Butchering

This is a  picture of the first butchering at the farm in Catlin Hollow

Daddy always planned on butchering around Thanksgiving, as by then the temperatures were staying below freezing and the meat wouldn't spoil before it could be taken care of.  This year they only butchered one pig which was unusual, but being the first year to live on the farm was  probably the reason.

The men in the picture from the left are Burt Goodwin,my dad Gale Gerow, my grandpa and Fred Erway, my uncle. This picture would have been taken in the late 30's or early 40's.  An enlargement of this picture always hung in my parents bedroom, and when you think of it, that is a strange place for a picture of this type to hang isn't it?  I guess I shouldn't say anything about that, as I have a pair of hog scrapers in my living room.

Butchering day began as soon as chores were completed in the morning.  A fire was started and water was placed in cast iron kettles to boil to scald the pigs in and later barrels were used, then the pigs were scraped with the scrapers to get the hair off, before they were cleaned out, that way no hair was gotten on the meat.  The meat was cut up into quarters, of course, the hams were the important part to me, but the side pork was a favorite to the family.  There was not a portion of the pig that went to waste.  Do you know the tail was even saved and my dad used the end of that to grease the pancake griddle.  I always thought that was a little gross, but that is what was done and I ate the pancakes and called them good.

We had a smoke house and smoked the hams using hickory bark to keep a low fire going to get a nice smoke.  Daddy also smoked the bacon.  We had huge crocks that Daddy fixed a brine and some side pork was put into that and we kept that in the cellar and used that during the winter.  That was wonderful fried and cooked with beans.  The fat was rendered down for lard and Mother used that to make home made doughnuts; however, Daddy called them friedcakes.  That was something they did together, she would cut them out and Daddy fried them, and dusted them with sugar.  Daddy was a "dunker" and he taught me to do it also and to this day, I dunk everything sweet in my coffee.  He would say to me in the morning as I was getting ready for school, "Kathy, better have a cookie and dunk it in my coffee before you get on the bus" and I usually did.  Another of those great memories.

Daddy and Mother ground up pork and made their own sausage with fresh herbs and it was delicious, they also had a sausage stuffer, but I don't remember them  using it. Pork was also ground up and was used to make homemade mince meat and that was saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

1948

This is a picture later on when we butchered.  I remember Mother taking this picture, as she kidded me about what we had on, she said that we looked like "rag-a-muffins" and the ragman would come along and take us and she would never see us again.  She would take our pictures and then we had to put on better clothes.  I am holding a yellow cat.  I would always grab a cat outside, as we were not allowed to have animals inside, but we sure could have them outside.  Daddy always had lots of cats and would always tell us if a mommy cat had new kittens and Jerry and I would hunt for the babies.  Daddy would hold the cats while he was waiting for the milkers to finish.  He would often have a kitten on his shoulder!!

It would take the majority of the day to butcher and cut up the pigs, and we could plan on having liver and onions with mashed potatoes for dinner.  Daddy would clean the liver and pack it in snow and take it to Mother and we would all look forward to dinner.

Looks like a happy group

This picture is taken in from of the building that Daddy used for a garage which was at one time the old McInroy School. I do not know for sure who the other man is with my dad and Uncle Fred.  I have 1948 written on the back of the photo but wasn't sure of the man with the pipe in his mouth.

This is one very big pig

This picture is taken inside the door of the garage.  I would think where they could hang the pig from the main beam.

Our Thanksgiving dinners were often spareribs and dressing which were very special to us, as we only had that in the fall.  Daddy would always have a huge Hubbard squash.  He would sharpen his ax to split the squash and then he would sit and peel that whole huge squash cut it into cubes ready to cook and mash for dinner.  Our traditional dinner would include the spareribs and stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed onions, squash, homemade cranberry/orange relish, cabbage salad w/ pineapple, home made cloverleaf rolls, brown bread, apple pie, pumpkin pie, mincemeat pie with brandy sauce and coconut cream pie.

Grandpa and Grandma always came to our house for Thanksgiving and that always made it special.  Grandpa was usually at our house when we butchered and anytime they were at our home, it was a special time of stories and fellowship.  Grandma always had nicknames for both of us kids, she called Jerry "Jericho"and she called me "Katrink"and that is what my dad always called me when I was little, guess it stayed.  Daddy called Jerry; Joey and my kids still call Jerry; Uncle Joey.

Schools and our Church

Catlin Hollow Church

Thought I  would give a little history of Catlin Hollow to start with.  It is located in Charleston Township and  was organized in December, 1820 and  was taken from Delmar Township, which was organized in 1873.  It would seem as Dartt Settlement was being settled, several other pioneers came further northwest and settled in what is now known at Catlin Hollow.  Among those early settlers were Daniel Dennison, Edward McInroy, Jessie, William and Nelson Catlin.  Many of these people are buried in the Catlin Hollow Cemetery.

There was a pioneer saw mill constructed in Dart Settlement in 1816 in what was called Catlin Hollow Run,  that supplied lumber for the homes and various building that went up in the communities in the area.  Many of the pioneers were involved in farming, there was an established carding machine that ran for a number of years.

The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Catlin Hollow was organized about 1850.  Among  the early members were Cyrus Catlin and wife, Joel Catlin and wife, Edward McInroy and Dexter Catlin and wife.  I have always found it  interesting to find that the Baptist and the Methodist have shared this church throughout the years and obviously the Episcopal were involved with the Methodist at one time.

My family attended this church all though my growing up years, in fact, I was the last person to be married in this church and it eventually was closed and sold, with the money earned from the sale going to the Whitneyville Methodist Church and it was used to help build a new parsonage.

I am in possession of the original doors that were on the church and some of the stained glass that was in the windows.  I had a hanging made for each of my children so they could share in the history of this beloved church.  Many happy memories are involved in the four walls of this church and the beloved people that attended the services there.

Schools: 

The schools of Charleston were maintained by subscription and it was felt that in this township they were the best of any township.  They had good teachers usually graduates from the State Normal school at Mansfield.

The garage at our Homestead had been the Old McInroy School.

This came from the school in 1908 (compliments of Joyce Tice)

If you go back and look at the "beginning" pictures and see the garage, you can see what it looked like.

I can remember Daddy talking about the school he attended on Reese Hill, close to where he lived growing up.  On a winter day, they talked their teacher (he called her the school mom) into getting on their sled at lunch break and they rode all the way to Hills Creek and didn't get back until to dismiss that evening, so they didn't have class in the afternoon.  He said they couldn't talk her into that again.  He stated that the fire in the school house was out when they got back and they were cold, but they all had a good time.

Charleston School

The first consolidate school in the county was opened in 1909 and remained active until 1956.  It is really neat to me to think I went to school in the same school that my parents did.  You could roll a marble down the steps from the eighth grade class room and it would hit the water fountain and bounce and end up in the furnace room.  I think every kid knew that trick.  Now that school had memories!!

Now by the time Jerry and I went to school there, they had to construct two additional little buildings on each side.  On the right side was the second grade class room, and on the left was the third grade class room and then when we got to the fourth grade, we got to go back inside.  Each of the little building had their own coal stove, and the boys all had to take turns helping the teacher keep the fire going.

This was our second grade class room

This is where Jerry and I attended second grade.  This picture was taken by George Riebe.  He is the son of the people that were responsible for us to have hot school lunches in later years and his father was a janitor at the school.  One year after I had moved to Ohio and was home visiting, I stopped to visit them and asked them if I could go through the school one last time.  I knew they were going to tear it down and I so wanted to have a last look and he honored my request.  What a joy it was to walk those halls again.  Mrs. Carrie Olson was my first grade teacher, I later had the joy of caring for her as a patient and talking about her teaching career.  Second grade was our pastor's wife, Mrs. Barbara Finch, third grade was Mrs Shelley and we were all scared to death of her, fourth grade was Mrs. Christine Selleck, another lady that was my patient, fifth grade was Mrs. Cassie Gross whom, I dearly loved, she was suffering from leukemia and died soon after.  Sixth grade, we moved upstairs and we got to change classes, I had Mrs. Adeline Hess, Mrs. Doratha Wetmore and Mr. Brace.

It was sometime in these years when I was upstairs that it was decided our school was no longer safe and we would all be transferred to the Charleston High School in the newly constructed class rooms to finish up our elementary education.  If we were going to continue on to college we would go into Wellsboro to continue our education, and that is when I left a lot of my Charleston friends and transferred to Wellsboro.  That is another story, as I really missed those kids, but did make new friends.

Gerow Siblings and Parents 1951

Gerow Siblings and Parents

I believe this picture was taken when Aunt Lucille and Uncle Earl were home from Florida and it was decided that we needed to have a family picture taken.  This is taken in the lower yard on the farm on Bryant Road in Charleston Township.

Left to Right in the back:  Ardys Gerow Hazelton, Norma Gerow Plumley, Lucille Gerow Beeman, Eloise Gerow Drew, and Ethlyn Bush Gerow Goodwin and in the front, Gale C. Gerow and Marietta Clark Gerow.

Aunt Ardys married Harry Hazelton and they had three children, Robert, Connie and John

Aunt Norma married Ward Plumley and they had one son, Dale Alan

Aunt Lucille married Earl Beeman and they had five children, Patricia, Earl Ray, Janet, Roger and Pam.

Aunt Eloise married Raymond Drew and they had two sons, Eugene and Daniel.

Mother Ethlyn married Burt Goodwin and they had two children, Kathy Elaine and Gerald Burt.

Grandma Gerow was a very kind and caring person, who had a love for people and animals.  She always had a pet cat, usually by the name of either Snooky or Pepper.  She loved to play with the kids and could entertain us in many different ways.  She loved a clean and neat house.  She was hard of hearing and depended on her hearing aid.  She and I would sit together in a large wooded rocking chair and rock and talk and she would quote poems to me.  She always chewed "teaberry"gum and took it out just before going to sleep and laid it on a dish beside her bed.  She would brush her hair each night and clean her brush and roll the hair and deposit the hair into a special dish on her dresser and that hair would be used in her needlework.  It was beautiful when finished.

One of the poems that she would say to me that I remember to this day is as follows:

Words

"Keep a watch on your words, my darling: 

for words are wonderful things.

They are sweet like the bees' fresh honey;

Like bees, they have terrible stings.

They can bless like the warm, glad sunshine

and brighten a lonely life.

They can cut in the strife of anger; 

like an open two-edged knife."

This little poem is still very appropriate today, rather they are typed on the internet or said in person, they still can hurt.

Grandpa Gerow was also a very kind person and had a love for animals and had to have his chickens and milk cows and piggies.  In the years that I remember him, he milked his cows by hand and he had a creamer that he separated the cream from the milk and sold the cream and kept the milk.  He had Jersey cows.  Grandma made home-made butter and always had buttermilk and home-made dutch cheese. Grandpa also raised big white rabbits that he sold for meat and I tried not to get attached to the rabbits, as I knew where they were going.

Grandpa had a round chicken house and I thought that was really neat, but that way, the baby chickens did "pile up" in a corner and suffocate as they often did in a square house.  The house was painted red and looked really sharp.  I was sad to see the new owners tear it down.  It would have made a super "play house"!!

We will talk about butchering time a little later on, as that was a favorite time in the farming year and Grandpa was always present at that event. Grandpa was known throughout Charleston Township for his Black Linamint.   He would cook it outside in a cast iron kettle over an open fire.  It was used for healing for humans and animals.  When I worked for a local pharmacy one summer, the pharmacist at Kentch's Pharmacy showed me the recipe they had on file for this in Grandpa's hand writing and they made me a copy and I still have that copy with his signature.  One of my prize possessions.  Other folks have tried to make it since his death, but it has not been the same.

Eloise and Lucille on Lady

Houses 

This picture is taken in 1923 at the house where Grandpa and Grandma Gerow lived in Catlin Hollow.  The house is no longer there.  It burned when I was in second grade 1949 I think.  Leonard and Ruth Reese lived there at the time.  When Grandpa and Grandma moved from Knoxville in 1919, this is where they moved to.  The barn was across the road from the house and it was a rather lovely and large farm.  Grandpa build a large corn crib that was in my life time inhabited by a gentleman as his home.  Eloise was born in Knoxville; however. Lucille, Norma and Ardys were all born in this house.

The pony's name in the picture is Lady and the dog is Jack, it is my mother is the side holding her doll, this doll was later refurbished and given to my daughter Krista.  She had a porcelain head, feet and hands and leather body and legs and arms. She also had real hair, a lovely doll for the early 1900's.

Grandpa and Grandma's House in the 1950's 

I do not know when Grandpa and Grandma moved from Catlin Hollow to the Bryant Road.  That was not the name of the road at that time.  We called it Grandpa's road.  There were only two houses on the road.  Glenn and Mary Peer and Grandma and Grandpa.  I have reason to think it was right after World War II started.  I base that on a story that I was told, but I choose not to write it, as some might find it in poor taste.  

This is the only place I remember them living and I loved this setting.  There was a working wind mill up beside of the barn and how I loved to hear the swish - swish sound that it would make.  Jerry and I would often walk up to the windmill and just watch it go round and round.  We were both fascinated by it.

The house was huge and I often dream of being inside and I can see it so clearly, it was an enchanting home to me.  They had a huge enclosed back porch with lots of rocking chairs.  That is where the cream separator was kept.  Boots were taken off here along with our heavy coats and hung on special hooks.  We walked into the kitchen and you know what was there?  Grandma's beautifully polished wood fired cookstove with a warming oven, hot water holder the works, it was beautiful, beside of it was Grandpa's rocking chair and behind that was the entrance to the summer bedroom.  That was a beautiful room.  White ruffled curtains to all of the windows.  Roses on the wallpaper, white painted woodwork, high poster bed just inviting you to come lay down and read a book and open the windows.  Behind this room was the wood shed a huge winter storage vegetable room.

Back  to the kitchen was a large kitchen table with a oil cloth table cloth, pitcher pump, huge sink and then the pantry, with a huge window facing the west with lacy curtains.  All of Grandma's cupboards had etched glass and the shelved were lined with pretty shelf  paper with lace edging.  She had her ice box in this huge pantry.  She did all of her baking in here, it was a lovely room and smelled of fresh herbs and apples.  In the kitchen was a back stair case that led to the attic and Jerry and I would love to go up there, what a treasure chest that was.  This attic even had windows and it was warm, as it was over the cookstove!

As you leave the pantry and start to the living room to the left is a door that will go down cellar to the coal stove and the canned goods and to the right is a love seat, where the toys are stored, not just toys, but anything that she thought us kids would enjoy.  Catalogs, books, etc.

Next into the Dining room/Living room w/ huge bay windows.  This housed a huge dining room table, chairs and  buffet, two rocking chairs, sofa, desk and chair, two comfortable chairs, radio and later a television.  Off to the left their bedroom. On further an open staircase to the upstairs.  On to the parlor, with a piano, all the girls played the piano, large sofa, end tables with beautiful blue glass tops.  Wall paper was a velvet brocade in gold.  Several overstuffed chairs and rocking chairs and straight chairs.  I am fortunate enough to have several of those chairs.

The upstairs has five rooms and a full bathroom.  There is a half bath downstairs also.  How that lady kept all of that clean and found time for her garden and still read, I don't know, but she did and she loved to read.  Maybe that is where I found my love for books.  They also loved to travel,  Grandpa had a Kaiser car and they made the trip to Florida every winter to visit Aunt Lucille and Uncle Earl. Remarkable folks.

Ida Laura Gerow

My mother on the left and Ida Laura

Two years after Grandpa and Grandma and agreed to keep my mother little Ida Laura came into their lives.  Can you imagine their happiness to have their own baby daughter.  She was born April 14, 1914.  She was named after her two grandmothers.  At the time my grandparents were living in Troups Creek near Knoxville, PA.

The  story I was told, by my grandmother-the two little girls were playing in the orchard in August and ate some green apples and Ida became ill; she died twenty hours after becoming ill.  She was two years, three months and twenty days of age at the time of her death. 

Her little body was laid to rest in the Riverside Cemetery in Knoxville, PA.

My Great-Grandparents (Gerow Side)

 great-grandparent Gerow

I have decided to go back another generation, as  perhaps someone would like to share this information in the years to come, as I have pictures and interesting stories that Aunt  Eloise shared with me before she died.

Dewitt Clinton Gerow was born in Seneca County, NY on August 2, 1848.  He was a blacksmith with his father until he enlisted in the army at the age of 16.  He was in Company G, 50th N.Y. Engineers, Army of the Potomac. (Civil War) until June 13, 1865.   He was underage; therefore, he served as a stretcher bearer and drummer boy.  Most of the rest of his life he lived in Charleston Township, PA.  He was a blacksmith like his father and had a shop in Whitneyville, PA, he also spent time in farming.  He married Laura Emma West on January 1, 1870, daughter of William and Caroline Johnson West.  They had 10 children.  Edna died at an early age. Winogene Peake, Lovell, - Ethel Hinckely, Leon, Ada Neal, Carrie Bartlett, Gale, Floyd, Minor and Erma Erway.

Laura was a country "one room" school teacher.  She was born August 13, 1850.  She died in Charleston Township and is buried in Dartt Settlement Cemetery.  Her date of death is June 4, 1932.

Dewitt date of death is May 24, 1928 and he is also buried in Dartt Settlement.

Great Grandfather Clark

This gentleman is my great grand-father Clark.  He would have been my grandmother Gerow's father.

 Cecil A. Clark was born on the Clark Homestead on February 13, 1864 and grew up there.  He attended Osceola High School.  In 1894 he moved to Brookfield Township and then to Westfield Township.  He raised potatoes and bought and sold livestock.  On December 21, 1885 he married Ida Grist of Athens, PA.  They had a son Chester, who died at an early age.  The other children were Earl, Marietta Clark Gerow, Ivan, Manning, Lena Gerow Peer.  He was a Mason and an IOOF member.  He died in 1945.  He is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Knoxville, PA

Great-Grandmother Clark

Ida I. Grist Clark was born on the Grist homestead in Mehoopany, PA on April 7, 1864, the youngest child of ten to Chester and Amanda Bowman Grist.  Ida's oldest brother, Clayton was killed soon after her birth in the Civil War at the Battle of the  Wilderness in Farmville,Virginia on May 5, 1864.  Her father, Chester, at one time ran a mail route from Mehoopany, PA to Woodhull, NY and eventually the family moved to Woodhull.

Ida married Cecil A. Clark on December 21, 1885 in Corning, NY.  They had five children and lived most of their lives in Westfield.

On May 20, 1901, Ida died from complications of Typhoid pneumonia at the age of 37, leaving behind five children ages 1 through 14.  She is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Knoxville, PA

I can go back on more generation with an interesting story with a newspaper clipping, although I don't have a picture.

Great-Great Grandfather Eleazer Clark:  He settled on a farm, cleared the land, etc in 1817, built a log house near a river.

He was born in Burrellsville, Rhode Island October 6, 1788. He first came on horse back with $2.50 in his pocket.  After on year with the house built, he went back to Rhode Island and brought his family to Pennsylvania in a wagon.  He brought some seeds and some hens.  After planting some seeds, he noticed one of his hens dug up the seeds and swallowed them.  They were very scarce and couldn't get more so he killed the hen, removed the seeds and planted the pumpkin seeds.
  This text is taken from an old newspaper clipping that my Aunt Eloise saved......

He was the son of Captain Eleazer and Prudence Clark.  His father was was in charge of a company during the Revolution.

Eleazer Clark married Abigail Armstrong and they were parents of four children.

He and Abigail are buried in Quaker Cemetery in Knoxville, PA.
Abigail is the first burial to which there is a published record for the Quaker Cemetery.

Gerow Family

Gale and Marietta Gerow - Taken early 50's  in their living room

This is going to be the beginning of the history of the Gerow Family as I know it.  I am not going to go into the complete detail of it, as I can go back to the 1500's.  I will just say they are of the French and English background.

Grandpa (Gale Clinton Gerow) was born July 19, 1886 in Charleston Township.  His parents were Dewitt and Laura West Gerow.  (Their final resting place is in the Dartt Settlement Cemetery).  As a young man, he lived near Knoxville.  He was a farmer all of his adult life; mostly in Charleston Township.  He was a 50 year member of the Charleston Union  Grange.  He died November 29, 1958.  He is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Knoxville, PA.

He had 10 brothers and sisters.  Winogene married to Fred Lovell, Ethel married to Minor Hinkley, Leon married to Kate Wilson, Ada married to Raymond Neal, Carrie married to Walter Bartlett, Edna that died when she was two years of age, Floyd married to Edna V. Apgar, Minor married to Emma Miller, Erma married to Fred Erway and another brother that died in infacy.

Back Left to Right:  Winnie, Ethel, Ada - Front Left to Right:  Carrie, Erma

Grandma (Marietta E Clark Gerow) was born April 23, 1889 in Deerfield  Township.  Her parents were Cecil A. Clark and Ida Grist of Athens, PA.  She was a farmer's wife and mother.She was second of five children.  Her mother died of pneumonia at an early age.  Grandma graduated from high school which was an accomplishment for a girl in those days.  She was very deaf, but managed with a hear aid later in life.  She died October 30, 1965 at the age of 76.  She is also buried in  Riverside Cemetery in Knoxville, PA.

Grandma had four siblings in her family.  There had been a brother by the name of Chester that had died at an early age. Earl, Ivan, Manning, Lena married to Curtis Peer.  The only one I really remember is Aunt Lena and Uncle Curt, as we visited them very often.  They lived in Corning and Uncle Curt was a glass blower and that always fascinated me  It was of interest that Uncle Earl,Aunt Ora and my grandparents had a double wedding and then celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary together.  They were married on Christmas day in 1907 in Dyke, NY.

Grandpa and Grandma Gerow and Uncle Earl and Aunt Ora Clark

Cast of Characters

I am thinking that perhaps to keep us all on the right page, it will be easier if we know who the people are that I will be talking about so I shall endeavor to identify them to you.

The Bush Family - John and Neva Neal Bush and unidentified girl. 

This is my mother's natural parents - John and Neva Neal Bush -  I believe this picture would have been taken in the early 1900's.  Mrs. Bush died in childbirth in 1912, when my mother was born in December.  Mr. Bush took my mother to Gale and Marietta Gerow and asked them if they would keep her until after the funeral and they agreed to do so.  More on this later.

Gladys Bush Loomis, Dorothy Bush Elliott, Neal Bush, Leslie Bush, Wilma Bush Hawk, and my mother, Ethlyn Neva Bush Gerow Goodwin.  This photo was taken at one of the many Bush/Neal Reunions that we always attended.  I am not sure Aunt Wilma went by Bush growing up, as she was raised by a family in southern PA, but like my mother she was always in contact with her natural brothers and sisters.

Charles and Stella Spencer Goodwin

This is a  picture of my father's mother and father, I never knew them.  I know the stories Daddy has told me of them, the saddest of them that his father and Daddy's first wife, Feda died within weeks of each other and Daddy felt he didn't know if he could continue on with out them.  He had a little girl and a tiny son, the son Charles was raised by Daddy's mother-in-law, Daisy Ely and his daughter, Daisybelle (Daisy) stayed with Daddy and my dad's mother.

Goodwin Siblings

Left to Right:

Charlotte Goodwin Smith, Faye Goodwin Compton, Lloyd (Jinks)Goodwin), Burt Goodwin (my dad).  Back:  Ted Goodwin and Floyd (Jack) Goodwin

Daisy and Uncle Ted

Burt M. Goodwin (Daisy's and my father)

Feda M. Ely Goodwin (Daisy's Mother)

This picture of Daddy was taken in 1928.  Feda and Daddy were married November 22, 1925.

Gale and Marietta Gerow 1957

This is the only set of grandparents that I remember and remember them I do, I could write a book about these loving people.  Like my one daughter (Susan) tells me, there is nothing like the love from a grandparent and that is so true!!

Grandma told me it was a snowy cold day when Mr. Bush brought the tiny baby to their door and asked them if they would keep her (my mother) until after the funeral.  My grandparents had been married for five years and had not been able to have any children and therefore, they were delighted to have a baby in the house.  The baby girl didn't have a name, so Grandpa started calling her "sweet thing".  I remember sitting in the big wooden rocking chair with Grandma when she told me this story and she snuggled me close to her as she retold the story.  She said when she took that bundle of warm baby from Mr. Bush, the thought went through her mind, how could she ever give it back?

After the funeral Mr. Bush returned and Grandma was heart broken knowing she had to give the baby back, but God had other plans, Mr. Bush asked my grandparents if they would be willing to raise her for their own, and you know the answer to that.  They were delighted to have a daughter of their own.  Grandma was reading a book and the main character in the book was Ethlyn and that is how mother got her first name and her middle name for for her deceased mother, Neva.  Three years later Grandma Gerow delivered her own first child.

Gerow Siblings

Left to Right:

Grandma Gerow, Ethlyn Gerow Goodwin, Eloise Gerow Drew, Lucille Gerow Beeman, Norma Gerow Plumley, and Ardys Gerow Hazelton.  This picture was taken at the last place Grandpa and Grandma Gerow lived on the Bryant Road in Charleston Township in 1948.

Burt and Ethlyn Bush Gerow Goodwin

This is a picture of my parents when they were married in January 1934.  I can't say much about the day, other than I have been told that it was a terrible day weather wise and there were ruts in the roads and it made travel really difficult.  They were married in the parsonage in Whitneyville.

My brother and me.

Now you have the majority of the main character of the stories, so hopefully this will help you as we continue on with the stories to come.  I will add pictures that are pertinent to stories as we go along.

The Beginning

This is the house where it all began for me.

Charleston Township - early 1940

I am a lady that was born on a rural dairy farm in the early 40's in northeastern Pennsylvania to a Christian family.  My parents had a love for the land and the animals that God entrusted to their care.  We were surrounded by many cousins, aunts. uncles and grandparents along with neighbors that took an interest in us and shared the good and the bad times with us.

It is my hopes that with this blog, I can recapture some of those stories that were told at threshing time, ladies aides, church gatherings, grange meetings, milk meetings, family gatherings, holiday meals, and just little snippets of things that are stored in my memory that might be of interest to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren at a later time.

My parents purchased this home in Catlin Hollow in the late 30's and started to work on the farm, clearing the land.   From what I understand, the house didn't have any windows and that was the first task, no inside plumbing. The farm they purchased was originally the McInroy Farm and had not been occupied for many years.  In my research of Catlin Hollow, the McInroy Family was among the first families to settle in Catlin Hollow.  My mother was currently working at Corning Glass and attending college in Mansfield and trying to help my father.  It sounded like a busy household back then.

The barn with the milkhouse to the left.

My parents started farming with a team of horses, and my Grandpa Gerow always said that my mother was really good with a team, as she was the oldest in her family of five girls, so she learned at an early age to work the team.

This is Dutch and Ned the horses and cousin Eugene; they are getting ready to spread manure.

This is a beginning of the story I hope to continue as I find time to post, hopefully it will be of interest to my family members over the years.  I know I have enjoyed my rural upbringing and have wonderful memories of my parents and brother.