Wywiady Klubowe: Rozmowa z Izabelą Hasan

Dlaczego Wywiady? Po to, by pokazać światu, że mimo oczywistych spraw, które nas, Klubowiczki, łączą (pochodzenie, język ojczysty itd.), każda z Polek na Obczyźnie jest inna, wyjątkowa. Po prostu wspaniała!

W trzecim lipcowym Wywiadzie gościmy Izę, która również jest częścią internetowej społeczności Klub Polki na Obczyźnie.

Powiedz nam Izo, gdzie jest Twoje miejsce w Polsce?
 
Pochodzę z Rzeszowa, studiowałam w Lublinie, mieszkałam też przez parę lat w Warszawie.

Jak dawno temu wyjechałaś z Polski?

Wyjechałam z Polski w 2013 roku.

 Kraj / przyczyna Twojej emigracji...

Wyemigrowałam do Bahrajnu. Zawsze kochałam podróże i przez wiele lat marzyłam o mieszkaniu za granicą. Bahrajn od ponad 10 lat zajmuje szczególne miejsce w moim sercu, właśnie wtedy byłam tam po raz pierwszy i postanowiłam, że kiedyś tam zamieszkam.

Co nam powiesz o Twoim wykształceniu?

Studiowałam historię sztuki na Katolickim Uniwersytecie Lubelskim, niestety mimo ukończenia 5 lat, do dziś nie posiadam tytułu magistra. ;)


Czym zajmujesz się na co dzień?

Obecnie jestem w Polsce, przyjechałam 3 miesiące temu, żeby urodzić synka, którym się teraz zajmuję :) W Bahrajnie założyłam wraz z mężem szkołę sztuk walki, oraz wegański katering.

 Jakie jest twoje hobby / co lubisz robić w czasie wolnym?

Mam dość szerokie zainteresowania, jeśli chodzi o strefę fizyczną to przede wszystkim kick-boxing, ale też joga i ćwiczenia siłowe. Poza tym interesuje mnie ruch Zero Waste, minimalizm, slow life, ostatnio również uczę się szyć.

O sztukach walki jeszcze w Wywiadach nie było! Przyznaję, że szycie jest mi znacznie bliższe. 😀


Z czego jesteś dumna?

Jestem dumna ze swoich rodziców, którzy są cudowni i zawsze mogę na nich liczyć, ze swojego męża, który jest utalentowanym sportowcem z mnóstwem osiągnięć, a teraz również z synka, który jest jeszcze mały ale już jest super gościem. :)

Gratulujemy narodzin synka i wspaniałej Rodziny. 👍😘 

Kiedy zaczęłaś pisać bloga / o czym piszesz na blogu?

Do prowadzenia bloga podchodziłam kilka razy, od dawna wiedziałam, że chcę i lubię to robić, ale gdzieś tam po drodze gubiłam się w tym, o czym chcę pisać, kończyłam i zaczynałam od nowa i tak kilka razy. Obecny blog ma już prawie 3 lata, próbuję też swoich sil na YouTube. Poruszam tematy związane z Bahrajnem, ale też z ruchem Zero Waste, można u mnie znaleźć również coś o minimalizmie i slow life.

Bardzo spodobał mi się Twój makijaż (video na YouTube), czy malujesz się sama? Może nie tylko mnie zainteresowałaby informacja, np. pod koniec video, na temat tego jakich kosmetyków użyłaś do wykonania konkretnego makijażu. 🙎

Czym jest dla Ciebie Klub Polki?

Klub Polki to przede wszystkim grupa super kobiet, na które zawsze można liczyć. Dla mnie to cudowne uczucie, że bez względu na to, co dzieje się w moim życiu zawsze wiem, że mogę się w klubie wyżalić, poprosić o radę, a nawet pośmiać do łez ;). To naprawdę jedyna w swoim rodzaju grupa ludzi.

Co jeszcze chciałabyś nam powiedzieć o sobie?

Zapraszam na swojego bloga Isia's World, Instagram: @isiasworld oraz kanał YouTube.

IZABELA HASAN

Izo dziękujemy za rozmowę i życzymy wszystkiego najlepszego!

William Monroe Howard and Isabell Angel

William Monroe Howard was born to Rachel Belzora Howard (nee Stimson) and William James Howard on August 19, 1861, in McKinney, Collin County, Texas. William's parents came to Texas from Virginia in the 1850s.

According to United States Census (1) records made on June 1, 1870, William age 8 lived in Texas, Collin, Precinct 5 with his parents William (35) and Belle Howard (32), and siblings Jennie (7), Rachel (5), Lee (3), and Samuel (8 months).

At the age of 21, on August 23, 1882, William (called also Billie) married Isabell Angel who was 21 years old as well. William and Isabell were born almost on the same day, William was only 2 days older than his wife. Isabell's parents were Marcus Lafayette Angel (Anglea) and Mammie Erena Angel born Jones. The young bride was called Bell by her relatives.

Two years after the marriage, on September 1, 1884, their first daughter Dora Bell was born.

The second daughter of William and Isabell's came into this world on  August 1, 1889, in Allen, Collin, TX. They called her Geneva Clementine.

When Billie and Bell were 35, on April 30, 1897, their son Walter James Howard was born.

I have not found any information on other children born to William and Isabell. Maybe they had three kids only although couples tended to have many more at that time.

William and Isabell age 44 - their 21-year-old Dora Bell got married on September 6, 1905. Her husband was a year younger Charles Abbott Emerson.

A few years later, on June 2, 1909, the family celebrated the wedding of the other daughter of Monroe and Bell's, Geneva. Her spouse was William Bryant Miller (b. Nov. 12, 1883 in Tupelo, Mississippi), a son of Rev. Samuel Miller and Martha Elizabeth Moore.

Clipping source: Perkins, Tom W. & Wilson, Walter B. The Weekly Democrat-Gazette (McKinney, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 10, 1909, newspaper, June 10, 1909; McKinney, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth857136/: accessed June 7, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Collin County Genealogical Society.

In the same year, William got seriously ill. It was typhoid. Unfortunately, he passed away due to heart complications related to the disease which is stated in his death certificate. William died on September 10, 1909, at the family house in Frisco.  The death certificate says he passed away at 12, although it does not specify whether it was in the morning or at night.

Clipping source: Perkins, Tom W. & Wilson, Walter B. The Weekly Democrat-Gazette (McKinney, Tex.), Vol. 26, No. 33, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 16, 1909, newspaper, September 16, 1909; McKinney, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth857114/: accessed April 11, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Collin County Genealogical Society.


He was buried at Rowlett Creek Cemetery in Plano, Collin County, Texas.

As you can see in the above photograph, William's middle name curved on the stone is misspelled.

Walter James, the son of Bell and Will's, was registered during WW1. First, during the draft (2), the second time, at the end of his naval service (3).

Isabell Howard died years later, when she was 66, on May 3, 1928.

Clipping source: O'Neill, Matt E. The Frisco Journal (Frisco, Tex.), Vol. 27, No. 13, Ed. 1 Friday, May 11, 1928, newspaper, May 11, 1928; Frisco, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth507710/: accessed June 7, 2019), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Collin County Genealogical Society.

As for the children 

• Dora Bell suffered from cancer for nine months and passed at home (the house in Dallas still exists) on April 11, 1948 (4).
• Geneva Clementine lived 79 years, she died in McKinney (that house still exists as well) on June 10, 1968 (5).
• Walter James relocated to California. He passed away in San Diego on March 14, 1956 (6). 

Resources: 

1. "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-DTF9-CGM?cc=1438024&wc=92K5-PTT%3A518656001%2C519606001%2C518724401 : 22 May 2014), Texas > Collin > Precinct 5 > image 13 of 58; citing NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZX9-QWC : 13 March 2018), Walter J Howard, 1917-1918; citing Collin County no 1, Texas, United States, NARA microfilm publication M1509 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,952,405.
3. "Texas, World War I Records, 1917-1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV18-83CX : 9 March 2018), Walter James Howard, 18 Jul 1918; citing Military Service, Dallas, , Texas, United States, Texas Military Forces Museum, Austin.

4. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K39G-HV2 : 13 March 2018), Dora B Emerson, 11 Apr 1948; citing certificate number 16124, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,218,862. 
5. "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KS1F-KSQ : 13 March 2018), Geneva Clementine Miller, 10 Jun 1968; citing certificate number 40161, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,137,029. 
6. "California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPWQ-DQZ : 26 November 2014), Walter James Howard, 14 Mar 1956; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

Credits:
The photo of the gravestone: courtesy of Mr. Howard Case 

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Family Lunch at Joe T's

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Family Lunch at Joe T's: Some time ago, we had a family lunch at Joe T Garcia's which is one of our favorite food places. It was a very enjoyable meeting and quite a feast too. ...

Wywiady Klubowe: Rozmowa z Danutą Łazarczyk

Gruzja nieodmiennie kojarzy mi się z jedną z moich ulubionych piosenek Filipinek, 'Batumi'. Ciekawe, czy była tam Danuta, która w Gruzji mieszkała i od jakiegos już czasu czeka na nasze Klubowe spotkanie online.

Witaj Danusiu! Jak zwykle zaczynamy od zapytania o Twoje miejsce w Polsce...

Pochodzę z Polski Zachodniej, a dokładnie z Gorzowa Wielkopolskiego. Gdybym jednak mogła wybierać miejsce urodzenia, wskazałabym Dolny Śląsk z jego niesamowitymi formami skalnymi, zamkami, pałacami i krzyżami pokutnymi.


Jak dawno temu wyjechałaś z Polski?

Pierwszy raz na dłużej wyjechałam z Polski na Bałkany w latach 2009-2011, choć nie był to jeszcze wyjazd docelowy. Potem była Skandynawia (2011), Gruzja (2012-2014) i Turcja (2015). Chwilowo znowu jestem w Polsce, ale nie powiedziałam chyba jeszcze ostatniego słowa. ;-)

Kraj/ kraje / przyczyna Twojej emigracji...

Przyczyna moich wyjazdów była zawsze ta sama- praca. Jestem ekspertem od zintegrowanego zarządzania granicami, a fachowcy w tym zawodzie potrzebni są głównie w krajach, które dopiero dostosowują swoje przepisy i procedury do standardów przyjętych w naszym regionie Europy. Stąd moje wyjazdy na Bałkany oraz długi pobyt w Gruzji i Turcji.

Kilka słów o Twoim wykształceniu...

Ukończyłam prawo, ale nie czuję się prawnikiem. Gdybym dzisiaj wybierała studia, byłaby to raczej lingwistyka lub turystyka.

Jakie jest Twoje hobby / co lubisz robić w czasie wolnym?

Uwielbiam czytać książki, pracować w ogrodzie, chodzić z kijkami na nordic walking. Uwielbiam też móc wypić dobrą, pachnącą kawę i po prostu nic nie robić.

'Po prostu nic nie robić' - jak dla mnie brzmi super. 😊

Z czego jesteś dumna?

Jestem dumna z tego, co osiągnęłam w moim zawodzie, bo mało jest w nim kobiet. A najbardziej jestem dumna z tego, że wszędzie, skąd odchodziłam, pozostawiałam dobre wspomnienia i ludzi, którzy do dziś o mnie pamiętają.

Kiedy zaczęłaś pisać bloga / o czym piszesz na blogu?

Prowadzę dwa blogi - jeden o wszystkim, co związane jest z Gruzją, a drugi o wszystkim, co związane jest z Turcją. Powstały podczas mojego pobytu w tych krajach, a wzięły się stąd, że łatwiej było mi pisać o różnych sprawach na blogu, niż tłumaczyć każdemu z osobna, co się ze mną dzieje i jak wygląda życie za granicą.

Czym jest dla Ciebie Klub Polki?

Klub Polki to miejsce, w którym znajduję mnóstwo informacji z całego świata podawanych nie w formie gazetowej, ale przez osoby, które gdzieś były i cos przeżyły. To także miejsce, w którym można poplotkować, poszukać porady czy inspiracji.

Co jeszcze chciałabyś nam powiedzieć o sobie?

Od kilku lat maniakalnie zbieram wydania „Małego Księcia” z całego świata. Mam już około 270 egzemplarzy, a kolekcja stale rośnie.

Bardzo lubię „Małego Księcia”! Gdzie przechowujesz egzemplarze swojej kolekcji? Czy masz na to osobne pomieszczenie?

Kolekcja na początku mieściła się w małej drewnianej szafce, ale w miarę uzupełniania zbioru o kolejne egzemplarze jasnym stało się, że potrzebne jest inne miejsce. Mój Mąż wymyślił zatem i własnoręcznie wykonał piękną wnękę z półkami, na których mogę ustawiać wszystkie egzemplarze. Mam jeszcze wolne dwie półki, więc mogę spokojnie powiększać kolekcję!

Adresy moich blogów:

Gruzja okiem nieobiektywnym: innagruzja.blogspot.com
Turcja okiem nieobiektywnym: innaturcja.blogspot.com

DANUTA ŁAZARCZYK

Danusiu, super pomysł z tą półką. Gratulujemy pomysłowego i zdolnego męża!  Pozdrawiamy szanownego małżonka. 🙋


Do kolejnego spotkania i przeczytania w Wywiadach!

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Peach Cobbler Experiment

In The Kitchen With Tobo: Peach Cobbler Experiment: Cobblers are not popular in Poland. Actually, I did not hear about them when I lived there. I learned about them when I moved to Texas. Last week, my husband brought home some fresh peaches (which were 'straight from a peach tree') and asked me to make a peach cobbler...

Have You Ever Collected Any Items?

Have you ever collected any items? Maybe you still do? What is it?

When I was little I took up collecting postcards, stamps, pocket calendars and holy cards. Not too mention music cassettes. Then, for many years, I almost forgot about it all. I stopped collecting anything although I did not get rid of what I had gathered. It was stuck somewhere on the shelves. Many years later, I have tried to enlarge my small collection sets. I was not able to take all my aggregation to Texas when I was moving, that is why I had to start from the beginning. Like many other things. It has not been easy, though. Hardly anybody sends postcards these days. It seems pocket calendars have been forgotten as well.

 The Polish Ladies Abroad have supported my collecting tries. Thanks a lot!

 

You will find the links to Our Twins' Drawer Collection pages on the right side of this blog. One drawer is actually too big for our stuff. At least right now. 😊

My Pocket Calendars - visit the page to see some of them + what else in our Drawer is.

My Music ABC: T-Z

Writing about the letter 'S' I forgot to mention someone. I am going to write about all the missed musicians in the following post/posts of My Music ABC series.

Today - T

'Children of the Revolution' by T. Rex was probably their most often played song on the Polish radio. I like some other songs by the band as well but I learned about them later, after the 'Children of the Revolution' hit.



Thin Lizzy and their 'Whiskey in the Jar'. I guess quite a lot of younger music fans most likely do not know that it was the original version of the song, covered later by Metallica and others.

Tangerine Dream - a German electronic music band. Their Kiew Mission is one of # 1s on my Tangerine Dream list.


Classical T

I have always liked the music by Tchaikovsky. However, I first time watched a live ballet performance of his 'Nutcracker' when I came to Texas.

U

Uriah Heep - my all times number one music U.  Do you know that the name of the band has its origin in/was taken from the novel 'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens? In that story, Uriah Heep was actually rather a lousy character, the band, however, wrote and sang so many songs which I really like. Great, epic ballads and more rock pieces too.

V

Vangelis, especially his works created with Jon Anderson. A superb duo and romantic compositions.



Andreas Vollenweider and his magical world of gardens, water falls and his Swiss harp music.

W

Wishbone Ash - wonderful tunes and my music W #1. I fell in love with their songs from the very first time when I heard them. It was 'Errors of My Ways' and others on a cassette with their first album Wishbone Ash. My friend gave that cassette to me when I told her I liked it a lot. She had bought the cassette for a kiss (a real story) from one of her (male) pals.



Jeff Wayne and his "War of the Worlds" - magnificent compositions (absolutely stunning in my opinion) based on the novel by H.G. Wells. I have always enjoyed listening to the musical version of that classic story. The music intro is totally amazing - the words of the novel read by Richard Burton, the string section and all the orchestra sounds, the lyrics of the songs give me goose bumps. It is so great! Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds" reminds me old radio theater shows. While listening to the music pieces, I can almost 'see' it all too. It makes my imagination work and makes me emotional as well. And I need to mention, no sooner had I seen the original concert version than I listened to the music on the radio and on a CD.


I wish I had been able to see it live when it was still performed. Well, Jeff Wayne has been retired now but there are still videos and my CD to enjoy.

Y

When I visited Birmingham, quite unexpectedly, I had a chance to see Yes at their concert rehearsal. I was with a small group of other people and our guide - a Birmingham lady - sneaked us into the concert hall where Yes were working. We watched them from a balcony for a few minutes, then we had to leave of course. It was quite amazing. To be honest, I was surprised that Yes had been still performing. I like their music but (as it is with other bands as well) I have never tracked their career.
The album by Yes which I like most is Drama.

Z

The only non-European band in this post is ZZ Top. I wrote about them in one of My Texas Alphabet pieces.

---

T.Rex - Jeepster, Hot Love, One Inch Rock, Children of the Revolution

Tangerine Dream - Stratosfear, Kiew Mission + the album Exit

Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty

Uriah Heep - Lady in Black, July Morning, Gypsy, Look at Yourself, Easy Livin', Salisbury - album, Sympathy, Come Away Melinda, Tears in My Eyes

UFO - Doctor, Doctor

Jon & Vangelis - albums Short Stories, Friends of Mr. Cairo

Andreas Vollenweider - albums Caverna Magica, Behind the Gardens

Wishbone Ash - Errors of My Ways, Sorrel, Lullaby, Ballad of the Beacom, Warrior, Leaf and Stream, Throw Down the Sword, Persephone, Everybody Needs a Friend

Rick Wakeman - Six Wives of Henry VIII

Yes - Into the Lens/I am a Camera, Love Will Find a Way, album Drama, Owner of the Lonely Heart

ZZ Top - Legs,  Sharp Dressed Man, La Grange, Gimme All Your Lovin'

Wywiady Klubowe: Rozmowa z Gosią Dobrydnio

W tym miesiącu na blogu pojawią się aż trzy Wywiady Klubowe. Lipcową serię zaczyna Gosia, mieszkająca w Szwajcarii.

Gosiu, miło nam, że się spotykamy. Powiec nam skąd pochodzisz, gdzie jest Twoje miejsce w Polsce?

Moje miejsce to od zawsze Podlasie i Rajgród. Małe miasteczko w północno-wschodniej części Polski. Tam się wychowałam i spędziłam 19 lat mojego życia.

Jak dawno temu wyjechałaś z Polski?

Do Szwajcarii z Polski wyjechałam cztery lata temu.

Jaka była / jest przyczyna Twojej emigracji?

Główną przyczyną mojego wyjazdu był R i wkrótce potem pojawienie się naszego syna Antka.

Co nam powiesz o swoim wykształceniu?

Z wykształcenia jestem animatorem społeczno-kulturowym i dziennikarzem radiowym, ale aktualnie nie pracuję w zawodzie.

Czym zajmujesz się na co dzień?

Jestem trochę 'house manager' ;) , mamą, a poza tym pracuję też w spa.

Gosiu, czy masz jakieś hobby / co lubisz robić w czasie wolnym?

W czasie wolnym głównie czytam, pływam, zajmuję się moim małym ogródkiem i dużo jeżdżę rowerem. Lubię też robić zdjęcia.

Z czego jesteś dumna?

Dumna jestem z tego, że odważyłam się wyjechać, urodzić i wychowywać dziecko w obcym kraju. Dumna też jestem z moich dziennikarskich, autorskich warsztatów z dzieciakami z warszawskiej Pragi. Bardzo brakuje mi takich inicjatyw w Zurychu.

Kiedy zaczęłaś pisać bloga / o czym piszesz na blogu?

Pierwszego bloga założyłam w 2002 roku, dosyć długo go pisałam i do tego regularnie! Niestety pod koniec studiów odpuściłam go sobie. Później próbowałam, ale wszystko, o czym pisałam, wydało mi się śmieszne. Ostatni blog jaki udało mi się założyć i od czasu do czasu coś napisać, powstał pod wpływem Was, dziewczyn z Klubu. ;-)

Piszę o moim życiu na emigracji o miejscach, które odwiedzam.
Aktualnie chodzi mi po głowie pomysł totalnego odświeżenia bloga i być może po wakacjach ruszę z nową szatą graficzną. :-)

Czym jest dla Ciebie Klub Polki?

Klub Polek jest dla mnie miejsce spotkań, wymianą poglądów i doświadczeń. Fajnie jest móc podzielić się różnymi spojrzeniami na życie.

Co jeszcze chciałabyś nam powiedzieć o sobie?

Chyba już wszystko powiedziałam, może tylko tyle, że tęsknie za rodziną w Polsce i że emigracja pod tym względem nie jest łatwa.

Dziękuję za uwagę,
pozdrawiam,
Gosia :-) 

Blog Gosi: Życie na emigracji
Instagram: @dobragoshka

My też dziękujemy Gosiu za spotkanie i Twój udział w Wywiadach. Do zobaczenia na stronach Twojego blogu. Pozdrawiamy wzajemnie! 👩

Found in Family Tree: Elder William Brewster

All our ancestors are appreciated - each and every one of them - and I am always pleased when, doing my ancestry research, I manage to come across a new person or a new family connection.
The more I can find out about a certain family member, the greater it feels.  A few times, I have happened to make quite a discovery. How cool it is to find out that a well-known person is part of our family tree!

I was very much surprised when I learned that our direct ancestor (11 generations back) is William Brewster, one of the earliest pioneers and the founders of this country. That 'revelation' made me feel quite excited as I had not expected such a family connection at all.

William Brewster was born in England (circa 1566), not far from Scrooby in Nottinghamshire. His parents were William Brewster Senior and Mary Smythe.

William Brewster junior was a well-educated man, he also spent some time studying in Cambridge.

Brewster worked as a Secretary of State, then he was postmaster at the Scrooby post office. William Brewster was one of the religious reformists who created a Separatist church in England. Due to his religious views, William had to flee with his wife to The Netherlands. They settled in Leiden where Brewster became an elder of his church. He also worked as an English teacher and religious books' publisher. In his works, he criticized the English bishops and the king of England as well. To avoid prosecution, Brewster, his wife Mary, and other members of his church decided to leave to America. In September 1620, they started they voyage to the New World - they left Plymouth in England on the Mayflower ship. They reached the coast of the American continent on December 21, 1620. The group established a colony called Plymouth. William Brewster was the Colony Leader and the Church Elder and preacher. He was later granted some lands near Duxbury and founded a farm there.

He died on April 10, 1644.

An actor depicts Elder William Brewster in Plymouth Plantation

 Mary Brewster - wife of William's - was born around 1569 in England. The couple got married circa 1592 in Nottinghamshire. She arrived on Mayflower with her two youngest children Love and Wrestling.

Mary was one of the five women who survived the first winter in America and one of the fourth ladies who took part in The First Thanksgiving celebrations.

Mayflower - replica built in 1956

Our connection to William and Mary Brewster is their daughter Fear, born around 1606 (Scrooby, Nottinghamshire). She came to America on the ship Anne in 1623.

In (around) 1626 Fear married Issac Allerton, who was also Mayflower passenger. He was born in England about 1586. Fear and Isaac had three children Rose (born circa 1633), Sarah and Isaac.

Proud of our pioneers!


Credits:
Photo #1: By Becurry (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons,
Photo #2: wikitravel:user:OldPine [CC BY-SA 1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

Mom's WW2 Stories: Cemetery & Clogs

My mom was born not long before WW2 started. During the war, she lived with her mother and two years older sister in a port city of Poland, in the war port area.

Opposite the house where mom lived, there was a local cemetery ground. It was the place where she and other Polish children from the neighborhood used to play.  More regular playgrounds were usually occupied by German kids who tended to pick on their Polish contemporaries and call them names as well. Therefore, the cemetery seemed such a good area to play - it was quiet and peaceful. Mom and her pals could have fun there, not being assaulted by others. They played hide-and-seek among the graves and in the tombs. The children were neither afraid of the dead nor any ghosts. However, there was something they were scared of. It was the cemetery groundskeeper. The kids found the German man more terrifying than a ghost as he did not allow them to fool around at the graveyard.

When mom stood close to the cemetery fence, she could see the Baltic Sea and the naval crafts. One time it happened that the sea was on fire when a hospital ship was bombed or hit by a torpedo. The barrels full of petrol which were on the ship exploded. The hospital was on fire and the burning petrol spilled on the sea waters. Then mom saw people - hospital patients - jumping into the flames trying to save themselves.

One day grandma asked her daughters to fetch some fresh grass for their pet rabbit. Well, the best grass grew in the cemetery so mom and her sister went there to pick some green and juicy grass blades. While the girls were busy with getting the food supply for the pet, the cemetery caretaker spotted them. He shouted at them and started running towards the sisters. When the two little ones realized what was going on, they knew it could mean troubles only.

'Run quickly! Run!' - as fast as they were able to, the girls rushed home. Their hearts were beating strong, the inveighing groundskeeper was approaching them...

Luckily, they managed to hide behind their apartment door. Mom was barefoot, though. She had moved her legs so quickly, running back home, she lost the clogs she was wearing.

To your knowledge: during WW2, shoes were not available in stores for Poles. They were for German people only. The Polish could only purchase (if they had enough money of course) wooden clogs. And mom had a pair of her clogs too. She wore them most of the time - all year round - in the heat of the summer and on the freezing winter days too.

And now - disaster - they were gone!

Very soon there was a knocking on the door. It was the cemetery groundskeeper.

Groundskeeper: 'Are your children at home?'

Grandma: 'Yes.'

GK: 'Were they out not long ago?'

G: 'No.'

GK: 'Are these your child's clogs?' He demonstrated the wooden shoes to grandma.

G: 'No.'

GK: 'I will leave them here anyway.'

And he did put mom's clogs on the staircase floor, not far from their apartment door.

What a relief it was - close shave!

The girls not only did not get beaten by the cemetery caretaker, but he also appeared to be not such a bad man at all. And mom got her footwear back!

All in all, it did not change the fact that later, the groundskeeper continued scaring away the kids if they happened to play in the graveyard.

The above photo was taken during the war - the dresses and the girls' sandals were made by their mother, my grandma.

More Mom's WW2 Stories

• Red Box
• Gustloff and Narrow Escape
• Wilie 
• Air Rides, Bicycle and Dugouts
• School
• Hilda, Song and Gestapo Man 
• Grandma Arrested