I Remember Grandmother

My grandmother will be 103 on December 2. Her short-term memory has been gone for several years and she’ll tell you the same things over and over during the course of one visit. She still, however, has a very clear sense of self and can accurately describe to you her most ingrained characteristics. And she seems to still know who I am—at least she gives me every impression that she does. I haven’t asked her in a while about her past, and it hasn’t been that long since she could still tell stories of when she was a girl, but I suspect that some of her long-term memory is starting to disappear as well. This is why I am so glad that she wrote a few things down, and it is her story I will share with you for this post.

I Remember Grandmother

by Maxine Grace Stricker Anderson Hussong (b. December 2, 1909)

written December 18, 1994

Every little girl should have a grandmother such as I had the privilege of knowing for many years. She had so many good qualities, and though she had only three children, my mother’s seven were all treated with love. A baby sitter was not her style, but when several of us were at Grandma’s for a day or afternoon, playtimes were made enjoyable. A tent of blankets was hung over the clothesline—cookies and milk for a treat—plus music. An accomplished pianist, she’d play and we sang.

One Sunday I especially remember, our family was asked to her home for dinner. We came after Sunday School and stayed the rest of the day. Mid-afternoon Grandpa asked “Does anyone want the music?” Of course we said, “Yes.” Gramps and Uncle Bob took out their clarinets. Aunt Helen and Grandma sat on twin stools at the large, beautiful piano. They played duets and the men harmonized. What a special time we all had. My mother had a lovely contralto voice and she led the singing. My dad’s family was also musical, but he only played the mouth organ. So, he enjoyed listening to all of us.

Almost every week Grandma Hettie and her friend Trix would walk up to our house to visit. They brought goodies for the children. Sometimes my mother knew which day they were coming, and she would tell me to hurry to Grandma’s so I could walk with them. I’d walk between them or skip on ahead. If I reached Grandma’s early enough, she’d be seated at her dressing table (made by Gramps) and she’d allow me to brush her long auburn hair and pin it up in the style she liked. I can see her yet. She always walked so straight with her head held proudly. I always wondered what would happen if the hairpins didn’t hold.

After I reached sixth grade, these close times of love changed as I had more friends to enjoy fun times with. But, I never have forgotten her stories told to me about her own childhood and marriage and moving to Edgerton, Wisconsin, in 1900.

Her childhood story, as told to me over the years, was certainly different from my own.

The Loomer family lived in New York state. In the early 1840s they moved to Green Lake, Wisconsin, bringing three wagon loads of household items. Other family members had settled there. Young George Loomer (3-13-1828) was 26 years old and had left the girl he cared for in New York. He took two horses and rode back there. The Miller family had a daughter named Dora (4-14-1836 to 1-29-1924). It was she George wished to marry. Her parents were well-to-do, and after the marriage, they outfitted four covered wagons filled with household items. Three of Dora’s brothers each drove one wagon, and George drove the fourth one. Slowly they made their way to Wisconsin. The brothers then returned to New York.

George and Dora then settled down to live as the other pioneer families were doing. This meant lots of labor as so much had to be done the way it had for years. Now Dora realized this still was a wild country—Indians were still around—one story was of the Indians who cut across their land and used their water. Dora took the horsewhip and told them not to cross there anymore. They must have thought she meant it as they then did not do it anymore.

But Dora was not happy living as was necessary to do at that time. She wanted to go to New York for a visit, and did. In a couple of years nothing had changed in the dull and hard life of the time, so Dora again visited her old home. When she returned a daughter born on 4-27-1866 was name Hettie Jane Loomer. (my grandmother). When Hettie was about 4 1/2 years old Dora again wished to go to New York. George told her that if she did, she did not need to return. She went!

George then took Hettie and visited family in Kansas. There, Hettie had a new and different life that included riding horses. He realized that the child needed schooling, so returned to Wisconsin. He was told of a family in Clinton who took in children, since they had none of their own. This was Charles Curtis, the man who had invented “the reaper” used in farming. He was a wealthy man, and he and his wife kept 4 to 6 children at a time. All were schooled, given lessons in riding horses, and playing piano. George Loomer lived nearby and paid money for Hettie’s education as he could. Later a son was born to the Curtis family. [This son attended Hettie’s funeral in 1962.] They had always kept in touch. Hettie stayed on at the Curtis home and helped with the children.

The young people of the community put on plays, and there was always dancing. She played piano in an orchestra and met leader Jay Merrill who played clarinet. He was seven years older and was quite a ladies man! He was known as “Jay.” As an orphan Jay was brought to his uncle’s home to live. His parents had lived in Dayton, New York, and were killed in an accident. Jay and a sister were taken to an orphanage until relatives could be located. His uncle, on his mother’s side of the family, was Jess Pramer of Clinton. No trace of his sister could be found. Had she died or perhaps was adopted? Grandpa Merrill later hired a detective to find out, but was not successful.

My mother and father used to drive to Clinton (about 35 miles away) to see Jay’s relatives and friends of Hettie.

Jay Merrill and Hettie Jane Loomer were married 6-23-1885. Three children were born to them: Josephine Grace 8-2-1887 (d 1-6-1986 at 95 yrs).; Robert W. Merrill 10-21-1889 (d 1973 at 84 yrs.); and Helen Marie Merrill 5-8-1893 (d 1-92 at 98 yrs.).

They lived in Clinton until 1900. Jay Merrill was the town telegrapher and also did carpentry. He decided to take the same job in Edgerton, Wisconsin. Grandpa George Loomer moved with them.

A large house one block from the main street was found. Hettie decided to turn it into a boarding house. Single men who worked nearby stayed there. Many visitors arrived by train as the town was known as the Tobacco Capital of the U.S. There were nearly 100 warehouses, all working. Many women worked at the warehouses. Much acreage was grown by local farmers. Tobacco buyers came and stayed at the Hotel Carlton one block from Hettie’s. This came to an end when cigarettes were introduced. The tobacco grown this far north was not as fine or sweet as needed for the cigarettes, but is still grown to some extent and used for chewing tobacco.

Hettie’s Boarding House was a success. My mother, Josephine, used to hurry home from school at noon to “wait on table.” The Hotel burned down, I believe, in 1992. It was over a 100 years old.

Hettie and Jay finally bought a home several blocks north at 307 N. Main St. They lived there the rest of their days, and Aunt Helen and husband bought the home and she lived there until she went to a retirement home where she died in 1992. Grandfather Loomer died of a heart attack in 1902.

Dora Loomer came to Edgerton in 1906. She expected to stay with Hettie and family. My father and mother married in 1907. Dad thought he could help Hettie by taking Dora to help him as Mother was very ill with typhoid fever. Dora did not help or fit in there either. Grandma Hettie asked her minister what to do as she never felt Dora was a mother to her. He decided she had no obligation to keep Dora. Dora returned to New York, finally living in a Masonic Home until she died in 1924. (88) I never saw her!

There are pictures in the old album of all peoples mentioned

My grandmother and grandpa were very close to our family as neither Bob or Helen had children. My mother had nine and raised seven children. All of us loved our grandparents. We were together often and on special occasions. In his younger to midlife years, Grandpa Merrill liked to drink. Finally he gave it up and he and Hettie enjoyed life together after that. They went to the movies two or three times a week. She also took a magazine about the movie stars. Then I got it to read! She also taught me to sew and embroider.

When I married Marvin B. Anderson in 1928 we lived with my grandparents as they were alone in the big house. Bob worked in Milwaukee and Helen and Roy were in Hawaii—Roy worked for a telephone company that was putting in underground lines there for 4 years.

Times were hard. Recession was imminent. I got laid-off and the people’s son did the bookwork. Marv’s work at Highway Trailer was down to a few hours a week (25 cents per hr), if I remember right. He would drive out to his dad’s farm and so we were asked if we’d move out there. We did all right, as Marv’s mother liked me as I helped her. Nine children all home, much cooking and ironing, which I did. Heated the old irons on the top of kitchen stove. Shirts had starched collars and cuffs plus down the front. We stayed there until fall of 1933. Leonard was born May 15, 1932 and was about 1 1/2 yrs. when we found a small house to rent. Moved several times to larger places, and finally built our first home in 1938. Leonard started school then graduated high school 1950, went to Madison University until armed forces called. He came back in 1954.

He had fallen in love with Janice Annette Heller, and they were married Sept. 25, 1954.

You girls know the rest of their story. Happiness, hard work, two lovely daughters and two great-grandsons and one great-granddaughter. You are loved very much.

As for me, I’ll never forget my dear grandmother Hettie Jane. As I sew for the porcelain bisque dolls I make today, I think of being taught by her so many years ago.

Quite a saga from the lives of real people.