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Autobiography of Mary Agnes Rothers Ward

The first house I lived in, and its setting, was a small four 
room, one story house without bathroom or clothes closets.
 
It was located on a 160 acre farm, nine miles from the nearest town. 

There was a chimney in the center of the house.  This furnished a 
flue for the cook stove in the kitchen and a small wood and coal 
burning stove in the living room.  The two bedrooms were not heated.

The water supply came from a well near the house. The water was 
pumped by hand or by a wind mill when there was a good breeze to 
turn the wind mill wheel.  This well also supplied water for the 
livestock.

There also was an underground storm shelter where we took refuge 
in case of a storm. The cellar was also used as a place to store 
home-canned foods, and fruits and vegetables, such as potatoes 
and apples. It was used also as a cool place to keep milk sweet 
during the hot summer months. 

The cows supplied the milk.  They were milked twice a day, mornings 
and evenings.  Chickens supplied eggs and much of the meat used. 
Most of the farmers did their own butchering; generally assisted by 
their neighbors.  The meat was canned or home-cured in a smoke house. 
Every farmer did not have a smoke house so they would find someone 
willing to let them smoke their meat at no cost.

There was an "out house," (bathroom) chicken house, buggy shed, 
corn crib, and a barn to store hay and grain, which also provided 
shelter for the stock. (Horses, cattle and pigs).  The pig shed 
was adjacent to the barn. 

My first toys were a rag doll, a celluloid doll, and later on, a 
most-cherished doll was one with a china head, legs and arms with 
a soft kid body.  I also had a top, harp, ball, china dishes, a 
doll bed and rocking chair.

The games we played were hide-and-go-seek, Pussy-wants-a-corner, 
Drop-the-handkerchief, London bridge, Fox-and-Goose, Black Man-
Red line, Sheep in my pen, and baseball, played with a home-made 
bat and ball.  The ball was usually made of carpet warp.

My first school was in the country two miles of dirt roads from 
where I lived.  It was a one-room school with two entry halls, 
one for the boys and one for the girls.  Here we hung our wraps 
on hooks on the wall and put our overshoes on the floor. Here too, 
was a shelf for our lunch pails.  Our lunch pails were usually 
empty syrup buckets.  A few kids had store-bought buckets and were 
the envy of many.  Clods were thrown at dinner pails on the way home. 
Oh the dents!  And the misses were so painful!

The school room was heated by a pot-bellied stove in the center of 
the room.  Those seated close to the windows felt the chills from 
the cracks around them.

The enrollment was around 20 pupils, ranging in age from six to sixteen. 
All grades 1 through 8 were taught by one teacher. 

My first year's school supplies consisted of: a slate and slate 
pencil, tablet and lead pencil, primer, crayons, pencil box and 
a drinking cup. (Usually a tin cup.)  However, the envy of all 
was if you had a folding cup!  I never had one, but my brother 
Alvis did, as he was a boy and could carry it in his pocket.

Drinking water was carried from a nearby farm house, usually by 
two older boys.  It was placed in the hall where everyone could 
help himself from the bucket with a dipper placed in it. No one 
was permitted to drink from the dipper.  However, some did, with 
the disapproval of the pupils and the teacher and with a stern 
reprimand.

The hand bell rang at 9 a.m. and brought the pupils to the hall door. 
They fell in line and marched to their seats to be seated. The 
opening exercise usually consisted of the flag salute, the Lord's 
Prayer, and singing of a song or two.  I recall "Old Black Joe," 
"My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" and "America." 

Often the teacher would read to the pupils from a story book while 
we sat quietly at attention.  At any disturbance in the room she 
would promptly close the book and say "Take out your work." Oh! Oh! 
Oh! Sad.  

The day then started with the first grade coming to the front of 
the room and reading aloud.  Then that class was dismissed and the 
2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. through 8th grades recited, each class getting 
10 to 15 minutes with the teacher's attention.  Those remaining in 
their seats were studying their lesson for the next class.  Questions 
were asked of the teacher at the time one class was dismissed and 
the other class was on its way to the front of the room to recite.

A 15 minute recess gave time to go to the out house, play games and 
get a drink.  At noon the one hour was the allowed time to eat lunch,
play games and get back to classes.  There was another 25-minute 
recess at mid-afternoon. Then at 4 o'clock we went home.

My favorite classes were drawing and retelling stories in writing 
from the readers.  My least-favorite class was spelling. If we missed 
a word we would have to stay after school and write the word 10 times. 
I just knew I'd miss a word and have to stay after school, so I didn't 
study.  I'd just sit there and draw.

Our biggest problems, with our youth, was cigarettes and home brew or 
whiskey made by some illegal still owner.  This was sold and termed 
"Bootleg" whiskey.

When I became a teacher I never kept a pupil after school to finish 
his lessons. 

N.B. The photo at upper right is Mary's baby photo from 1905;
the photo at center right was taken on her 100th birthday in 2005.