WAY BACK WEDNESDAY!

DAD, HEATHER & HOLLIE WITH GREAT-GRANDMA VAN RIJ (1980)

THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU GIRLS AND I MET DAD'S GRANDMA VAN RIJ, I WAS NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT, AND DAD HAD NOT SEEN HER FOR A VERY LONG TIME. WE WERE ON A FAMILY TRIP HEADING TO IDAHO TO SPEND A COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH GREAT-GRANDPA & GREAT-GRANDMA HAMPSON, ALSO GRANDPA & GRANDMA MARTIN. DAD REALLY WANTED TO STOP BY UTAH TO SEE HIS GRANDMA. HE HAD FOND MEMORIES OF HER, FROM WHEN HE WAS LITTLE. (I GUESS SHE MADE A BREAD PUDDING TO DIE FOR).

SHE GREETED US WITH BIG HUGS AND SHE WELCOMED US INTO HER HOME, AND RIGHT AWAY OFFERED US SOMETHING TO EAT. SHE TOOK RIGHT TO YOU GIRLS, SHE LOVED CHILDREN. WE HAD A VERY WONDERFUL VISIT, AND WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR US TO LEAVE SHE ASKED FOR US TO SPEND THE NIGHT WITH HER, SO WE COULD VISIT SOME MORE. WE REGRETFULLY DECLINED AND SHE LOOKED SO SAD TO SEE US GO.

I WAS ONLY AROUND HER A FEW TIMES, BUT SHE LEFT AN IMPRESSION ON MY HEART. I WISH I HAD THE CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW HER BETTER, AND KNOW MORE ABOUT HER.

TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS BLOG, THIS IS WHY FAMILY HISTORY, JOURNALING OR JUST WRITING DOWN OUR THOUGHTS AND STORIES IS SO IMPORTANT. A FEW YEARS BACK WE WERE GIVEN A FEW PAGES OF MEMORIES THAT GREAT-GRANDMA VAN RIJ HAD PUT DOWN IN HER OWN WORDS. SHE SAID IN THEM, SHE ALMOST QUIT AND DIDN'T WRITE ANY MORE, BECAUSE LOOKING AT IT SHE SAW ALL THE MISSPELLED WORDS. I AM SO GREATFUL SHE DIDN'T LET THAT STOP HER. I DON'T EVEN NOTICE THE MISSPELLED WORDS, I JUST LOVE THAT I GET A GLIMPS AT WHO SHE WAS, AND WHAT SHE HAD TO ENDURE IN HER LIFE.

HERE ARE A FEW EXCERPTS FROM HER WRITINGS;

FRANCES CORNELIA KOOYMAN AHLGREEN VAN RIJ WAS BORN MARCH 6, 1909.
(SO ALL THESE EXCERPTS WERE FROM THE EARLY 1900'S).

I HAD A BROTHER JOHN, WHEN HE WAS A BABY MY MOTHER NEVER HAD BUT VERY LITTLE TO EAT IN HER HOME. SHE WEIGHED ONLY 109 LBS. AND WAS TRYING TO NURSE JOHN. SHE WAS ALSO PREGNANT AT THIS TIME WITH ALBERT ANOTHER BROTHER. JOHN WAS CRYING, HE WAS HUNGRY. MY MOTHER LIVED WITH HER MOTHER IN-LAW IN A ROOM SHE LET MOTHER LIVE IN. HEARING MY BROTHER CRYING, MY GRANDMOTHER THREW A PIECE OF BREAD THROUGH THE TRANSOM AND SAID GIVE THIS TO HIM. WHILE AT THE TIME SHE WAS COOKING STEAK AND A NICE DINNER FOR HER FAMILY. MY MOTHER WAS ALSO VERY HUNGRY, BUT SHE GAVE THE BREAD TO JOHN.

MY MOTHER TOOK IN WASHINGS TO TRY AND GET A LITTLE MONEY FOR FOOD FOR HER AND THE CHILDREN.

AFTER ALBERT WAS BORN MOTHER HAD NO WORK AND WAS CRYING WITH HUNGER, AND JOHN WAS ASKING FOR BREAD. MOTHER HAD TO TELL JOHN SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY FOOD TO GIVE HIM. MOTHER HAD TO GO OUT AND BEG FOR FOOD, ONE TIME SHE EVEN DECIDED TO GO STEAL SOMETHING FOR THEM TO EAT. HOPING SHE WOULD GET ARRESTED SHE WENT ON SOME PEOPLES BACK PORCH AND THEY HAD AN ICE BOX ON THE PORCH. MOTHER TOOK HALF A DOZEN EGGS AND A FEW MORE LITTLE THINGS. SHE TOOK THEM HOME TO COOK SOME FOR HER BABIES AND MY DAD CAME IN AND SAID EGGS! WHERE DID YOU GET THEM, AND PROMPTLY COOKED ALL SIX FOR HIMSELF AND ATE THEM. MOTHER CRIED AND SAID I STOLE THEM FOR THE CHILDREN.

WHEN MOTHER WAS PREGNANT WITH ME, SHE TOOK IN WASHING AND IRONING AS LONG AS SHE COULD, SHE DID ALL THE WASH ON A WASH BOARD. MOTHER HAD NO WOOD TO HEAT HER WATER WITH, SO SHE WENT OUT LOOKING FOR SOME. SHE FOUND A PLACE WHERE THEY WERE BUILDING A LARGE HOUSE. FAR ALONG WITH CHILD SHE CLIMBED UP A LADDER TO THE SECOND FLOOR WERE SHE FOUND QUITE A FEW PIECES OF WOOD. SHE FILLED HER APRON WITH THEM AND HEADED TO THE LADDER, SHE REALIZED SHE COULD NOT GET DOWN THE LADDER WITH THE WOOD. SO SHE DROPPED ALL THE WOOD DOWN THE OPENING AND CLIMBED DOWN AND PICKED IT ALL UP AGAIN.

I REMEMBER ONE TIME WHEN I WAS FOUR, MY COUSIN GIRTIE (WHO WAS ABOUT THE SAME AGE) AND I WENT INTO SOME EMPTY HOUSES THAT DURING THE SUMMER GYPSIES LIVED IN. WE FOUND SOME SUGAR LUMPS ON THE FLOOR AND WE ATE THEM. WHEN WE TOLD UNCLE MACK WE HAD EATEN THEM HE SAID THEY WERE PROBABLY POISON, PEOPLE USED TO PUT STRYCHNINE IN SUGAR LUMPS TO KILL RATS. I GUESS THERE WAS NO POISON IN THOSE SUGAR LUMPS BEDAUSE I AM NOW 68 1/2 YEARS OLD! (AT THE TIME SHE WROTE THIS)

WHEN I WAS ABOUT FIVE OR SO WE HAD BEEN TO LAGOON, A MAN CLIMBED A LADDER AND DOWSED HIMSELF WITH GASOLINE AND LIT FIRE TO HIM SELF AND DOVE IN A BIG TANK OF WATER. A FEW DAYS LATER SOME BOYS PUT GASOLINE ALL OVER MY BROTHER JOHN (WHO WAS ABOUT TEN AT THE TIME) THEY LIT A MATCH TO HIM AND HE WAS ALL IN FLAMES. THERE WAS NONE WATER AROUND. THE BOYS DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. JOHN ROLLED IN THE DIRT AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. HE NEARLY LOST BOTH HIS ARMS. LOTS OF PEOPLE WANTED TO HELP MOTHER AND JOHN, ONE WOMAN POURED TUPENTINE OVER HIS ARMS, ANOTHER POURED BLUING OVER THEM. BY THE TIME THE DR. ARRIVED HE LOOKED AT JOHN AND SAID, WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST KILL HIM AT ONCE. HE WAS SO MAD AT THOSE WOMEN. HE CARRIED THICK SCARS PAST HIS ELBOWS THE REST OF HIS LIFE. MOTHER PUT JOHNS SHIRT IN THE STOVE TO BURN IT, WHAT WAS LEFT OF IT, IT WAS NO GOOD ANYMORE, JOHN HAD 2 BULLETS IN HIS SHIRT POCKET, MOTHER DIDN'T KNOW THAT AND THEY EXPLODED IN THE STOVE, GOOD THING IT DIDN'T PLOW THE WHOLE HOUSE UP.

THESE WRITINGS ALONG WITH STORIES OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE TOLD ARE PRICELESS TO ME, THEY GIVE ME INSIGHT TO A WOMEN I NEVER REALLY HAD THE CHANCE TO GET TO KNOW. I CAN LEARN ABOUT HER AND KNOW ABOUT HER LIFE. I CAN LEARN ABOUT THINGS SHE ENDURED, THINGS THAT MADE HER WHO SHE WAS. SHE HAD A VERY FASCINATING LIFE, BUT YET NONE OF IT SEEMED TO EFFECT HER IN A NEGATIVE WAY. I AM SO GREATFUL SHE TOOK THE TIME TO WRITE A FEW OF HER MEMORIES, FOR ALL OF HER FUTURE GENERATIONS TO READ.

SO EVERYONE GET WRITING! LET YOUR FUTURE GENERATIONS KNOW ABOUT YOU AND YOUR LIFE. WE ALL HAVE A STORY TO TELL, WHAT'S YOURS?