[or-roots] test and topics

[Joysown at aol.com]

My mom grew up in the Cottage Grove area .....and she told of the time she 
had scarlet fever.  The house was quarantined with big signs on the doors and 
the windows.  No one could come in, and supplies were left on the porch by 
certain people designated to do that.   Her hair had to be cut off really short, 
and she said she had been really sick, and that several children in the area had 
died from it.  
As a pediatric intensive care nurse now, I look at these types of situations 
and am so grateful that we live now.  A little course of pennicillin would 
have taken care of the strep throat that was undoubtedly the precursor to the 
Scarlet Fever and there would never have been any side effects.  I sometimes 
think we take for granted so many things now.
My ggrandfather, my mom's mom's dad, brought his family from Illinois to Lane 
County for a better life in 1908.  Shortly after settling his land near 
Cottage Grove his children came down with measles, and he too caught them.  He 
completely lost his eyesight, leaving his wife and 6 kids to help finish settling 
and farming the land he had so dreamed of owning.   
Their lives were very hard in comparison to ours, but they had 
resourcefulness and courage that I think are born of hardship, and are virtues that cannot 
be taught.  I often wonder what my great grandchildren will think of me when 
they research.  Will they think I was strong and lived a "hard life", or will 
they think of all the things they wish I could have taught them, if only I had 
learned them from my parents!  It gives us all something to think about.
Joy Tomseth Franklin
researching Elliott, Whitsett, Tomseth, Baxter, Harlow, Pettigrew
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/or-roots/attachments/20030912/303a3934/attachment.html>