The topic for week 4 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks writing challenge was "Close to Home" and all I could think of was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy told us "there's no place like home" and she was right but then she lived in a warm, cozy, loving environment and not everyone had that.
My maternal grandmother's sister died at the age of 3, a day before her brother William's 1st birthday in January of 1927. I can not even begin to imagine how my great-grandmother, Josie must have felt losing her little girl at such a young age and still having a baby and three other children to tend to. According to the 1930 federal census, my grandmother was living with her maternal grandmother and her uncles in Brooklyn, NY. Her brothers were with their father and paternal grandparents upstate in Poughkeepsie, NY. Josie was nowhere to be found. I wonder if Josie had a breakdown and was hospitalized? In 1940, Uncle Billy was a 6th grade student living at the Greer School in Millbrook, NY which is only about a half-hours drive from his paternal grandparents in Poughkeepsie.
Greer School was founded in 1906 as Hope Farm, a home and school for disadvantaged children. Located in a beautiful, scenic, country setting of Dutchess County, NY; it provided a home like atmosphere and wholesome environment. Along with the daily educational curriculum, the children learned domestic skills such as sewing and cooking. There was also the canning of tomatoes, milking cows, farming, gardening, carpentry, and more. They received pay for their work and attended church on Sunday mornings. It was not all work and no play at this residential school. There were all kinds of sports from football and basketball, their main sports, to hockey and baseball. They had outdoor activities such as hiking and biking, swimming, boating, and fishing in the warm weather, sledding and ice skating in the winter months. They had scouting, movie nights, dances, and field trips. There were children who went home during the holidays and some remained year-round. I'm guessing and hoping that Uncle Billy went home especially since his family didn't live too far away.
After graduation, Uncle Billy enlisted in the Navy. He served out country in WWII and the Korean War. He went to college on the G.I. Bill and became an engineer. Sadly, he chose not to keep in touch with his family. I have a photo of him looking handsome in his uniform during the late 1940's early 50s. I think this was the last time he saw his sister.
I found him decades later and he told me his story. He felt unloved and unwanted when he was sent away to school. Although this school provided a home with love and many activities that most children would never have received with their families, this wasn't the case with Uncle Billy.
Uncle Billy lived close to home at this school but it was not the home sweet home that he craved. Is there "no place like home?"
Copyright 2020 by Annmarie Novick, Skipping Down Memory Lane. All Rights Reserved.
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