HARTMAN JOURNALS
Volume One  Issue 5   May 1997      Page 1
  A NOTE FROM GEORGE
I ask those of you who have information of our family. Names, numbers, attitudes at home, characteristic of family life at 916 Sarah St to please help Jim! Write anything you felt while growing up in our family, this would include grandchildren, etc. I am sorry that I did not start the FAMILY TREE years ago and I am very impressed the way Jim Has taken on this responsibility. take time to help, please. Caroline, Al and Bill would have contributed!

I have written about the backround information of my Mom and Dad. Now I want to write about how I fit into that family tree and my reaction and action to family life life albeit without bias.

In my words in the past March and April Journals appear to degrade Mom and Dad in any way, believe me, I ask you to change your reaction to those words. Mom and Dad were truly great parents and both had their devotion to the family and to each of us. There was never a day that went by that these attributes were not exemplified by them. Mom was always ready to greet Dad with a kiss when he returned from a day's labor. He would throw his cap on the rack in the kitchen and kiss Mom. When we lived in Rankin, Mom insisted that I proceed to the third floor window to watch for him to alight from the street car and wave to him.

Then she would start supper (the word supper was used then, rather than dinner, today). They really loved one another although they had differences.I was lucky to be born into a large family with a mother and father at the head who lived normal productive lives as our parents. Dad went to work and made a living for us while Mom stayed at home and cooked our meals, washed and sewed our clothes and all the rest. We all knew where we fit into the family. We were a structered group, pigeon holed if you may, but stable. This structured life gave confidence to me and provided a resting place for the trials of growing up.

We all knew who we were, all seven of us (at times), and for the most part were happy and satisfied. We all had uncles, aunts and cousins and we kew how we fit into the two family units --Mom and Dad's families. this gave us stability. Even, as I the oldest, left the family there was still eating together at least at breakfast and supper. disagreements we had, but hardly at the dinner table. they were settled later. The home acted as a magnet to draw each other together to the very center of life. We all had our chores to do! We were requested to complete our chores before we were allowed to play. Last but not least we all attended Church (except DAD) on Sunday, not always together but enough to give us the glue that held us together. Our parents put our needs before their own. We had no distractions such as TV, etc. so we had to TALK to each other.

Page 2