Jeannette has arrived in Town

By Velma M. Rose Smith (early 50’s)

On June 21, 1937, a brown haired, brown-eyed baby arrived, in a house of confusion, but her first yell was heard across the street, by Olin Ingerick. In our house, there was 7 year old Eileen, Jay 10 yr., Wanda 12, Wayne 14, and 4 yr old Edward, and Basil, and of course, Dad and I. The baby adapted to the noise very well, and whenever the house got quiet I had to keep the radio on loud or she wouldn’t sleep. We debated on a name, some suggested June, but Wanda suggested Jeannette, after her big doll. I liked Mama Rose’s middle name, Letitia, so we settled on Jeannette Letitia. She loved her Mama and Papa Rose, and whenever she heard Papa’s voice, she would listen and wait for him to come in and pick her up. Jay hung her to the clothes line by her fingers at 3 months. She couldn’t stand to be confined to that baby bed and learned to creep at an early age, and scared everyone by climbing up and down the stairs, and she never fell. She was soon walking and at 15 months climbed a ladder to the roof and on and off the Ford tractor. She was soon riding the tricycle, and when Eddie Ingerick pushed her off in to a puddle of water, she jumped on him, twice her size and sent him home bawling. One day she got hold of the electric fence, and Wayne saw her from the field and had to run in and get her loose.

Her brown hair curled, but when she started school, either Eileen or I braided it, in two long braids. She liked people and dogs. I found her in the store, with he arms around a huge dog’s neck, the owner said, “he doesn’t usually like kids”. I always said she would shake hands with the President, or with a tramp on the street, they were all people to her. She had lots of friends.

She never cared too much for dolls, but would play house with Bernadene. She would rather climb a tree or run a race. She liked to play jokes, even on the Minister Marion Finch or Assistant Donald Nolder. She never cared to read too much, but enjoyed my reading to her.

We got her an accordion, and she took lessons and enjoyed playing, and she learned to play the piano. She played because she enjoyed it, and her playing made others feel happy.

She was an ambitious girl, she could do almost everything in the house or the barn, and was always busy. She was bouncy, cheerful, full of vim and the house was alive, and we missed her when she left. It was as if the house had lost something. It was too quiet.