My Parents' Values

By Carol Salmon

My Parents' Values is a narrative about the lives of the author's parents, Ethel Bendix Annear and Wilbur Annear. The author has created a vivid fictionalized account that begins in 1907, when her mother was born in Illinois. By the time Ethel is in first grade, her mother has died in a sudden accident and her fath

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorUnit
• Release date: Jul 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890301666

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A Memoir

My Parents’ Values

Carol Salmon

TITLE My Parents’ Values

Copyright © 2023 Carol Salmon.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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ISBN (Paperback) 979-8-89030-165-9

ISBN (Ebook) 979-8-89030-166-6

Printed in the United States of America.

Preface

MY PARENTS’ VALUES IS an account of the life of my parents, Ethel Bendix Annear and Wilbur Annear. This story is a composition of facts from Hazel Bendix Schlangen’s Along Paupay Creek and excerpts from Ethel’s diaries and from letters written to her. Facts about events that occurred during that time were gained from Internet research, and historical facts about North Dakota came from Dakota Portraits by Marion J. P iper.

My Parents’ Values was written to memorialize the character and creed of my parents.

I am grateful to my daughter, Sara, for carefully preserving all the letters, diaries, school yearbooks, and other memorabilia that provided the material needed in order for me to compose and piece together the events of my parents’ lives.

As I looked through this material, I became overwhelmed by the realization that I had known so little about who my parents were and the influence they had on those who knew them. Writing My Parents’ Values invoked a turbulent sweep of emotion—from sorrow for what I had lost, to pride in what they had accomplished. I laughed with them, I cried with them, and I reenacted their lives.

Author’s Note

SINCE THIS REFERENCED POINT in time, western North Dakota has changed. Much of the prairie has become urbanized, and the population has increased, but the character and values of the people have not cha nged.

As the story unfolds, a personal relationship with this family is formed that transcends time. By connecting with where we were, we can better understand where we are going.

Illinois

IN THE EARLY 1900S, Decatur, Illinois, was a bustling town in a farming community. It was home to Georgia and Emil. Emil worked as a manager for Decatur’s only hardware store, and Georgia, a talented dancer, performed weekly for the local the ater.

Georgia and Emil were very happy when they learned that they were going to be parents. Georgia spent many months preparing the designated room for its special arrival. She sewed the crib blanket and curtains, made a small, soft pillow, braided rugs for the floor, and made needlepoint wall hangings. Everything in the room was done in shades of purple, Georgia’s favorite color.

Finally, on May 20, 1907, five-day-old Ethel took up residence in her purple room. Georgia took a leave from her dance performances in order to devote time to her daughter. Both Emil and Georgia enjoyed spending time with little Ethel. After supper, Emil would sit in front of the fireplace and read stories to her until bedtime. The stories Ethel liked the best were Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Ethel identified with Rebecca and pictured a life in which she lived on a farm. After story time, Georgia would tuck Ethel into bed, talking about her love of dancing. Sometimes she would sing songs from her dance performances.

When the weather was warm, Georgia and Ethel would pick flowers and lilacs in their front yard. Georgia would do the picking, and Ethel would place them in a basket.

As Ethel grew older, she and her mother would take walks through their neighborhood. One day they came across another mother. Angela had a daughter, Emma, who was Ethel’s age. Both mothers and daughters became friends and spent many happy times together in each other’s yard or home, depending on the weather. Georgia and Angela taught the girls the alphabet and some numbers so they would be better prepared for school in the fall of 1913.

In August 1913, six-year-old Ethel took her first train ride. She was traveling with her parents from their home in Illinois to southern Canada to visit Emil’s family. Ethel was captivated by everything she saw both inside and outside of the train. She kept running her hands over the plush velvet seat as she looked out the window, amazed by the speed of the train. Although she had no concern about her future, Ethel didn’t want the day to end. It would be the first time Ethel would meet any of her father’s family, and she was full of questions.

Ethel’s mother told her they were going to visit her father’s brother and his wife, but she couldn’t tell her a lot about them since it was Georgia’s first visit with them as well. Since Ethel still had questions about family, Georgia began to tell Ethel about Georgia’s sister. Blanche lived in western North Dakota with her husband, Henry, and their daughter, Hazel. She explained how Henry owned a homestead on the prairie and his family lived a very different life from Ethel’s.

Your cousin, Hazel, can’t turn on a faucet for water. She needs to carry it from a well, Georgia said.

Ethel was much more interested in hearing about Hazel than she was about Aunt Blanche or Uncle Henry. Georgia explained how Hazel was an outdoorsy type of girl who rode horseback everywhere. Ethel looked very much like Hazel. However, Ethel chose to imagine Hazel in her own way. She thought that Hazel’s life must be more exciting than living in the city. She wanted to visit Hazel so they could ride horses together and explore land that had no streets or houses. The prairie would extend to the sky in all directions, but Hazel would know every mound of grass, every bush, and every tree. She would never be lost. Ethel wondered if Hazel missed having someone to talk with or if she was able to communicate with the land. Ethel had been told that the Indians could do this. She formed an image in her mind of Hazel riding a horse with her long red hair blowing in the wind and her skin tanned from long hours in the sun. Ethel knew it was foolish, but she found herself being jealous of Hazel’s hair since her own was short, fine, and thin.

Nearing their destination, Emil took the seat across from Georgia and Ethel. He began telling them about his brother and his wife. Bill was his older brother and had inherited the farm from their parents. Elaine’s parents owned a nearby farm, and Bill and Elaine had known each other all their lives.

The train came to a stop alongside a small building surrounded by a platform constructed of wooden planks. Emil gathered their suitcases and followed Georgia and Ethel from the train. As they stood on the platform, their eyes adjusting to the afternoon sunlight, Emil pointed to a young couple near the log building. There they are.

The couple greeted Ethel and her parents warmly. Bill was tall and had blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was wearing blue denim pants with a bright red shirt. His skin was dark with the leathery appearance of one who had spent many hours in the sun. Elaine was nearly as tall as Bill, and her light brown hair was pulled back in a bun. Her hazel eyes looked kindly upon Georgia and Ethel as she asked, How was your trip?

It was our first train ride, and it was very exciting, particularly for Ethel, Georgia replied.

Leaving the train station, they all walked toward a wagon to which two large brown horses were hitched.

Emil and Bill had a lot of catching up to do and sat up front. Georgia and Elaine sat in the backseat with Ethel.

As they left the village behind, heading toward the farm, Ethel was full of questions. Mama, look how far apart the houses are! How do these families get to know each other?

Elaine answered for Georgia, saying, We have social gatherings several times a year, and many of us meet at church on Sundays.

Turning to her mother, Ethel asked, Would you get lonely living here?

Trying to be diplomatic, Georgia answered, No, it would just be an adjustment. The afternoon sun was setting as they arrived at the farmhouse. The wagon pulled up in front of a modest, one-story frame house. A large yard contained many green cedars, aspens, and maples showing off leaves of gold and orange.

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