I was married the first time on the 28th of February, 1934. That marriage lasted almost 41 years.

I had seven children. Three girls and in my head every time a baby was born and it turned out to be a girl I could see the disappointment in my husband’s face and it worked on me, although I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to make it any worse.

So I said, “Well honey, if the Lord wants us to have a boy we’ll have one,” you know? I said, “Don’t give up.” So, evidently he just kept his disappointment to himself. He always went to church when he was young and he didn’t go afterwards because there were so many chores and things to do and I was never on a farm so he had to do everything. Of course I learned all those things that needed to be done and I helped.

My kids were named Marie, Claris, Elaine, Lawrence, Floyd, Edna and Phyllis. And the one that was dead was Charles. They are all wonderful kids.

They…I don’t know whether I was such a good mother, but anyway, they learned how to spend money. The boys were less apt to spend their money right but they learned later through experience. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that? (Laughs) Well, it’s true! I thought he would take care of them since there was only two, and then I had five girls to teach.

I just took it for granted he would do it but as soon as they’d get paid for helping with hay with different people and they’d give them $50 or $60 and they’d, “Dad, we want to go to town!” and he’d take them to town cause he wanted to be with them. But, he was a good.

He was a farmer all his life. In the later years he would take three months and work wherever he could get work. He never got in on a union or anything and they needed extra help.

Powerful Dreams

Well, as I was growing up I was pretty…I heard about the Titanic. They were telling about what a horrible thing that was that all those people drowned. Then I heard them talking about the 1918 war and I would dream almost every night and I would see my dad standing on the sidelines. He didn’t seem to be in it but he was there and other people would be shooting at each other. That’s the way they talked a lot about war. That’s what made me dream I guess.


I had many other dreams, too. One night I was awakened and a light was in the window, you know, flames? I run down the stairs.

My baby sister slept with my mom and dad cause, you know, it was a big family. I run down and yelling and saying that everybody get up. There’s a fire someplace pretty close by! Mother says, “Go back to the bed you are dreaming.” I said, “No Mama, I am not dreaming. Look at the flames in the window!”

She looked and said, “Oh Carl, there is a fire!” So they got all of us up and found out it was a hay barn down by the railroad track was just about five houses down with shingles and things falling in our yard. She kept us up until the firemen got it out. But, that was such a dream.

I can think of another bad dream I had but that was just recent, 19 years ago. This is a dream. I got up. I heard a knock on the door. I thought, oh it must be someone that needs help.

I opened the door and a man had the screen door open and had his foot in the door. I wondered about that.

I said, “What can I do for you?”

He says, “Give me $20!”

So I looked at him and I said, “I’ll look.” So I went and looked. I had $20. I picked it up, took it out and I handed it to him.

He says, “Oh God bless you lady,” he says, “My little boy is near death and I want to be at his side and he’s in Cleveland Clinic and I don’t’ have any gas.”

I said, “Well here’s your money. Go ahead and get there.” So the next night he came the same time and he says, “Can you give me another $10?”

I said, “It’ll cut me short but I’ll let you have $10.” So I gave it to him and he blessed me again he left. I never heard from him, but when I woke up I thought, I just gave somebody $30! So I went and looked in my - I always check my money before night you know, each night? So I still had the money.

I thought, that was a dream! It had to be a dream! God must be telling me something to be sure and give to anyone that needs help, but it scared me enough that I locked the doors, even the porch door for better than a month and my own kids couldn’t get in, and they scolded me.

So I told them the story and they said, “Okay.” I said, “Whenever you come you’ll find the door locked so call before you come,” but they didn’t like it but that’s what they done cause they had known a bad dream affects people. So…got anymore questions?

It was so much the truth! All during the day I thought I was stupid, but no you are not stupid. It just seemed like someone kept arguing against that so I thought, well I think it’s okay to have that kind of a dream because it taught me a lesson.