Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 12

THANKS TO AN UNKNOWN ADMIRER

I'm sorry I can't come to thank you right,

But can't, for my hair long ago turned white.

But mayhap for me, 'tis just as well

For praise might make my head swell.

But many thanks for your kind letter

Kind words make us all feel much better.

I'm glad you are a friend of my grandson,

And hope he may find many another good one.

I wish you content with your Army life

And glad that with you, there is your wife.

A man and wife - many miles apart

Makes far too much aching for the heart.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - Arlington Heights Historical Society

The winter board meeting of the Illinois Society Children of the American Revolution was held at the Arlington Heights Historical Society, northwest of Chicago.

State President Callah McLeod and Senior State President led the meeting.  There were over 40 attendees, with standing room only.

Before enjoying lunch and the tour, the members gathered for a picture.

The Arlington Heights Historical Museum is actually comprised of five buildings.  One contains offices and meeting rooms.  The tour visited the other four buildings.  There is a replica log cabin which represented the home of the Dunton family, the first settlers in the area.  Next door is a coach house that contains exhibits of farm implements, historic dioramas and a school room.

There are two houses included on the tour - The Frederick W. Mueller home, built in 1882.  Mr. Mueller made his living bottling pop - "Arlington Club Soda" and the factory was in the basement of his home.  His daughter Minnie married Nathaniel Banta and built a house next door.  Both homes are on the National Register of Historic Places.

One of the highlights of the tour was the Martha Parkinson Mills doll collection, displayed in the Banta house.  Martha was a Senior Leader of N.S.C.A.R. and wrote the "C.A.R. Song" which is still sung at National, Regional and State meetings.

http://www.ildar.org/iscar/

http://www.ahmuseum.org/

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, Week 11

BARKER

 

Hiya boys, whadaya say?

Bets all made for the game today?

All make money,

All get rich.

Then call other guys

"Son of a bitch."

 

Step up boys, make your bets,

Make a couple dollars outa 35 cents.

Make a little money,

Spend it on beer,

Go out and find some little dear.

 

Come on boys, dig down deep,

Hey, there, hey, rent ain't that steep.

'Sides, you get payments,

Win every time,

Hey there, boys, spend another dime!

 



Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - New England Women in Illinois

 The three Colonies (chapters) of New England Women in Illinois had a joint meeting to visit with our President General, Linda Brown Jones.  Mrs. Jones told us about the current state of the Society.

The National Society of New England Women is a National Lineage Society with over 1000 members in 45 Colonies around the country.  Membership requires a lineal ancestor who was born in New England prior to the Revolutionary War.  They have several charities, including Kurn Hattin school in Vermont, Clarke School for the Deaf, and the Soldiers Sailors and Airmen Club in New York.


Jane Schleinzer, President of Chicago Colony; Linda Jones, President General; Kathy Carey, President of Mississippi Valley Colony; Donna Baumann, President of Rockford Colony

www.newenglandwomen.org

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 10

THE BOYS WHO MARCHED AWAY

 

Trumpets and drums and marching feet

Out of the past, their echos flow

Banners that flaunted through the street

Bright eyes, tear wet, that gazed below.

Visions of glory and glow

Light hearts of youth that dared the fray

Lost in the mists of the long ago.

Where are the boys, who marched away?

Far o'er the sea, their ghostly fleet

Rocks at its moorings, to and fro

There where the fen and ocean meet

Proudly, their column moves, and slow.

Africa and Italy lie low, lie low

Berlin is fallen, and the smoke is cleared away

Where are the hearts that knew their throe

Where are the brave boys who marched away?

Young eyes that gazed beyond defeat

Sleep by the Rhone and the Po

Ah, dreams of that terrible battle head

Are under the poppies, or under the snow.

Silently they await that Last Great Day

And desert, and steppe, and torrent know

Where are the boys who marched away?

And Lord, when the silver trumpet shall blow

Calling us to come to our battle fray

Grant us to look on high and know

Where the boys are who marched away.

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Amanuensis Monday - Grandma Hill's Poetry, week 9

 

 Mine ears have heard the G.O.P. little fop

Telling of electoral votes that he hasn't got

How he's going to sweep the White House clean

And talking of a policy, whose workings he's never seen.

 

While mine eyes have seen the work already done

Taking care of laborers every one.

Yes, the donkey is marching right ahead

On the path the elephant aspires to tread.

 

And the donkey has a past - records on which to ride

While the elephant must tread on broken promises they'd like to hide.

And ridden by Harry, armored by the facts, will go right ahead

While Tommy bogged down by lies, will ride the poor elephant 'till he drops dead.

 

 

 

Background Notes:

 

Grandma Hill was an ardent Democrat, while her husband C.T. was a staunch Republican. The family stories tell how she would put her political signs in one window of their house while his signs were in another window. During the summer when everyone had their windows open, the whole neighborhood could hear when they were having a political "discussion".

 

I suspect this was written during the 1948 election season. A democrat had been President since 1932 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected. After FDR's death in 1945, his Vice-President Harry Truman became President. Truman's Republican challenger in 1948 was Thomas E. Dewey.

 

 

 

Nancy Jane Wiley Hill (1875-1960) was always writing something.  Many of those poems are now in the possession of her granddaughter Shirley Kern.  Shirley, with the help of her sister-in-law Ruth Ormsby, transcribed these poems in 1996 for a Hill-Ormsby-Kern family reunion.  I am going to post many of these poems so that they may be enjoyed by all.

These are copyright 1996 and reprinted with permission.

Society Saturday - Conversations with the First Ladies

I recently attended a fundraiser for another chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  It was a high tea - which I used as an excuse to wear a new fascinator :-)

The program was given by first person interpreter Jenny Riddle.  She gave a performance as several first ladies, beginning as Mary Todd Lincoln.  She had a lace headcover, lace collar and lace gloves over her basic black pantsuit. 

After a quick change to a cloche and fur wrap, she portrayed Eleanor Roosevelt.

Another quick change to pillbox hat, pearls, and white gloves transformed her into Jackie Kennedy.  Each of these first ladies told of their courtship and relationship with their husbands, including their reactions to their husband's dalliances (FDR and JFK).

A final change to a patriotic scarf, and she was Hillary Clinton, who serenaded us with song.

It was quite an enjoyable afternoon, having tea with these famous ladies.