GRANDPA’S NEW WIFE

At one time my family had a large farm, it reached from the creek, unto the river which was quite a large span. With every generation it shrunk, because each person wanted their share of the land, when the parents died. This went on until my grandfather had what was left. It was now only about forty acres; a barn and a house.

For some reason the big house caught fire, and burned down. Grandpa cut down some trees hauled them to the saw mill and got the needed lumber to build another house. The new house had three rooms that were good size, with beds in the front room, a kitchen with 2 beds, and a catch-all room. Kerosene lamps were for seeing at night, a wood cook stove for cooking, and a fireplace for heating. If you were cold, you stood in front of the fire place and turned around and around, until you were warm. Oh yes, it had a front porch also.

Grandpa had eleven kids, three of which died very young. The other eight lived out their life. Grandma died in her early forties, leaving grandpa with five kids at home, three having gotten married. These were three boys, and two younger girls. The reason I told you this was to show you the situation as it was.

Some time had passed, and my grandpa being in his late forties, was lonesome for female company, with all the trimmings. It wasn't that he didn't have people around, but they were not the kind he needed. He heard about a girl that was single, and was a good prospect for a wife. He managed to get an invite over to pass the time, so he went, and they talked, and become friendly enough for him to be welcome any time.

Now there wasn't any courting going on as some would count courting, but things were progressing. The fact was that everybody knew what was on his mind, even it wasn't being discussed. After many visits, he finally got around to talking to her father about the reason for being there, and he got engaged country style.
Grandpa’s brother was a store keeper and grandpa ask him to pick out a fine gift and wrap it up for his finance, and his brother agreed that he would pick out something nice. Grandpa took the gift, and off he went to see his girl. When he got there he gave her the gift, and all the rest of the family wanted to see what she got.

When she opened the package there was a pair of ladies under drawers in it. Terribly embarrassed, she threw them down, and was not seen for the rest of the evening.

My grandpa was stunned, and couldn't speak or explain, and when one of her sisters picked them up and paraded them around the house, grandpa decided it was time for him to leave.

After a few days the embarrassment subsided, and grandpa went back and proceeded to woo that gal. It was kind of hard to court with the whole family looking at you, but soon after they got married.

Now this is the circumstance, you have just married a young woman age fifteen, and you have three sons, and two daughters living with you. The daughters sleep in the same room with you, three feet away. The boys sleep in the next room whose walls are made of one half inch boards, and you are on your honeymoon.

There was no privacy at all, and enough of this was enough, but what to do. Well grandpa finally told the boys they were going to have to move and get their own place. He didn't feel comfortable having the boys hanging around all day while he was working.

This was in part because they were only a bit older than Annie May his new wife. His young daughters were about her age, and were like sisters to Annie. The boys wouldn't move so grandpa rented him a house, and moved away, taking the girls with him. I can understand grandpa’s feelings. He went on to have four more kids with Annie May for a total of fifteen children altogether, and they were together until he died years later.

He who finds a (second) good wife, finds a good thing!