Aunt Eleanor's Journal - February 6, 1982

I was writing the Newsletter for the Stoutenburgh-Teller Family Association so didn't get a chance to post Aunt Eleanor's next journal entry.

The very next morning.

I was lying in bed thinking that I would write some more in here, when the telephone rang and it was your Patti calling to say “good Morning” Such a doll you are. I was thinking of all the things I wanted to write but had forgotten. One of them was about Edward, that first fall when we lived in our rug covered screen door shack he went and sold salve to all the neighbors. The money he made from that he used to buy me a Bible that he gave me for Christmas We used to have our daily devotions every day. It was at this time that I started tithing. My in come was $30.20 a month and $3.10 went into the “Thank Offering” box. It wasn’t too long tho maybe 6 months until I got some help from Aid to Dependant Children and the tithe grew. “Give and it shall be given unto you.”

Now to go on from where I left off last nite. Dianne and Patti joined Max and me in our apt. and Patti really entertained us with music all afternoon and evening. Poor little girl she was so uncomfortable. I think that other tenants must have wished we would move out. Well! Even that was remedied and she became more comfortable. At that time I was layed off at Sears so I had lots of time to spend with Patti. In the spring 1955 Jerry Shoemaker was left with 2 youngsters and no one to care for them. I was asked to take over which I did and Dianne and Patti came with me and we kept house for Jerry for awhile taking care of Kent and Kay. In the spring of 1956 Dianne and Patti moved away. They lived with Joyce & Pat. Also on May 28, 1956 Pamela Kay joined our happy brood. She was welcomed into Edward and Junes family. A little black haired doll she was. Then on Aug. 24 that same year came Barbara Ann. A little blond Barby Doll. She joined Carol, Terry, and Steve to keep that family growing. 1957 was a quiet year I also moved back to the old apartment building and Max joined me. He had been staying with June and Jerry. Poor Max it seems he was always rented out somewhere. But he had a job with a bakery close by and I worked at the Gabriel Martin Bakery. Max bought a car and we took many a joyride in that yellow convertible. even went out to Mont. to visit Bertha and Uncle Fuzz. and brought Dianne & Patti back with us. They had been out there for quite a while and it was a real joy to get them back.

On June 7, 1958 Max and Bev were married. It was hard to have my baby leave for good and many tears flowed in the lonely hours. But Bev was and is a much loved addition to my family. And I’m very fortunate to have two loving daughters-in-law like June and Bev.

1959 was a very eventful year on January 16^th Dianne & Jerry were married, now I was truly alone, the apt. was so empty. Lonely, lonely hours. But I was working and I could have Carol, Terry and some times Patti over on weekends and that helped. On Sept. 8, 1959 Todd William arrived to bless Max and Bevs union. He was a very blond, cuddily little fellow with long eyelashes like his Daddy. Just 10 days later on Sept. 18, Joel Alan arrived to bring joy to Dianne and Jerry. He was always such a mama’s boy I could never quite make him comfortable with me. He was a pretty child but he liked his mommy best. Then on Dec. 12. 1959 along came Dene to keep all the Herb Shoemakers happy. By this time there were so many little ones I couldn’t spend enough time with each one to really get to know their every little mood.

1960 came and I kept on working at the bakery. Wanda {Berthas daughter} came and stayed with me for awhile between semesters at Bemidge State College. The Gabriel Martin Bakery Co., were building a new bakery on 79 and Pleasant Ave. and by Jan 1st 1961 they moved in. The bus service out there wasn’t too good so I gave up the apt. and moved in with Edward and June. That worked out very well.

That’s the year the Twins arrived to play ball at the Metropolitan Stadium. Many a game I attended at that Stadium with different ones. Helen Church and I saw many games and lots of my grandchildren went with me. Oh! What fun and excitement.

On March 3, 1961 Michael Alan joined Eddy and Pam to round out that family, and on April 29 we had the surprise of our life. Bev had to go to the Hosp. earlier than was expected and gave birth to not just one but two little premature boys Timothy Alan and Thomas Mark. They were in critical condition and were baptized right there in the Hosp. then moved to another Hosp. that had better facilities to care for them and there they had an intensive care for quite a while till they weighed 5 lbs. But those two boys grew to be two big boys. They looked so much a like that very few people could tell them apart. The rest of that year was rather uneventful.

In 1962 I had a gall bladder operation that put me out of circulation for a while 1963 Helen Church and I decided to get an apartment together and we found one at 63 and pleasant ave. There I could have visitors and I did. Carol, Terry, Patti, Barby and Dene all used to come and spend days and nites with me. Todd was going to one nite but when it got to be bed time his eyes got so big an glassy I asked him “what is the matter? And the eye just over flowed and he said “I want my Daddy.” I had to call Max and in just a few minutes he was there to get his little boy. Terry was another one who liked to come but at nite she would rather be at home, that left Patti and Carol they could stay for weeks at the time and they did. They would go with me to work and stay all day long. Carol even helped me with the work and did so well Erv. payed her. She sure felt smart then. Patti was a bit too small to work but she did a lot of playing and was quite a hit with all the workers.

Barby would stay if she could be there when Patti was but I could be there when Patti was but I could only have one at the time. We had great times together going to work, going to ball games, going shopping and Just going for walks.

On May 26, 1964 my last grandchild came to greet us, it was Tyler Owen a chubby, blond cutie was he who joined the Max Stoutenburg family

Now I have just about finished my memoirs. The rest you have been very much a part of.

I retired in Feb. of 66 took several trips here and there all of which you can well remember. Also the tornado that destroyed the house we had worked so hard to finish, my moving back to Swanburg after 20 years in Mpls. It was such a thrill. I lived in my mobile home up there another 10 yrs. and now I’m back in Mpls. Moving, moving, moving but if God is willing I hope there will be no more moves till I make the last one – Home –

There have been many joys, lots of happiness, also heart aches and sorrow. My one regret is that I always have had to face them alone. No one really to share it with. How your Grandfather would have loved all of you and enjoyed you had he lived to see you. But it was not to be.

At some later time I may add a line or two if not I leave you with this thot. God bless you, keep you always in His care That is for every one of my big family. Remember always that there is a corner for each one in my heart and I’ll be looking for each one of you in that eternal home. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. I love you, each and every one. When I get to the other side I’ll have Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother, Sisters Leola, Bernice, Grace, Emma, brother Glen, Daddy, Grandma & Grandpa Stoutenburg and many more even Jarad. What a joyuous gathering so please let not one of you regret my going to be with my Lord and Saviour Jesus.

To be continued....

Martha's Vineyard and the Deaf

I will never ever find a time that I will not be amazed at the interesting things I learn as I research my family history. After my post a few days ago about Luke and Elizabeth Stoutenburg moving from Dutchess County, New York to Ontario, Canada, I felt that I should do a bit more research on Elizabeth Case and her ancestors and relatives. The trail led me to Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. At dinner tonight, I announced to my husband, " You won't believe what I just learned!" He told me that he isn't always interested in details of my extended family, but when I say something like above, he knows that I will tell him something interesting. Most of my knowledge of Martha's Vineyard stemmed from Senator Edward Kennedy's accident in 1969 at Chappaquidick Island. Well, to put it bluntly, it was not much. Because I discovered that I had cousins who lived on Martha's Vineyard in Tisbury in the late 1600s, I wanted to know more about this island. A Google search yielded a map of Martha's Vineyard along with a smaller island on the east, Chappaquidick. The town of Tisbury on this map is the northernmost part of Martha's Vineyard. I naturally assumed that Martha's Vineyard was a grape producing island. Unfortunately, I have not found any evidence that the island was named for its grapes. At this moment, I have no idea why this island is called Martha's Vineyard. In my quest to learn about this island, I came across a very interesting fact. It has nothing to do with my relatives, but I was intrigued. I came across a book, "Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard" by Ellen Nora Grose. There were so many deaf people in the community that a sign language was developed in order for the deaf and non-deaf to communicate. In the 18th century, 1 in 155 people on Martha's Vineyard were deaf while 1 in 5,728 people in the general United States population were deaf. Since most people at that time were related in some way, the development of a sign language used to communicate with the deaf relatives was important. Today's American Sign Language was greatly influenced by the Martha's Vineyard sign language. I would never have known this but I was researching my family history!