Family Secrets IV

Continuation from September, as promised:

"After I was married; Though first I must tell you my Husband's name was Frank McGee Tucker. The McGee was after Dr. McGee. so his family always called him Dock after the Dr. Well anyway. Dock worked at the Sheerwood Mines. he had a three room house rented and our furnature in it two weeks be-fore we were married. we were married on Wednesday night. then we went to our new home Thursday morning. our house hold goods cost us $127.50. Dock got them from the Company Store. we made $10.00 monthly payments on them. they consisted of one bedroom suit. one extra iron bed stead springs and mattress and bed clothes. one straw matting for the bedroom. I scrubed the kitchen hall and extra bedroom. with a brush. we had a real fine #7 Torch light stove. I was just as happy with my new home and evry thing as if I had a mansion. I would polish my stove every saturday. it shined. I had a glassed doored safe a cook table. and an eating table and 6 hard chairs. and two Rockers and some other odds and ends - these were my happy days - Dock run a moter in the mines. he was making $2.25 per day when we were married but on this amount we lived payed our rent and made our $10.00 monthly payments on our furnature. and then our pay days were once a month but he never missed drawing money and we had been married six months he got a .25 [cent] raise we sure was glad to know he was getting $2.50 per day. but then our living was so different from what it is now. I could go to the co. store and buy a basket ful of groceries. for $2.00 but them days are gone forever I am afraid. but let me tell you they were good ones and I'll never forget them. Well its like this in about 10 months. we had our first baby a girl Florence Louise. she was a very sweet baby. and kept me busy with all the rest of my house work. but I sure enjoyed it. and when she was 21 months old. we had our Boy baby Gilman Emory. so I really was kept busy from then on. but I made it and this is all of our brood - we were both very proud of our children and they were good to mind. I always taught them to mind their Daddy he never whiped eigher of them I was the one that made them mind. I don't think they either one hold anything against me for the way I brought them up. I only did what I thought was right. when they got old enough I took them to Sunday School and Church and tried to do the best I could for them to the best of my ability. At all this time I can say I enjoyed my family. Although like many other people my heart was burdened and very heavy many many times through my life but who does not have these same things happen to them. so I count my self lucky after all. I am glad it was through these hard trials I found the Lord and learned to let him help me with my burdens and trials he is our present help in trouble I learned that a long time ago. when our son Gilman came down with Bronical trouble when he was 4 years old with our care and work he out grew it. and then when he was a larger boy he had an enlarged heart. but he seemed to out grow that to a certain extent. it is things like this that makes us seek the Lords help.
Well he has grown up and married now and has a married son of his own. now he is almost through surving four years work for Uncle Sam - My Daughter Louise wo is older than Gilman is now married and as I said before the mother of three children she lives at MacArthur W.Va., so since I am a widow. I just try to divide my time be-tween my two children and my two sisters and one brother and I have a host of friends. and I go out and stay with sick people who need help. it helps me to help some body that I know needs my help. so here I have rattled along with a lot of things that may not be of any interest to some people but I have been impressed to do this and that is why I have started this and I don't know just how far I will go" [...]

'Family', continued (again, as written)

"I was almost 22 years old when I met my husband Frank M. Tucker we went together six months. and were married. in the mean time his younger brother Silas was dateing my younger sister Minnie. soon they were married. in July 2nd 1908. in August 27 1908 Frank and I were married. [2] Brothers married [2] sisters. this makes our children double first cousins. some mixup. just one of those things. Well Frank and I had two children. my first was a girl we named her Florence Louise. then we had our boy. we named him Gilman Emeory. Louise grew up and married Elmie W. Hill. they have three children two girls and one boy. His name is William Clegg Hill. the oldest girl Freda May married Don C. Lilly. and Hazle married L. D. Hartwell. William married Jo Richards. of Beckley WV. a very sweet girl. and of course the girls got fine men too. My son Gilman met and married a very sweet Scotch Lassie by the name of Hellan. We called her Pat frome patrick she was working in a sweet shop when he met her. to this union is one fine GrandSon Frank Matthew Tucker. we are very proud of him. he has been serving his country for almost four years. his time will be out in March. we sure will be glad to see him home again. In the mean time. he was dating a very sweet girl by the name of Shirley Jackson of Mt. Hope W.V. they have been married over three years now so it will mean a lot to all when he gets home once more. we are going through a very trying time just now. Gilman has been sick for most three months and at present is in the Oak Hill Hospital he has a virus of some kind. Pat that is his wife goes to the hospital every day. will I have been going like a house on fire. and haven't got very far but I hope I have got a few things off my chest. I forgot to say much about my own family. I will say a few words about my brothers and sisters of which some is very sad.
My oldest Brother. William Fanning Cheek. was electrocuted accidentally and my youngest brother Victor Gay Cheek died of T.B. I only have one living brother at present. Walter H. Cheek. he lives here in Mt. Hope WVa. he works for the Blackburn Patterson Co. and my oldest sister Minnie Lee Cheek Tucker she died with Cancer my next Sister Ella Cheek Thompson who lives here in Mt. Hope at present she is a widow now. I have another sister Nell Cheek Stevens. she lives in Williamington Del. and I have another sister Gussie Rea Cheek Perry she and her husband Ronald live here in Mt. Hope WVa too. my youngest sister Agnes Cheek Batten. She died with Cancer also. My Father died in 1918 with Flue. My Mother died with cancer also. so it seems I am left here for some-thing. I do love to help other people and do what I can do for them. I am glad I have the Lord in my life. he helps me through so many trials and dark places. It has not been a bed of roses but you know we all have to take the bitter with the sweet. well getting back to my earlier days. I told you about my Father being a coal miner. he was a very devout union man. he held an office in the Local. and they sent him two different times to the miners convention in Indianapolis Ind. but you can just bet your bottom dollar. that as soon as there was any trouble about the miners. they always picked on my Dad." To be continued.