Since I was the youngest of this wonderful family, I had a very different upbringing. I was 9 years old when Aunt Rae and Aunt Jean got married, and probably about l4 when Jesse, Morris Terry and Sarah got married (all in the same year). I was very close to my mother as a teenager, and helped her with the household chores. At the age of thirteen I was going to late session at the Lincoln annex , so I had time to do the laundry and hang it on the line before I had to get to school. I seemed to be very sensitive to how hard she was working since all the children were still at home (except for Rae and Jean).

There was so much cooking and cleaning , and washing the dishes was always my job since no one else would do it. During the war, Uncle Oscar was in service so I was the only one home. Of course, Aunt Terry moved back with us in Brighton because Sidney went into service. I really fell in love with cousin Larry - He was adorable .

Papa still had his pinochle games in the living room, and it was my job to make the Turkish coffee. I could never leave the house before making the coffee, but I surely tried.