By Velma Rose Smith

After seven years passed and no baby to Arnold and Velma Smith’s home, God decided to send them one. Baby arrived June 21st, 1937, a baby girl, she was admired by all the family. Brother Jay became 10 years old on the 26th, he was ready to take care of her anytime. I was sick that summer so he was busy. One day he called me out to see her. They were out under the clothes line, he put her hands on the line and let go of her, she held herself there. She had a great grip at 3 months. She broke 3 rattles by hitting them on the edge of the little white baby bed. She couldn’t sleep in a quiet room, so I put her bed in front of the radio and turned it on for her nap, or if I wanted to go outside.

She knew the sound of Papa’s voice and she would fuss until he picked her up. I took her with me to Sunday School and Church. She was always going, she enjoyed the activity. I took her to Women’s Society, when she learned to creep, she also learned how to go upstairs and back down. It made all the women nervous because I let her go.

We took her with us to New York State when she was 13 months old, sat her under the cherry trees and she ate cherries. The next day when I pitted cherries she sat by me and ate cherries, she spit the pits out by herself and they never made her sick.

She burned the palms of her hand badly when she was creeping. She crept out to the kitchen and climbed up the front of the old cook stove, the oven was on. I had seen Dr. Neal go over to his mothers just before, so I picked her up and ran over there. He doctored it up for me and it healed nicely.

When she was 15 months old, I missed her and went outside, Arnold was building the kitchen chimney and she was more than halfway to the roof, on the ladder. I scared Grandma Carrie for I ran and got the camera and took her picture before I went for her. One day she wandered out and got hold of the electric fence, Wayne was working out in the field, but he looked down this way, and saw her. He ran down and unlocked her fingers from the fence, shut off the fence and brought her in.

One thing I forgot, very important too. When she was 3 days old, Dr. Neal said she had to have a name. Everyone had a suggestion, Grandma Carrie wanted June, but finally Wanda won. She (Wanda) had a big doll when she was small, named Jeannette, a French name. We all liked that and Letitia for a middle name, that was Grandpa Jones Mother’s name. Also Mama Rose’s middle name.

For playmates she had the nearest neighbors, Lyle, Ed and Barbara Ingerick. Sometimes they were rough. Barbara pushed her off the well platform, she had a bad bump on the head. Ed kept putting his foot in front of her tricycle, out under the clothes line, finally tipping her off into a water hole. She got up and lit onto him like a bantam rooster, a boy much bigger than her went home crying.

Donny Jessup hit her in the face with a big coal cinder, it dug her face up pretty bad (she still has the scars on her forehead).

Pat and Sharon Reese came up from Elmira. They played good together, but one day they pushed the swing too hard and Jeannette fell out on the concrete floor. That hurt her badly. (The swing was in the barn).

She wasn’t the baby of the family very long until a baby sister arrived, Bernadene. She played with her a lot, wheeling her around in a doll carriage. One day they were playing church, they had two stools for a platform and a hymn book, singing lustily, “What in the heck do we care now”.

One day they were keeping house in the bay window, with their dolls. Bernadene says to Jeannette, who is rocking her baby, “I see you have a baby” Jeannette says “everybody is having a baby now days”.

Bernice gave the girls 12 little Story Books and I had a big one I read to them. So every night they had their bedtime story and slept with books under their pillows. Jeannette had vivid nightmares, Jeannette and Bernadene had the bedroom off the big room, and would call for Eileen. One night she thought there were pigs in the closet or above their heads where the plaster had come off. Eileen went shoo, shoo, shoo and said she had chased them away. But Jeannette wouldn’t believe Eileen and insisted that she get Jay awake to chase the pigs away. Finally Eileen got Jay up, and he came in and chased the pigs away. I don’t think he even knew he was out of bed.

She babysat for me when she was 9 years old and for the neighbors when she was 10. She was good with kids

Wanda would take the girls, Jeannette and Bernadene, up to Hammonds and Ruth made them dresses from remnants Wanda got from a store at Mansfield. One time she made them skirts from the Hammond boys trousers with pretty blouses from their shirts. So they had cute clothes.

Eileen braided their long hair, so tight that the girls said their eyes bugged out.

Jeannette rode on the float behind the tractor. One day the float caught on a stone, tipped over, threw Jeannette off and the float went over her. It took the back right out of her shorts. We were very thankful she wasn’t hurt worse.

She was very active. She would win the races when they played games at Homecoming time. She attended Church, Sunday School, and M.Y.F. She went to Silver Lake Church Camp. She, Bernadene and Fred Smith put on a skit for Rev. Finch at the Churches that was really good.

One night when she and I were milking, a young fellow from down on Rt 6, came after their milk. He hung around and pestered her all the time and being in the way. Finally she grabbed him and threw him flat down on the concrete floor behind the cows. He had good clothes on, he jumped up and walked out. We lost a milk customer, but it was worth it.

She drove the car and took a load of kids to M.Y.F. or to movies in Wellsboro. One day she drove to Jay’s and parked in his driveway. He came home and jawed her about leaving her car there. When she was ready to leave, she asked him to move his car so she could get out. He said no he wouldn’t. She asked, how can I get out. He said, the best way you can. So she did, right across his newly rolled lawn. She came home, expecting him to follow her. He never mentioned it.

She learned to bake young. I would tell her to use the cook book and I would go upstairs to clean. So she learned to bake and we had lots of cookies.