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Sunday, August 23, 2015

Gramdmother Gertie

Today, my grandmother, Gertrude Marion Manning, would have been 117 years old.  She was born in August 23,1898.


Yesterday, I attended a family reunion which our family still has each year, at or around the  time of my Grandmother's birthday. She is still honored and remembered.  And now, we can say that we have honored her for generations, as her great, and great-great grandchildren emerge.


Yesterday, I had brought with me several folders that belonged to my late father, which was a collection of family genealogy, news-clippings, certificates and information.  As we all poured through the folders, I discovered a hand-written account which unmistakably bore my grandmother's writing.  It was an account of Grammy and Grampa's honeymoon, which began on May 1, 1919.  Following is Gertie's account as it appears in cursive.  I have not changed the punctuation or spelling to preserve it's authenticity. See notes, below for some extra information.

Thursday May 1st, 1919
Married at 1:30 P.M. by Rev. Geo. W. Peck Jr.  Horace Hinckley and Marjorie LaFond attended us.  Reception with 60 friends and relatives present.  Ice cream and cake were served.  We left amid a storm of confetti and rice.  Old shoes, tin pans and signs decorated the car driven by Earl Pearsons.  Arrived at Pearson's cottage at Chittenden at 3:45 P.M.  Menu.  French fried potatoes, fried eggs, cocoa, cake, bread, butter and pickles.  Lunch at 9 P.M. cocoa, cake and grape-nut.  Bed at 9:30 P.M.

Friday May 2nd. 1919
Arose at 8:30.  Breakfast at 9:30 a.m. Menu.  Grape-nut, pancakes, maple syrup, coffee.  Sat in Davises boat greater share of morning.  Percy went to Slab City at 12 N.  Came back at 2:30 P.M.  Got lost went 1 miles out of way.  Dinner Menu.  Mashed potatoes, fried toast, olives, pickles, tea and cake.  Went after water.  Lunched in P.M. on C.C.C.  Chocolates and oranges.  Supper at 7 P.M.  Menu. Tomato Soup, ala Bolonia, bread, butter, cocoa, lemon jello c̅ whipped cream, almonds and English walnuts.  Married life in Camp certainly agrees with Percy's appetite.  Lunch .  Bread and Butter, Lemon jello and oranges. Bed at 8:30 P.M. Slept fine with the exception of hearing what we thought was rats running around but proved to be rain on the roof.

Saturday.  May 3rd, 1919
Arose at 9:30 a.m.  Breakfast at 10:30 a.m.  Menu.  Grape nu, oranges, coffee, egg on toast.  Percy ate 3.  Walked out a-round woods.  Dinner at 3:30 P.M.  Walked down to Aaron Congdons and telephoned home.  Menu for dinner.  Steel Head trout, cheese sandwiches, fried potatoes, lemon jello, tea, bread and butter.  Supper at 7 P.M.  Menu.  Tomato Soup, Pears, Bread and butter, cake and cocoa.  Bed at 8:30 P.M.

Sunday May 4th 1919.
Arose at 9 a.m.  Breakfast at 10 a.m.  Menu.  Grape-nut, pan cake and syrup and coffee.  Rowed in Davises boat walked around woods.  Had dinner early as we expected Pearsons after us.  Got home at 4:30 P.M.  Stayed home all night.  Monday P.M. began keeping house at 234 South Main St. Rutland, VT.  Same day that the flying Circus visited Rutland.

Percy and Gertie
Notes:

I can only assume that Percy and Gertie were married at the Baptist Parsonage (or the Baptist Church) in Rutland, as I have located many references to Rev. Geo. W. Peck Jr., officiating in the same capacity for others in that same year.  It's location, today, (I believe) is that of the First Baptist Church on Center Street in Rutland.

I love my Grandmother's comments about new married life and her husband's appetite.

The letter c with a line over it means, "with"; It means "with". It's from the latin, "cum" (pronounced coom).




How my Grandparents met from my father's account. 

My grandmother was riding either a trolley or a train in Rutland with her parents and her sisters.  Apparently, Percy spotted my grandmother and followed them.  The story goes, he followed them home, and my grandmother's parents were cordial.  He courted Gertie for a short time, before they were married.  I guess you could say that Percy had been struck by the proverbial thunderbolt!


My grandmother's mother was Maude Marion Eddy, born December 13, 1881, and died in 1973.

Maude Manning
Her father was Fredson Ellsworth Manning, who was born on December 16, 1877.

Maude Marion was the daughter of Daniel Webster Eddy (of the famous Eddy Brothers of Chittenden, VT) and Josephine Rivers. Here is their wedding certificate:


My grandmother married Percy Herman Hinckley in 1919.  Percy was born on June 13, 1896.

Percy's mother was Jennie E. Bailey (born in Rutland, no other record mentioned), and his father was Jessie H. Hinckley born in Clarendon, in 1873.