ANCESTOR NO. 6: VIOLA BERTHA BRUGUIER - IN HER OWN WORDS

 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 doors to the bedrooms were closed, so the rest of the family could be warm. I had pneumonia and that was probably the treatment they used at the time. Don’t really know how old I was and it was my first recollection of life.

               We lived over my father’s pharmacy which stood on an apex, our street no. was 431 Lafayette St. It was a big apartment with a large kitchen and a coal range. The dining room was large & also the “parlor,” which was only used on Sundays because it was furnished with beautiful furniture. I recall a chair painted gold which stood in a corner which was odd as it really was unusual, dainty & not too strong but really quite elegant. Then there was a sofa, upholstered, like a love seat and others I can’t recall. The general appearance was so attractive, more for entertaining, probably the reason we saved it for Sundays where my Mother & Father read the Sunday papers and we read the funnies, like the “Katzenjammer Kids” etc. Another thing comes to mind about the parlor, which I’m sure was furnished with my father’s excellent taste. He was of French & German extraction, mostly French I’d say, with a quick temper but also a soft heart. He had been educated in a private school & went on to “City College of New York,” now Columbia University, I now believe. He came from an affluent family, used to the good things in life. My Mother’s family had a struggle I feel, so when she married my father, I feel everyone thought how lucky she was.

               About the parlor, one scene I’ll never forget – when my grandfather, Francis Bruguier died, his coffin was placed on the left wall next to the door where you entered the parlor and an American flag was draped over his lower body with the words inscribed “Lincoln Post.” I remember peeking over the top & seeing him so still but it never occurred to me to be frightened, it just was something that happened & I was just curious. He had served in either the Civil War or the Spanish American? He was a very tall man, as was my other grandfather, Robert Feldweg, my mother’s father. So that’s where my brothers Harold & Warren got their height. Oscar (Bob) was of medium build, like my father.

               The 2nd time I was conscious of being a person, was when I was 4 yrs. old. My mother took me across the street to a “dry goods store” where I met Anita Faatz, whose father worked behind the counter. She was 5 in March and I wouldn’t be 5 until Nov. but the grown-ups decided we would start kindergarten at the same time. I looked at Anita & she at me and I realized she was my first “girl-friend” to be. When school started in September and I was in a higher grade, I used to call for her at her home across the street from ours. She was always having hot cereal & cocoa, whereas we had a “Continental” breakfast of a hard roll & coffee – half milk on winter mornings.

               Sundays we walked, my brothers & I to the 6^th Presbyterian Church, long blocks away to Sunday School. After S. School I climbed the steps of a candy store, where a bell rang when you opened the door. Usually I bought 2 cents worth of taffy either white, pink or chocolate from my allowance of 2 cents a week. How good it tasted!

               I remember 4^th grade very vividly. Miss Clark a white haired woman with dark brown eyes, who seemed to pierce through you, figuring you out. She wore high-necked blouses with a ruffle I think around the top & I think she was near to retiring, but I liked her. School came hard to me as my mother said I had pneumonia 5 times before age 6, so I must have missed some classes & unless you made up for them, you missed the beginning of certain subjects, like arithmetic, especially. However, I made up for it later as I must have applied myself to it. I liked geography where we drew maps & covered the mountains with probably sugar, flour & water to make a paste. When I was probably 4 or 5 yrs. old, we went to a farm in Sussex County. The family’s name was “Parker” and my mother earned a well-deserved rest bringing up a big family. We sat under big shady trees & amused ourselves playing all sorts of games & making hats from newspapers, which were easy to make. Half the fun of going away for the summer was a week before school ended, the trunks were brought down from the attic and each day my mother added clean clothes all ironed & folded. The day after school closed, we walked to the train station a few long blocks away & climbed on train and later changed trains for Vernon, N.J. where we were met by the famer with a “buckboard” which we perched upon, with our legs dangling down. We must have needed cushions but we just sat on the hard buckboard & oh how glad we were to get off to stretch our legs.

               Oh! What wonderful food we had there all summer. Fresh vegetables from their garden, fresh fruit from their trees and oodles of blueberries & black raspberries, plus delicious chicken dinners & fresh corn on the cob and homemade pies and homemade ice cream on Sundays. I forget how many summers we spent there – I think it was the year Alma got “Malaria,” so my father decided it would be the last time there because “Malaria” was something to be worried about in those days.

               The next 4 years my Father rented a brand new home in “Water Witch,” N.J. where we had a grand time, walking down to the Shrewsbury River & learned to swim a bit & sit on the sand. I wasn’t much of a swimmer, (self-taught) but learned enough to swim out to a nearby scow, where all of the kids swam too & when they got bored, swam back to the beach again to dry off. It was “Water Witch” where my sister Irene – 3 yrs. older than I, met her 1^st boy-friend from Richmond Hill, N.Y. Albert E. Field. The Fields had a big house right on the river with a huge living room & a balcony upstairs, where all the bedrooms were. Well, to get started on “Bert” he came to call on Irene to take her to the movies, I guess, attired in white “knickers” & a Navy blue jacket and white shoes and with his “fire-red” curly hair, we all oohed & ahhed & thought he was a “dandy.” They “went together” about 10 years before they got married because he had to finish High School, College, where he took up Dentistry & after he established his practice on the 1^st floor of his parents’ large house. They finally got married. Love in bloom! They lived on one of the upper floors where they had an apartment. They had a very happy marriage. His father was a “Radium Specialist,” (Dr. C. Everett Field) and he had his own hospital in New York City.

               When I was about 15 years old I went with my best friend, Marge Way, down to Ocean Grove, N.J. with her Mother chaperoning us and we had a wonderful time. Marge & I were good friends until she passed away at about 55 yrs. of age. Well, I am getting ahead of my story. I remember seeing the horse-cars in N.Y. I think it was on West St. across from the piers where the ferry boats docked.

               Will always remember my father’s Talcum Powder factory (really a big house, not a factory) which he called “Bel Bon.” The Brewers, the Hensler family lived across the street from us and had a “grand” house we thought. They had a maid or 2 and when one of the Hensler boys were married, “Ma & Pa” were invited to the wedding. Such a fuss. My mother had a beautiful dress made. I think it was rose-colored and my father looked so handsome in his tuxedo, that when they left, looking so elegant we thought, we all stood around with our eyes opened wide, taking in this spiffy occasion!

               My father was tied down with such long hrs. although he had a “relief clerk” called Peter O’Loughlin who came in several days a week. Every Tues. night, to my recollection, my father took my mother to “Achtel-Stetters” where the food was supposed to be excellent & then they went to the theatre, I forget the name, with some musicals, jokers & such. So at least my mother didn’t have such a hard life with 8 children, the 8^th being born about 7 years later than Warren, I believe (La Verne). My father had decided to move away from our “flat” over the pharmacy because we needed more room with such a growing family.

               To get back to the Talcum Powder factory, when it was first established, the Henslers offered to “back” my father in his new venture “Bel Bon” and they hired a Sales Manager and 1^st thing we knew they purchased a lavender or purple van which delivered orders. On the side of it was painted a big bouquet of violets and it was really attractive. At the exposition for mfrs. at the Newark Armory, the Bel Bon Co. had a boot & gave out as souvenirs, fans that resembled a bouquet of violets, with a handle to fan yourself in hot weather. Remember – they didn’t have air-conditioning those days. On the back of the fan it said

“The thing that goes the farthest

With making life worthwhile

That costs the least & does the most

Is just a pleasant smile.

It’s full of worth and goodness

If given with good intent

It’s worth a million dollars

But doesn’t cost 1 cent.”             

                                             Anonymous

 

There, I had [to] go back in time when I learned this – 10-12 years old.

But the Sales Mgr. was so freely spending Pa’s money to promote the Bel-Bon Co. French name meaning “Beautiful,” that he decided to take his formula that he concocted, so that was the end of the Bel-Bon Co. My French father had a temper & wouldn’t let anyone to do as they wanted, without his consent. It was said he could have made a million with his formulas. Also made a “lotion of rosewater & glycerin – called Rose Cream Lotion” which were sold at a profit but not like Bel Bon.

               I graduated from East Side High School, near where we use to live called “Down Neck” at 17 yrs. of age & 2 days after I graduated, started working for a Law Firm, called Lehlbach Johnson & Ormond. I took dictation & sometimes Judge Johnson called me into his office to take a letter. I was so scared of him because he was a Judge. Then after 3 months there, Marge Way, one of my best friends, called me up & said her boss in N.Y. needed another Sec’y & would I like the job. $25.00 a week & a commutation ticket which cost nothing. Marge worked for the Jersey Central Railroad on Liberty & West St.s I went by train & ferryboat across the river to the Coal & Iron Bank Bldg. where the Railroad had its executive offices. I was secretary to the Asst. Secy & Treas of the Jersey Central R.R. for almost 2 yrs. but started as being sec’y to the Credit Manager of the R.R. for 2 or 3 yrs. After lunch (we bagged it & ate in Schraffts on Broadway only on Pay Days where we always ordered Chicken a la King probably & a hot fudge sundae with almonds. What a treat it was! The day we took our lunch from home, we eat in our file room & then take a walk down Broadway to Wall St. and we could see the difference. It was the financial district & we probably passed many well known financiers there. Marge left to take another job in N.J. to avoid the long trip to New York. I stayed another year, but it wasn’t the same. We had fun talking over our dates & every Thurs. a.m. picked up the Saturday Evening Post for 5 cents & enjoying reading it.

               The thing that really appealed to me was getting passes on the R.R. to go to the seashore on week-ends. As I became 19 years old, Blanche Scully from East Orange and a co-worker got passes to go to Quebec, Canada. We took a “sleeper” in N.Y. & arrived in Montreal during the day, then took a ship up the Saugenay River (I think that’s what it was called) [Saguenay; but the St. Lawrence River goes from Montreal to Quebec City ] sleeping in a berth & arriving in Quebec the next a.m. It was a beautiful city with cobblestone streets & the lovely Chateau Frontenac is where we had breakfast & then had lunch at a French restaurant at noon. Later we boarded the ship again & arrived in Montreal, which we had no time to shop, etc. & back again to N.Y. by having a stateroom, upper & lower & arrived next a.m. in New York, just in time for work. Saw so much in a week-end & it only cost us for our berths – the trip taken with our passes. The longer one was employed, the farthest one could go. Blanche stayed there for some years later & traveled all over the U.S. on a “pass.”

Met Herb Downs at a dance downtown the night I had a date with Henry Sorenson, a nice fellow – quiet but who everyone liked. Herb cut in & thought that was the last of him, but he called & asked for a date a week later. We went to “Meadowbrook” a dance place out of the City, driven by Stuart Major. He and Hub were friends for a long time but I think his best friend was [space] who went to West Point so when we got married, we wanted him to be our “Best Man” but he was stationed in Hawaii I think & couldn’t come to our wedding, which was on March 19^th 1926. Alice Hagaman was one of my bridesmaids & also Marge Way. I gave them darling (expensive) mesh evening bags as my attendants. We wanted to be married in Nov. 1925 but Mom says “why not wait till spring –“ (they needed my paycheck  because Pa only worked as a “Relief Clerk” at “Rausch’s” on Springfield Ave). I wore Irene’s dress of white satin & beaded sunburst bought in Paris by buyer of Bamberger’s Dept. store in Newark, who was going on a buying trip to Newark & Irene knew her. Borrowed my veil from Anna Vreeland (not the same as Ann Vreeland) who I met at the “Celluloid Co” in downtown Newark where I could walk to. Was Secy. to the Sales Mgr. but only worked for 6 months because I married. He came from the “Oranges” & was attractive, college-educated & if I wanted to, could have made a “play” for him, but being shy, didn’t attempt to as I was affianced to Hub Downs known as “cute.” I was really too young to get married, no experience with men but disliked working. Perhaps I should have been a “Librarian” because I liked books so much.”