This is a letter found within the walls of the farm house when Martha Jean and Joanne did a remodel, I think of the porch/sunroom. Enjoy reading it and remembering...
J.F. Gawthrop
HILACRES FARM
Stockman and Lumberman
Hookersville, West Virginia
February 8, 1939
Dear Grandmother—
You’ll probably not get this letter till its stale news for as far as I know no one knows your address, nevertheless I’ve so much to tell you that I must be writing for fear I might forget some of the things that I know both you and Grandfather will want to know about. Let me see, I believe Grandfather died in 1920 and you went to join him in 1930. I’m not sure that’s correct, but judging from Junior’s age I’m right about Grandfather.
I’m sure you’ll be more than surprised at the big news I’m about to tell you. Today Frank and I with part of our family moved into your house and we are about to become farmers. Both Frank and I think it quite a coincidence that we met for the first time here and now nearly 30 years later we’re moving right into the same house where we had our first date; and the thought of those dates amuses me so much, I don’t know how I would have ever made it if your post cards and pictures hadn’t come to my rescue. I so well remember the basket of post cards and pictures you kept on the table in your living room and how Frank spent his first date reading all your cards while I looked for the one hundredth time at the stereopticon views, then when he finished with your cards he asked me to pull my chair over close enough to tell him who the pictures were of. Do you remember how unladylike I was when I went out onto the dark porch as he was leaving? My, I’ll never forget how remorseful I was after the lecture you gave me, and how scared I was that Frank would think that I wasn’t nice. Well, he came back again anyway and after six years of looking at stereopticon views and picture post cards he finally did marry me. And now after 23 years of living from place to place always in towns and rented houses, we’re actually settling down in your very own house, the house you and Grandfather planned and built seventy years ago. Grandmother, your house doesn’t look like it did when you lived in it, and you should see the outbuildings. The old grainery looks like a swayback horse, the old shingles even resemble the hair on the old horse toward the spring before it sheds as they are all split and curled up to look fuzzy and the roof on the old barn sheds are pulled away from the main barn, therefore leaving most of the barn unusable. The hay mow is so rotted from leaking roof that the children can’t play on the hay in safety; and here we are, knowing absolutely nothing about farming to put all these buildings and fences back into repair as you once had it. Well, getting back to the house, I’m glad you can’t see it this evening. The man we bought from still has his furniture here and ours is stuck in every which way.
When I came over with the lst load of furniture late this evening I found practically all of the furniture here in the back yard, as the movers and the man living here didn’t know where to put it. Well, the children that had some with an earlier load of furniture met me down at the foot log and told me that the horses had run away with one load of furniture and spilled it in the creek. The water is high today and the trunks couldn’t cross the creek so they had to unload on the other side and reload and bring it across on the farm wagon. Anyway, the horses got scared and ran into the creek too fast and dumped a dresser, my spinet desk and a mattress off into the creek. The dresser is completely demolished and the desk has three legs smashed and out on the fence is the wettest mattress you ever saw.
Well, its bedtime and I wish you could see our sleeping arrangements. The old man’s davenport opens as a bed and Jon and I are going to sleep on it. Jon is the only one of our youngsters you haven’t seen, he is a little past 5. Joanne and Margie are sleeping on an inner spring mattress on the floor and Junior is stretched out on our davenport in the same room with a comforter over him.
Thursday, February 9th, 10 p.m.
This morning we got up around seven, every one anxious to get into fixing up. One good thing, we all love to move, we love the fixing up of our new home.
I forgot to tell you one thing I know you’ll be glad to know, since you left here gas from the well over across the hill has been piped into the house and now I won’t have to carry in coal and wood and ashes out as you did, all I have to do is turn the gas on high and light a match to it, and we use the gas for light too, and you’d be surprised what a nice bright light it makes. That sets me to wondering what became of your fancy oil lamp that used to set on the table in the front room.
We have a very pretty table top gas range and I’m anxious to get the old man’s old fashion stove disconnected and our pretty one set up, but that will have to wait till Saturday as Frank had to go right on back to Charleston to his work. In fact, so many things are going to have to be done on weekends when Frank is here to help us. You should see the windows in this house; they’re practically all badly crippled. You remember the window that has twelve panes, well the old man’s dead wife must have had a mania for making cushions for in several of the gaping holes he has a cushion crowded in, and when he ran out of cushions he fitted pasteboard in. One place where only half the pane is gone is a man’s hat. Grandmother, the same oil cloth you tacked on the kitchen is still there, it is so brown with age that you would scarcely know it. I remember as a little girl your lovely new oil cloth in your kitchen. The living room is much the same as w hen you were here, the same gray paint you put on it so man y years ago. We have great plans for your living room. You know the exposed joist that I used to dislike so much, altho’ of course I never told you I disliked it, but really I used to be so embarrassed when you’d have company because that room wasn’t ceiled as the others were. I used to wonder so much why you didn’t finish your house. Anyway, as I started to say, now I love that joist and we are planning to make an asset of it with paint. Oh I can’t keep a secret, I did think I wouldn’t tell you it was finished but I’m like Daddy, if I have something good I have to share it or I lose the joy of the whole thing so here’s our idea, Franks idea it is, Frank possesses the taste of this family—anyway, we’re going to paint the room ivory, the ceiling between the joist ivory and the joist, the wood work and floors mahogany. Don’t you think that will be pretty? Yes, and we’re planning to bring the stair way in the house too, we’re not sure yet just where we will put it, the old man here says it will damage the house if we cut very much of the joist.
February 11th
Today we bought a cow and some chickens from the old man, so we can have milk and eggs—well that gives us a start in farm animals. He is having a sale in a few days and then we will probably buy some of his farming equipment. Frank came home this evening early and had to walk up the railroad from Hookersville to get here at all as the creek is very high. Frank thought we’d all be terribly homesick. He said my expression was anything else but morbid. When he suggested that he was afraid we’d be homesick I was amazed that he should think we’d even have time to be homesick, when there was so much to be done. Anyway, he told us he had a crate of window glass in the car and as soon as the water fell he would go back for his car.
Monday, February 13th
Frank had to leave for his work early this morning and Jr. and Margie started to school at Summersville and Jo and Jon started to the Little Creek School.
The water was low enough for Frank to get his car home early Saturday morning and all day Saturday and Sunday we replaced window panes in the downstairs windows. The cr ate had 60 panes of glass and we have already used 29 of them, and already the old dark rooms are so much lighter. One room in the kitchen was boarded p entirely and it especially helped to get it back into use. Oh we’re going to town fixing up—everybody is so interested. I just wish Mary Louise and Martha Jean could be here to enjoy it with us, I forgot to tell you they’re both in college at Huntington and won’t be here to stay till June. We’re having them come in two weeks tho’ for a weekend.
Frank brought a dozen gas mantles with him too and now we have every room flooded with light. You and Grandfather will think that we come to no good end putting in window panes on Sunday but since Frank has so little time to help us, we will probably utilize all our Sundays with odd jobs—and reform later. We aren’t replacing any of the glass that isn’t broken altho’ it isn’t clear, but that can be done later.
I wonder how the children will like their new schools? Jr. will finish high school this spring and I hated to move and upset his graduation but knew if I didn’t move while I was in the notion I wouldn’t ever.
Tuesday, February 14th
Supper is over and evening work all done, I’ll write some more. The children think of course that I’m writing to my own mother. Had they any idea it’s to you and Grandfather they would say for sure Mother is out of her mind, they assured me of it when I told them we were moving to the farm, even Frank looked at me as thou’ he were looking at a stranger when I suggested it, but I just feel so sure it’s for the best. With this 400 acres of good fertile soil we can’t starve. Jon and Jo got home a few minutes after four so excited with the country school they couldn’t talk fast enough. Joanne’s quite taken with Jo Spinks, a little girl close her age, and all Jon talks about is the Teacher. Jon doesn’t talk plain and it seems he was quite giggly today, perhaps a little nervous, Jon said the teacher said he must have “fodded a feader,” meaning “swallowed a feather.” Jr. and Margie walked from the State Road as the buses don’t go off the main highway. they had both had met several kids and like school a lot. Jr. mentioned his English Teacher, Mrs. Goldway and Mr. Frantz the principal. They met the young girl living at the Joe Hill place and liked her. She walks to the road with them.
We bought a pig from the old man while Frank was home and a man is coming tomorrow to butcher it. The old man says it should dress around 100 lbs.
Wednesday
The man came and butched in no time at all. I always thought butchering was an all day job. I stood out in the cold watching every step. He acted a little embarrassed as he started to cut it but I stood my ground. I wonder now if anyone around here will ever learn how. It looks quite complicated. The man cut the meat into nine neat pieces and washed it so nice, even cleaned the head all up for us to eat but I’d never eat a hog’s head so he seemed very pleased when I told him he could take it. He said they ate even the ears and feet, all but the squeal.
Sunday
Excitement a plenty—this morning I went out in the well for a bucket of water and first thing I noticed that a lot of the meat was gone. I ran back in and told the old man that his dog had taken some of the meat. The old man did a little detective work, looking outside for signs. He soon knew that the dog hadn’t been guilty as there was no sign of salt spilled off the large pieces. He knew immediately that it was taken by a person; FranK guessed right off who the guilty gal was, but really by rights half that pig belonged to her as she had been the one to fatten it; The old man’s former housekeeper. She had known we were killing the hog when the old man went for her sausage mill. Anyway, she divided it equally, she took half and left half—funny thing tho’, I had trimmed the shoulders to look like hams and she took both shoulders by mistake. No one but her would have dared come here at night as his dog wouldn’t have let anyone strange come in.
Monday night
Jr., Margie and Jo went to church last nite. There is a new church up here just beyond where Little Creek crosses the road. They came home amazed at how many young people took part in the service, young boys and even little children offering prayers. Isn’t that nice? I think the church is practically made up of the Spinks families. I haven’t me t them yet.
March 8th—
Frank came home this weekend with a large box of baby chickens, 100 in all, half white rocks and half Rhode Island reds. No, there’s no hen with them. Frank says one hen around here is enough, meaning me. Well, they were all peeping at once. You never heard so much noise. The old man here said they were cold so we spread newspapers around the stove in the living room and put them out in front of the fire and in a very few minutes they were all chirping so contentedly. We all lay down on the floor around them and watched them till bedtime. You never heard so much baby talk.
March 10th
Well Grandmother, you’ll probably rise right out of your grave when I tell you this, we have the little chickens living in your parlor, but we can’t well help it. There’s a brooder house here, built since you left, but it was right here in the door and Frank moved it on rollers back of the old coal house and now the gas line isn’t long enough to reach it so until Frank comes home next weekend with more gas pipe I have to keep them inside. Anyway Grandmother, your parlor looks lots more like a chicken house now t hen it does a parlor. The old man had some tenants in here once and he let them use the parlor for a kitchen and now your pretty pink walls are smoked as black as Grandfather’s boots.
I spread several layers of newspapers down in front of the little gas stove and made a pen with the screen doors so they couldn’t get away from the fire. They must be kept very warm.
March 15th
I was terribly embarrassed today when the school teacher stopped with Jon to see the little chickens. She said he had invited her over to meet me and the chickens. When I tried to explain why we had them in the house she assured me that her mother always kept hers inside. Well we have been here more than a month now and this evening a young man came to do some carpenter work. He arrived with his tools around 3 and already he and I have torn away the little bedroom wall facing the porch. We are going to take out the little downstairs bedroom and make us a dining room by using part of the kitchen. I am very tired tonight; prying those boards away from the studding was quite a job. Gilbert (that’s the boy’s name) says you folks really meant for it to stay there when you used so many big nails.
Next morning
I had the craziest dream last night; I was so tired when I went to bed my shoulders were hurting like everything and I dreamed that Frank was trying to pull that awful pain between my shoulders out with a claw hammer. Well every time he’would try to get his claw hammer in behind the pain I’d flinch, so he insisted I’d have to hold still or he’d never get hold of it. Well I made a special effort to bear it and at last he did get the claw hammer over the head of the pain and pulled it out. When he reached the pain around for me to see, it was one of those big square spike nails that I had seen so many of yesterday as we pried the boards off. The carpenter is taking every precaution so as not to split any of the boards as he takes them off as we are going to use them for our partition between the dining room and kitchen. I keep wishing you and Grandfather could see how big this kitchen looks with the bedroom added to it. Well I just measured it and the one room is 30 feet long so no wonder it looks big. I’m so happy that we’re getting started to remodel. We had to go to bed early last night as it was chilly in the downstairs with one whole wall out, although it is wonderful weather for March; in fact it’s been a very open winter. I believe I would have died if the children would have had to walk the mile and a half each day in cold and snow. It seems that everything is favoring us in our new venture, even the weather.
The carpenter is moving the wall over to where it is to be today so the house won’t be open in case it does turn colder. Well, now the porch won’t be so long but all that space on the porch between the living room and kitchen will be in the dining room.
March 20th
My but we’re getting along fine with our remodeling. The wall is already in between the dining room and kitchen. Each room is 15 ft. long, and tomorrow we’re going to take out the kitchen chimney and put windows in that end of the kitchen.
March 21
The little chickens are coming just fine only two have died, and they never cry anymore. Frank got the brooder house plumbed and we moved them outside today.
March 24
Dear Grandmother I feel terrible at seeing the old chimney out of the kitchen where I know you’ve cooked so many corn pones and good meals. I can almost see you and Grandfather setting in front of that fire in winter when the wind is threatening to blow your house away and that reminds me, Anderson McClung says that taking that chimney out will really cause the house to blow away; the old man laughed at such an idea.
By the way, I am mad at the old man he came in yesterday drunk as a fool. I’m not going to call him the old man in these letters any longer. His initials are S.B. and I think they suit him so well; I’m going to call him that after this. If he wants to stay here, he will have to go somewhere else to get drunk and stay away until it’s all over.
Well, coming back to the chimney, we really had a bad dirty job getting it out. As long as it was above the roof the men dropped the rock down to the men on the ground moving each stone away so the next one wouldn’t fall against it and break them. We’re going to use the stone for an outside chimney. The stones past the roof had to come down thru the chimney into the kitchen then carried out. The stone was so heavy and I’m sure these men will never forget what a hard day it was but they did finish it and now that gaping hole is there in the floor to be fixed. Today the man closed the hole in the floor and cut the windows in that end of the kitchen. He is very fast and you’d e surprised how different the kitchen looks. We took out the cupboards in that end and the little closet you used to keep your honey and jelly dishes in. I remember the smell of that closet yet when you’d have fresh light bread.
April 1st
Today Jonny ran in quite excited yelling “Mother we have a ‘ittle am’. Well, we haven’t any sheep so I knew if there was a lamb out at the barn it would belong to some one else, but a little later I found that we had a new calf. Jon had seen baby lambs at the Spinks who live on the Brock place so he had called the calf a lamb. My, isn’t it exciting to have anew calf. It’s a lovely black heifer calf with white feet and a white face. We call her “April.”
