Thanksgiving back in the day…

At the close of yet another Thanksgiving day, I am drawn back to my childhood memories.

We came from a large ‘clan’, but always seemed to celebrate Thanksgiving with our own little family units. The exception was Anna who was always free to choose where she went for the day. My memory is that she always went to Julia and Harry’s, but I could be wrong. I think she had Thanksgiving with us one year, but I am not sure.

One of the strangest memories was watching my mother ‘singe’ the pin feathers off of the turkey. No nicely prepared, ready to cook Butterball Turkeys in the 50’s!! The birds back then were always scrawny! (Remember Donna Reed pulling her Turkey out of the oven in "It’s a wonderful life"). Back in those days most of our meal was the veggies, not as much meat as we eat now.

The kitchen table at our house on Eagle Point was always set with a tablecloth for the meal. When we lived on Fifth Street, we had a dining room, but I don’t remember ever eating in there….but then I was only 4 ½ when we moved from there!

My mom always stuffed the turkey--and none of us died from it! We would have mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing (Southerners call it dressing and make it with cornbread ). I think our vegetable was always parsnips or turnips, and for the life of me, I can’t remember which it was…maybe it was both. Parker House rolls too! I think we always had sweet potatoes (not the canned with marshmallows, but real ones that she would scoop out and put butter and brown sugar on them and of course, pumpkin pie. My mother also made a pudding with ‘hard sauce’. It was delicious, but I can’t remember what it was called.

A staple that I loved was we always had black olives and green olives on the table. A tradition that I continued with my family and they now have for theirs.

When I was little, I used to like to pull the meat off the turkey neck and eat it. I think I was a weird, picky eater. As my scales can attest to, I got over that pickiness!

The best Thanksgiving for a kid was the horrendous snowstorm of 1956!!

Cousin Rich shares the following Barron memories:

I don't remember Anna ever coming for Thanksgiving, but sometimes my grandmother would be with us. I remember that one year my Dad said that he thought that turkey was always dry, and suggested that we have duck instead. It seems that it was all dark meat and we kids didn't really like it. It also seems that for the next few years we'd vote on it, and so sometimes we would have duck. I haven't had duck since.

We always had Thanksgiving dinner in the dining room around 5 o'clock. I remember Thanksgiving 1956, as that was the year of the big snowstorm. It was dark and snowy outside, and we were warm and cozy inside.

This is one thing I remember about Thanksgiving afternoon in 1954. The kitchen radio was on while mom was setting the dining room table. The song playing was 'Hey There' by Rosemary Clooney. About half way through the song, Rosemary says in a talking voice, "Are you talking to me?". Four year old David, playing on the floor, spoke right up and answered her. Wish I could remember what he said, but whatever it was, mom got a big kick out of it.

Happy thanksgiving to all….may our fond memories continue!

Posted by Dede and Rich

David Crotty

Our David Crotty was born in April, 1848. He married Lucy Horrigan in Saint Patrick Church on January 4, 1872. They had two children - Pierre and Richard. David died at the age of 28 years and 8 months on December 10, 1876.

From the 1871 City Directory:
Crotty David Jr., Saloon, 410State. Boards at Wm. Power

From the List of Deaths in the 1877 City Directory:
David Crotty, Heart disease, Dec 10, 1876

Also in the 1871 City Directory is an entry for another David Crotty:
Crotty David, Blacksmith helper, Erie Car Works. Boards at Wm. Power

So here's the mystery. Is this David the father or is he a cousin? This possible cousin was also born in April 1848, but he lived until 1923. He married an Ellen Osborn in 1881. The other mystery is who was William Power, and is Grandma Powers connected with him?

The following newspaper clipping is from the weekly newspaper. December 10th was a Sunday.

Confirmation

Pat and I were confirmed when we were in the 8th grade. The nuns had us terrified that we would not be able to answer a question that the bishop may ask us. But as it turned out very few, if any, questions were asked. At Confirmation you could pick or change your middle name, so Pat and I made a pact to use each other's name. Thus my middle name became Patrick, but Pat reneged. My high school and Social Security records are P. When I joined the Air Force I explained why I had two middle names, but they said I had to choose one or the other, so I reverted to John (I was named after uncle Johnny).

Now my mother wasn't given a middle name at birth. At Confirmation she choose Frances after a neighbor lady who she liked very much.

The picture was taken after the services. I don't know why I'm not in it.

Number 5 Crotty child….Virginia

On Wednesday, August 30, 1911 , mine and Nancy’s mother, Virginia, was the 5th child born, second daughter. of the 9 children that Richard and Julia Sullivan Crotty had. I believe my mother told me that she was the first child in the family born in a hospital.

Today marks the 100th birthday of my mother, Virginia.

She has been gone now almost 36 years……gone for more of my life than she was in it. I still have recipes that she wrote in her own hand…..most of them I don’t make anymore….foolish to cook that much food for one person, but I will never part with them. Hopefully they will be carried through to the next generation! (I know they will)

She was a wonderful mother and loved Dad, Nancy and I… there was never any doubt. She also loved her brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.

The picture attached was take by the family photographer, Tom Barron. The date on the picture was November, 1942. At that time she was a 31 year old widow with a 5 year old daughter. I would assume that she had already met my father, as they were married in March, 1943, in St. Patrick’s Church. He was off fighting in WWII. Maybe it is just me, but this picture has a ‘Mona Lisa’ quality about it.

She was thrilled when I made her a grandmother. A little boy was finally in our family!! She had two years to enjoy being with him before she died. It brought her such joy!!

Not a day goes by that I do not think of her and Daddy with loving memories. Mama, I will always miss you and love you and Daddy both.

Bob Hope

This picture of me was taken off the TV by my mom. The camera was set up on a tripod all ready to go by my dad. He was not home at the time of the airing of this Bob Hope Show from Vietnam. Lucky for me that guy in front lowered his head at just the right moment! That's what mom always said about this picture. Great timing, mom.

***

Blogged by Tom

Summertime fun

Written by Dede -

During the summers, many a carefree Sunday afternoon was spent by a lot of us at “Turner’s Farm”. The actual name of the place was Turnwald. Turnwald was owned by the East Erie Turners, 9th and Parade Streets.

As you made the right turn on to the property, there was a dual stand of pine trees on the left that curved towards the entrance. On holidays, they had either a wagon or an old firetruck (? Not clear on this) that would take kids for rides thru the trees. They always had a police man (state or
county??) checking membership cards at the entrance. It
was the same man for all the years I can remember going
there.

Another thing that they had on Holidays was the clown,
Rusty Rusterholtz and his calliope! My goodness….I can’t
remember how many cups of coffee I had this am, but I
remember that!!

Going to the Turners farm usually were, at best, semi-
planned. It was a good inexpensive way to pass a Sunday
afternoon. The grown ups would sometimes get a ¼ keg
of beer…..Anna ALWAYS brought Planters peanuts in
the shell that she bought at 10th and State. Julia’s specialty
was Potato Salad, my mom’s was baked beans. I can’t
remember what Lucille and Betty brought. Gosh…..all that
mayonnaise in the sun and we all lived thru it!

As people say now…’back in the day…’ All of us kids
could run all over and play and be adventurous. There was
the standard playground equipment and those wonderful
woods that you can run around and play in….I think we
were junior explorers before somebody decided you had to
be organized to be ‘allowed’ to do that.

They had a food stand that sold things if you did not bring
your own picnic equipment; and the also had a room full
of gas burners so you could warm up your baked beans!
Outside they had charcoal grills to do your hamburgers and
hot dogs.

Of the few buildings they had, to me the most fascinating
was the barn (aka the bar), where there was a GIGANTIC moose
head hanging from the wall!! You could buy your beverages
there if you had not arranged for a ‘keg’. They had a fair
amount of covered picnic areas, but in the event of rain,
you could also run to the barn for cover.

As kids, we didn't (at least I don’t think we did!) complain
of being bored. We were our own entertainment….I don’t
really ever remember any of us fighting….we just played.

So sad that as the years have gone by, Turnwald has long
been sold. And the East Erie Turners is now gone.

We were indeed the ‘fortunate generation’

...................... Blogged by Dede ...................

Memorial Day

David Callahan - Vietnam hero
This picture and the newspaper article say it all.
In all the wars that our family has been involved
in, he was our only casualty (that we know of).
May he be the last.