General Items of my Life
The following was written by Emily Louisa Hutchinson (née Gee) and is a copy of the text typewritten by her daughter Mary Louise Nielsen (née Hutchinson).
My grateful thanks go to Shirley Dean who is a descendant of Bessie Gee, Emily Louisa Gee’s elder sister for providing me with a copy of this.
On May 27th 1887, at Shrivenham ,Berks, England, a girl was born. Quite small being a twin, the other child being lost at the age of 6 month period. The doctors claim a very unusual thing to lose one and to onto full time with the other.
My earliest recollection being at the station where we lived until I was about 6 ½ years. I remember walking to Shrivenham village and having Emily Williams’s home as my visiting place, also Shooky Standbrook, a real old lady who made me sit still. Also Dr Nixon, he was the family doctor then. One village fair, wanted to swing in the boats and I did so, but was overcome with excitement or the work of swinging the boat and fainted dead away. They carried me to Dr Nixon’s and he revived me and said I must have my beautiful long and thick fair curls cut off. Well. I didn’t then, soon had too being weak from a spell of pleurisy. Mrs. Laurie, the innkeeper’s wife, bought me dainties to tempt my appetite. Ethel Laurie was quite a playmate and I often got into scrapes with and through her. One was I was put on the table while Mother washed the floor and the baker had just left 6 loaves of bread, we tunnelled through one loaf until out hands met, then Mother saw us and Oh My! We knew it believe me. There was a family member called Moss lived in the end house and one day Mrs. Moss was getting Alice ready to go to the nearest town (Swindon Wilts) she (Alice) cut her hair half off (just one side, of course) I was in on that too.
One November 5th, Guy Fawkes Day, Dick set the curtains on fire watching the fireworks by candle light. We had a good blaze. Dad saw it and ran in, he surely worked quickly and dragged all of us and furniture away from the window. Mothers brand new lace curtains were no more!
Another day I sat in the pam of starch. I sure got a licking. Mother was tired and had to strip me and put on a dry set of clothes. You know it was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
I was no 7 to arrive. Bessie came June 3rd 1876, Frederick Richard James (Dick) Jan 29 1878, Alice Mary Mar 1st 1880, Harry Howard May 15th 1882, Rose Ethel April 27th 1884, Alice Ellen Jan 30th 1886, myself, Emily Lousia May 27th 1887, Sidney Victor July 19th 1889, Ernest Willis Oct 21st 1891 Frank Arthur Sept 24th 1893 and Wilfred Walter Dec 16 1895.
I loved flowers and cats, we had lots of flowers. My Father (a big broad and tall man dark curly hair and blue eyes, just over 6 feet tall) loved gardening, so we always had nice flowers and plenty of them, but cats no one wanted them besides little me and I often had one, but never knew how they disappeared. One night , in the summer Dad said he’s lose my kitten and I tried to keep it but, I guess I loved it too tight for it struggled and away from my arms and ran in a bed of Brussel Sprouts. I looked for moths hoping to get her again, but she was gone. We had several dogs. One, “Shot” a terrier, died from eating rat poison.
Mr. Cross, the barber used to come and cut Dad’s and the boy’s hair and teased me he was cutting off my curls. I sat as usual on the stool and let him fix his cloth around my neck thinking it was in fun and Mother and Dad really told him to cut them off. I was broken hearted. They called me Henry 2nd, because with my hair cut off I looked like Harry.
We had our fun watching the trains and passengers, coal was unloaded and sold at the station, also salt. Mr Williams sold salt, so one day Mother sent me for two bars (we used to dry and grind it ourselves) and on repeating the order, I missed (if you please) and so Mother said If, and I went through every “if” I knew before I was told the right one.
Our Cousin, Kate Hawkins, came and visited us once. I thought a town girl was much better than we were.
About 5 years of age I must have gone to school at Bourton on the Hill, quite a long walk, about 2 miles. The school master was a Mr. Phillips. The children nicknamed him “Jumbo Bucket Head” and told me to go and give him a message using the said name, which in all 5 year old innocence I did. Well, I never forget it, was he mad! I’ll say he was and made it hot for those who sent me.
Ben Fouracre was a lively boy, His sister we called “Proud Pidgeon”, while the Hatheralls were boys I liked in school. Alice and Bessie Phillips, also Mrs. Phillips the school masters wife, taught various subject and we has access to their garden which was divided by a wide box hedge from the playground. Bessie taught us to knit wash clothes, we tool lots of flowers and they took the best ones into their living room. This injustice seemed very marked to me I resented this heartily for a little one.
Aunt Bessie, mother’s sister, came to stay with us when Frank was born. Frank was a pretty baby with black curls and brown eyes.
Summer time we visited Grampy Willis’s. I used to think him an aristocratic old gentleman. He was left handed and that amused me. He used to let me comb his hair and called me chatterbox. I guess it was a worthy name for it stuck like a leach.
Bourton on the Hill was a nice little village approached from Shrivenham up a small hill on grade, the school house was at the top of the hill. In one of the school windows was a coloured glass inscription “Perseverance Wins”. These words worried me as how you could win. Some of the fun was made by Lizzie Gerring a rough and ready Irish woman. She was a terror and of course the children were always ready to tease her. Then there was old man Stone’s wife, who said we shook the plates off the plate rail when we jumped on a kind of ledge he had around his house. The 4 elm trees and the pinnacle were out favourite play place.
The trees were so thick that you could keep dry in a storm and the pinnacle had three steps up and we had all kinds of fun there and even then old Mr. Stone claimed we shook his house. Mr. Mansfield was the minister. Such a nice man, Baptist I believe. Then there were friends of Mother and Father and those are all the people I remember by name. Oh no the Wilson’s were the Gardeners family at Bourton House and Dora one of his girls was quite friendly with us. They had a house and the upstairs was one long narrow room, it was used for all public occasions and was known as “Long Room”.
How proud we were when Dad had a promotion and which necessitated our moving to Swindon Wilts, 14 miles away. What a gorgeous time moving with 7 small children at home. Mother went to Grandmothers Gee’s with us and left us there, but she would take the other 6 but, point blank refused the care of me. I guess I’d have been the last straw!! Well, we—Mother and I went to No 5 Whiteman Street and waited for Dad and the furniture to come. (This must have been about February 1984) I was so busy, trying to “help” and getting in their way, they blessed me and Dad got so cross he grumbled to Mother and in desperation they shut me in the font room, but Louie was not to be put off, I was out and under their feet. I know if anyone did that to me I’d feel like knocking them down.
We got settled on…it was a 5-room cottage and Rose, Sid and myself got started in school. I was in Standard One. The teacher and I agreed to differ, so there were fireworks quite often. I couldn’t see her ways and she didn’t bother to get along with me. I was a nervous frightened child and hated to meet people and this was often taken for stubbornness, but I never felt antagonistic to anyone, but often it has been a hardship to meet and get acquainted with new ways and faces. The boys teased me about my F A C E. Oh for years I suffered so when anyone looked at me and smiled, I thought my face made them laugh.
I used to love Maud, Miss Shalcroft’s helper and could work with her as soon as the good weather came. Being an early riser, I went with Dad to his train in the morning which was usually waiting in the siding. He was a ganger and has 24 men to “boss” repairing the railway. On Good Friday, the Private GWR roads were closed to all traffic. Vehicles and pedestrians were all expected to ask the man at the chain or rope for permission to use the road, that was lots of fun and to go for a walk with our Father, whom we rarely saw, (he went to work when most of us were in bed and came home after we were put back there) was a big treat.
Every Sunday, for a while, we went to the Wesleyan S.S until Mother found the Baptist was nearer and then she changed over. S.S 9:15; Preaching Service 10:30 S.S 2:00; Preaching 6:00 Temperance Wed. 7-8; Prayer Hr Thursday 7:00. We were marshalled to all these whether we wanted to go or not and if we saw the funny side or had a giggling fit Mother never failed to see a wielded willow was the treatment. Sid never did much wrong, some of us thought he was favoured. Perhaps his disposition fitted in with Ma’s better and we rubbed her the wrong way. Sid always was her good boy.
" This is a note written to me, Mary Louise, in 1935 just before she went to the hospital for an operation. Mother didn’t think she would live through the operation."
Dear Mary Louise,
Give heed to your teachers and get on in school. You must get an education to get on in this world, but do not forget to take care of your meetings and SS. Take sacraments often and encourage Howard, Lillian and Dora Jean too. Help take care of Dora Jean teach her all I have tried to teach you. Cling to the family and help each other live up to the best in you. Make your life worthwhile, and the Lord will bless you as you need, live for his church and you will advance yourself. Talk your difficulties over with Daddie as well as your joys and help him or with Beth or Lillian. My greatest wish is to have you be the best and sweetest you can. I know you will and always keep yourself clean and don’t let anyone kid you there is no need to, they are wrong, don’t defile your body.
Love from Mother
