We sold our place in Arlington and moved closer into town. Red is now working for the Fruit Growers Express, a subsidiary of the railroad. We rented a duplex apartment from Mrs. Lackey on St. Augustine Road. Papa’s sister, Aunt Mamie, lived there as Mrs. Lackey’s housekeeper. Aunt Mamie was a good cook and I learned many tricks of the trade from her. Assisted by dear Dr. Watts, Billie was born in that house on 8/6/1928. Thirteen months later, little premature Rose Mary was born. Shortly after that, we bought a lovely home in Bowden. Our plans were to raise and sell chickens. It rained and rained. We didn’t realize we had bought real low land and the chickens stayed on the roost most of the time, so we gave up on that project. Betty started school while we lived there, and I’ll never forget Gertie and I standing at the front gate watching Betty get on the school bus – Gertie and I crying like babies. Guess I couldn’t enjoy seeing the first one leaving the nest. Betty acting like a grown up little girl. Peggy was born in our Bowden home. My dear Dr. Watts had passed away and Dr. Tyler became our family doctor then. We moved from there and bought our home on Sheridan Street where our first son, E. Warren James, was born. I was so happy to at last give dad a son after so many girls – even the cat and dog were female, I think. Dr. Tyler was as proud as we were.
I’m sorry I’ve left out a time that I’ll just have to go back to. Before Bowden, when Red first went to work at the Fruit Growers, we moved to a lovely home in Jacksonville (Nealmar) to be near his job. This was known as Nealmar near a creek – as I remember called six mile creek. We were near enough that the neighbor’s kids with me and my three little ones would go swimming just about every day in this creek. I can’t remember the name of the creek. It was beautiful water to swim in. Uncle Van spent time with us while we lived there and enjoyed the swims too. We enjoyed living there but never quite felt at home on the big city side of the St. John’s river, and soon moved back to Southside in Bowden. It was a beautiful place with several acres of land – we felt so fortunate – we were going to raise fryers for market. It rained the whole time we lived there – we found out then it was very low land. Our yard stayed under a foot of water. The chickens stayed on their roost – we sold them, ate them – out of the chicken business, period! The one bright time of our stay in Bowden was the birth of our fourth and beautiful baby girl, Peggy. It wasn’t too long thereafter that we sold out and moved to little Riverside where we ended up buying our home at 1544 Sheridan Street. This is where I spent some of the happiest days of my life.
Going back to Bowden, this is where my firstborn, Betty, was old enough to begin school. She caught the bus right in front of our house. Gertie and I saw that she got on the bus okay, and then we bawled like babies. Guess it was just the thought of the little ones growing up and leaving the nest – leaving the security of home.
My first son was born at 1544 Sheridan Street, in this house. Needless to say, neighbors, friends and relatives all celebrated with us, after our four beautiful daughters, to be blessed with a son. Back during those times, you had a family doctor and babies were born at home. Dr. Tyler, who also delivered Peggy, was as pleased as we were over our baby boy. By the way, I don’t know if I mentioned it, but Dr. Watts delivered my first three girls, Betty, Billie and Rosie. As I said before, this being the happiest time of my life, it was also a very busy time. What with three in school, two babies and all the necessary things that go with that, as well as church and school activities. Gertie spent a lot of time with us because George was at sea so much. Gertie and I kept busy sewing. The neighbors said mine were the best dressed girls in the neighborhood.
You know, thinking this over, I’ve come to the conclusion that this can be continued by Betty, Billie, Rose Mary, Peggy, Warren, Richard, Phillip, and Suzanne. Don’t you agree that this is an excellent suggestion?
Carry on, kids. I’m tired, tired, tired.
What AWESOME pictures. I have never seen them. In the picture of Betty, Billie and Rosie is it Aunt Gertie and Peggy on the swing?