Memoirs: Early Childhood 1929-1943

By Bette James

Bette James shares with us her early childhood memories of growing up during the Great Depression. Bette wrote candidly about the events of her life and her feelings towards her parents, grandparents and her siblings. Memoirs: Early Childhood, 1929-1943, includes numerous photographs of Bette and her family, and the house where they all lived, in Mt. Wayte, Framingham, MA.

Bette’s writing paints a picture of living in an old Chautauqua settlement made up of fifty or so tiny cottages, many with gingerbread trim, along with a wooden building with a great porch that served as a community center. Written as a collection of short stories, some of the stories Bette wrote about include her learning to swim, childhood friends, the Saturday matinee, the fights between her parents, the Great Depression, special days, religion, home movies, and the special times spent with her grandparents.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Nunn
• Release date: Nov 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9780988567900

Book preview

Memoirs

Early Childhood

1929-1943

Mt. Wayte

Framingham, Massachusetts

Bette James

www.bettejames.com

Copyright Bette James 2012

Published by Laura Nunn Publishing at Smashwords

ISBN: 978-0-9885679-0-0

Smashwords License Statement

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

To my loving and devoted grandmothers,

Edith and Georgie,

both of whom encouraged me to write --

thank-you notes!

Cover photo:

A studio portrait of my mother and me, about 1932.

Table of Contents

September 29, 1929

The Great Depression

The Hurricane of the Century

Special Days

Learning To Swim

Marble Champ

World War II

Home Movies

Depression Reflections

Early Employment

Our Grandparents

The Depression Ends

Acknowledgments

Lewy Olfson, an old friend who taught courses on writing autobiographies, suggested, ...write bits and snatches on a whole lot of random topics, focusing only on the highlights, the stuff that, for whatever reason, sticks in your memory with some vividness .... I urge my students always to write as truthfully as they can, being honest to their own point of view, their own memory, their own emotional reality. You don’t have to tell everything but whatever you do choose to tell, you should tell honestly... He was right of course, and I tried to write my story using his Loose Leaf Autobiography approach.

Devra Kunin’s editing assistance and comments were of enormous help. I treasure her edited copy. In one instance I referred to visiting the town widow in Pocasset. She wrote, ‘The town widow’? This expression strikes me as very strange, as if there was an officially designated municipal widow, or only one widow in the whole town. Do you mean a ‘local widow,’ or something like that? Or was she actually referred to in this way? If she was, you might want to explain to the reader that this was the case. There was an additional exchange on this point and I settled for town widow in quotes.

When I asked Devra if I could use her name in my acknowledgments, she suggested I refer to her as consulting editor.

My son, Schuyler McLaughlin, read an earlier version and asked some probing questions that were also helpful to me. One amusing comment with reference to my mother’s sex during pregnancy was, Icky Icky Icky Poo! (but I love it).

Laura Nunn patiently worked with me through the entire two year ordeal. She offered editing assistance, encouragement, moral support, and finally, helped me pull all this together into one book. Laura also executed the design and layout of the book, spending an extraordinary amount of time overseeing the reproduction of the sometimes tattered photographs.

And, finally, a close friend and roommate, Joseph Favazza, read the manuscript and commented: Now I understand why you collect marbles and gold-foiled chocolate coins.

Ah, yes, that kind of made my day.

Introduction

Writing my early childhood memoirs started some time ago. Memory fades and it was important to me as the oldest member of our family—that I record as much of my parents’ and siblings’ history as I could. And as accurately as possible. Although some of the dates are hazy, the experience is truthful to the best of my recollection.

The 1930s were difficult years for me as a child. But how much more difficult for my parents who were married in June 1927 at the height of the roaring twenties. The era was giddy. Mom was a flapper and dad was still on his motorcycle.

I was born in September 1929. Their world crashed a month later when a letter dated October 26th, from the Gorman Theatre in Framingham, stated:

This is to give you notice that your services as chief operator will not be needed after the last show on November 9th, 1929.

My great grandmother Marston, with whom we were living in Mt. Wayte, died a few days later.

How were my parents to know that this Depression would continue to the early 1940s, and that there would be many difficult years ahead—for all of us?

Well, this is my story.

Bette James

December 1993

September 29, 1929

I kinda wish that my father was with my mother when she was