HOW FIVE CHILDREN SURVIVED

Alex and Mary enjoyed wedded bliss for a while after their marriage, but illness took its toll. Mary was not a very well woman. A year later, their first child was born. Mary suffered from a blood clot. In that era, this usually meant that death was eminent. However, Doctor MacDonald advised Alex that he could obtain a vile of medication from Boston that would dissolve the clot. The stipulation was that he needed a hundred dollars before he could obtain it. In those days a hundred dollars would be equivalent to five hundred dollars today. Alex was able to borrow the money from some good Samaritan and ordered the medicine. There was great rejoicing when the medication arrived and Mary’s life was spared.

Two years later, Lorne arrived making the family complete with a boy and a girl. However, it wasn’t long before Jean, Genevieve, and Terry followed.

Alex and Mary had very few conveniences in their little abode. They had no running water, washing machine, dryer, refrigerator or electric stove to mention a few.

The Saturday night bath was quite an ordeal. Buckets of water were pumped by hand and carried into the house where the water was placed in a tin tub on the stove. When heated, the tub was placed on the floor where it was hidden by a curtain, where each child was given a bath. When the water cooled off, hot water was added to the existing water from a steaming kettle. ‘

After the baths were completed, the dirty clothes were placed in the bath water and washed by hand. The clothes were then hung outdoors on the clothes line to dry. If inclement weather prevailed, the clothes were hung on a line erected behind the stove.

In those days, all the good clothes were ironed. Mary had no electric iron, but had a hand iron. This was a metal instrument, having a flat under surface and a handle.

The wood stove was stoked, and the heat from the stove heated the irons. The handle was then connected to the iron, and then used to press the clothes. One had to be careful that the iron would be clean. If spots were on it, the clothes would be soiled, and then have to be washed over again.

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