STORIES FROM SISTER

STORIES FROM SISTER

Between1988 and 1995, two Heard Cousins, Sarah Jolie Allardyce Rhine and Frances Ruth Jackson Freeman published a Family Newsletter — WE HEARD —for the descendants of James Addison Heard and Clora Frances Nolen Heard.  Each issue included Family History, Current Family News, and Childhood Reminisces. Patricia  Rogers Heard saved many copies, and recently shared these.  Over the intervening 30 years, the “Current News” became reminisces, while the Reminisces became Family History.  In this series of Blogs, we are reprinting materials from WE HEARD.   The original articles are printed in Black; comments and new information are inserted in Red.  With thanks to Pat, who made it possible, we dedicate these Blogs to the Memory of:  

SARA JOLIE ALLERDYCE RHINE

Harriet Elizabeth Heard -- Sister

Tommy Heard and Harriet Elizabeth "Sister"

Harriet Elizabeth Heard was the third grandchild and first grand daughter born to James Addison and Clora Frances Nolen Heard.  It was natural that she would be known to All as — “SISTER.”  Sister told these Heard Family stories  to WE HEARD in Vol. 2, No. 2, Oct. 10, 1990

Uncle France’s Haircut

Daddy and Uncle France (in their teens) were sent to town to get feed and other supplies.  Daddy let Uncle France off at the barber shop and drove the wagon to the Pitkin Mercantile to pick up the order.  When they met again, Uncle France took off his hat to reveal a bald head.  They got home and unloaded the wagon and Grandma called them in to wash up for supper.  Everyone was seated around the table and Uncle France had his hat on.  Grandpa said, “Take that hat off.”  France did, and Grandpa said, “Put that hat on.”

Dad (Red) said that before Uncle France got his head shaved his hair was straight, and after wearing his hat for several months his hair grew back, and it was curly.

Uncle Red’s Appendix

Daddy (Red) had several large deep scars on his abdomen.  He said when he was 5 or 6 years old, he had a terrible stomach ache that home remedies didn’t cure.  He was taken to Oakdale in a wagon.  He was operated on for acute appendicitis.  He said that just as his belly was opened his appendix burst and spread poison all through his abdomen.  He had several bad weeks, but was lucky to live to tell the story.  

(Medical Note: Since Red was born in 1898, this surgery would have taken place in 1903 or 04.  Only 30 years earlier, in 1874, Dr. John Erichson of University Hospital London solemnly declared the intestinal region, “forever shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon.”  A revolution in operative technique took place between 1880 and 1900.  At the turn of the century, Dr. Charles McBurney at Roosevelt Hospital, NY, was becoming famous for his new appendix incision — an incision that specifically avoided surgical rupturing a swollen, infected appendix, especially in the small abdominal cavity of a child.)

Sister and the Fish Hook

I was visiting in Pitkin when I was about 6 years old.  I guess I’d gone there with Aunt Myrtis Lee or Aunt Vera or Uncle Pete or Uncle Meredith (the Heard children who were at LSU in Baton Rouge at that time).  Every time a car headed to Pitkin, I hitched a ride.  Uncle Alton and Uncle Lindsey were still living at home, and they hung their fishing baits on a stringer on the back porch.  I knew not to touch them, but I was a hard-headed Heard, and the temptation was too great.

I climbed on a chair and was closely examining the bait when Uncle Alton came around the corner of the house and said in a read scary voice, “Little girl, what are you doing?”

Well, I was scared to death and grabbed that string of baits for dear life.  As luck would have it one of the hooks went straight through a little piece of skin between my thumb and forefinger.

Imagine this scene.  The house is crowded with kinfolks.  I was screaming.  Grandpa was sharpening a straight razor.  Grandma was telling him not to cut it out; and everyone had an opinion.  I screamed and squirmed, and no one could hold my hand still for Grandpa to operate.

I was taken to Elizabeth (a nearby town), and every time we hit a bump in the road the hook moved and I would scream.  Well, it was not major surgery, but I do still have a scar.  I got an ice cream cone for being so brave.

Dating With Uncle Lindsey

My brother Tommy and I got new bicycles the Christmas I was seven and he was ten.  The next summer we took them to Pitkin with us.  Uncle Lindsey was the only child (16 0r 17) left at home and he was dating Bernadine Johnson.

One Saturday night a traveling country music show was in town to perform at the Pitkin High School auditorium.  Lindsey and Tommy rode double on Tommy’s bike and I rode mine, and we went to town to pick up Bernadine.  We enjoyed the show and took Bernadine home.  Tommy and I waited by the gate for what seemed like hours for Uncle Lindsey to say, “Goodnight.”

It was a very warm summer night, and we felt the heat as we headed home.  We got to the six-mile creek bridge, and Lindsey and Tommy left me on the bridge, with the bicycles, and they took a skinny dip in the creek to cool off.

Before we got home, we stopped by Mrs. Moore’s watermelon patch and picked up two melons, just to see if they were getting ripe.  We crossed the little bridge at the branch and went up next to the fence to eat the melons.  We dropped the melons to open them because we didn’t have a knife.  Of course they were green.

We headed on home by the light of a very bright moon, and were met on the porch by a very upset Grandma Heard.  The watermelon evidence was found the next day.  I don’t remember too much about that; but I do know that the bikes did not leave the farm, and Tommy and I didn’t go dating with Lindsey again.