Slaughter Family Memories

My earliest memories of my grandparents are of spending the night there. While I'm not 100% certain it seems it might have been related to my mother's illness and hospitalization. We slept upstairs in a wonderful bedroom. Most of the time we, Joe and I, played in the basement. I remember she had a blow up dummy that we could hit and it'd bounce back. I also remember riding a toy horse there.
Gertrude Marie Rube Slaughter
Grandma Slaughter visiting her family in the west
My next memory of them was the Halloween when Joe and I had our bags full of candy stolen by some big kids. Inasmuch as I was 4 or 5, the " big kids" may have only been 8 or 9 - they would have seemed big to us. Naturally as little kids our hearts were broken so our father took us to our grandparents who more than made up for the candy lost; the way only a grandmother can do.
Parent's wedding party.
Aunt Pat is on the left in from of her father, Aunt Joyce on the right.

Grandparent's home when I was little
Our grandfather was a silent man. I don't know whether he was an introvert or just found little kids to be more than he could handle. We rarely spoke although he never did anything wrong to us - he never yelled, he never paddled us, he never punished us in any way. Almost all of our interaction was with our grandmother and Aunt Joyce.
Aunt Pat with Parents
Aunt Joyce between her parents probably in the early 1960s
My mom
Before and after our mother died, Aunt Joyce would come by see us on her way home from York Catholic High which was very close to our home. As long as my father was single, her presence, her assistance was welcome. However once my father remarried, none of the Slaughters were ever allowed in our home except under very strict rules established by my new mother.

My parent's wedding
So from my 6th birthday until I was she and my grandfather were allowed to come visit us for 1 hour on our birthday; and we would go to their home for 1 hour every Christmas. Basically our contact with the maternal side of our heritage was limited to 5 hours/year despite living less than 10 miles away. The image is of my grandparent's home, my father, and grandfather apparently watching TV. It was up those stairs that we'd go to sleep.

At the Slaughters on Cottage Place

Upon being able to drive at 17 one of the first changes in my life I adopted was to visit my grandmother (my grandfather had died in 1975) more regularly. One of the funniest things she said to me was something like this "you'd make such a pretty girl with that hair and those legs". She meant it as a compliment, but a 17 year old boy doesn't really know how to react so I laughed and said "Ah Grandma!"


My mother had 2 sisters - Joyce and Pat. As already mentioned Joyce was still in high school when my mother died. Aunt Pat however was married and had 4 children whose birthdays complemented Joe and my birthday's quite well. One of her children was born within hours of Joe. There was an article in the York Dispatch about 2 sisters in labor together and delivering children almost at the same time - Joe was born late on August 30, 1960 and our cousin Cathy early on August 31, 1969.


Unfortunately, because we were not allowed to interact with my deceased mother's family we never developed relationships with our cousins who also lived less than 10 miles away.

Aunt Pat
An exception to the 5-hour/year rule occurred the year each of us turned 16. My grandmother was allowed to hold a birthday party for us. Naturally she invited all of her grandchildren in the area so we were able to interact with them for Mary Ann's birthday as well as Joe's and mine.

359 Holyoke where my grandparents lived until their deaths.
It's fair to say there is are a few trees in the area.
This is where we went for out 16th birthday parties.
My grandmother died in 1985, the year I graduated from college. To my surprise I inherited some money from her - I'd never before (or since) received an inheritance. It was nice to be remembered. I guess it's nearly impossible for a grandmother to forget; especially the children of a deceased child.
Grandma Slaughter
Grandma in a swim suit, something I don't remember ever seeing.


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