A little bit about the Thornton’s-- part two

I am not too happy with the job I did on part one. A few years ago I first started writing this blog at my children’s request. The reason they asked me to do it. Is because, they knew little or nothing about my childhood. Other than a few light hearted anecdotes.
The reason I never talked about the subject was that up until about five years ago, I had not come to accept the fact that it was not really, the abomination, that I thought it was.
So in the first Thornton blog, I sort of bragged about my memory. Well in reading the literature I have about the Thornton’s. I could not help but marvel at how much their house in Pa. stacked up, as to how I remember our house in Georgetown.
So at the risk of redundancy, I am going to touch on a few of my childhood memories and how they affected me. And then I will add another article about the Thornton’s to illustrate, what I feel are similarities. And of course leave my memory wide open for second guessing.
My recollection starts, when I was not yet five years old, I am not going to relate all that I recall. Just the gist of the family break up, and what happened to my parents.
Noel and I were removed from the household and placed into an orphanage in Boston Mass. About a year later we placed into the home of Helen Thibedeau in Beverly Mass. as state wards. We were very fortunate to be placed with her; she was my first true love. But the locals did look down their noses at state wards. And I feel as though we were discciriminated. All my time in Beverly, I felt like a party crasher. But this was only with the adults, the church and the schools. As for the kids I grew up with, they accepted me as just another kid. And I have many of them as friends to this day. Although, many are leaving this earth at an alarming pace.
Delice and Adele went straight to a foster home as state wards in Merrimac Mass. And from what I can gather faired quite well.
Harry went straight to a foster home in the cove section of Beverly, Mass and also fared quite well. The family’s name was Tate. And I do believe wanted to adopt him. But Harry being older and much more aware of his Lemp heritage resisted it.
David went to stay with our neighbor the Thompson’s. And from there joined the Air Force at a young age.
As for my Mother and father I can only relate what I have as fragmented hearsay. My mother was a small fragile women who after baring one child after another. Was expected to go right back home and do the tremendously hard work of housekeeper, cook, nurse and the myriad tasks of a mother in a big drafty house with no running hot water or appliances of any kind. I believe she was a victim of postnatal trauma and the trauma of her husband hurting his hands in an electrical accident, and not able to work to support the family. I feel as though she just caved in under the load that was thrust upon her. She ended up spending the rest of her life in the hell hole known as Danvers State Mental Institute. Where she was misdiagnosed and mistreated until her death. In this day and age she would have led a perfectly normal life. As you can see her mother had the same demands on her. But, was of a much more robust physique, and had much more family support. I do not mean to imply that Herman’s siblings, Clara and James and his father Harry would not help. But unlike the Thornton’s, his family did not live near by.
And as we all know, my father, feeling like a complete failure. Selected suicide to get out of a situation that he felt he had no control over.
That’s it in a nut shell, in future blogs I will go back and tell you about each
 of my family individually. But remember, it will be my view.

I chose to add an excerpt from utube to give you some idea of the hellish conditions my mother had to endure at the Danvers State Hospital
I remembering getting up and walking out of the theater during the screening of “one flew over the cuckoo’s nest” I to this day do not think people with any mental issues should be made fun of. All though few will admit it. Every family has someone who needs understanding. Not ridicule.
And as, for genes. The Lemp family has more than it share of over achievers.

                     Old Days in Northeast by Ralph Hartley

                                      “Bring up a Child”
Hiram Thornton was five foot four inches tall and weighed a muscular 175 pounds. Mary, his wife, was five feet tall and weighted maybe 140, depending on whether or not she was with child. For 27 years she was either with child or with baby.
Omer was born June 11, 1892. Ethel was born April 11 1895. Other births: Beatrice, Jan. 25, 1900; Lee and Leah, twins, Oct. 29, 1903; Ilah Nov. 14, 1901, Burton, Nov. 3, 1909; Burlan, Nov. 25, 1910; Ruby, Obt. 26, 1906, Ella 1912; Vera, Aug. 10, 1915; Spencer, Jan 20, 1917; Ruth, May 12 1897.
Omer died of blood poison from a foot injury before age 10. Ruby and Ella died in infancy. Ilah, Lee and Spencer survived. Mary was born March 22, 1873, and lived until April 25, 1955, age 82.
In early married life, Hi and Mary may have stayed with Buel at the Archie Evans farm on Wilson Road. But by 1900, with three children they decided it was time to have their own house. So Hi built a house on one acre of land a short distance west from Buel. Buel may have sold or donated the acre of ground.
It was a practical, no frills house, frame with two stories and a small porch in front. There was a small, earthen floor cellar for storing potatoes or apples. An open air well was dug on the east side close by the kitchen entrance. A large storage room was on the north side with a stoop and plank ramp leading to the door.
The downstairs had a living room, a parlor, and a bedroom, a kitchen and the storage room. Upstairs there were three bedrooms, with walls unplastered. Just the bare necessitates.
Only the parlor had a rug. Other floors were bare boards. Made it easier to keep clean. There were no davenports or stuffed chairs. The cooking was done on a wood-fired kitchen range. The living room was heated with a baseburner using anthracite coal.
When necessary, the boys slept three to a bed, as did the girls. Guests might use a cot in the living room. They hired man slept where he could, doubling up with one of the boys, or using a cot.
Not much new clothes were bought. There were lot of hand-me-down dresses, coats, caps, and trousers, etc. from one child to the younger. Even the uncles chipped in with clothing. Mary had a sewing machine, petal type, and it was kept busy with repairs and clothes making.
As for food, it was plentiful if not fancy. Breakfast often had pancakes with maple syrup and sausage or bacon. Occasionally jonny cake or corn meal mush with syrup was eaten.
The noon meal often had a stew of vegetables and meat. This with a big slice of home-made bread plus a side dish of canned fruit and perhaps apple pie kept the kids going til supper.
Fried potatoes, meat and homemade bread could be had for supper. Hi had a big garden and in season there were always fresh tomatoes, corn on cob, peas, beans, etc. aplenty. If Lee was lucky at fishing or hunting there could be fish or rabbit on the menu.
Hi planted apple trees and apples were left on the ground for winter eating. They seldom froze under the Greenfield snows. There were blackberries from nearby pasture and woods, and strawberries, and nuts from the woods. The Thornton family ate well.
Sometimes one of Hi’s customers would give him a quarter of beef on a past
due bill. This would be hung outside on the rear porch and the cold kept it in good shape in winter weather. There always was a hog to butcher, which provided lard, sausage, hams, and such.

Hi kept a flock of 30 chickens which produced eggs and an occasional rooster dinner with biscuit.
Lee found time to play baseball, swim, and similar boyhood activities, in addition to school, helping at the blacksmith shop and hoeing and weeding the garden. He learned to plow at age 10, and to drive a carriage at age 12. He was a mainstay in the family with all those sisters to look out for. Tending the horses, cows, and such added to his labors.
One activity was severely frowned on by Hi. Once he heard Lee use a cussword when things didn’t go right. Hi invited Lee to the stable where he took a horsewhip and “tickled” Lee’s bare legs. Lee was about 12 and he never forgot that “lesson” He is now 87 and for 75 years you can believe he has never used a swear word.