I'm linking up with A Southern Belle with Northern Roots for Story Tellers.
I am using this weekly feature to transcribe an audio tape that my grandfather recorded in the early 80's. If you are just joining me, click Part 1 and Part 2 to catch up.
This week my grandfathers tape begins with a little background information on his mother, his parents relationship, charity, and what I think is a pretty funny story about a 'licking'. Enjoy!
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As for my mother… she was born and raised here in Concord. Received a high school education and she told me she worked as a seamstress in various department stores or clothing store in downtown Concord. She was an accomplished pianist and enjoyed playing the piano. She also was a …her favorite past time was card playing and she was also… had a reputation as being a fortune teller with cards and by reading tea leaves. I can recall various people coming to the house, all acquaintances of hers, friends of hers, on weekends or evening and she would tell their fortunes with the cards and I can picture her now in my mind- the people watching her and listening very carefully to what she had to say. She often told me that she done this for her own amusement and to please her friends. She knew and she often told me she had no ability whatsoever to forecast the future, it was just a game to her, but some of the people that came to her took her very seriously. I remember one lady in particular, always came to the house on a Saturday night to have her fortune told. This woman is still alive today and the one thing this woman always wanted to know was who she was going to marry, she always had the desire to marry into a rich situation. But she never married and is still an old maid to this day. She is in her 80’s.
My grandfather, his sister Bernice, and their mother. |
My mother was a very devout catholic. I recall seeing her in my mind now, sitting and reading book after book about the life of the different saints.
I can recall her also sitting in a chair, quietly saying the rosary, which she did every day of her life. She was very fond of children… no matter what neighborhood we lived in. She was always making cookies, some type of pastry, which she passed out to the kids as they came to the house, of course they always knew she was good for a cookie or two. When we lived on Sexton Ave, down by the railroad tracks, the tramps or bums as we use to call them, hobo's, knew they could get a meal at the Bunker house, which sat just above the railroad tracks. It use to make my father mad,, but it wasn’t that bad actually… only sometimes she’d get over enthusiastic about it and there’d be more than 2 or 3 of them on the back step eating bowls of soup and bread. But when we moved away from that section of Concord that ended the hobo (laugh) part of our lives, so to speak. She was a great talker, my mother would talk constantly to anybody, friends, strangers, she loved to converse. Just the opposite of my father who was the silent type and was lucky to get 2 words out of him in the course of the day. Strange pair- but a great pair.
My great aunt Bernice and my father as a child. |
My grandfather and his sister Bernice |
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I hope you join me next week for Part 4 and more funny stories as told by my grandfather.
Cortney, it is so wonderful to have the opportunity to record your roots. We moved around a lot as children and lost connections with the family. My mother never would talk about herself and my father passed away 7 months before I was born. I am so enjoying your stories.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat story! You are so lucky to have this recorded history of your grandfather. I wish I had something like that, just to hear his voice.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at his use of words, he "speaks" very well, clear and tells so many interesting things. I just love that you have this treasure, I wish we all had wonderful tapes to transcribe of our family history. I love most the part where his father would just look at him and say "you know better than that". powerful testimony.
ReplyDeletethanks for hooking up!
I love the part about your great-grandmother reading "tea leaves" and "telling fortunes". She sounded like such a character and your great grand-father was just what she needed to feel grounded. When you wrote about the "pin-pricking"...well all's I could think about was my own brother...sometimes they were such brats...lol Yet those are the most endearing memories for sure!
ReplyDeleteBumpa use to talk about how he and his brothers use to play "Superman" and jump off their bedroom dressers and beds and a couple of them actually "broke" their arms while trying to "fly". AND I can just see him and Larry, Harry, Jerry and Jackie getting into all kinds of mischief!