Fruits of One Tree

 I am fortunate to have my grandmother’s account in her own words. I have transcribed it in full here, because her handwriting was a little difficult to read unless you are used to it. It was not all written at one time. The last part shows her hand was shaky. The use of capitals, dashes and quotation marks is hers. It was written between 1898 and 1991. “                                           My Life                I was born on Nov. 11 th 1902. Long ago and far away, - not so far – in Newark, N.J. about 200 miles from here, Lancaster, Pa. My first recollection was waking up in an iron crib in a living room, with the upper part of the windows pushed down so all the cold air could come in. All the d...

My mother’s father was Herbert Eugene Downs. After her divorce, he stepped in to assume the role of a father figure for my brother and me. This is his story. Herbert E. Downs was the fourth child and only son of Eugene Loomis Downs, a salesman, and his wife Laura Eloise Ludlow Downs. I haven’t found anyone else named Herbert in the family. The name is almost unused today but when he was born it was the 34 th most popular name for boys. [1] On April 2, 1903, he was born at home at 22 Ninth Ave. in Newark, N.J., [2] today a long, narrow, brick two story house. [3] The family was listed at that address from 1902-1904 in the city directories. [4] The 1906 directory showed they were living at 42 North Eleventh Street. Eugene’s widowed mother Margaret Timmons Downs and sister Eleanor Margaret Downs also lived with them. [5] Herbert’s older sisters were Mabel Edna, born May 30, 1892, Ethel May, born June 16, 1894, and Dorothy Eloise (Dot), born Dec. 15, 1897. [6] Eugene must have...