Voices Of The Past  

Posted by Stan Harrington

In this age of high technology, we spend a great deal of time looking to the future and how rapidly we can move forward in all aspects of our life. However, there will come a time in your lifetime that the past becomes as important as the future. It is only at this age that we become acutely aware that perhaps our past is as important as our presence or even the future. It is the past that has molded us into the people that we are today. The old saying "the acorn does not fall from the tree" applies in most cases.
At this particular time in your life, the quest for knowledge of your past becomes as important as your goals for the future. In this age of technology, the frame work of the family unit has spread across not only the nation but the world.
I was born at the time that the great migration commenced, prior to my birth the family units would remain in one area for the majority of their lives. I was fortunate to know my grandparents on my mothers side of the family, but never had the opportunity to know my grandparents on my fathers side. In recent years, it has become important to me to recover some of the information pertaining to my family and through time I have compiled a great deal of data. In time I will hopefully publish this information for the use of my children and their children.
Recently, while in Colorado and assisting my nephew and niece in cleaning up around my brothers home, they come across a little blue diary. This diary was unknown to me, I assume my brother came across it after my mother passed away and had retained it. They felt that I should have the diary since it was maintained by my father prior to his marriage to my mother. Unfortunately, he only maintained his writings during the years of 1933 and 1934. The majority of the daily entries pertain to the weather, since they were all farmers and accurate records were important for future crop planting. There were several entries where I learned things about my father that I did not know.
I had known that he followed the rodeo circuit at times during the summer to make extra money. This was documented in his writings, when riding in the rodeos he was paid $1.50 to ride broncs and $2.00 for each bull that he rode. One particular rodeo hired him to ride a buffalo, this was the big money pot at $3.00 per ride. What I did not know, was that he was also a boxer. As in the rodeos, they would pay him to box for public enjoyment. In these matches, he received a flat rate of $1.00 per fight. Life was much simpler back then but it was also a time that you had to do what was needed to survive. As an example his entry for January 8, 1933 reads "Fair and warm - Topsy bucked so hard that she cracked the last joint of my back. Got and rode Louis Stunkles roan colt". The following day, January 9, 1933, his journal read "Fair and warm - couldn't hardly walk. Dan took me to Doc Williams and he put the bone in place $1.50 - bought new bit and had bridle fixed". There are so many entries like this that make you fully appreciate how these times affected their lives and yet the future that they help develop for us. The last two entries that I will share with you, are dated the day prior to and the day that my father and mother got married. February 15, 1934: "Over to Riley's. Lena & I went to Hordville. Then I went to Benedict to have the car fixed. Stayed at Riley's all night." On their wedding day, February 16, 1934 he entered: "Fred (my mothers father), Lena, & me went to Council Bluffs. There I got my dog license to be married. Was married on Long View Hill, Pottawaltanie Co., Iowa by Lippett".
My point is to encourage everyone to take the time to sit down and visit with senior citizens, especially within your family, they have a wealth of experiences to share and only through you will those experiences be passed down to future generations.

This entry was posted on March 16, 2006 at Thursday, March 16, 2006 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

3 comments

I am touched by this post...in my brief nursing career I grew quite fond of many elderly people...hearing their stories made me realize that "what ever the problems there is always tomorrow to try and fix them"..."do not let them eat away days"..."negative feelings in youth (the lady was 102)lead to bitchy old people. You train your brain." I do believe the knowledge of the past is important for our future but I believe we are looking at the wrong aspects of the past...It is quite important for children to learn about our founding father...where our Great Nation came from...but it is more important for them to learn the whys...we teach them the who's and where's throughout their school career...but we do not teach them the emotions, feelings, and spiritual (not necessarily meaning GOD) aspects of these past events. The civil war for instance...Britt is studying it once again...she has learned all the battles all the generals names, mind you these dudes have been dead a very long time now...as well as dates and other important facts...she was not taught that families were broke up due to the conflicts over slavery...she was not taught that black families were not usually allowed to stay in a family unit in slavery...she was not taught that many slave owners slept with their female slaves...resulting in half white offspring that were then put into slavery...Our roots mean alot for our spiritual growth. Accepting that man has made many many bad choices in life...accepting that the actions of the past changed many peoples spiritual growth in many different ways...I have spoken with many elderly...my favorite was a lady at the Masonic Home in Des Moines WA. She was approaching 101, it was nearing the Millenium and she knew her time was left was short...she spoke to me one day about spending New Years with her...she had out lived all of her chhildren and grandchildren...she had great grand kids but they all lived elsewhere...Her story began in the late 1800's on a farm in England. She was born in a field...her mom gave birth then went right back to the harvest that was the way it was done then...her family came to America on the famouse Titanic (I found this hard to believe at first but I saw pictures.) They should have been in the lower decks but her father had decided to sell everything and start their new life on a rich note...the tickets cost him most of the monies they had...when the boat sank...she lost her father and brother along with an uncle and young nephew. She teared up when we talked about this...I learned that time does not heal pain...it hides it. So anyways her life went on...till we met...I left my family on New Years that year...to sit in an old mansion with a women I considerd an angel...we sat in the window and watched the sun set over Puget Sound...we sat there all night talking about her life...I filled two note books with notes...at 4:30 she asked me to put her to bed...she kissed my cheek and told me she would see me in heaven...laying her head on her pillow she driffted off to sleep...now I thought about leaving her and returning home...but I sat going through the photos listening to her breath...around six her eyes opened she smiled and said "I am going home now, thank you for staying with me." she closed her eyes and breathed maybe three times, when a warmth entered the room...as the sun rose she fled the restraints of her old worn out body and returned to the energies around us...I sat and cried for a women I had just grown to love dearly...for the children she is reunited with...but mostly for myself when I realized that the only way out of life is death...but death should not be feared...I have watched many go into it and it seems to me that it can be a beautiful experience. I cried for the life she closed for her family and the one my family still had to write...would we stand tall and proud as she did...will we let the bitterness of lifes hardships rot our souls or will we embrace life and take the good with the bad learning from both and building a more positive future for our children.
Well this turned into a book...surfice to say...past, present, future...there all one and the same...the circle never quits...ask the "Girl Scouts" they sing a song about a circle and friendship.....love you pops.your the best.

3/17/06, 6:27 AM

I would like to hear more about granddad's diary...what a life you and your parents lived.

3/17/06, 9:26 AM

Things were so much simpler but not easier. While we have complicated our lives we have made them easier. No sick days and vacations...

3/19/06, 12:38 AM

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