Annie Discusses Gordon
09/01/07 20:21
We lost our first boy -- he was two and one half
years younger than Glenna. He was a premature
baby, born February 1, 1921. That year there was
a lot of infant flu around. The year before that
they’d had such an epidemic,
We lost our first boy -- he was two and one half
years younger than Glenna. He was a premature
baby, born February 1, 1921. That year there was
a lot of infant flu around. The year before that
they’d had such an epidemic, a terrible epidemic
of flu around especially in the southern part of
the state because we didn’t have any doctors or
many nurses and nothing to help to combat the
disease or anything.
I know sometimes families lost two or three members of the family. One family, they were sick and people were afraid to go into the home to help because they would get it. Finally -- I guess it was the day no one went in -- when in the next morning, why the mother had passed away and the baby, the little child, was in the high chair and it had died -- the mother was in bed and there was two members of the family that were dead.
We had some very good neighbors, good scouts that would go around -- Alvin Spencer, my cousin, was one of them. He’d come to our place every morning to see if we were all right or if he could do anything for us. We weren’t well for a few days and he’d go shopping for us, get groceries and everything. He just took it upon himself to go around and visit people to see if he could help or anything.
But then in ’21 there were more babies lost than there were others. This baby being premature -- only a seven month baby and real small -- we were careful about him and and we never let any of the neighbors in because we were afraid somebody might be sick-- in fact I don’t think we ever took him out of the front room.
Our bedrooms upstairs weren’t heated so we didn’t use them that winter, and we slept down in the living room. I had a crib bed for Glenna and then one for him, too.
But he got it and one afternoon, I noticed that he had a temperature and that he wasn’t well. Then the next morning, he wouldn’t take his bottle and wouldn’t eat anything. There wasn’t much we could do for him. We just sat and held him and long about seven o’clock that evening, why he just quit breathing and passed quietly away.
I know sometimes families lost two or three members of the family. One family, they were sick and people were afraid to go into the home to help because they would get it. Finally -- I guess it was the day no one went in -- when in the next morning, why the mother had passed away and the baby, the little child, was in the high chair and it had died -- the mother was in bed and there was two members of the family that were dead.
We had some very good neighbors, good scouts that would go around -- Alvin Spencer, my cousin, was one of them. He’d come to our place every morning to see if we were all right or if he could do anything for us. We weren’t well for a few days and he’d go shopping for us, get groceries and everything. He just took it upon himself to go around and visit people to see if he could help or anything.
But then in ’21 there were more babies lost than there were others. This baby being premature -- only a seven month baby and real small -- we were careful about him and and we never let any of the neighbors in because we were afraid somebody might be sick-- in fact I don’t think we ever took him out of the front room.
Our bedrooms upstairs weren’t heated so we didn’t use them that winter, and we slept down in the living room. I had a crib bed for Glenna and then one for him, too.
But he got it and one afternoon, I noticed that he had a temperature and that he wasn’t well. Then the next morning, he wouldn’t take his bottle and wouldn’t eat anything. There wasn’t much we could do for him. We just sat and held him and long about seven o’clock that evening, why he just quit breathing and passed quietly away.