Written on April 15, 1998, by my grandmother who was diagnosed with Alzheimerâs Disease and passed away in August 2014. She was born on May 19, 1926, in Springfield, Tenn., to George and Lennie Miller. She has lived in Alexandria most of her lifetime. She and her late husband Orville Wright farmed east of Alexandria for several years. She was a member of the Omega Nu Tau Sorority formerly in Alexandria. She was a longtime and active member of the Alexandria First United Methodist Church where was a member of the robed choir. Lola had been a member of the Girls Scouts of America since the age of 10 all the way through senior scouts. Lola researched her family history to discover that she had an ancestor, Thomas Farmer, who was a Revolutionary War soldier, which enabled her to become a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was privileged to discover Thomas Farmerâs headstone near family burial plots in Tennessee. Lola had also worked as a columnist for the Alexandria Times-Tribune.
A large two-story home on Monroe Street in Alexandria, Indiana when I was five years old; this is one of my earliest memories. Nothing of consequence before that. We had been given a Spitz dog which we named Fluffy and we loved her, all seven of us children, with Mom and Dad.Â
We had a hill going down, just steps from our back door, and we used to ride our âpush-mobilesâ -- homemade vehicles invented by my brothers that were powered using a broom handle to push -- and coasting down that long, long hill.
The world was far away, but a home-built radio, by brother George, told occasionally of things like the kidnapping of Charles Lindberghâs baby, the catching of Bruno Hauptmann, the abdication of King Edward of England so he could marry a divorcee, Wallis Simpson Warfield, the Hindenburg disaster, and about the president of the United States, President Franklin Roosevelt.
The home on Monroe Street was the first home to be bought in Alexandria and we all helped, even in very small ways, to pay the $11.00 per month payments to a Mr. Couch. There were three other rentals before this, all in this small, central Indiana town. The move from Tennessee was made by train and interurban in mid-1929.
My most vivid memories were of our busy home life, with Brother and I keeping wood chopped and ready for the heating and cooking stoves. We planted and tended a large garden (in railroad property) down the alley; picking and canning quarts of âend o gardenâ veggies for the winter. Always helping Mother with quilts which were usually made of castoffs cut into squares and backed with outing flannel. Best of all, we were interested in our school books and assignments, and thankfully, were good students. Our clothes (especially during the Great Depression) were meager, at best, as well as our meals. Out of the seven children, three were high school valedictorians, one salutatorian and others in the top 3% of the class.
Another vivid memory of mine came about on the 4th of July while we were young. The older boys would work for money to buy fireworks and set off many a tin can lightning into the air and bursting into flames. After setting a 1.5-inch firecracker under the edge, they lit the fuse and stood back to see it go smoking into the air and land we knew not where. When home displays came to be considered too dangerous, I felt sorry that youngsters were to be deprived of this great holiday sight.Â
I greatly enjoyed playing with a neighbor girl, Helen, and being in Girl Scouts. One year we were actually able to afford one week at G.S. summer camp due to the generosity of a sister, Louise.
One memory of early childhood that was quite pleasing was with the dog, Fluffy. She was pure white, so when she needed a bath it was quite obvious. We were given the okay to bathe her in the bathtub, with her own drying cloths, including a ragged half-sheet; after she was rinsed and set on the linoleum and dried with the white sheet, she was then quite sure she did not want anyone to touch her as she knew she was clean and untouchable (for a half-day or so). It was like she was stuck up.
One thing I learned in a comical way, the brother just older, Pat, and I used to argue quite a lot until Dad tired after one dumb spat and told us we were to kiss each other as punishment; we both declared, âNO WAY!â, and I remember that that was the last dispute of any consequence between us.
A very bad accident happened about 1932 when our Dad was helping to build a scaffolding at Stillwellâs Gravel Pit to a height of 19 feet and fell off, landing on his feet; causing ankle, knee, and hip joint fractures. He was on crutches for many months and was told he would never walk again, but he did. He went back to a cane later in life, in his Golden Years.
The siblings in our Miller family could be described as loyal, caring and close-knit for many years, but rivalry and other disagreements would later arise. No doubt, this happens in the best of families. Pat, third youngest, was an epileptic, and at times, he needed extra attention. Fred had crossed eyes which drew jeers from his peers, causing family concerns, too. He had eye surgery at age 16, funded by brother George.Â
I remember my Grandmother and Grandfather Miller in Springfield, Tennessee best. When we visited them they had all this big farmland where we could run and investigate, complete with a creek. Also, when we were there, all the other Miller relatives would come on Sunday afternoon and bring freezers and we would make ice cream with the milk from the cows that Grandpa milked. Grandpa had lost a thumb when a mule, Olâ Jim, had spooked and ran away with the reins taking Grandpaâs thumb with him. His milking without that thumb was an amazement to me.
Holidays were pretty much routine for us as we never got to go anyplace special. We dressed up a little more than usual to go to church, though. However, I was often asked by the Sullivans, Helenâs parents Dick and Dorothy, to go with them to a wilderness/woods near Wabash, Indiana to Francesâ Slocum birthplace, later to become a State Park, for hiking and picnicking. The wonder of F. Slocum being taken away at a young age by a band of Indians and never returning was a scary thing. I later learned that she was found in her old age by two brothers and she chose to stay with her Indian family.Â
- In 1835 Slocum revealed to a visitor that she was a white woman who had been captured at five years old, and two years later, in September 1837, three of Slocum's siblings came to see her. They confirmed that she was their sister, but Slocum chose to stay with her Miami family in Indiana. Slocum fully assimilated into the Native American culture and was accepted as one of its members. -
In 5th grade, I wrote a two-act play that was chosen by classmates to be acted out. It was called, âThe Robinsâ Busy Dayâ with Mr. and Mrs. Robin, Reddie, Ruddy, and Ruby. I still have a copy. I also remember flying kites with Pat; repairing and making some new ones using homemade paste made with flour and water. Mom made the best paste.
A special trip that I recall was in 1939. I went with my sister and brother-in-law and my niece to New York and Connecticut. We went to the Worldsâ Fair and on an afternoon cruise on Long Island Sound. We saw the Tryon and Perisphere, symbols of the Fair, and saw them again from the ship. On one of our trips back to the state of our ârootsâ, Tennessee, we had car trouble. Dad had replaced a tube in the right front tire the day before we left and had not gotten the lug nuts back on tight so the wheel tire tube fell off somewhere near Hope, Indiana. At the time, the town name was the only hope we had to drive on âtil someone came by who had a tire jack and we could get the tire back on and proceed on our trip south, most joining in a chorus of âBack Home in Tennesseeâ.
OH YES, we were a musical family. While living in one of the rentals in east Alexandria, our family combined singing talent into...
 <missing a whole page of memories>
 ...knockers with notched edges, with a tied-on-string to wrap and pull on a door or window at Halloween. Soaping windows or throwing eggs was a no-no back then. I liked to play softball on a corner lot with neighbor kids; also swim at Beulah Park pool. I learned to make fudge about this time and another friend and I would visit for the night and make a batch. We got to making it very good.Â
Without reservation I would say, I love my whole family, starting with parents, George and Lennie Ethel Miller, siblings, their families and especially my own children and grandchildren. My second love would be my country, the United States of America.
