PA Finds continue

I was contacted by another previously unknown cousin from the Janosky clan, who is also in PA and who found me through web browsing and the post I shared about the 4th of July on Sepia Saturday 30 posted here on July 2. http://patonlinenewtime.blogspot.com/2010/07/fourth-of-july-sepia-saturday-week-30.html My new found cousin, Karen is retired and lives in PA and was interested in the information I had about our great grandfather, Frank Ostrowski, etc.  She knew next to naught about her father's side of the family because he and  they were estranged from his clan.

 Darn, we had just returned home from PA, but maybe next time we can connect in person. I was excited to have a contact to help me with some of the Janosky lineage and then, Karen sadly relayed with some embarrassment,  that some of the relatives she did contact  "do not want anything posted or shared on Ancestry," etc. Since they have provided nothing to me, ever and don't even know me,  I don't quite fathom  what they think will happen.  I suspect this means they want to remain private and keep hiding themselves without contact from the likes of me. Well I am a resourceful researcher and can find things without them and I am not going to cease researching because unknown folks get their dithers in a tither! :) Karen and I agreed "well and oh ...and that's how weird the family can be." Her own father, who  is my Mom, aunt, uncle's cousin and a son of Grand Aunt Mary (my Grandma Rose's sister) and Uncle Tom Janosky  had limited to no interaction with his own family after marrying though he lived near by. Reportedly Great Aunt Mary did not like his wife.  How often have I heard that tale in life?  What strange people to allow such rifts to tear them apart from their families, such losses in their lives. I am beginning to think this is a latent  curse of the Pollocks; these people are all part of the Ostrowski aka Ostroski clan.

  Is there something genetic here, or is it just as I suspect people who are uninformed ignore or fear what they do not know and have little curiosity to reach beyond themselves and expand their worlds.  The  relative who protested married in and so is not part of the genetic heritage.  I think it is just strangeness.  Whatever. 

But back to the reclusive relatives, I guess people who don't understand the Internet are frightened of it.  They hear all these tales of identity theft, etc and so it goes.  I do not have the kind of personal information that would cause hardships to these folks and though I was shrugging, I decided that I will not stop sharing on Sepia whatever I want to. The photos I have of family  and my  recollections and tales will go up despite their protests, they are my photos and my memories and history  and I will publish them as I wish.

This does make me wonder though about family falling outs.  I have a cousin, Sharon,  who found me when we lived in CA,  also on the Ostrowski side living in PA  from whom I have heard not a word for almost two years now.  Without reason she quit communicating though as far as I know she lives in Natrona Heights today still and her husband is on Facebook. we used to visit when we went to PA, dine with them, etc.  Last year no Christmas card, nothing.  I have tried to call Sharon and no answer on her phone and she does not return calls nor respond to email. I cannot imagine what would have set her  off in a snit and I do hope nothing is wrong, but after making calls and sending cards and letters to no avail and no response, I get the hint!  Who knows what turns peoples' heads.  I find this strange behavior.

This trip to PA at Uncle's home I found some wonderful old books on his shelves and brought a few back home to MN.  I know nothing about any of these books but could not resist them, printed in 1915, 1916, 1942  and 1943, with wonderful photos in the fronts, gorgeous  inside covers with sketches and engraved covers which are heavily worn.  They had them for a long time of that I am certain.

 I have added to my library "Just David"  by Eleanor H. Porter, 1916 published by Houghton Mifflin Co and offering a $25  prize to readers.   Look at the gorgeous scene that was printed in  green on the inside of the book which is partially obscured by this prize offering.   




Then there is "Michael O'Halloran" by Gene Stratton-Porter and illustrations by Frances Rogers,  Printed by Doubleday, Page & CO in 1915.  The lovely color print inside has the caption "Just by the merest chance, could your name be Mickey?    There is a name written  inside, "W.C.Brust, October 11, 1915, Arnold, PA,"  who must have owned the book originally.  And  again notice the lovely green etchings along the opening pages.  Oh these books must have been treasures in their day.  I hope the pages hold together while I read them.    

The "Prodigal Women" by Elizabeth Nowell Perkins was printed in 1942 and sports a cover  with a note that it is a Book Club Edition.  And finally "Hungry Hill" by Daphne du Maurier another Book Club edition printed in 1943.  At least I am familiar  with this author, but the cover is a gorgeous print of intriguing characters.  I have many books on my shelf awaiting reading, so these  four join that collection, but I am looking forward to the  pleasure  of delving into these old books.  The Kindles and Nooks cannot provide the pleasure of a solid book in the hands.   But then I think you have to really be a reader as I have been all my life to appreciate these!

O Ye Jigs & Juleps

Found the cutest little booklet at Uncle's title above written in 1904 by Virginia Cary Hudson, a 10 year old.  Published in the 60's or before and must have belonged to Aunt Marge.  This little girl writes  about church, etiquette, life, sacraments  through  10 year old eyes.  Made me laugh out loud when she describes the final "sacrament" death...After  we get home I'll scan and share some pages, but for now... "And then you get carried back in the Church again.  But you are dead & it takes 6 people to lift you.  And everybody cries and that's the last sacrament you are going to get.  Mrs. Park was old and so sick she didn't even know her own children.  Maybe she was tired fooling with them all those years and just acted like she didn't know them.  When Mrs. Park died, I sure didn't cry because I bet when she waked up & found she was dead, she was just tickled to death." 

We went to Union cemetery here in Arnold PA trying to find Frank Ostrowski's grave, my great grandfather. You  all are quite familiar with him by now and his herd of descendants.   I learned that as in Poland the Polish mounded the early graves.  I never knew that,  reminds me of Indians.  We were unable to find the grave, many old markers are  illegible and  broken off or just gone.  They said there were vandals from time to time who would rampage the cemeteries.  That's  disgusting.   I will have to submit a written request to the cemetery to search through their more than  23,000  sites and pay the fee.  I noticed that descendants are having new marble markers erected  for their ancesotrs as several were new; I will do that for him next time after we do the location.  Today off to decorate my grandparents' graves, Mom's, Aunt Jinx and Aunt Marge. 

I'd thought Uncle Carl might come along but his dementia has  wavered and he has good and bad days.  He seems to be ok in his routine in the home but any variation throws him into a state of  disorientation.  Though he knows us and is  mostly glad to see us, he gets disturbed.  Took him to get  new  eye glasses and  on return he wanted to sit outside on the porch at the home, so we did.  But that must have kicked off his porch sitting days at home and he then thought we were to  take him home.  He went inside reluctantly but then was not clear and his mind wandered back and forth from "That's where I eat..to You  guys let me know when we are ready to leave...."   Saturday he packed up his toiletry articles and was ready to go home again.  He is much slower and weaker than when we were here  first of November.  I remind myself of what the doctors and the social worker said and what I know, "the dementia will decline and rise and come and go and the aging  progression may  make him weaker,  Do not  think that  placing him into the personal care assisted living caused this, but be assured that he is well as can be and safe, something that could not  be guaranteed at  his home without  24/7 help."  And yet still it makes me so sad that this is how this remarkable man will spend his last days.  He's 92 and who knows how much longer he has.  He has been sleeping   a lot in the afternoons now, something my granpap, his father, did  before he died peacefully in his sleep, never waking from a nap.  I  pray Uncle Carl has that same peace.   And again I wonder, why the mental decline.  Mom had Alzheimers, starting in her early 60's.  Jinx had some dementia with the cancer and Uncle Carl is now in decline.  Yet my grandparents, their parents had none of this and they  died  in their  mid and late 70's.  Why does this happen now so much more than in the past? 

Ahh well,  I am finding lots of things to get onto Sepia posts when we return home and I have my scanner. Even found Granpap's naturalization papers...  I just wanted to check in online and let  folks know what we are about.  Limited computer access here.  So I will not be posting much.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

thanks to Carlie for catching my backwards listing of the author in the title   .I have now corrected... proving once again the need for human eye to  carefully review.. what is written by human fingers....

All I can say is, it is about time that I started to read some wonderful old books which I have been meaning to reread. I have shelves full of classics and books I read at Allegheny College. Once in awhile Oprah would pick a classic and I enjoyed reading those. After I read “The Help” and Boo Radley was mentioned, I was prompted to reread Mockingbird and what a great read. I found my 1963 paperback copy of “To Kill a Mockingbird “by Harper Lee; the date is 1963 inside inscribed with my maiden name. I faintly recall we had to read this for a Modern Lit. Class. I know I have seen the old Gregory Peck movie too, but rereading it, was just like something new. I faintly recalled the plot and a few of the characters, but enjoyed it just as though it was a first time read.

It's a sin to kill amocking bird, because they are so harmless, they merely sit and sing and imitate grandly.   
I do remember loving the book back then when we had to read it, such wonderful writing. That is what I miss often today, excellent writing, real literature, descriptive words, not fill in the blanks pabulum. Well, sometimes, I confess I will read drivel just to download and clear the brain. But I do prefer to be an engaged reader. And that is what Mockingbird requires.

Look at that cover of my book which cost me sixty cents, 37 years ago. Upper right hand corner,  sixty cents.  A publication of Popular Library.  The pages are yellowed, but crisp and readable. I am amazed that I have this along with my old 1961 Don Quixote from back in the day. Considering my moves from PA to CA and around CA and now back to MN, it is incredible that these two books have been on the journey with me. But then I remember that we did not buy books when I was growing up. Oh, no, I was a Peoples Library loyal customer, checking out as many books as I could at a time. My summers in New Ken meant weekly or more frequent trips to the library, walking up and down the hills and toting my arm loads of books home to devour on the porch. There were no back packs in those days.  We toted whatever we  had to carry.  I guess we had no  real obesity problems because we walked everywhere around our hilly town.  I suppose I was a bookworm. All I know is that I cannot ever remember a time when I did not enjoy reading.

But back to Mockingbird. I loved the writing, the characters and everything about this book. Harper Lee’s Pulitzer had to be for excellent writing, character development and descriptions, and a wonderful story plot. Set in Mississippi in the late 1930’s this book tells the real truth of the treatment of the blacks by the whites through the eyes of Scout, Atticus’ nine year old daughter. Atticus is a single father raising Jem and Scout alone after his wife dies.  His household help is only Calpurnia, their black maid. But Calpurnia has a free hand and treated better than the maids in The Help.  Atticus is an attorney and legislator and is assigned to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white trash girl. One famous Atticus line is, ..”Delete the adjectives and you have the facts…” good legal advice and better life advice. Remove the emotion from a situation and you may be able to adequately analyze for truth in any situation, cloud your analysis with emotion, passion or an attempt at compassion and you will taint your analysis. By now everyone knows the story so I need not repeat it. I will say that rereading it these 37 years later was very worthwhile. This has to be one of the very best books of all time.

The introduction by Gregory Peck who stars as Atticus in the movie is so appropriate, "The southern town of To Kill a Mockingbird reminds me of the California town I grew up in.  The charcters of the novel are like people I knew as a boy.  I think perhaps the great appeal of the novel is that it reminds readers everywhere of a person or a town they have known.  It is to me a universal story--moving, passionate and told with great humor and tenderness."