7 -My Grandma’s Life: Horse & Buggy to Space
My knowledge of my grandmother’s life touches another era most definitely. She was born in March 1880 and died in July 1965. Minnie Lee Britt Anglin.
As my journaling and diary entries began in 1964, I only recorded a small chunk of information in comparison to the unbelievable corpus of a lifetime. Sometimes, I still have to pinch myself to come to terms with having had a privilege and opportunity to have known someone, my own grandmother, born so very long ago. I only wish I had had more time with her. As I entered my teens, I had more awareness of that privilege; she unfortunately passed away a week after my 13th birthday in 1965.
Reflecting on the era of 1964/65 highlights something very different about 2016 compared with 1964. I only knew one person, my grandmother, who was over 80 years old. If we think of normal life spans nowadays, we find that most of us know a good many people over the age of 80. Being over 80 made her a bit of a celebrity. A local TV weatherman made a special trip to our little town to visit her. (picture above) Living to be 90 is much more common in 2016. The fact that my grandma made it to 85 was very unusual for folks in the 1960's.
She was somewhat bedridden the last couple years of her life. One accident had involved a gas heater blow up in her bedroom, as she had attempted to light it one afternoon. Another fall in her own home had left her with a broken hip, just after she turned 85.
I remember visiting her, just two houses down on the corner of our street. I went regularly with either my mom or dad, but rarely did I go by myself. On the occasions when I did go alone, I would sit next to her bed and she would tell tales of marrying in the first decade 1900's (November 22, 1903) and having four sons in about a span of seven years (1908–1915). She told me a couple of stories of “little boy” silliness she witnessed as they grew up.
She was an avid reader. I always noticed novels, magazines, and newspapers scattered around on her bed. She also wrote weekly for the newspaper. She showed me a Britannica set of encyclopedias published in the 1890’s. My reaction was, “Wow!”
As I mentioned briefly in another post, I do recall trekking over to her backyard to shoot basketball. I would see her looking out her back kitchen window and sometimes she would come outside and sit on the steps and watch me practice. I remember picking pears and pomegranates (of all things) in her backyard. She had several pecan trees and a chestnut tree, as well. Yummmmm.
My brother and I had a favorite hang out near a huge old oak tree hidden among other trees in her backyard. We playfully called it “The Laughing Place,” our secret hideout.
She was a writer & contributor to the county newspaper and inherited the newspaper & printing business, when my grandfather, the owner/editor, died in 1939.
I saw pictures of her as a young woman, rather stately looking. Can you imagine that she was almost 40 years old when women gained the right to vote in the US?
I have only a couple pictures of her with her mother. Here is one.
I think of her to this day. Here are some of the questions I wish I had had a chance to ask her. What was schooling like for you? Where did you spend your childhood years? Did you attend a traditional elementary and high school? What was daily life like for you and your two brothers? What was it like to live through the time of automobiles taking the place of horse and buggy? Did most families have one horse and buggy? Did you ever ride a horse to get from one place to another, as your main mode of transportation? In traveling around the local area, how long did it take for a trip between Columbus and Americus? What was it like to live through the transition from candles and lanterns to electric lights? When was your first plane trip or did that even happen at all?
Do you remember the day in 1914 when the US became officially involved in World War I? What were you doing and where were you in 1919 when women received the right to vote? Ok, I know she was in my small hometown by then and had four young sons, but what was her reaction and that of the local town folks? How did she get that news? Radio? Mail? Word-of-Mouth? When did you register to vote? In what presidential election did you first vote?
How did it feel to have three of your four sons in the military during World War II?
What do you remember about your father and mother? Did you know much about their young lives? Tell me about your siblings, Byron and Ed Britt. I met ‘great Uncle Byron’ for whom uncle was named; however, I never knew anything about the Britt family, her family of origin. Did you know your paternal or maternal grandparents? As a young woman, before you married, what were your aspirations in life? Did you have a desire or even the opportunity to go to college? What were the social norms between boys and girls? Was “dating” even a concept back then?
My grandmother, one of my heroes! She was a wife, mother, business owner (way before this was the norm for women), and served her community generously.
I am reminded to cherish each moment with those I love. Maybe that’s why I ask more questions nowadays and try to spend quality time just listening.
