought of again.


We were down at Grandma Clines one day in 1940

for a family dinner when something came up about

grandparents and Grandma quite casually remarked

that her former mother-in-law was still living. We

were shocked, amazed and questioning at the

announcement. Perhaps stunned is a better word -

after all I was 23 with 2 children of my own and I

had never heard one word about her.


Great-Great-Great-grandmother Dixon
with Shirley, Terry, Joan
[photo]

Immediately we all decided we would like to

meet her, and Grandma made the arrangements for us

to go to Jericho. How it was accomplished I do not

know - I don't believe Grandma had spoken to Mrs.

Dixon since the divorce 40 years before.


Anyway, one Sunday morning several carloads of

.4.

Day by Day (p. 8)

[corresponds to page 5 of Day by Day]

Davidsons (who should have been Dixons -

explanation later,) set sail for Jericho in

southeastern Ohio.


She was there to greet us when we arrived - a

small, frail woman, very quiet and bearing a not-

very-welcoming look. There were no hugs, kisses or

even an intimation of being glad to see us. We

were not invited into the house, all the

conversations took part in the yard where where we finally

posed for a 5-generation picture.


Five generations: Kathleen Davidson,
Leland Davidson, Grandmother Doris
Day, Great-Great-Great Grandmother
Dixon, Great Great Grandmother Cline,
Great-Grandfather Cliff Davidson
holding Virginia Davidson
Front: Shirley Day, Terry Day
Roland Davidson holding Joan
Davidson and Wendell Davidson.
[photo]

It was so awkward and I was so embarrassed for

Dad (she didn't even welcome him) that all I wanted

was OUT. We left with no thought of returning and

no invitation to return, and I never thought of her

again until I began writing this little history.


Now I wonder - was she quiet and reserved

because it was her natural way? Did she resent us

being there: if so, why did she agree to the

meeting? Was it because she realized, and could

not cope with, the fact of how much human contact

.5.

Day by Day (p. 9)

[corresponds to page 6 of Day by Day]

she had denied herself or been denied by someone

else?

Whatever the reasons, we left and never

contacted her again - nor did she contact us.


Great-Great Grandparents

My great-great-great

grandmother Covert, of the

same generation as Mrs.

Dixon, lived with my Grandma

Cline after she moved to

Galena. She had helped

Grandma for several years

when Grandma

boarded river workers.

Great-Great-Great=Grandmother Mary J. Covert Davidson
[photo]

Grandma Cline was

divorced in 1899 from the

father of her two young sons,

Floyd and Clifford. Her

husband had left and never returned, leaving her to

raise the boys alone in an impoverished section of

Ohio.

Grandma was a large handsome woman with great

coloring, snapping brown eyes, intelligent, very

independent and a caring - but not loving-

grandmother. she was extremely neat, a wonderful

cook and one of her chief pleasures was to host a

family dinner for about 50 people consisting of her

son and his family, 3 stepchildren and their

families and her son with her second marriage.

She enjoyed church and always dressed in her

"good black dress" wearing a string of black beads.

She was a soprano who often sang solos for

funerals. She asked very little for herself and

even today I could draw a picture of house with

every stick of furniture because she never bought

anything new.

.6.

Day by Day (p. 10)

[corresponds to page 7 of Day by Day]

Grandma and I were

always at odds. It stemmed

from a visit our family had made in Woodsfield. she

rode with us. I was less

than 4 years old and the trip

was tiring me when she began

to hassle me, each of us

getting more and more

argumentative as the trip

went on. Finally we arrived

and things had quieted down

when suddenly she began

telling the host what a

"brat" I had been. I had had

it and dredging up from

heavens knows where, I pulled

out a few choice words and let it be be known that I

wanted her to "leave me alone."

Great-Great-Grandfather William Dixon
[photo]

I remember Dad pulling me up by one arm,

grabbing a light with the other, and taking me to

the basement where I got the whipping of my life.

I thought at the time that was highly unfair.

Older people sometimes used these same words when

they were very angry and they seemed to achieve the

desired results; mine didn't. Never having used a

swear word before, I decided I needed more

practice.

Needless to say, Grandma was not impressed

with me, and it gave just one more reason to

favor my sister over me and influenced her family

to do the same.

My chief source of comfort as a child, other

than books, was my Grandma Cowell who loved me

unconditionally and I returned that love. I spent

a lot of time there as a child because she had the

kind of house a kid enjoys - boxes of buttons, lacy

.7.

Day by Day (p. 11)

[corresponds to page 8 of Day by Day]

3-D valentines and calendars, a coffee mill which we

used to grind the coffee, a deep featherbed you

could bury yourself in, magazines by the the score, and

the kind of food we liked - coffee and crackers for

breakfast ! DEE-LICIOUS, even though the coffee was

so strong it could have walked to the table.

Outdoors, it was just as fascinating. She

grew a huge rambler rose which covered the fence

and which was an attraction to everyone going by,

especially, it seemed, to the gypsies who came

every summer.

She had a henhouse full of chickens, some of

them setting hens which were hatching chicks, duck

with broods of ducklings, a peahen, banty roosters

and noisy guineas. It was an experience to gather

eggs - you never knew which fowl was going to guard

whose eggs. There was also the most accessible

haymow I ever saw and it was here we played when

the fragrant hay was first mowed and here where we

looked for "stray' nests of eggs. Grandpa Cowell

was very quiet, curt to the point of rudeness but I

knew he was sick and I excused a lot just to be

with Grandma. He was a severe asthmatic who was

not able to sleep at night except in a reclining

chair or on a fainting couch. Even then, we would

hear him up many times at night trying to find

something to help him breathe.

It was at Grandma's that I first heard 2

sounds that always made me think of loneliness-

the sound of the old train whistle as it went

through Condit and the ticking of her Seth Thomas

clock.

Wendell's grandparents were William and Mary

Glenn and Middleton and Sarah Day. He knew none of

them. His grandmother died when Katie was

quite small and she was raised by Abe and Della

McKenney. The McKenneys lived in a neat little

.8.

Day by Day (p. 12)

[corresponds to page 8 of Day by Day]

house in Newark. Uncle Abe

raised produce for the Newark

markets and Aunt Della was a

housekeeper, immaculate,

always in a dark dress with a

crisp white apron.

Middleton Day Great-Great-Grandfather
[photo]

Middleton Day was a

prominent farmer in Trenton

Township and Sarah kept up

with him until she became

desperately ill with "brain

fever" and was given no hope

of recovery. The family could not lose "dear Mother

Day" and they prayed long,

hard for her recovery. You remember the old saying

"be careful what you pray for, your prayers might

be answered." Well they were answered. Sarah

recovered and became a a source of great

embarrassment to the family. We think now that she

probably had encephalitis and the disease damaged

her brain for many of her actions from then on were

on the weird side. I had on neighbor tell me that

she used to put the chamber pot upside down on her

head to go visiting the neighbors.

Great Grandparents

Pa Bee's parents were Truman and Katie Day.

I've already told you Katie was raised by Aunt

Della, a little dumpling of a woman who was as

neat, organized and precise as they come. If you

could come up with 3 adjectives to define just the

opposite, that would be Katie. i don' know if

life just beat her down or what the problem, but

when I knew her she was the most disorganized

person you could imaging. Rooms never got cleaned,

drawers never sorted, meals never planned, laundry

.9.

Day by Day (p. 13)

[corresponds to page 10 of Day by Day]

The Day Family Truman Jr., Katie, Forest, Wendell
[photo]

never done, etc., etc.

It's hard to believe

Aunt Della raised her.

She would not learn to

drive, did not care for reading, did not go to

church or go shopping or

entertain herself in any

way. She was very

difficult to live with.

Wendell's dad,

until 1918, was

considered an

outstanding community

man. He was probably more noted for his singing

ability than anything, Possessed of perfect pitch,

he could give the note and key to his fellow

quartet members so they didn't need a pitchpipe.

Further he could pick up a new song and sing it

using scale notes instead of words. He was proud

of his farm building, he was happy to serve on the

school board and as a trustee, but shortly after

his 12 year old daughter died, he began drinking

and to an extent that changed his life and that of

everyone who came in contact with him in ways that

could not have been foreseen by anyone.


Great-Grandfather Comes to Ohio

The year was 1909. He was 13 years old.

He stood there in the drive next to a spring

wagon hitched to a team of horses and looked back

at the building that had been his home for all of

his 13 years.

He had awakened especially early that morning

for he had to take his mother, grandmother,

stepfather and assorted step-siblings down to the

.10.

Day by Day (p. 14)

[corresponds to page 11 of Day by Day]

river to catch the train to

Columbus.

Great-Grandfather Clifford Davidson
[photo]

He was very familiar with the

Ohio River for after his mother's

divorce at the turn of the century

she and her mother had survived by

furnishing room, board and laundry

service to river boatmen, and it

had been his job to drive workers

down to the river each morning and

return in the evening to bring them

home. When asked once how he could

see to drive at night, he said the

road was lit up all the way like a city because of

the many flaring gas wells in Monroe County.

The distance to the river was 6-8 miles, so it

left him little time to enjoy much schooling;

livestock had to be fed, chickens raised to provide

food, gardens hoed to furnish vegetables, and

potato patch carefully tended because potatoes were

the mainstay of their diet. Sometimes he was free

to stay at the river awhile and that was when

he would lay his fishing line, baited with chicken

necks, to return the next morning to pick up the

large catfish which would supplement their diet.

He was well acquainted with the huge wharf

rats which he later describes as being "large as

most cats" and with the enormous mud turtles, so

ugly that they left him with a lifelong aversion to

turtles, turtle meat or even turtle soup.

As he stood there now, he remembered other

things - how his grandmother had always been with

him always there for him, a guiding influence

in his life; how hard his mother had had to work to

give them food and some sort of home; how "old Mr.

Pettay" had delighted, amazed and enlightened him

with his many Civil War stories; how most of his

.11.

Day by Day (p. 15)

[corresponds to page 12 of Day by Day]

uncles, aunts and cousins had already departed

Monroe County for the oil fields of Oklahoma, Texas

and Wyoming.

Now he, too, was leaving and even though he

was excited, he still felt a pang at leaving all he

had ever known. Would he ever see his boyhood

chums again? Or a certain little girl, prettier

than most, who lived on the top of a hill? Why, he

wondered, had his mother decided to leave? What

was the new farm going to be like? Were there

hills in eastern Delaware County? Or rivers?

More immediate worries came to mind. The

spring wagon was loaded to the hilt; Nothing more

could be added, not even grandmother's spinning

wheel which was left in the front room. What would

happen if he should upset the wagon? Or what if a

horse threw a shoe? Or if the wagon lost a wheel?

Or if he became mired in mud? Or if it poured rain

or if or if or-

But now decision time was here and as he

looked around, he said a silent goodbye to his

little home, the hills, Mr. Pettay, his friends,

smacked the lines across the team's rumps and began

his long, long journey.

He followed a route he knew well, up through

Barnesville and Woodsfield. From there he was

supposed to hit Route 40 and head west. He had

nothing for his horses to eat and very little for

himself. In those days of horse drawn vehicles it

was a very common thing for anyone driving through

the countryside to be offered food or water, and

even food and bedding for their horses.

And so it was with the 13 year old boy. He

was helped many times by people who took care of

his horse, sometimes offering him a sandwich or a

haymow to sleep in. One kind hearted couple had

even invited him into their home, allowed him to

.12.

Day by Day (p. 16)

[corresponds to page 13 of Day by Day]

wash up, gave him a hearty dinner and a bed to

sleep in. Next morning after a country breakfast

he was ready to go again with his rested team. He

never forgot their kindness nor the homes that

housed these people and for years afterward he

would point out each one as traveled "down the

hills" to our reunions.

His trip remained uneventful until he reached

the "Y" bridge at Zanesville. There the horse

refused to cross the bridge and once more he had to

rely on the kindness of strangers. A Zanesville

policeman, after several suggestions had failed,

finally got some blankets, threw them over the

horses' heads and led them across.

The boy began to feel his journey would soon

be coming to an end. And so it was. After 4 days

and 3 nights, he and his faithful team pulled into

the barnyard on Trenton Road "saddle" sore and

weary, but where that

night he could rest in

his own bed, his tummy

full, and satisfied

that he had succeeded

well in finishing a

pretty daunting task.

The 13 year old

old was great-great

grandfather Clifford

Davidson and his trip

to Galena was an omen

of how hard he would

tackle anything and of

how well he would do

it. My mother was

just as industrious as

Dad and never missed a

chance to to take on

Wedding Photograph of Cliff Davidson and Maye Cowell
[photo]

.13.

Day by Day (p. 17)

[corresponds to page 14 of Day by Day]

anything that would make their life and ours

easier, nicer and better.


Great Grandmother Maye Davidson
[photo]

I know little about her

early life; she never talked

about her forbearers either.

I do know that Dad soon

forgot his pretty little girl

in the hills because he had

found what he called "The

pettiest girl I ever saw."

I can just remember Mom

in a red flapper dress and

white shoes that buttoned on

the side, her long dark hair

done up in a bun at the nape

of her neck. One day I went to Centerburg with her

and once there I sat in an outer room while she

went inside. When she came I had to look twice -

her hair was gone! You have to understand that in

the mid-20's this was a daring thing to do, and I

didn't know what to say. She was very quiet going

home and I noticed she seemed more and more nervous

as she neared home. But as far as I know, I don't

think she got a negative reaction from Dad. But

her shingle bob was just one small sign of her

progressive thinking.

On her own in later life she developed an egg-

poultry route in Columbus to help with income. As

with every new project that one of us thought of,

it meant a lot more work for some of us. And so it

was with mom's "egg route." For a number of years

I was at my folks every Friday to help dress out

chickens and later, turkeys. I would return in the

evening to help wash, candle and crate eggs.

This was all done in the hardest way possible

- boiling water in a large pot into which we

scalded the chickens, removed the feathers and

.14.

Day by Day (p. 18)

[corresponds to page 15 of Day by Day]

dressed them out. Several years later, in a small

effort to modernize the operation, my folks

purchased a "de-featherer."

once dressed, the fowl were put on ice, the

egg crates loaded into the car trunk, and the next

day Mom and one of us drove to Columbus where we

unloaded our produce at various stores and to

regular customers.

Many things about Mom will come up as I talk

about growing up but right now I want to leave you

2 recipes which I consider mom's, not mine,

although you've eaten them at my house not her's.

Tapioca Pudding

1 box of Pearl Tapioca- Soak overnight in

tepid water

Beat 5 egg yolks

Add 3/4 c. sugar

1/2t. salt

Heat 1 1/2 quarts of milk and tapioca to almost

boiling. Pour in egg mixture, stirring

constantly, and bring to boil. If necessary

add more milk, After it boils should be the

consistency of unbeaten whipping cream.

Remove from stove and add 3/4 TBS vanilla.

Noodles

Make a well in 1 1/2 c. flour.

Add 3 egg yolks

2 whole eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vinegar

Blend until it makes a ball you can roll out.

May be necessary to add more flour. Roll out

thin, let dry then cut for noodles.

.15.

Day by Day (p. 19)

[corresponds to page 16 of Day by Day]

Mom was a wonderful cook, and most of her life

baked using wood burning stove. The temperature of

the oven read "Low," Med," and "Hi," and her way

of testing it for baking was to put her hand in the

oven for just an instant, and this way she was

able to tell whether it was right for cakes or

bread, meringues or cookies and she hardly ever had

a bad baking day.

One thing I remember about Mom is that after

supper was over and we kids would be occupied with

homework, she would lower the oven door and sit on

it for warmth in the wintertime. it seemed we were

always cold prior to 1950, and I've often said

since that if I had to choose between eating and

being warm I would choose to be warm.

The Davidsons
Doris M, Roland, Kathleen, Leland
[photo]

Washing day was another trial in living then.

Early in the morning a huge tub of water was

brought to a boil, then the clothes thrown in and

stirred occasionally. They were then transferred

to cooler water where they were hand scrubbed,

rinsed and hung out to dry. Who does not remember

frozen clothes standing at attention on every

clothesline or going upstairs to find frozen

clothing draped on stair railings, etc.

When I was first married it was necessary that

laundry needed to be done by hand washing. In

.16.

Day by Day (p. 20)

[corresponds to page 17 of Day by Day]

Those cold 1930 days many times we used what was

called a double blanket, about 70" by 140" which I

would challenge any one of you to wash by hand.

From washing this way, we graduated to a

"Bass" washer which rocked the clothes clean then

you hand cranked them through the wringer. Later

with electricity, you simply fed the clothes

through the wringer. And then, heaven be praised,

came the automatic washer and dryers. No wounder

one of my friends said she'd trade her husband

rather than lose her washer!

Our first soaps were the homemade lye soaps;

the we graduated to Fels Naptha, the soap on every

homemaker's shopping list. Later came the

wonderful scented soaps and the detergents we have

today, small things in the greater scheme, but

great for their added effectiveness in cleaning and

for their convenience.

The life that I describe as mine in childhood

was very similar to that of PaBee's; it was farm

living and everything that one family did then was

like everyone else's work. But in order to write

of childhood, I must write in first person.

One of my earliest memories in that of being

bundled up like an Eskimo and riding on the school

wagon pulled by two teams of horses, which was

driven by dad. Everyone in those days wore long

underwear - heaven when you first put them on, then

something quite different after the first washing.

They stretched so you had to lap the leg over, then

try to put on long stockings over that bunch of

material, then add lace-up shoes. On the outside

we wore a heavy coat, muffler, gloves and a hat

that covered everything but our nose. Even so we

were frozen when we reached school, after following

a route on a mud road so rutted the wheels sank to

.17.

Day by Day (p. 21)

[corresponds to page 18 of Day by Day]

School Bus of Half Century Ago . . .
[photo]

To School We Go - One of the first school buses in this area is pictured in the above picture
taken this time of year in 1921. This horse drawn bus was operated by Clifford Davidson, who
lives just across the Delaware Licking County Line on the Croton Road, who hauled pupils from that area into Hartford School at Croton.
Article from the Sunbury News

the axle, then following a route through school and,

down Hogue road and into Croton.

Dad and I had no chance to warm ourselves as

we returned and headed home. In addition to that

route, Dad had already been up 2-3 hours doing

chores, thawing pipes, pumping water, milking, then

harnessing the team for the trip. And this process

was repeated at night in reverse.

I hated this part of winter - the baby lambs,

pigs and calves that had to be warmed with hand-

Day by Day (p. 22)

[corresponds to page 19 of Day by Day]

held bottles or even brought into the house. I

hated the smell of winter in the icy cold rooms

before the stove was fired, and everyone in the

country hated nature's call to the bleak outhouses.

When I was in high school, I had only one friend

who lived in the country and who had a bathroom. I

hated the kerosene lamps we used and the chimneys

we used to clean wadding up old newspapers and

wiping the soot from inside.

But I loved the snowslide the neighborhood

boys always made on Searles hill - it seemed, once

made, to last all winter. I loved the books I

could read in winter, the corn we popped, the time

spent around the kitchen table doing our homework.

As soon as supper was over we cleared the table,

grabbed an apple and did our homework helping each

other.

One of winter's big tasks was butchering - a

chore that involved all of us. We were not

involved with actual killing of one of our

animals. Sometimes the beef would even come from

another man's herd. Beef could not be consumed as

readily as pork, so unless one had a HUGE family,

it was customary to choose and pay for either a

front or hind quarter or a side of beef. We used

little hamburger - so the meat was cut into roasts

and steaks and small pieces were sorted out, cut

into bite size bits and canned.

Butchering took place on the coldest day

possible, because of spoilage. A beef was usually

shot, then hauled up by block and tackle to hang so

that it could be gutted, the skin removed and the

quarters divided so they could be handled easily.

A pig was usually strung up, its throat cut,

then dressed out. Pork was made into hams,

shoulders, loins, while small pieces were ground

into sausage, then canned as patties of put into

.19.

Day by Day (p. 23)

[corresponds to page 20 of Day by Day]

Casings for link sausage. Small fat pieces were

kept out of sausage and rendered down to make the

lard which was our source of shortening for baking

and frying. After rendering, the fat pieces were

known as "cracklings."

The whole family joined in turning the

grinder, cutting up meat, getting cans ready. The

entire kitchen was taken over for this task, even

the kitchen table.

It was necessary to work, fast because we had

no refrigeration. Our first meal was usually liver

and onions because you couldn't can it or give it

away. We, as all farm folk did, used almost every

part of the pork including heart, tongue, and

sweetbreads. Remembering those hectic times, I

will say I'm happy to buy my meat from the counter.

Winter was a good time for Dad to take the

horses down to the blacksmith shop to be shod.

What heaven to walk into Curt's little shop where a

blazing fire was always going. I've watched him

shape the shoe, then nail it on the horses. This

always made me shudder because I felt it hurt them,

not knowing that hooves do not feel pain.

Once in a while I got to ride to Condit or

Croton with him when he took in the cream which we

had separated from the milk. Back then you

received a premium price for butterfat. Having our

own cream and eggs meant that, if homemade ice

cream was on the menu, we could just skim the pot

and have cream in abundance, thus making jillions

of little fat cells for us to carry around a

lifetime!

This same cream was used to make butter. It

seemed to me our little arms was always moving -

churning butter, making ice cream, whipping icing,

picking up potatoes, beating rugs, hanging clothes,

blackening stoves, carrying water and PUMPING

.20.

Day by Day (p. 24)

[corresponds to page 21 of Day by Day]

WATER! The latter was a never-ending task. We

pumped and carried water for cooking and drinking,

for laundry and rinsing, for watering thirsty

garden plants, for field hands and harvest help,

for bathing and cleaning and above all for the

cattle. Can you imagine 20 -30 cows trekking across

the Sahara Desert all day each wanting her share of

water right now? One big slurp and there went all

the water we'd spent 20 minutes pumping. Today we

turn a tap for all that.

Spring it meant shedding "longies" and looking

forward to new birth. Grandma Cowell and most farm

women raised chickens by letting "setting" hens

hatch them. My mother, however had a heated

incubator which was stationed just outside our

bedroom. In it she placed her eggs, and every

night I would see her turning the eggs, dipping her

fingertips in water now and then. What a miracle

to see these little bedraggled creatures break out

of the egg, shake themselves and turn into a little

yellow fluff ball.

But that's the only time they're pretty.

Chickens are dumber than a wire fence. It they get

cold, they pile on top of one another and smother

themselves; if it rains, they don't know enough to

come inside; if they get into a tree, they roost on

the highest branch; if you plant one plant into the

ground, they will smell it out and scratch it out.

I grew to hate them except for eating. When they

appear on my table, I feel like saying, "Aha!

Gotcha!"

Summer was a hectic time on all farms. the

entire season was spent in sowing, planting, and

preserving food for livestock and ourselves.

After breaking one's back growing a garden,

then came the hot, hard task of getting everything

.21.

Day by Day (p. 25)

[corresponds to page 22 of Day by Day]

into a can. The first step meant going to the

cellar (the expression all farm people use for

basement) and bring up the fruit jars. They were

washed in hot water, rinsed, then put into boiling

water to kill all bacteria.

Our produce - which ranged from all kinds of

berries to apples, cherries peaches, plums, beans,

beets, carrots, tomatoes and other -was then put

into jars and cold packed. My mother once canned a

quart of yellow string beans which she placed in

the can one by one making a can of beans as

beautiful as a painting. She entered it for years

in the local fair's canning exhibit and won at

least 6 blue ribbons for it.

We kids picked the berries that were canned,

and for blackberrying we really protected

ourselves. We all wore long sleeves, long pants,

heavy shoes and a hat, trying to avoid thorns,

sweat flies and bees. It was hot sticky work but

how proud we felt when we each delivered out pail

of berries to Mom.

We also used to go with Dad to hunt, mushrooms,

and we'd bring home a big pail of sponge mushrooms

which were simmered in butter and served on oven-

toasted bread for a real treat. Dad could always

find mushrooms, and I guess I assumed one could

always find them, so I never asked where they were

found and he never told me.

Nutting was another experience we looked

forward to; we'd pack in the car, go south looking

for open fields which held walnut, hickory and

chestnut trees. Sometimes we'd even find

hazelnuts. No one ever chased us out of a field

but it wouldn't work that way today. Nuts were

very important to us for use in salads, cakes and

pies as well as to enjoy just in eating.

My folks would make a picnic out of driving to

.22.

Day by Day (p. 26)

[corresponds to page 23 of Day by Day]

Clyde to buy cherries; in fact picnics were a

common thing during our summers. We would drive to

Indian Lake for visits or to Cedar Point where we

would be allowed to ask a friend to go along. The

folks always enjoyed all the local fairs, the

Hartford Fair especially being enjoyed as an all-

day outing which family picnics all over the

grounds. We always went back for the Davidson

reunion in Southern Ohio (another picnic) and my

folks were always visiting or having visitors in

during the busy summers.

Dad, in summer, was just as busy outside, he

was one of the first to own and operate a corn

husker and threshing machine. Later on he owned an

ensilage cutter and later still a combine.

It was not until the coming of the self-

propelled combine that country women were relieved

of one of summers biggest concerns - that of

feeding 12-20 men three of four times a year during

harvesting season.

The men had already tied, bond and shocked

the wheat and oats before threshing, and, also,

later, shocked, the corn. Then came the chore of

getting the grain into storage bins and this meant

extra help and food!

With no refrigeration, the woman's day usually

began with a hasty trip to town to purchase meat,

then home to prepare baked goods from scratch, peel

a peck of potatoes and get a balanced meal on by

noon. We only failed once. One time the men had

already been called in, and while Mom was

attempting to drain the potatoes for mashing, the

lid came loose and the cooked potatoes fell on

the ground. Hired help couldn't have a meal

without potatoes so back to the field they went

while we hurriedly began peeling a second peck of

potatoes.

.23.

Day by Day (p. 27)

[corresponds to page 24 of Day by Day]

Haying had to be the dirtiest, hottest work of

all. It occurred in the hottest months and on the

sunniest days, and if the hay had been rained on

after having been mowed it was the dirtiest.

Before the days of balers, we used to mow the

hay ( heavenly fragrance), rake it, then load it on

to wagons by using a hay loader, spreading it

evenly on the wagon until we had a full load, then

take it to the barn. There a large fork was pulled

down from the mow, set into the hay, the fork then

pulled back into the mow and dropped the hay to be

mowed away in different sections of the haymow. No

matter how careful you were you always worried

about spontaneous combustion for about 2 weeks

after haying time was over.

Then came the baler, and while several steps

of haying were eliminated, so also was much of the

fun and companionship of old time haying. In time,

as horses were no longer an every day farm animal

and as large dairies became obsolete, so also did

haying as one knew it.

As a child, other than the fun things we did

with our parents, I enjoyed 4-H Club, Condit Church

and music, both our player piano and piano lessons.

We never did much in our 4-H cooking club. I

only remember making white sauce and serving it on

crackers. UGH! But 4-H did give me one of the

nicest experiences I had as a child, that of

attending 4-H camp. The camp was near Utica

and going there was my first experience sleeping with a

group of young girls, sharing my meals with them

and enjoying tall stories told around the campfire.

It cost $5.00 a week and I don't know yet how my

folks could have sent me, but it was a wonderful,

invaluable experience.

Our player piano was always in use by us and

our friends, We learned timing and how to carry a

.24.

Day by Day (p. 28)

[corresponds to page 25 of Day by Day]

tune from it, so that my few piano lessons were not

too difficult for me - I just wish I'd had more of

them.

We went to Condit Church with a carload of the

Saunders children, attended Sunday School and

church where it was difficult for Lolly and me to

restrain our giggling at some of the atrocious hats

worn by the older women. I began playing piano for

Christian Endeavor at age 11, and until 1976 played

piano or organ for Sunday School or church a good

share of the time.

I remember the church before the various

restorations. I also remember serving rabbit

dinners during hunting season, Thanksgiving turkey

dinners, ox roasts and now smorgasbords.

Mabel and Wendell going to School
[photo]

PaBee was living much the same life that I had

had until he was about 6 years old. He attended

grade school at Sinkey schoolhouse on Ross Road,

Opal Stockwell, teacher. He later entered the

Sunbury School to which he drove for several years,

he was a good student and could have been an

excellent student had he received any encouragement

at home. His one great area of enthusiasm in high

school was his baseball team - undefeated in the

four years he played on the team. That interest in

baseball stayed with him his entire life and he

held an especial love for the Cincinnati Reds until

the week he died.

.25.

Day by Day (p. 29)

[corresponds to page 26 of Day by Day]

Neither of his parents attended his high

school graduation and he left home shortly after to

go live with an aunt and uncle in Columbus while he

attempted to finish a business course at Bliss

College. This schooling was cut short because of

his father's continuing alcoholism and he was

called home to help with the farm and to care for

his mother.

I wish I could tell you that he had a happy,

carefree childhood, or even that he enjoyed an

upbringing with lots of hard work interspersed with

joyous times, or that he had the support of loving

grandparents or caring relatives, but he had none

of these. Still, he turned out to be a loving,

proud, supportive father and grandfather and I

guess that's all you really need to know.

* * * *

My school days on the other hand were very

happy. I've already told you how my parents liked

to go places, see people and enjoy living, and it

kinda rubbed off on me.

School work was very easy for me - my one big

trouble was that I couldn't see. Back in the days

when airplanes were a novelty, one flew over our

house one day and we all ran out to have a look. I

could not see it; my folks couldn't accept this and

and accused me of being "difficult" so nothing was done

for several years. Finally it was so bad that I

could see nothing on the blackboard at school and

when I finally saw an oculist he was shocked - and

so were my parents - that my eyes were so bad. As

a result, I've worn glasses all my life.

However those early days days forced me to read a

lot and that served me well in school. One of my

major bragging points to my kids was that I came

in second in an all county spelling bee and later

was valedictorian of my class. I think I was

.26.

Day by Day (p. 30)

[corresponds to page 27 of Day by Day]

prouder, though, of the fact that I made the second

team all-county basketball team twice while in high

school.

School, as I said, was really easy for me; I

skipped first grade, something that I later felt

was a mistake because it place in a group 1 1/2

years older than I, but I seemed to fit in

reasonably well.

From reading to choir work, from class plays

to group parties, form math to basketball,

everything interested me, even all girls baseball

team which played four years and never won a game!

It was the fellowship that was important to us.

School was a time when we began to reach out

and make friendships and do things which did not

necessarily include our family.

Prior to entering high school, we entertained

ourselves mostly with neighborhood kids and with

activities that took no money but did sometimes

require a little creativity.

I remember our old "swimming hole" and really

the name tells it all. The boys would dam up a

certain part of the creek each year to make a small

pond perhaps 8 feet across, about 10 feet long and

maybe 5 feet deep. As I remember it now, I wonder

how our parents could ever have allowed us to swim

in such a place. Cows waded across it leaving all

kinds of bacteria, the bottom was slimy with thick

mud oozing up between our toes and invariably, when

you go out you took 2 or 3 leeches off your feet

and legs. Makes me shiver now to think of it!

Croquet was one of our favorite games, and

most of the summer, there would be a ferocious

contest going on in our side yard, with frequent

yells and fights and accusations the "you moved

the peg' or "you didn't even nick it."

.27.

Day by Day (p. 31)

[corresponds to page 28 of Day by Day]

We also played "red rover," "Annie Over the House,"

'tag," "hide the Thimble" among other simple games.

We were not coddled in learning; I learned to

ride a bicycle when my brother took me to the top

of a hill, and gave me a push. The fact that I hit

an iron bridge was inconsequential, I had ridden a

bicycle, by golly!

The same thing happened with a horse; I was

put on its back, bareback. No saddle or stirrups,

just a rein and and a mane and away I went (after a

good healthy swat on its rump) holding on for dear

life.

Wendall Day Graduation
[photo]

Doris Davidson Day Graduation
[photo]

Our entertainment was family-oriented and very

simple, but we thought nothing of it because all

the kids we knew lived the same way.

The Depression hit in 1929 and although we

.28.

Day by Day (p. 32)

[corresponds to page 29 of Day by Day]

were shielded from wanting for food or clothing, it

did affect us in many ways. There simply was no

money for anything other than survival. We ate

only because we raised almost everything on the

farm. But our class could not order rings, we had

no Jr-Sr Prom, clothes were made to last for years.

There seemed to be no future in furthering your

education and few could afford it anyway. 1930

began the worst decade I've lived through.


Marriage

Wendell and I married young, settled on a

farm, which was strike one for me; I never wanted

to be on a farm - I dreamed of living in a small

town large enough to have a library, swimming pool,

movie theater and some shopping.

Our family began with the birth of Terry, one

of the nicest things to ever happen to us, but

shortly after his birth our disasters began. We

lived in an old ramshackle house, barely furnished,

and returned home one bitterly cold, snowy night to

find 6 inches of snow across our bed. We

decided to sleep in the room where the stove was

and laid Terry down on a small settee nearby.

About 2:30 I was awakened by a peculiar noise

and shook Wendell to awaken him. He stumbled over

to the door just behind the settee and immediately

a sheet of flame shot about 6 feet across the room.

I grabbed Terry, ran out barefoot clad only in a

thin nightgown, into about about a foot of snow. I ran

downhill, put him in the car and ran back to get

Wendell who groggy, was lacing his shows. It was

impossible to get any clothes - they were in the

back room where the fire was blazing - so we got in

the car. 15 minutes later the house fell in.

Along with our clothes, we lost everything else we

owned.

.29.

Day by Day (p. 33)

[corresponds to page 30 of Day by Day]

We later discovered that the sound which had

awakened me was mice. Our house was a true salt

box with one-half the rear forming a bedroom, and

also a catch-all back shed which had an opening to

a dirt floor cellar. It was from this cellar that

mice were running and squealing because they were

being burned alive.

There was no place to go but his folks.

People say that you can find humor in any situation

or that you can always make "the best of any

situation." My answer to that is that these people

have never lived with an alcoholic who becomes

progressively meaner as he drinks.

By the time we moved there, PaBee's dad was 62

and an incurable alcoholic, miserable and with the

disposition of a cross-eyed rattlesnake. Katie was

50, both of them young enough to be doing a lot of

work. That was not the case. Trum arose early in

the morning (he catnapped all day) turned on the

radio to the Early Worm whose theme song "The Music

goes Down and Around" blasted through the house.

If I even hear the beginnings of this song to this

day, I get almost physically ill and very depressed

because it reminds me again of a time that took so

much away from me.

I did not know it at the time of the fire, but

I was pregnant with Shirley, therefore doubly

miserable.

Shortly after the fire and already living with

less than nothing, someone stole our only source of

any spending money - 35 large hens which provided

us with eggs to sell.

As if all this weren't enough. Truman took our

car to go to Kentucky to bring back an expectant

mother, her husband and 2 year old son to to move in

with us.

Usually Trum sat by the radio until noon, then

.30.

Day by Day (p. 34)

[corresponds to page 31 of Day by Day]

went to town to drink all afternoon, coming home

abusive and raving. I remember one day in

particular as I was cleaning the kitchen cupboard,

a large area that filled one wall of the kitchen,

that among umpteen dishes of old potatoes and

cooked beans I came across something so foul-

smelling that I pitched it on the spot. All hell

broke loose that night when Trum couldn't find his

favorite chunk of limburger cheese!


Shirley and Terry in 1936
[photo]

It all became too much for me and with

pressure from Wendell, his folks moved down the

road and we stayed in the 'white house' - but at a

price. displaying his benevolent nature yet again

Truman insisted we could not stay without a hired

hand and be bestowed upon us the sorriest human

specimen I've ever known, and for 4 years he shared

every meal with us plus giving us no privacy. I

was wondering what I had ever done to deserve a

life like this, and decided the only way to have a

.31.

Day by Day (p. 35)

[corresponds to page 32 of Day by Day]

life was to buy the farm, leave and try to find

work elsewhere or leave on my own.

Thru OW Whitney, Sr. , who contacted a friend in

Delaware we were able to get a loan that a bank

would not have given us in a million years, and

with it bought the farm and got rid of a great deal

of baggage at the same time.

Evidently PaBee had been thinking along the

same lines as I had because, unknown to me, he had

enrolled in a correspondence course in Air

Conditioning. When he went to Youngstown for his

diploma, they were so impressed with him that they

offered him a lifetime teaching job starting at

$100.00 a month. It was a fortune at that time and

we'd have grabbed it except now we had a farm to

run. It was not to be the last time I wished we'd

never heard of farming.

In addition to his A/C course, PaBee was

working for ASCS measuring fields in eastern

Delaware County for map work for agricultural use.

Burt the most important thing he did in the late

1930's was work to sign up eastern Delaware County

to get REA lines to the country. My folks had

electricity brought in in the late '20s and one of

my strongest memories of home is of looking into

the awestruck face of my mother when she looked up

at one bare bulb hanging down from the ceiling and

saw it light up with electricity. The coming of

electricity changed the farmers' lives more than

anything else ever had or ever would.

When I married, we had Delco system which

furnished electricity until about 8:30 at night

than was off until morning for recharging. So

Wendell worked long and hard trying to get signups

from residents or to get easements where necessary.

some farmers absolutely did not want any lines near

their place, but after the company went around them

.32.

Day by Day (p. 36)

[corresponds to page 33 of Day by Day]

and they began to see the merits of electricity

use, they begged to be allowed in.

Electricity did come to us and almost the

first thing we did was to buy a refrigerator

replacing the old icebox which dripped over the

back porch. We also got an electric stove to

replace the wood-burning stove I'd used for canning

and cooking and a washer so I would not have to

hand wash ever again. All in all by the end of the

30's life was looking better, but it was a time

that hurts me even now to look back on and a period

in my life that I never want to live over.


The coming of electricity also helped the

men's work greatly. From pumping water to milkers

for cows, it shortened their hours considerably.

Most men jumped at the chance to quit hand milking

and instead put on milkers. Then stood back to

watch electricity do the work.


Motors in every conceivable piece of machinery

took the hard labor out of loading, pumping water,

filling bins, and emptying grain.


In time, electricity did almost everything on

the dairy except call the cow home. It also

warmed farrowing pens and kept heat lamps on baby

lambs and calves. In short, it was a godsend.


The 40's saw Terry and Shirley beginning

school where both were to have many enjoyable

times. In late 1941, however, came Pearl Harbor

and a drastic change in our lives. PaBee went to

work at Curtiss Wright, and most of our close

friends left the farm for the city jobs that

represented a new life for them. Rationing began

immediately, and since gas was being rationed, it

was necessary if you drove that you share your car,

so Wendell took a carload to work. I was left

without a car and with a farm to halfway manage

while he worked.

.33.

Day by Day (p. 37)

[corresponds to page 34 of Day by Day]

With the war came rationing which applied to

coffee, sugar, butter, shoes and many other

necessities. We couldn't do without coffee so we

traded sugar stamps for coffee stamps and made

other adjustments to get along. I found it very

difficult to get silk hose and bananas were

virtually unavailable to us.


PaBee's brother, a gunner on a warplane, was

was shot down in late 1944 and was MIA for almost 11

months and held prisoner, we later learned, in a

Russian war camp. He returned in early November

1945, the same week Rick was born, and I returned

home from the hospital to find that Katie had

deposited him on my doorstep, the visit to last for

the next 6 months. I had been through an emergency

appendectomy just 5 weeks before Rick was born, so

I was not what you would call overjoyed to take on

this extra burden of caring for one more person.

Rick at 6 months
[photo]

.34.

Day by Day (p. 38)

[corresponds to page 35 of Day by Day]

The kind of house
we always bought.
[photo]

We were working very hard, both of us working

off the debts we had incurred. We paid them by

never buying an unnecessary item, hand fed all

kinds of baby animals (sheep, pigs, calves)

sometimes bringing them into the house, sitting up

all night with a farrowing sow and getting up 2-3

times a night to check on baby chicks.


Our House - 1958
[photo]

We did all of

our own painting and

wall papering and

even some re-

modeling. We had a

wall storage unit in

our kitchen the front

of which went almost

to the ceiling

leaving a space of

about 8 inches.

Behind this 8 inch

gap was a foot drop,

the perfect catch-all for everything you wanted to

get rid of and absolutely best place in the world



.35.

Day by Day (p. 39)

[corresponds to page 36 of Day by Day]

for a mouse to run.


I always felt that dirt was sifting down

through this cabinet so one day when I was alone I

took a stepladder in and began tearing it down.

The cupboard was gone and the kitchen floor was

full of boards when PaBee came home, but he set

about helping to carry out the wood. I will say

that whenever we did anything - and there were many

remodeling jobs after that - he would go along with

it if I started it.


We did the kitchen, later on added a bathroom,

then did the front part of the house.


Wallpapering was an every other year job for

most rooms because we heated with coal and paper

soon became dirty. PaBee handled the ceiling and I

did the cutting and the sidewalls. On this

particular day we had papered the dining room and

were pleased with the nice bright paper and the way

it looked. Wendell went to bed in preparation for

his graveyard shift and I stood in the kitchen

ironing. At midnight I started toward the bedroom

to awaken him. As I started into the dining room I

heard a faint noise and looked up to see, on top of

the porch door, two HUGE eyes glaring down at me.

I screamed, Wendell came running and switched on

the light. By that time the thing was in motion,

and in the light we saw that it was a hug barn owl

that had come down through our sooty chimney. He

was even more alarmed than I was, flying all over

the room and depositing soot on everything his feet

or feathers touched. After several minutes, we

caught him, threw him out, then looked around. Our

new paper, ceiling and all was covered with sooty

marks. We could not and would not re-paper so I

cleaned it as well as I could and called it a bad

day.

I also remember another situation when soot

.36.

Day by Day (p. 40)

[corresponds to page 37 of Day by Day]

was a major issue for us. I looked out my kitchen

window one evening to notice PaBee getting out of

the car very slowly. Then I noticed his arm in a

sling, he came home with a broken right arm. That

day he had climbed a 10-foot ladder in order to do

some electrical work on an A/C unit in a top-level

recess. As he backed out to start down the ladder,

a bare wire on the drill cord touched an electric

wire and he blacked out and fell toward the cement

floor 10 feet below. He could have been

electrocuted, but the fall broke the current

connection, and then he was lucky a second time. A

colored man just happened to be passing by and saw

him and caught him, preventing a serious injury or

possibly even death. So a broken arm was a good

exchange for a crushed skull or electrocution.

By the time he had told me all this, we were seated

at the table when all of a sudden we heard a loud

"whoomp" from the basement. I knew immediately

what had happened and tore downstairs only to find

it full of black smoke and 2 pieces of pipe blown

apart. I couldn't get them together, Wendell was

no help and black smoke kept puffing out the pipe.


When we finally got it fixed, we just stood

and looked at one another. Our faces and hands

were black, his white coat was black, but it was

when we went upstairs that I just stood and cried;

every thing was black - walls, curtains, bed

clothes, food, anything you could name. The only

things not covered with soot were either under the

top bedcovering or behind closed doors. I know now

that the insurance company will bear the expense of

cleaning up. I spent weeks trying to clean rugs,

curtains, clothes and dishes.


It was not a good day in any way.

Furnaces have always caused us trouble, and

once the stoker-fired furnaces was almost the cause

.37.

Day by Day (p. 41)

[corresponds to page 38 of Day by Day]

of a house fire. Our entire family was away one

night, each of us to a different meeting. I was

next to the last coming home and when I entered the

kitchen, a blast of very hot air hit me in the

face. I flew to the basement where I found the

furnace and pipes so hot that beams were popping

and crackling. I had no time to call anyone; I

just picked up a hose and directed it at the beams.

The water from that fell on the furnace where it

steamed. Eventually I could manage to open the

furnace and found the source of the tremendous

heat. The firebox was full to the top, the fire

was just a red hot mass the stoker was still

showing coal in. I knew I would crack the firebox

by using water, but I had no choice so I directed a

mist onto the top of the hot coals and continued to

soak until some of the coals turned gray. Luckily,

the firebox did not crack. I discovered later that

one of the kids came home, thought the house too

cool so instead of turning the furnace up one

degree, turned it all the way over so that the

stoker ran continuously, filling the furnace to the

brim.


It was now the late 40's and we were still

driving a 1934 Chevy because cars, too, had been in

short supply, so one day we decided to refurbish it

and give it chipped, faded coat a new coat of

paint. What we were able to get was not a pretty

shade of green, but it worked and we were

reasonably proud of it, so a friend of ours, Griff,

decided he'd paint his old car also. So he chose

his paint carefully applied it, went to bed and

awoke the next morning to find it covered - simply

covered - with small flying insects. You can see

life was not too easy during the war years.


Wendell continued to work at North American,

then later was asked to join Huffman Wolfe, a major

.38.

Day by Day (p. 42)

[corresponds to page 39 of Day by Day]

contracting company, as foreman for the A/C

department. During his time here, he worked for

almost all the large Columbus establishments (OSU,

Battelle, Big Bear, The Union Co., Meat packers) as

well as in factories along the Ohio River and for

NASA at Goddard Air Force Base in Maryland. Later

in life he received a patent for a control which he

developed. He also developed a "chill table" for

OSU at the time of the equine encephalitis

outbreak. This table was used to almost freeze

various species of mosquitos so they could be used

over long periods of time to help determine which

ones carried the disease.


I was very gratified once at a Union meeting

where I heard several men talking saying that

"PaBee was the best A/C man in the State of Ohio."

I always felt that if he had been able to get an

engineering degree, he could have developed

something very worthwhile.


It was in the 40's that one of the greatest

changes in all our lives began to appear in

numerous homes. TV had arrived and life would

never be the same again.


I'll never forget the excitement engendered by

a little 6x6 screen whenever OSU played football.

Almost everything passed for entertainment - even

the showing of the stations logo. But it also

brought much more; we, for the first time could see

all those marvelous people who had been our radio

friends; we could watch our government in action;

we were exposed to sports we had never known. In

short, television brought the world to our living

room.


Only 50 years previously, our grandparents had

to rely on word of mouth taken by horse and buggy,

Then came the telephone that brought voices into

the home. Soon came the radio which gave us hours

.39.

Day by Day (p. 43)

[corresponds to page 40 of Day by Day]

of news and music. Now we could see, hear and make

judgments on almost anything that happened in the

world. I still think of TV as a miracle even with

all the trash it now presents.


Just as the 30's were terrible for us, the

50's seemed to be good. Terry and Shirley were

doing very well in school, Rick had started school

and I picked up two new careers in the decade.


First of all, an electric organ was installed

in our church one Tuesday and I was supposed to

play it the following Sunday. I did play for

Sunday service but this particular instrument

caused me much frustration for several years.

First of all, I practiced in an unheated church in

winter, and one without cooling in the summer. I

had no organ at home to work with so the adjustment

to stops, foot pedals was a long time coming. In

addition, I had no relief on Sundays.


Then when I began working at Sunbury Savings

in the late 50's, my free time was further

shortened and I began to rebel at having to be

there EVERY Sunday. After all, I was not the

minister! So I resigned, only to return to it

later.


Terry had graduated as valedictorian of his

class and entered OSU where he made the OSU

marching band as a freshman. We were immensely

proud of him and so pleased that in his second year

OSU played in the Rose Bowl.


He, too , married young. Marge Ross and he

presented us with our first grandchild, Pam, a

precocious child and one who has always been close

to us.


Trying to find a way to help him stay in

school and still live on campus, we invested in a

huge rooming house on E. 16th Avenue, and our work

really began. At one time, the house had held as

.40.

Day by Day (p. 44)

[corresponds to page 41 of Day by Day]

many as 40 students, but in a short time we decided

to cut the number of students to 22. This still

represented 22 beds to be made and changed each

week, rooms to be painted, all kinds of repairs to

be made constantly, plus a full basement of shower

stalls, storage rooms, etc. all of which needed

non-ending paint jobs.


Chery and Pam Day
[photo]


When school was in session, Wendell would take

me down to E 16th on his way to work. There I

would work all day trying to help keep rooms and

equipment in order. We would return on Saturday,

work until noon, the cross campus for the OSU

football game.


By this time, Shirley was working for Woody

Hayes. You've always heard that Woody lost his

temper often; well, Shirley would take just so

much, then her temper would flare. One day when he

threw something she picked up the phone book and

threw it back at him, shattering the glass stopped

desk. Ann, Woody's wife, had a big laugh about it

- thought it served Woody right, and evidently he

thought so, too, because she continued to work

there.

.41.

Day by Day (p. 45)

[corresponds to page 42 of Day by Day]

He knew we loved football and gave us some

pretty privileged seating spots for several years.

It was also nice to follow Jerry Lucas - Havilcek

and Siegfried through their marvelous years of OSU

basketball.


During these years I also became a member of

the Searchlight Club, an organization which had

brought me many interesting looks into all sorts of

topics as well as many new friends. It was with

them that I saw my first stage production "My Fair

Lady." It was marvelous and has always remained,

after seeing many , many, stage shows, my very

favorite play with "The Music Man" a close second.

That experience encouraged us to to attend Kenley

productions as will as Mershon shows and even one

show at the Hartman Building. All in all we must

have seen 50-60 productions in the next few years.


So with Rick in high school, Terry in college,

Shirley in Woody's office and with involvement in

the church, the school board, the rooming house,

farm and our two jobs, we were exceptionally busy.


Terry Day, Wendall Day,
Katie Day, Doris Day,
Marge Day holding Kim,
Pam and Chery Day in front
[photo]


When the 60's

came in it was easy

to see a decided

change in the

morals, the thinking

and conformity in

this country. It

was a time kids

began questioning

the authority of

parents and

teachers; it was a

time of the hippies

and flower children;

it was a time when

our country began sliding downhill.

.42.

Day by Day (p. 46)

[corresponds to page 43 of Day by Day]

It was also a time of tragedy for us and one

of great tragedy for our country. A young

president was killed, and I, who had voted against

him, could not leave the TV. I saw the actual

killing (not a rerun) of Oswald and my scream woke

Wendell and brought him charging from the bedroom.


Our personal tragdy was the death of my

brother, Leland, who died 3 months after a massive

heart attack. We had been hit before; Marge had

developed gestational diabetes and lost a child in

1958 shortly after its birth. Terry then developed

diabetes in his first year of dental school and a

few years later Pam was hit with the same disease.


Kim Day
[photo]


I went to work full-time

shortly after Terry left OSU

and Rick graduated from high

school. Cheryl and Kim had

joined Terry's family, and

Terry and Marge lost another

baby in 1968.


My mother, who had been

ailing for years with

respiratory problems, was

failing fast. We had had a

grand 50th wedding

anniversary celebration for

them in 1963, but from then on

she was on a downhill course

and died in the summer of 1966.


Rick married Carol Walker

and Scott, who had brought us

so much joy, was born. Several

years later Lisa came along.

Lisa walks to her own drumbeat,

but you'll never find a kinder

person. She would take in any

stray animal in a heartbeat and

Richard Scott Day
[photo]

.43.

Day by Day (p. 47)

[corresponds to page 44 of Day by Day]

Clifton and Lisa Day
[photo]

she's just as concerned about any human she meets.

During 1968, I began

having health problems

which finally affected me

so that I could scarcely

work. I was diagnosed

with severe anemia - maybe

even leukemia - at a time

when my next door

neighbor, who had suffered

from the same symptoms as

I all winter, was

diagnosed with leukemia.

Kathryn, who had been a

second mother to Rick,

died in 1969. Later that year, after being denied

my normal day off and and after some co-workers had

taken as much as a week off, I walked out of the home

again.


In the meantime and after a very long illness,

my mother died in 1966, but not before she got

to see the satellite circling the earth. She did not

live to see the moon landing,

but Dad did and remarked an

the many changes he had seen

in his lifetime. Starting

with the trek to Galena with

horse and wagon, he had seen

automobiles revolutionize the

USA, had seen the tremendous

train and ocean travel, had

witnessed the birth of the

airplane's reign and now had

seen a man stand on the moon.


By the 70's Terry was

well established in his

Lee Alessio
[photo]

.44.

Day by Day (p. 48)

[corresponds to page 45 of Day by Day]

practice, Shirley and Gina married and Lee was

born, and Rick and Carole divorced.


We had purchased a farm on 605 with Terry as

co-owner. My brother in real estate had informed

me that Chamberlain's were selling their farm, and

I asked him to put in a bid at the full price for

us. He laughed and told me it was already sold,

that the buyer could get the money easily, and that

we had little chance of getting it! However, I

insisted and we did get it - we simply didn't have

sense enough to stay out of hard work.


Gino and Lisa at home.
[photo]

Wendell's

mother died

in late 1974

and left a

small bequest

to her two sons. When

Wendell

remained

undecided

about what he

wanted to do

with it, I

suggested that he think about getting a trailer so

that we might travel a little.


He literally jumped at the idea and we

answered an ad for a trailer. We were babes in the

woods in so far as trailers were concerned and how

we managed to "luck out" as we did is beyond me.

We went to see an Avion which could well have been

a Model T for all we knew. We loved it, bought it

and thus began a phase in our lives which was

different, enjoyable and a godsend for Wendell who

had never enjoyed much of what is commonly known as

just "pure pleasure."

.45.

Day by Day (p. 49)

[corresponds to page 46 of Day by Day]

We decided to go to Florida. Pam was a

freshman at OSU and could get away by mid-November

and Chery thought she could leave school at that

time, too. So the four of us started out, knowing

not where we were going, knowing nothing about

camping but willing to learn.


We lucked out again. We parked right on the

beach at Turtle beach and the girls and I did

beach combing everyday.


Just before Christmas, we were told our spot

had been reserved and we would have to leave for

another camp. We found a spot at Sun n Fun where

we were to stay for the next 17 years.


Florida was unlike anything we'd ever

experienced. The other campers were like our

closest neighbors - when you parked, they were out

to help you hook up the gas and water, roll out the

awning, and make sure the trailer was level. When

you were ill, they were there with soup, light

desserts or just words of cheer. There was a

church on the grounds; there were bicycle paths to

ride; there was a huge swimming pool, horseshoe,

shuffleboard, square and round dancing and friendly

campfires and card playing groups.


The people became so close that there were

always tears when you left, and anticipation to

return when fall came next year.


The girls were having a ball. We had taken

some of our sand dollars and made Christmas

ornaments out of them. They thought I should send

one each to my card club group; it was finally

decided that I'd send them home with the girls,

and they would deliver them. For our trailer,

lacking Christmas decorations, they scavenged the

throwaways at the cemetery where they found some

beautiful ribbon. We had plenty of pine trees for

greenery and pine cones to use, so our Christmas

.46.

Day by Day (p. 50)

[corresponds to page 47 of Day by Day]

wreath on the front of our trailer was homemade and

beautiful!

PaBee and Bee
[photo]


Christmas came our entire family was there

for several days. The weather did not cooperate

too well; as it often does in Florida when

Christmas comes the weather turns cold, even though

beautiful, sunshiny weather was the norm until

then.


In the 70's both Wendell and I began new work.

Wendell became associated with 7-Limers, an outfit

that sold farm bins and equipment, and I passed a

realtor's test to work with my brother in real

estate, work which I found fascinating.


Through 7-Limers, Wendell won a trip to Hawaii

for two, so much as I hated to fly, I swallowed

hard and went. When the clerk in Chicago asked if

we wanted "smoking" cabins, I answered before

Wendell could speak and said 'non-smoking." This

little ruse got us to the 1st class cabin on our

.47.

Day by Day (p. 51)

[corresponds to page 48 of Day by Day]

flight to Hawaii, but the rest of our group was so

disgruntled by our good fortune that on the way

home we rode in cabin class. There really is a

difference between flying cabin or 1st class!


Just as our stage production enlarged our

cultural experience, so also did our various trips

we took with the 7-Limers Group.


First, of course, was Hawaii and nothing I

ever read quite prepared me for it. I fell in love

with Hawaii when they first put a lei around my

neck and kissed me on both cheeks, and the love

affair took off when we entered our room and found

a freshly cut pineapple sitting in its own juice.

All the usual tourist spots - Punchbowl Cemetery,

Pearl Harbor, their tiered mall - either intrigued,

enticed or caused you to fall into a feeling of

deepest awe and respect.


My favorite part of Hawaii was when we and one

other couple took a car trip around the entire

island of Oahu. We saw the bluest water we'd ever

seen, magnificent cliffs covered with trees,

pineapple plantations and the Queen's palace. I

was most impressed with Polynesian Village, where a

village as used by long ago Polynesians was

erected. It was built around a huge open square,

with buildings on all four side opening on the

inside court. Here children could play, women

could wash and talk with friends, and men could

also meet there to discuss their business. What a

sensible way to live. Children were safe, no one

was ever lonely, and all were safer as a group than

they would have been living alone.


Although the group offered trips to Spain, to

San Francisco, the Barbados and other places, I

only want to tell you about Mexico.


We left Sarasota, went to Tampa and flew to

Dallas. for a good part of this trip we could see

.46.

Day by Day (p. 52)

[corresponds to page 49 of Day by Day]

Florida and its coastline below us and one could

only marvel when seeing it how the early explorers'

maps were almost precisely what we saw from the air.


We left Dallas for Mexico City, a book in

itself with charming little sidewalk shops, tiny

children begging on every corner, beautiful Mexican

strings playing, gorgeous murals on many buildings,

sidewalk food which looked delicious but which we

were forbidden to eat, huge old churches with gold

icons inside and also as the guards told us "a

thief inside for every religious artifact you saw."


It was was at one of the large churches, now

sinking into the soft undersoil of Mexico City,

that we saw the faithful coming into the church,

sometimes having come from miles away and walking

always on their knees even across the paved brick

courtyard of the church.


It was here that we rode out to the pyramid

past homes of such poverty and desolation that you

wonder how people could survive. It looked worse

than the shabbiest pens we used to erect for

farrowing sheds. But the pyramid was magnificent!

The steps to the top were very, very narrow and

only a few of our group made it - and only by

placing their feet sideways on the step. The

underground of the pyramid was the great surprise.

It showed a city complete with streets, canals to

bring water into the city and a sewer to dispose of

wastes. It was unbelievable. Added to our

bewilderment was the fact that the hieroglyphics

on the wall looked Egyptian and one wondered if,

indeed, at one time North and South America were

linked together.


We finished our tour in Acapulco, just as

pretty as Hawaii, but much less fun because the

people there did not like us. You could tell their

.49.

Day by Day (p. 53)

[corresponds to page 50 of Day by Day]

dislike in everything they did for us. But it was

in Acapulco that we went one night and watched the

cliff divers. We had seen it on TV, but nothing

had prepared us for the narrowness of the gorge or

the steepness of the cliff which the diver climbed.


It was also at Acapulco that I first observed

para-sailing. Back at the hotel, I told PaBee I'd

seen something I was going to try. When I told him

it involved heights, he just hooted, getting up on

a stepladder makes me dizzy. Never the less I was

insistent, and by this time about four others were

interested so we looked for the place where the

para-sailing began.


The person going up is on the beach. Here, he

or she is fit into a pair of coveralls attached to

a parachute sail, and is told that when the boat

started that person was to start running, at which

point you soar into the air. Upon completion of

the ride, the boat coming into the beach begins to

slow and as it goes slower and slower, one begins

to descend and finally is set down gently as a

feather.


Well, I tried it and loved it. You go up so

quickly that you can't realize you've left the

ground and from there on you soar - it must be the

same feeling a bird has as it soars. You descend

so gently that you wouldn't know you were

descending if you hadn't noticed the trees getting

smaller, and when you land you take 2 or 3 steps

and that's all.


When returned to Florida we found these

sailings were prohibited in Florida because

they were so dangerous - some people had been killed in

para-sailing.


Lesson: what you don't know will hurt you!

In the spring of 1976, I was hospitalized with

high blood pressure and had returned home on May


.50.

Day by Day (p. 54)

[corresponds to page 51 of Day by Day]

29th. I called Terry to say I was home and Kim

answered and said she would give them the message,

That was the last time I ever spoke to her. She

was staying with a friend when they decided to call

a boy to take them to a party. This was never

suppose to happen: Marge was very careful about

controlling Kim's guests and she expected the same

of parents where Kim stayed. Never the less, the

three set out for the party. rounding a curve on

Centerburg Road, the van went out of control, went down

in the road ditch and went some distance

before it hit a tree head on. Kim was killed

instantly. We were shattered, I had picked her up

just two weeks previously because Marge was in

Washington and wanted assurance she would be taken

care of. I'll never forget how she looked at me,

giggling and repeating a story Mrs. Searles had

told her about how we used to beg for pennies to

buy a gallon of gas. She didn't believe that her

grandmother could have done such a thing - been so

silly - but I just told her we do crazy things when

we are young.


While the whole family grieved long and sadly

for Kim, life had a habit of just going on and so

it was for us. Farm work had to be done, and in

the early spring and summer months of 1978 it began

to seem as though this cycle might fail. It had

rained constantly, it was now almost June and the

planting had not been done.


One day I offered to help work ground on our

farm on Rosecrans Road, and getting out of a large

tractor that was unfamiliar to me, something went

wrong and I fell, lighting on my back on the

packed, hard ground. I knew immediately something

was wrong because of the "prickles" in my spine and

I lay as quietly as possible until PaBee found me.

In the hospital I was told i had chipped one

.51.

Day by Day (p. 55)

[corresponds to page 52 of Day by Day]

vertebra and compressed two other. I was home in

a short while, fortunate to be walking but in much

pain for a year afterward. Even today, it bothers

me.


P. S. I was never on a tractor after that.

The 80's were also a decade I would not want

to live through again; this, although many

wonderful things happened to us in those 10 years.

It began with the farm crises which were going

on all over the country. Farm prices had dropped

drastically, forcing many farmers to borrow money

at an exorbitant rate of interest, and causing them

to go further behind each year. We were no

exception; the fellows had overextended the farming

and we were working harder and going deeper in debt

with every move we made. I thought perhaps that

all our years of hard work had been done for

nothing.


1980 - Sue, following the birth of Kaleisha,

was found to have incurable cancer. Kathleen and I

visited her many times at University Hospital, and

twice in the next 9 months she was released for 2-3

days at a time, time which she spent with me and

her baby. She died on April 15th, 1981 on the same

day that Tyler was born to Rick and Shelley.


The day she was buried, my dad suffered his

first heart attack. When i called to inform Terry,

Marge told me that Pam had just been told she

needed laser surgery on her eye. The operation was

not a success and she lost the vision in that eye.

She and Marge made several trips to John Hopkins

Hospital where she was treated further, but by the

end of 1981, she was essentially blind. Her

kidneys began to fail and it was necessary that she

.52.

Day by Day (p. 56)

[corresponds to page 53 of Day by Day]

go on dialysis, a very harsh experience.


Dad entered the hospital in July and was never

well again, dying in late December.


1983 was the year from hell: Kathleen fell

and broke her hip - was in Zanesville hospital, a

long trip for us to go to see her. Chery donated a

kidney to Pam, operation taking place at OSU

hospital. At the same time I was losing two of my

closest friends to cancer. I, too, was facing

major surgery and returned from the doctor one day

to find a thunderstorm approaching. I heard a

terrific clap of thunder, and not too long after

PaBee called to tell me that he, Scott and 2 of

Scott's friends had been hit with lightning. One

of Scott's friends died that evening at Mt. Carmel.

I had surgery later that summer.


In 1984 Kathleen, just beginning to recuperate

from hip surgery, was hit with cancer. Then began

chemotherapy with all the bad side effects and I

spent innumerable hours going back and forth to Mt.

Vernon.


1985 came along with our golden wedding. Both

Kathleen and Roland came, both looking terrible.

Roland entered the hospital in July and died very

late in the year.


1986 and 1987 brought our greatest sorrow.

Terry had been very ill for a long time but he

visited us in Florida in January and, although I

cried bitter tears after he left, I had not thought

of the possibility of death. He had been planning

to start a dairy - don't ask me why - but he died

very suddenly one night after visiting Shirley. He

was such an ideal son, such a loved person, such a

good person that I'll never be able to understand a

loss like this.


In 1988 we received another real blow when

Gerry died unexpectedly. She and Wayne had been a

.53.

Day by Day (p. 57)

[corresponds to page 54 of Day by Day]

close part of our lives for a long time and it was

hard to imagine being without her.


In 1989, we celebrated Kathleen's 5 year

remission from cancer. This was in April; in

October, she was told the disease had returned and

she had 2-3 months to live. She died on Christmas

Eve 1989.


This terrible time ended with illness on my

part. A severe leg pain was diagnosed (after a

year) as being spinal stenosis with affects the

sciatic nerve. That was followed by a year of

severe dizziness which was never diagnosed,

although numerous tests were made.


So finally the 1980's came to an end. In that

whole decade, there were few weeks when we did not

have someone in the hospital, seriously ill.


Without our friends and participation in

outside activities, the above years could have

buried us, but with our friends we did manage to

have some nice times.


First of course, was the crowd at Sun N Fun.

there was always someone there to talk to, eat

with, go fishing with, or just sit with. We

participated in church and choir and that alone

kept us busy. The camp also put on a variety show

each winter, and that kept us busy for several

weeks during January and February.


When we returned home in the spring, we

resumed our activities with the TTT camping club.

We were such an odd assortment of people (all ages

and occupations) that you would have thought we'd

find no common meeting ground, but we had a ball

together. One of the older members was the

sprightliest one quiet one did beautiful

needle work; the former school coach was a great

storyteller; all of us were good eaters. We always

.54.

Day by Day (p. 58)

[corresponds to page 55 of Day by Day]

had one great potluck dinner and then had leftovers

for Sunday dinner.


At our house once, I asked each member to come

prepared with a program item and not one failed to

come up with either a reading, a quiz, a magic

trick, a poem, a silly game, or a musical

rendition.


At Christmas time we always had a special

dinner prepared by us and held in a beautiful old

house in Granville. Gifts were exchanged, and then

we left to meet again in early spring. The group

still meets occasionally, but the camping ceased

after the death of some of most loved members.

The Sunbury News, Thurs, May 2, 1985
Wendall Days
Celebrate Anniversary
Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Day
[photo]

.55.

Day by Day (p. 59)

[corresponds to page 56 of Day by Day]

Then there was our golden wedding in the 80's.

Unknown to us, our kids met one night while we were

in Florida and planned a party, even going so far

as to make up an invitation, a copy of which is on

the next page. We were reluctant to have anything

done for us, because it would occur one month after

we returned from Florida and we felt it would be a

really rushed time.


But the kids prevailed, so the day came. It

was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the

people who attended just amazed me, all of the TTT

club was there, many church friends, neighbors,

children of old friends of ours, work-related

friends and many friends from Sun N Fun including

some from Indiana, Michigan, Canton, and many

places in central Ohio. It was a marvelous day and

one which we relived and remembered many times.

Golden Wedding Anniversary
May 5, 1985
[photo]

.56.

Day by Day (p. 60)

[corresponds to page 57 of Day by Day]

[image]

.57.

Day by Day (p. 61)

[corresponds to page 58 of Day by Day]

During the 80's we also took several trips

with Wendell's company. We were anxious to go to

the Barbados, and much as I hate flying, I will

have to say our flight there and back was

beautiful. As soon as we landed in Barbados,

however, I was ready to leave. I cannot understand

what the Britishers see in it. It's very small,

has none of the lush tropical growth you would

expect, has birds that fly into the restaurants and

sit on your table, has snakes that crawl in bushes

over your head, and does not have nice beaches.

One of our group went swimming close to the

shoreline and was washed repeatedly against the

sharp, rocky crags found there. He was injured

quite badly. Do you get the feeling that we didn't

appreciate Barbados? You're right.


The Repparts had come down to Florida to keep

our dog "Sugar" while we were gone. We drove to

Miami in the motorhome and left the Honda for them.

They used the car once, lost the key, and were

stranded in camp for a week; we parked about a mile

from the terminal in Miami and returned to find the

motorhome wouldn't start; neither of us cared for

our Barbados vacation. You'll discover

that some vacations are like that.


The Houses We've Owned

My first home was a rather small house for

what was, for the most of my life at home, a home

for six. It consisted of a nice sized kitchen, a

very narrow room that was called a dining room with

a closet at one end, an ample bedroom, small living

room and two upstairs bedrooms with the tiniest

closets ever made. My folks began by remodeling

the kitchen, getting running water for the first

time in the early 1930's. Later, they enclosed

part of a porch to make a nice dining room, and

.58.

Day by Day (p. 62)

[corresponds to page 59 of Day by Day]

later added several feet on the west side to

enlarge the living room and put in a bath.


I never enjoyed this last addition I was

married and living in the poor little house which

burned. We then moved to the "white" house which

we remodeled, doing the kitchen first, later adding

a bath and later redid the front part of the house.


Every house I had lived in until then was

miserably cold. At home we carried heated sad

irons to bed to warm our feet so we could fall

asleep. To go to bed each night we carried a

lantern to light our way and one night I turned it

upside down to blow out the flame. Needless to

say, flames shot out and our screams brought Dad up

the stairs in record time.


The miserable cold did not subside in the

white house because it was not insulated and the

windows were so loose they rattled. Each morning

when I picked up Terry his little hands looked like

swollen sausage links because he had gotten so cold

in the night.


Just when we got this house renewed we moved

down to the gray house and began restoration all

over again, this time stripping the downstairs

rooms, insulating it well and installing an

automatic furnace. It was during the late 50's

that we also built a large cement block swimming

pool which was a major source of enjoyment for many

years.


We lived there for many years but work in

houses did not cease for we bought the rooming

house which was endless work, but it provided a

home for Terry and Marge while he finished his

education.


Houses 5 and 6 were those on the Chamberlin

farm, and while we did not remodel them, our

hammers and paintbrushes were always in reach.

.59.

Day by Day (p. 63)

[corresponds to page 60 of Day by Day]

When we purchased property on Rosecrans Road

and restored house no. 7, I decided I'd had enough.

We had improved every house we had owned, spending

hours and hours in hard, dirty work. And it was a

task repeated over and over, because some of this

was rental property and each time a tenant moved

out, almost always we had a major renovation facing

us.


Then even my little Florida home betrayed me.

Dad died at Christmas time in 1982 and we stayed

home that winter. We always stored our trailer in

a field near the camp, taking the precaution of

using plenty of insecticide and mildew killer. We

wrote down asking the owner of the field to take

our check and renew the bug and mildew

preparations.


But when we walked into the trailer on an

exetremely hot day in mid-October 1983, we almost

turned and ran. Everything we could see was either

covered with dirt or had been chewed by something.


George Main had often told us that we could

use his place at any time and we really had no

choice at this time. We started with garbage sacks

and removed EVERYTHING from the trailer, every

towel, bed linen, drapery, curtain, small clothing

items went into sacks and were taken to the laundry

where we spent 3 full days just washing, drying,

and folding. We stayed at Main's home for three

nights but decided we had to move the trailer so

that we could obtain hot water and electricity. We

proceeded to wash down every square inch of the

trailer, washed every utensil, dish, piece of

silverware and finally after 4 days of hard,

sweltering work, we cleaned and swept the carpet.

Then little by little, we replaced our laundered

items.

.60.

Day by Day (p. 64)

[corresponds to page 61 of Day by Day]

We do not know what caused the damage -

Florida has some hideous flying insects that could

have been what chewed some of the linens. What I

do know is that we never trusted that particular

guy with our trailer again.


It was only when we built that I was able to

move into a clean, warm house for the first time

and what a blessing it was, and is for me. No

remodeling, no painting, no snow on my bed, no

unwanted mice in my basement! I love it!


Remembering Sights, Sounds, and Smells

If someone were to blindfold me and lead me

into an old time school cloak room I would know it

at once by its smell - a mixture of damp woolen

mittens and coats, boots and the ever present smell

of bananas and peanut butter sandwiches in lunch

pails. Peanut butter in those days must have been

blended with glue - one bite and your jaw locked.


Many of the boys in our school trapped animals

for their fur which would sell for a small sum.

Every once in a while they would come to the

classroom after having tangled with a skunk and

would have to be sent home by the teacher with

orders to become bearable before returning.


Smells that I remember; fragrant new-mown hay;

the hot iron smell in Curt's blacksmith shop; the

smell of bees and honey, freshly turned earth, cold

ashes in the ash pan. I especially remember the

smell of freshly baked yeast roll, and will always

remember how grandma hid her bananas in the closet

and we found them by their odor.


Among the beautiful things we've experienced on

the farm have been the phenomena of Nature. It has

.61.

Day by Day (p. 65)

[corresponds to page 62 of Day by Day]

been years since I've seen a showing of "northern

Lights" but I remember one night in the 1950's when

Wendell and I sat in our side yard and witnessed the

bright white light that lit up the sky, Old Mother

Nature outdid herself throwing bight orange, green

and blue streamers halfway across the sky.


One frosty winter night Wendall called me to

"come look" at something. Going outside, I looked

up at a full moon which was completely encircled by

a large rainbow-colored corona. The corona was so

far from the moon that they seemed to have no

relation, even though you know that the moonlight

shining on frost crystals had caused it.


Another unforgettable sight happened as we

were going over Murphy's Hill. Wendell was driving

and as I looked to my right I saw this bright

thing, larger than a star, with a long streamer

behind sailing across the sky. I yelled but

Wendall was unable to get the car stopped until

just shortly before it hit ground. Even so he was

impressed with his first sighting of a 'meteor' and

I was almost speechless. It was a lot more

breathtaking than my first glance at the satellite

we all followed.


We used to shock corn in the days before

combines. The corn was cut and tied into small

bundles which were than set into standing shocks.

There is nothing more mysterious or beautiful than

a large field of shocked corn under a bright, full

October moon. They always reminded me of rows of

tepees, and I could imagine that I could almost see

Indians creeping across the field much as they did

.62.

Day by Day (p. 66)

[corresponds to page 63 of Day by Day]

Hundreds of years ago when they left their

spearpoints, pestles, axes, and grinding stones for

us to find!


One of the prettier farm sights is that of a

field of rowed soybeans just beginning to bush out

a little. Since the advent of pesticides, which

enable one to overcome the large weeds that smother

beans, farmers have gone back to drilled beans

which aren't nearly as pretty.


Wheat and oats are always gorgeous. Bright

green just as we enter winter and again in earliest

spring, they then turn into a beautiful golden

color in summer. when the wind is gentle with

them, the stalks bend and ripple like a giant wave.

It used to be that we threshed wheat, separating

the grain from the straw and putting the grain on

wagons or in sacks and thrusting the straw out of

the machine and into a large stack. We couldn't

wait for the stack to form so that we could climb

to the top and slide down the shiny side.


Of course with the coming of combines, it

meant that farmers could harvest their crops at the

time they wished without waiting their turn in the

"threshing ring." And the wives could celebrate

also - they no longer had to prepare those

monstrous dinners that the men remember so fondly.


Flashback and Feedbacks

We had a big laugh at Lee's expense, when he

went fishing in Canada and stayed in a rustic log

cabin. Along with usual inconveniences such as no

electricity, running water, etc. they were using

something that he had never seen before and which

in his words absolutely "grossed him out." It

.63.

Day by Day (p. 67)

[corresponds to page 64 of Day by Day]

turned out it was a fly strip, an item which used

to hang in every farm kitchen. You open it and as

the narrow mucilaged strip unrolled it caught and

trapped flies in its sticky mess. Revolting, yes,

but it saved a lot of swatting!


Flies were one of the worst things we endured

as children. They lit on you when you were hot and

sweaty, they crawled on you as you tried to sleep.

They bedeviled the cows and horses beyond bearing

causing the cows to switch the milkers and even to

hold up their milk. They blackened screen doors

before a storm. And worst, they crawled on every

bit of exposed food, ruining picnics and family

get-togethers. It was a time of rejoicing when DDT

finally got rid of most of them.


Mosquitos and ticks didn't seem to be the

pests then as much as now. Maybe because we went

to bed early, thus missing the mosquitos. What we

did have to hurt us, because we were forced to go

barefoot, were the thorns, rusty nails, pitchforks,

and barbed wire pieces all of which were as

attracted to my feet as if I had a large magnet in each

foot. I remember one summer I hobbled on a

badly infected foot caused by stepping on a stone.

Finally came the day when I could go outdoors

again, and almost the first thing I did was step on

a pitchfork! I hated doctors, because each time I

saw one, the remedy was either castor oil or a

puncture of a foot wound.


As I said in the beginning, these things I

have written are remembrances of our life together.

For your parent's childhood, you'll have to get

them to write them down. However, in looking back,

I think of many things I do not wish to forget.

.64.

Day by Day (p. 68)

[corresponds to page 65 of Day by Day]

When Terry and Shirley were little, they

became known to one another as "Bus" and "Baby" and

those names stuck through high school. We did not

have anything to do with the names being used and

where they came up with them, I do not know.


Shirley did not have to talk early; Terry

anticipated everything she wanted and they seemed

to develop a language of their own. When we could

not understand her, he interpreted her words.


RicK was anxious to get going in the world;

he's still impatient. He never crawled and when we

got him a walker at 6 months he turned our kitchen

into a racing track. He could charge full speed

ahead and turn on a dime and he learned to walk at

9 months.


We lived in a drive back about 100 feet from

the road and just across a narrow road; at the foot

of the lane stood 2 full grown trees just wide

enough apart to get a tractor through. One day

after parking the car on top of the hill, wheels

turned slightly to the bank, we entered the house

for a cup of coffee. Shortly afterward, we looked

out and our car was gone! Running out, we finally

spotted it across the road in the field south of

the house. We ran down see how much damage had

been done to the car. Inconceivable as it might

seem if you had ever seen those trees and how close

they were, there was no a mark on the car. Even

more inconceivable was that on the back floor of

the car, Shirley and Terry were still playing with

something. Evidently when they got in and shut the

door, that was enough to start the car downhill.

But I think I'd be safe in saying that if one were

to park a car on the exact same spot, the chances

.65.

Day by Day (p. 69)

[corresponds to page 66 of Day by Day]

would be about one in a thousand that it would go

through those two trees unmarked.


Terry used to stand by the east dining room

window every morning and when the milk truck drove

in he'd always say, "ere goes-a milka tuck". He

spoke slowly and distinctly and we understood

everything he said, but he couldn't explain that

Italian accent. He also said, "bi-sa-ca-shew" for

bicycle. You figure!


Pam could not say "horse." Over and over the

word came "force." One day PaBee tried to help

her with her pronunciation, teaching her the "ho"

sound and forcing her lips into the position to

make the sound. Over and over they tried with Pam

making the sound. Then he said, "Say I see a

horse." And Pam said, "I see a force." I guess

it's something you just out grow.


Lee and Gina weren't with us as much when real

small, but PaBee never forgot one sight of Lee. We

walked into their kitchen shortly after Pearl had

given him a Sugar Daddy and in Wendell's words

"That kid had chocolate from his head to his feet"

and Pearl was just standing there laughing.


Shirley, Geno Jr., were 2 beautiful babies

with their dark curls, one with blue, one with

brown eyes and their wonderful complexions. I wish

I'd had a color camera when Shirley was small.


Chery was always the quiet, thoughtful one in

the family. She didn't argue, and she would

usually go along with anything Pam suggested but

once in a while she would dig in her heels and

.66.

Day by Day (p. 70)

[corresponds to page 67 of Day by Day]

resist. Chery is till the very organized person

in the family.


Lee and Scott had the knack of our generation,

that of creating one's own entertainment. They

use to take twine and hitch up a pretend plow (a

stick), then plow a ditch and plant seeds. They

once used twine string to tie 3 pretty large boards

together which they imagined was an airplane. The

next thing we knew they were "flying" out a second

story window. And do you remember the time they

found an old lantern and were filling it with

gasoline in preparation for a campfire? That

lighting would have buried half our farms.


Lisa was always the independent child and

as she grew older, tended to impress or shock you

with her insight or actions. But I'll never forget

one day at home she invited a few kids in to

play in our motor home. Hanging in the trailer was

a beautiful Della Robbia wreath bought at the Twig

bazaar and so loved by me that I took it to Florida

with me. When I entered the trailer an hour or so

later, there sat four kids at my table each with a

cereal bowl, the bowls full of cherries, grapes

raspberries and every other fruit from my wreath

which they had dismantled. Lisa probably recalls

to this day my first look and the words, "you kids

are not leaving here until every grape is back on

the vines and all the wreath is put back as it

was." Of course, they couldn't do it, but spent a

few hours of trying and possibly learned a lesson in

the process.

.67.

Day by Day (p. 71)

[corresponds to page 68 of Day by Day]

Tyler Day
[photo]

Tyler Day was the last of

our grandchildren, a

little red-head who made a

good impression upon

everyone who saw him. He

stayed with us many times

when small, and I miss him

greatly since he moved to

Findlay. Tyler had some

speech problems which

lasted well into his

second grade, but he's a

great student and a great

kid.


We never allowed our children and

grandchildren to sleep with us. One night when

Scott was about 3 years of age, and staying over

with us, a terrific thunderstorm came up. It

awakened me and I hear Scott, who was on the sofa

just outside our bedroom, begin to stir. Finally I

heard him creep over to our door but he didn't say

anything. I waited then called out, "Scott do you

want to come in here with us?" With one bound, he

was in our room saying, "Funder scares me to deaf."

Snuggled between us, he was soon sound asleep, his

fears of "funder" forgotten.


A farm is not only long hours of hard dirty

work, but a place of many accidents and dangers.

Within 2 1/2 miles of our farm, I could think of 17

major accidents, 13 of them resulting in death most

of them were very young people, only 2 of these 13

being adults.

On of the saddest funerals I ever played for

was for a small boy who was playing in the pasture

.68.

Day by Day (p. 72)

[corresponds to page 69 of Day by Day]

and fell into an iron stake set out to hold a salt

block. He died in his father's arms a few minutes

later. Another child fell from a silo, one caught

his hands in the moving gears of a grain drill,

another suffocated under loose saw dust.


There were tractor upsets, chain-saw

accidents, car accidents, mowing machine and

combine worries. Each piece of machinery on the

farm could become a death instrument in a flash, so

it was small wonder that one was continually

admonishing everyone else to "be careful."


The Chamberlain farm and its owners have been

especially hard hit, with major accidents which

included four deaths. After the lightning strike

on our farm, PaBee never cared to go back out to

the farm.


However, both of us did help Terry try to get

his dairy herd in order in 1987. He died just a

week after we were there to help, and both Wendell

and I lost all interest in the farm. I still own a

part of it, but it's rented out and I see little of it.


Did you ever wonder why you call your

grandparents "Bee" and PaBee"? Well, here's the answer.


I had always wanted a nickname but the name

"Doris" is not the easiest name in the world to use

to coin a nickname, so I was always known by my

my full name, "Doris Marie."


Then when I was twelve, we welcomed into our

family my kid brother, also known by the name of

Wendell.


When he began talking tried to get my

attention, it was impossible for him to enunciate

.69.

Day by Day (p. 73)

[corresponds to page 70 of Day by Day]

my full name, calling me instead "Do Bee." Later

he shortened it to Bee, has called me that all his

life, and finally gave me a nickname that stuck,

because most of my family used it in addressing me

as did your grandfather, my Wendell.


I was made a grandmother at a young age and

had no objection until a neighbor, 25 years my

senior, began referring to me as "grandma." so

when Pam began talking, I encouraged her to call me

"Bee." That was fine until she began calling

Wendell "MaBee" at which time he asked her to call

him "PaBee." To this day, all the grandchildren,

some of our nieces and nephews and even some of

their young friends address us this way.


And that , Lee, is why when your teacher asked

you to tell something about your grandparents you

told her "I don't have any grandma or grandpa -

just Nani and Nuner, Bee and Pabee!"


My life as you can see has not been glamorous

or exciting, but one of much hard work and, at

times, one of frustration.


But along the way, there had been so much to

enjoy - friends, music, church, family books for

learning and pleasure, fairly good health, a sound

mind - that I can't complain.


To those of you who thought this writing was

on genealogy, no. That was not the purpose of

this. But about a month ago I found a writing done

by one of my ancestors in the mid 1700's and I'm

having a copy made for the back of the book so that

you can read it and truly appreciate how much you

have.

.70.

Day by Day (p. 74)

[corresponds to page 71 of Day by Day]

I would remind you, too, that I'm glad:

You don't pump water for a dairy - a turn

of the tap does it.

You don't do hand washing - you have

automatic washers.

You don't hang up wet clothes - you use a dryer.

You don't stoke the furnace several times

a day - it's automatic heat.

You don't light candles or lamps - a flip

of the switch make light, etc., etc.


In addition, mixes of all kinds have

shortened cooking immensely. Supermarkets hold all

kinds of canned fruits and vegetables or even fresh

produce. It's hard to believe that we rarely saw

celery or lettuce when I was a child, and an orange

in our Christmas stocking was a real treat.


It's been an amazing change that I've seen in

my lifetime in everything from transportation to

clothing, education to morals, foods to indoor

conveniences. As someone said, "Enjoy today. You

are living better than any king lived a century

ago."


In conclusion, I have just a word for you, my

grandchildren.


We've enjoyed each and everyone of you

regardless of whose genes you wound up with.


We've shared your illnesses (cried many tears

over you), your good times, your first word, your

first step. We've rocked you, singing "Rock-a-Bye

Baby" ten thousand times, changed you, consoled

you, hugged you, argued with you, yelled at you and

yes, even spanked one of you once.


And through it all, we had a ball. Hope you

did, too.

Love,

Bee and PaBee

.71.

Day by Day (p. 75)

[corresponds to page 72 of Day by Day]

Our First Great-Grandchildren

Erik Day
[photo]

Ryan Day
[photo]

4 Generations
Rick, Wendell, Scott, and baby Erik
[photo]

.72.

Day by Day (p. 76)

[corresponds to page 73 of Day by Day]

Our Family Today

Birthday Gathering for Doris
1991
1st Row: Marge Day, Scott Day,
Pam Day Given
2nd Row: Juanita Day, Doris
Day, Wendell Day
3rd Row: Chery Ortlieb, Shirley
Alessio, Lisa Day, Rick Day
4th Row: Jim Ortlieb, Gino
Alessio, Mott Given

.73.

Day by Day (p. 77)

[corresponds to unnumbered page 74 of Day by Day]

Lewis H. Davidson. The following

sketch from the pen of Rev. Lewis H.

Davidson, of Washington township,

a few additions, appeared in the

Freeport Press of April 16, 1890. It

shows some of the many hardships

endured by the pioneers in general,

and this truly representative family

in particular.


"My great-grandfather, William

Davidson, was born in Ireland, and

emigrated to the United States in very

early days, and after being married,

and having four sons, was captured by

the Indians before the Revolutionary

War, and was lost to all knowledge of

his friends. My grandfather, William

Davidson (second), on my father's

side, was born November 20, 1747. He

was married first to Rosanna

Hutchinson, who was born in Wales.

This union resulted in five children -

three sons and two daughters. His

second marriage was with Barbara

McDale; result eight children - five

sons and three daughters. My father,

Lewis Davidson, was of the first set

of children, and was born in Fayette

County, Penn., March 23, 1773. My

mother, Mary Davidson, daughter of

Lewis Davidson, full brother of

William (second), was born in Allegany

County, Md., September 23, 1778. Her

mother's name was Nancy Todd, and she

was born in England. My mother was

one of fourteen children, all full

brothers and sisters. My father and

mother were married in Fayette County,

Penn., in July 1798, by Rev. James

Roberts. the result of this union was

twelve children - eight sons and four

daughters - namely: William. Nancy,

Rosanna, John S., Mordecai W., Lewis

H., Susanna., Mary., Jesse., Thomas

L., Joseph C., and Jonathan S. In

1802 my father and mother , with a

number of other families moved down

the Ohio river in large canoes

fastened together, and landed on the

west side of the Ohio river opposite

where Catlettsburg is now located.

After remaining there about one year,

my father bought land in French grant,

in Scioto County, Ohio, where they

remained until March 1909. I was born

at that place February 23, 1809. This

location proved to be sickly - chills

and fever. Here two of their children

died: Nancy and Rosanna. My parents

proposed to move back to Pennsylvania,

and having sold their land, and the

weather becoming fine the last

week of March, they commenced the

tedious journey, packing all they

intended to move on two mares. My

mother carried me in her arms on

horseback, and an older brother, John

S., behind her and Mordecai W. was in

father's arms on the other mare, and

William who was in is tenth year

walked. They come to the Muskingham

River at Zanesville, April 2, 1809,

and my mother forded that river with

me in her arms. They had fine weather

to travel in, and all went well until

they reached the big Stillwater Creek,

between where now in Smyrna and

Moorefield. One of their mares, being

very warm, drank too much water, and

by the time they reached the John lamb

farm, one mile east of Moorefield, she

was so sick they stopped, and there

she died. This stopped them in their

journey to Pennsylvania.


"My father rented a small cabin

nearby and remained there that summer

and next winter. During that time he

entered the quarter section of land

which L. D. Latham now occupies, three

miles west of Freeport. On March 10,

1810, my father moved his family down

on the east side of Big Stillwater,

and stopped with Daniel McGloughlin,

who then lived where the widow Bevans

now lives. In a few days he erected a

cabin on his own land, and soon moved

into it. It had a "cat-and-clay"

chimney, split puncheons for a floor,

clapboards pinned together with wooden

pins for a door to keep out wolves, as

well as everything else, but which did

not prevent us from hearing the wolves

howling a few yards from the door. We

were also surrounded with other wild

game, such as bears, deer, turkeys,

and smaller game, which were much used

for food by families, the hides of the

deer dressed for clothing. Those were

trying times, indeed! Daniel Esley

had a little mill at that time, built

of small logs, standing where the Hess

mill is now located. The dam was

built of brush and dirt, and very

leaky at that, and when it was very

dry weather we often had to pound

out corn into meal in a hominy block, and

live on potatoes, squashes, pumpkins

roasting ears, and beans. In 1812 my

father erected the first hewed-log and

shingle-roofed house that was ever

built in the valley of Crab Orchard,

carrying nails for the roof from

Newellstown (now St. Clairsville) in a

sack on horseback, and paying a high

price for them. But just when the new

inhabitants had cleared a few patches

to raise corn and potatoes, the

Day by Day (p. 78)

[corresponds to unnumbered page 74 of Day by Day]

distressing War of 1812 called all the

able bodied men in Ohio to arms; as it

is well known that Ohio and the

western frontier suffered more than

any other part of the United States,

on account of the alliance between the

British and Indians, the British

offering the Indians a high price for

every white scalp they would produce.

At this time father was suffering

badly with rheumatism as to be unable

to work, having lost the entire used

of his legs, yet he did not escape the

'draft,' and I remember well his being

carried from the house by two strong

men to be put on horse back to ride to

New Philadelphia to answer his name,

and prove his inability to go to the

front. I can not recollect the

excitement when word reached this part

of the State that Shipley and Warnock

were killed by the Indians about forty

miles from this place. Immediately

following this report the entire

neighborhood about Freeport was

alarmed over a rumor that an Indian

attack was to be made upon them; and

from far and near families flocked to

the village for safety, which was

found in a house of huge round logs

that had been erected for the very

purpose it was called to serve. Our

family was among those who hastily

sought this shelter, and while en

route on horseback, riding behind my

father, I remember falling from the

horse and rolling down a steep

embankment, which so hurt me as to

cause me to cry aloud. My outcry was

only hushed when warned that unless I

would cease the Indians would hear me

and come and massacre us all. Some

two days in doubt and expectancy were

passed in the village, when, the fears

of the settlers subsiding, they

returned to their homes. When the war

closed, this part of the State settled

up rapidly, and soon the people became

prosperous in their undertakings.


"We soon had churches in

Freeport, and church organizations,

good preachers and good congregations.

In early life I became interested in

the Christian religion, my father and

mother being members of the Methodist

Episcopal Church. On April 15, 1827

I united with the Methodist Episcopal

Church of Freeport, Ohio, two sisters,

Susanna and Mary, uniting at the same

time. Thus we joined hands that we

would walk with God during natural

lives, long or short. My sister,

Mary, has gone to the spirit land,

dying in the faith of the Son of God.


My sister, Susanna Latham, it still

lingering on the stage of action, but with

good hope of eternal life beyond the

grave. She is greatly blessed with a

daughter and son-in-law to take care

of her in her declining years. In

1829 I bought 100 acres of land in

Washington Township, Tuscarawas Co.,

Ohio. On January 7 1830, I was

united in marriage to Lucinda Latham

near Moorefield, Ohio: she was born in

Fauquier County, Va., September 18,

1910. The result of this union was

seven children - four sons and three

daughters-namely: Isiah, Mary, Lucy,

James M., Latham A., Sarah E., and

Alexander J. Three of theses, Isiah,

Lucy and Sarah, died in Infancy: James

M. volunteered in the United State

service August 9, 1862, and became a

member of Company F, Ninety-eight

regiment, O.V.I. (he was mortally

wounded September 20, 1863, in the

memorable battle of Chickamauga, and

was lost to all knowledge of his

friends). My daughter, Mary McPeck,

lives near Jewett, Ohio. Latham A. is

living in West Milford, Harrison Co.,

W. Va. Alexander J. is living near

Tucson, Ariz.


"In September, 1830, my wife and

I went to that wild woodland that I

had purchased in Tuscarawas County, to

fix upon a location for a cabin, and

after wading through the high weeds

and brush for awhile, we located the

site near a spring. I had my ax in

hand, ready to cut down the large oaks

that stood all around. I looked at my

better half, and asked if she thought

we could make a living in that place.

Her eyes began to fill with tears, and

turning her back to me , she walked off

to a large oak tree down, the

one I had intended for the foundation

of my house, this being the first

break on those 100 acres. I soon had

my cabin up, and I soon finished my

chimney, then commenced grubbing for

my next summer corn field. When there

was snow on the ground I would chop

rail timber, and when there was no

snow I either split rails or grubbed,

so when the time came for planting

corn I had three and a quarter acres

cleared and well fenced; also in the

meantime had made 2,000 rails for my

neighbors. I will also say my wife

was often seen picking the small brush

on the clearing after working the

Day by Day (p. 79)

[corresponds to unnumbered page 75 of Day by Day]

little garden that I had prepared soon

after we had moved to that place. We

continued on this place until December

1, 1835. During our stay there I

cleared and fenced about twenty-five

acres of land, and made about 8,000

rails for my neighbors. I made oak

rails at twenty-five cents, and

chestnut rails at twenty cents per

hundred.


"In the fall of 1835, my health

failed, and during much of the time I

was prostrated. This was the cause of

our selling our land at that place and

moving to Freeport on the first day of

December, 1835. In April, 1836, I

bought some goods and went into

mercantile business on a small scale.

In the summer of 1837 I changed my

business, and moved out on the Crab

Orchard Creek. In October 1837, I, in

company with a brother, went to

Blackford County, Ind., and bought

eighty acres of land. In November I

rented what was called the Dewey Farm,

on Crab Orchard Creek. Here we

remained for seventeen months. In

1839, having bought the interest of

some of the heirs of the farm on

which I was reared, I erected a house,

where L. D. Latham now lives, and

moved to that place. On May 8, 1842

I received, from the Methodist

Episcopal Church, license to exhort,

and on February 8, 1845, to preach the

gospel. On June 23, 1850, I received

a deacon's orders by the hand of

Bishop Janes, an elder's orders on

March 20, 1864, by the hand of Bishop

Scott. In December, 1845, I rented

the mill property belonging to Nelson

Driggs, moved to that place, and

remained there until the day of April,

1847, when we moved to what was known

as the Barrett Mill, having bought an

interest in that property.


"Here we remained until the

first of April, 1851, when , having

sold my interest in the mill property,

we moved back to the mill and farm

property of Nelson Driggs. About the

time we had our corn planted, Driggs

sold his mill and farm to Andrew

Stewart, and came to me and requested

that I release the rent on the farm,

and he would pay damage. Stewart

wished to repair the mill, but wished

me to continue to farm and cut the hay

and tend the corn. In December, 1851,

Driggs put a nice lot of goods in the

house where Turner now keeps his meat

shop, and requested me to move into

that house on the 8th of December,

1851, and took charge of his goods.

In March , 1852, Driggs sold all his

store goods on both sides of the

street to Isaac Holloway and Benjamion

Parsons, and they placed all the goods

in the brick house where Peairs Bros.

now have their store, employing me to

sell their goods for one year. About

one month after I took possession of

the goods Sheriff Boyd of Cadiz came

and demanded the key of the store-

house in favor Driggs' Eastern

creditors. I had then the privilege

of being idle awhile. The owners of

the good replevined them, it soon

passed though the court, and the goods

passed back to Holloway & Parsons, and

I began in my former business. We

remained in the store until April

1853. For the past two years we had

been receiving rent from a farm of

eighty acres near Tippicanoe, which I

had bought in 1851. In 1851 I rented a

small farm from Samuel Green, and

moved there in April. On January1,

1854, I bought from John Vandota the

farm we now occupy, and moved upon it

March 1, 1854. On the 4th January,

that year, I was appointed by

Presiding Elder J. G. Samson, to take

charge as pastor, of the Methodist

Episcopal Church at Sewellsville and

Salem, and there I labored nearly six

months, and received into the church

over fifty members . Soon after I

finished my labors there we attached

ourselves to the Tippecanoe Class,

Deersville Circuit; I was called upon

to preach to the people. In 1855, in

a quarterly conference at the Valley

Church, a resolution was offered and

unanimously passed that my family and

I should be exempt from paying

quarterage. This exemption continued

for a while, and I thought, lest there

be some jealous feelings toward me by

my brethren, I would propose a change

in the matter. I addressed the

following letter to the quarterly

conference, I being sick and not able

to attend:

Tippecanoe, August 27, 1858

Dear Brethren of the Quarterly Conference of

Deersville Circuit, Pittsburgh Conference:

Whereas, at the quarterly conference,

held at Pleasant Valley, there was a resolution

unanimously adopted that myself and my family be

exempt from paying quarterage, and while I

highly appreciate and shall ever feel bound to

appreciate the act of my brethren in passing

this resolution unanimously as a a compliment to

me, I move that the above resolution be

rescinded, and the names of myself and my family

be place among the paying members of the

circuit.

Yours fraternally,

L. H. Davidson

"On September 16, 1857, I was

Day by Day (p. 80)

[corresponds to unnumbered page 76 of Day by Day]

appointed agent of the American Bible

Society for Guernsey County, Ohio

commencing the 16th day of September

and ending the 29 day of January,

1858. Number of families visited,

894: number of days engaged, 104:

whole amount of cash received,

$402.19: number of addresses

delivered, 28: value of Bibles and

Testaments given to destitute

families, $17.66. A few years ago we

attached ourselves to a class in

Freeport on account of the

convenience, as we are in our

declining years. I have been appointed

executor of administrator of the

estate of the following persons: My

Father, Susanna Buffington, Robert A

Latham, Mary L. Hill. Asa Miller, John

McCormick, Amanda Bargar, Reuben

Allen, James B. Jenkins, and Guardian

for Ham Hogue's heirs and William

McCormick. Up to date, January 18,

1891, I have solemnized marriage

contracts between ninety-eight

couples.


My work is now almost finished.

There are a few of my early

acquaintances with me living on the

stage of action; Elijah Carver, Samuel

Wilson, James Kerr, widow John

Phillipps, Zera Davidson and wife,

Robert Mears, Bazil Steel, John

Miller, William Perdue, Robert Wilkin,

Robert Tedrick, Mary A. Stewart, widow

of Andrew Stewart: all these our

youth met each other with warm hearts

and friendly hands, but soon these

hands and hearts will be cold in

death. But if we believe that Jesus

died and rose again, even so them also

which sleep in Jesus will God bring

with Him, and shall change our vile

bodies that they may be alike

fashioned unto His glorious body."


Taken from a book

on Harrison County, Ohio

held in

The Licking county

Genealogical society.

Day by Day (p. 81)

[corresponds to back cover of Day by Day}