Lisa Shea was working on a research project in 2002. Lisa wrote her great-aunt Nancy Warren Grammer for information about Nancy’s childhood. Nancy was the older sister of Lisa’s grandmother Jane Warren Waller. The three siblings were born in rural Tennessee and their childhood was during the Great Depression.
Nancy – June 8, 1918
Joe – January 3, 1921
Jane – December 4, 1924
This letter was written by Nancy dated July 5, 2002. It’s a little confusing because she is responding to a set of notes I’d sent her, gathered by a conversation with my father George Waller and aunt Becky Hall. You can read that conversation here:
Dear Lisa,
Thank you so much for your letter and THE discussion. It was a lot of fun.
Punishment? There was this Razor Strap which men used to sharpen their razors. It was about 4″ x 16″ as I recall. I find that a child’s memory is quite different from adult realities. I just remember 2 encounters with the strap. One time Joe was the guilty party and I got the strap and one time was for being noisy with a bunch of young ones. We all got IT. It seemed that there was no discussion. The STRAP said it all.
Music? I don’t remember a radio or record player. Mother was turned off music when she was forced to take piano while her brothers were not.
Have never read “Men are like street cars.” Sounds good.
Did not hear about the rainbow problem between the Devil and his wife.
Didn’t know about Jane and the tip of her pie.
Jane was 6 1/2 years younger than I. She and Joe roamed the countryside. I was a house cat. Jane said I was born OLD. So I guess I missed out on lots of things.
Don’t know “E”. Cordie helped with the washing at my era. Washing was no little task. Every Mon. morning, Cordia would come and make a fire under the wash pot. She and Mother would scrub everything on the wash-board. The clothes were boiled in the wash pot. Everything was hung on the clothes-line. And there was heating black irons to iron ALL the clothes. They were heated on a wood burning stove.
Don’t know about a VISION.
Will be looking forward to seeing you.
Warren and Kate are in Fla.
Thanks again for your letter.
Love, Great Aunt Nancy