A tale of two “city” houses – downing of quality

Durand Map 1834

Many, years ago in a place called Lorain the settlers, pioneers of their day, in those early 1800’s built a foundation for this city of hard work, diligence and pride.

Families followed to work in the ship yards and steel industry. How wonderful for the immigrants to this country , state and city to have a living wage and able to “own” a home , dreams coming true. Neighborhoods grew , log houses became wood sided houses with porches and designed not for shelter only but for home and hearth, curtains hung , window shades drawn to be even with the next window, grass planted , sidewalks made an appearance , and bricked roads replaced wooden planks. The homes loved and admired.

Captain Wilford Home -426 Washington ( take a drive by today )

Ladies proud of their part in the growth of the community , starched white blouses , the very ladies who kept the those homes shining with pride, the daughters of the founding fathers .
2nd row no 7 – Mrs. Fannie Wilford – wife of Captain Wilford – Gillmore Civil War letters

https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/civil-war-letters-fannie-gilmore-lorain/

https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/capt-wilford-a-hero-of-the-inland-seas/

There has been a plethora of history of those same homes on this blog and others . However, as you drive around these same streets today , you will notice missing windows instead of lace curtains or even window shades, you will see homes not kept with pride but hanging on to their last gasping breaths of “being”.

Did people and values change , that is up for debate, did the plethora of social service agencies located in a cluster in this area cause problems , again up for debate, administrations , city councils that came and went , did we suffer from party politics or lack of forward thinking and the consequences of one’s administrative actions?

One thing is not debatable is that in the 44052- and the old neighborhoods in what is called South Lorain something happened or ,in my opinion, didn’t and hasn’t happened – property accountability. So where does that leave us , those who are now stranded by economics and age who are still trying for a quality of life, homes built with love for “home” now home to heroin dealers and fences not surrounding gardens but “fencing the stolen goods”.

In this series I am going to look at what is, in my opinion, an issue that is one of the major concerns as to how we got this way. The tale of two homes – their paper trail – and conclusions………

As one official stated at a meeting ( paraphrasing) – There are people in the west side of Lorain complaining their neighbor’s fence is leaning on their property but in ( what is called old Lorain neighborhoods) we have people complaining the next door house is falling onto their property…

To be continued

Advertisements

What is their story and the story tellers- Lorain

I have lived in this old neighborhood of Lorain since we purchased our “starter home”- it will hopefully be the home where we “finish up”.
I know a few facts about the people who lived here through the 1/2 century before we became its caretaker. I certainly hope that someone will enjoy this home after we are gone BUT I don’t hold out much hope the way things go in Lorain.

too many examples to show…. this is the latest poster child 3620 Clinton and YES! it too has a story.

Local bloggers, council people such as Dennis Flores,
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=dennis%20flores%20city%20of%20lorain%202nd%20ward%20councilman
have been trying to fight the blight of non enforcement of building codes for years. They have tried the name it and shame it until there were just too many to name. The outing of mega landlords with 300 such properties and those that followed him in his “business” plan. I went to housing court and another story. https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/housing-court-and-you-lorain-continued/

However recently Lisa Miller of Lorain 365 Blog – (a blog https://lorain365.com/ that photographs the good and sometimes quirky in Lorain every day) posted a picture of a little building on Colorado Ave. Lisa , had her curiosity tweaked by the name on the top of the little building . “Giuseppino”.

I remember another “version” of that building from when I first came here. The building was right next to the Royal Canadian Legion ( no longer there) It was getting a little jaded even then but still someone still cared . This is how (with the help of picmonkey https://www.picmonkey.com/ ) I remembered this little building – original photo Lisa Miller.

The building changed hands through the years and at one point looked like a facsimile of what I remembered – this photo from the Lorain County Auditors site
and now of course Lisa’s photo of this week – SIGH

Lisa followed through researching the story behind the name on the building

http://wp.me/p1Rd8f-4Pt

A tornado memory – revisiting the Giuseppino 1924 building

This name and date stone turns out to be a memorial
to a 9-year-old boy who was killed in the 1924 tornado.

A family member reached out:
“That building was built by my Grandfather, Sam Garbo.
It was constructed with salvaged bricks after the tornado.
That stone, in fact, does say Giuseppino and is the child you reference.
His parents were Sam and Josephine Garbo, My Grandparents.
-Susan Garbo”

My genealogy search had ended with one Lorain connection,
a deceased 9-year-old child named Giuseppino Garbo. No relatives were listed.

Update 4/29/17:
Reader and contributor Rick Kurish picked up the search:
“You are on the right track in the research of this building. The nine-year-old child, Giuseppino Garbo, who is buried in Calvary Cemetery, is associated with the building. Giuseppino (English version Joseph) Garbo lived at 311 Colorado Avenue and was killed in the Lorain Tornado of June 28, 1924. He was buried in the children’s section of Cavalry Cemetery on July 1, 1924. While the grave marker lists the Italian version of his name, the cemetery records list him as Joseph Garbo. The marker also indicates that he was killed in the tornado. He is also listed in the Official Souvenir and Memorial Book of the Lorain Tornado, under the heading “Killed in Lorain Tornado”, as Joseph Garbo, 9, 311 Colorado Avenue.”

Much thanks to Rick and Susan for helping to fill in the blanks of Giuseppino’s story.



Memory Lane – The Ladies who lunched and accomplished

I received a phone call yesterday from Barbara MacGregor and memories of good times in Lorain surfaced. I wrote about some of them in this post

https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/ladies-of-lorain/

I was in my very early twenties when I first arrived, a Mrs. Osmundson of the “Lorain Chapter of the Welcome Wagon” knocked on our apartment door and there followed the introduction to the Ladies of Lorain.

These ladies , some of whom have passed away , then introduced me to the “volunteer aspect” that was and is Lorain. The ladies that saved the Palace Theatre, built Lorain Community Hospital, literally ran the entertainment for Lorain International , planned the ” Hospital Follies” and fundraisers, celebrated the “anniversaries” and gently bullied administrations, newspapers and public servants to join in and refused to take No for an answer . They organized their projects and committees with a battle plan and strategy that would have made any General proud.

Ruth Calta, Jean Schaeffer, Marylou Connone, Lori Hoke, Barbara MacGregor, Corky Bruck, Charlotte Zakowski, Jane Baran, Jane Norton, Lou Kepler, Alice Weston, Phyllis Pfaff, Sally Bobel , Lilly Yuzon, Sally DeLuca , Mirium Schneider , Jean Anne King , Lee Mattei, Darlene Brown , Mrs. Robert Bostwick, Mrs. Dave Herzer , Carol Kramer, Frances Cellozzi, Marie Bonaminio,

and so many others whose names have faded with my memory . Some of these ladies are still volunteering and making a difference in Lorain everyday.

Barb had called to tell me of the 40th anniversary celebration of the Palace Theatre and of burning the mortgage
http://lorainpalace.org/theater/

“December 10, 1977 was a landmark date. On the stage of the theater that night following a Christmas musical program, the mortgage was burned ceremoniously, thanks to the generosity of many groups and individuals.”

Oh those were the days before the mortgage could be burned though fundraising took place at 319 Broadway ( the annex)

” Forty civic groups participated in this week long street fair, Stores soon to be torn down were converted as if by magic into an old fashioned ice cream parlor, a “Second-Hand Rose” shop, a casino, a book and plant store, an open air barbecue, international shops, etc. The Saturday night “Great Gatsby Party” at the Palace climaxed the week’s activities.

Civic Center Madness – Oh and it was, the ladies served lunches , painted poppies on pianos, sold artifacts-

I still have a little chair -was left after one auction in a terrible state – it was headed for the dumpster when Ruth Calta decided I should buy it for a dollar – and you didn’t say no! – rehabbed and upholstered is still with us – a memory of can do!

I was just a young newly married transplant when Jean Schaeffer decided I needed to be introduced.

There was so much joy- energy – a pushing ahead through problems- these were the “can do ladies” and they did and they pulled each volunteer along with them in their net of enthusiasm. These ladies who saved a theatre and built a hospital. The Great Gatsby Party – what great fun – The Palace Players and Henry 8th night- not to be forgotten-

Cover Arcade MJ

As Barb and I talked, I remembered a time of energy and of loss of those ladies no longer with us- 40 years of life tends to do that. Still the Palace is there a testament to perseverance and pride- still needed in this old town.

Lorain -History Mystery- In conclusion – Clara

Part One https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara/

Part Two https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-2/

Part Three https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt3/

Part Four https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-part-4/

Part Five https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-5/

Part Six https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-part-6/

Part Seven https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-7/
Part Eight https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-8/
ED NOTE Please click on any of the photos to enlarge

The consensus of opinion is the pages found tucked away on top of the beam in the basement of 212 W. 18th Street are in all likelihood the writings pertaining to a “novel” or story. Clara, a character in a writer’s fertile imagination. The research turned up similarities of place names but nothing that could be traced either in Lorain or in Oklahoma. Just the intriguing Lorain Lumber letter head

However, we were able to track the history of the home – and the family that probably built it “The Greggs”. Renee Dore and I were fortunate to have spent a lovely afternoon on Thursday with Mrs. Margaret Gregg. This gracious lady allowed us to look through family photos and documents to see if we could unravel just who may have been the author of the pages.

Frederick S. Lamb’s painting of William Penn at the Brooklyn Museum

The Gregg family has a long history in these United States, one of the documents from the Gregg family was a completed family tree from the 1930’s. The family traced its roots from Ireland and eventually to arriving in the “colonies” along with the group accompanying William Penn. http://www.ushistory.org/penn/bio.htm

A quick search found
Thomas Coulson Gregg born in 1794 and deceased in 1878 in Belleville Ohio –
His son William Alan Gregg born 1823 -1873 also from Belleville
However it was his son Emmett Gregg who was born in 1860 in Belleville but eventually found his way to Lorain where he passed in 1938.

Emmett Gregg married Barbara (Reiff) Gregg 1857-1937from Maytown Pennsylvania

Photos scanned from the original tintypes
Why Emmett and Barbara ended up in Lorain is anyone’s guess but more than likely came for employment.

What is known is that the Sanborn Fire Maps for 1900 show what is now 212 W 18th as being 314 Forest and the dwelling footprint was very different on the 1900 Sanborn Fire Map

but that can be explained, as in amongst the Gregg family photos was a photo ( enhanced) of the Greggs home a small cottage – written on the reverse.

Was this the dwelling shown in 1900 Sandborn Fire Map? When we spoke to Margaret Gregg she remembers the home was added onto ( or possibly rebuilt??) early on .
In June 1905 according the Sanborn maps more changes had been made – it looks like the garage ( outbuilding) had been added.
1905 Sandborn Map

What we do know is that by 1910 the footprint had changed again
1910 Sandborn Map

The 1918 Sandborn Fire Map and 1926 through 1940 see minor changes


1912 Tax Map for the city we have Emmett and Barbara Gregg listed as the owners of the property.


Emmett and Barbara had a son George in 1882 he passed in 1947

George married Cora (Dyce) who was from Florida –

Cora followed her husband George back to Lorain and back to 212 18th Street. Cora was exquisite- the head and shoulders shot ( complete with Marcel Wave hairstyle) from the family album shows such. Unfortunately, we were scared to remove the photo from its folder due to the condition of the album fearing we might do damage . We do have a picture of her with her young son Donald ( Margaret’s eventual husband ) in 1932/3

George and Cora ( thanks to the research by Rick Kurish) listed themselves in the 1930 census as to their occupation as Lecturer in a Traveling Show.
Audience photo source River Time Players

http://www.rivertimeplayers.org/tent/tentshow.asp

These shows were extremely successful in the US and elsewhere .George and Cora it seems were quite the artistic couple – a life of audiences and stories . George seen here posing was quite the “dapper” gentleman

The vocation of George and Clara also is confirmed by family history. George and Cora were heavily involved with the Circus and Traveling shows of the 20’s and thirties . Margaret told us that Cora would love to tell how she had visited all 48 states and the provinces in Canada.

Don’t I wish I could talk to Cora of those days?

However, back to the pages and the mystery as to the author. Margaret, Cora’s daughter -in- law, doesn’t remember anyone ever mentioning anything like the story or writing .

Renee and I sat on the couch and poured over old writings, photos and family papers hoping to find a similarity in the penmanship.
Cora’s hand was very different to the hand that wrote the pages. Just when we felt all was lost we came across another picture of Cora – The Florida girl and the snow circa 1927

It was with a great deal of excitement we found written on the back of the photo

“It took as great deal of coaxing to get the Florida Girl to sit right down in the snow for this picture but she did”

And there is was the same handwriting as the pages, comparing the style of the words to those of the delicate pages, the “d’s” the a’s the I”s the B’s the “she” and the girl with the capital G- there was no doubt the writer of the pages was the same person as the writer on the back of the photo.

The conclusion was reached by myself, Mrs. Margaret Gregg and Renee, after comparing writing styles , the writer was not Cora but Barbara Gregg. Cora’s mother – in- law.

Barbara Gregg passed away in 1937 – was that the reason we will never know who murdered Bob Sandford? What was the rest of Rose Flemming’s story? Who was Clara and what was her mother’s secret? . Why were the pages tucked away all those years ago? We will never know unless somewhere in that old house there are other pages.

Barbara Gregg’s pages have now been published , the story forever on the internet , her life and times documented and along with her writing has taken us all on a “history tour”

Many thanks to the Gregg family for their permission to continue the story, the photos and a special thank you to Margaret Gregg who was so charming and helpful.
And a thank you to Dennis Flores , who showed up at my door with a file of very, very special writings.

The End???????????????

Lorain- History Mystery- Her Name Was Clara- Part 6

Part One https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara/

Part Two https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-2/

Part Three https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt3/

Part Four https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-part-4/

Part Five https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-5/

We left the Oklahoma pages with some answers – yes there was an oil boom in 1904 the probable location of the “town of Bartmore” but very little else and the town of Bartlesville? But we are not any closer. I cannot find Hartwell and Barton- nor Bruce Barton – so back to the pages of Oklahoma

Page 4 Clara- Oklahoma

….. Martha Barton Hospital was built by and fu(lly) (torn) equipped and given to the City of Bartmore and (he) torn gave 50,00 each year for its upkeep.

Bartmore boats of two of the best surgeons in ( the ) stet and they were brought her by Bruce Ba(rton)torn. He established six public playgrounds and ( torn and missing) gave them to Bartmore.

The people wanted to put him into politics. He never would concent(sp) I know that Bruce Barton could have been Govenor of this state if he had wished to be.

The firm Hartwell and Barton had gone on for several years and while I had married and was the Daddy of two fine children, Bruce still remained a Bachelor. He had built a fine home just north of Bartmore about 2 miles from the city limits and had a fine old couple Mr. and Mrs. Sweeney look after his place. Mrs. Sweeney acting as housekeeper and Phil Sweeney overseeing the farm.

ED NOTE: Internet searches have not turned up any of these names so far

Bruce seemed to get a great deal of pleas(ure)torn out of his home. He had a wonderful ….. torn stock and spent thousands of dollars ..keeping(?) his grounds

Page 5 Clara OK

Bartmore boasts of having one of the finest ??????? ED Note- this next word has me stymied- I am literally going crossed eyed trying t decipher these pages. You decide…. I can get Aviations – Carnation -( yes there is such a thing as carnation fields ) Donations – I am thinking “aviation” you decide

fields in the United States and Bruce Barton gave every acre of land and saw that everything was built and arranged to make it one of the best and then gave it to the city.

ED NOTE – again if it was a early aviation field I can’t find anything given to Barton
http://www.airfields-freeman.com/OK/Airfields_OK_E.htm however there is a Bartlesville (city owned air strip) and it made history – no mention of a Bruce Barton though
http://www.examiner-enterprise.com/news/local-news/bartlesville-back-when-flying-history-made-locally photo the Examiner – Enterprise

I just tell you these things to give you an idea of what k(ind) of a man he was.
Tom Sandford ED NOTE could not an oilman Tom Sandford BUT there was a Sanford Oil in Bartlesville Nov 1921 ) was another man who had made lots of money in oil and his son Bob who was just returned home from Law School was one of those young fellows who had always had everything he every wanted and his father wanted Bruce and I to take him in our office for a couple of years. I was in favor of it but Bruce said No and frankly told Tom very plainly just why he objected and he said ” Tom I like Bob and want to see him succeed but just as long as you furnish your son with all the money he wants and buy him high powered cars he never will work and never will amount to a …… ( word unreadable)

Well the result was that Tom Sandford was very much offended and said as much. But Bruce was firm and said “Tom just cut off ( missing) allowance and compel him to dig for him ( self) and in latter years Bob will thank you (…….. missing)

And there we have it more of the story and yet we know so very little that checks out . One thing I have found in trying to tie names to places I have found some very interesting reading about the oil fields and also since this is being written on MLK Day the riots in Tulsa in 1921

Tulsa’s darkest hour came on June 1, 1921, when racial tensions erupted in violence against African-Americans living in an area north of downtown. Thirty-five blocks of black businesses and residences were burned down including Greenwood Ave., known as “The Black Wall Street”. Both blacks and whites were killed, although the numbers are still debated today.

http://tulsahistory.org/learn/online-exhibits/early-tulsa-history/oil-and-riches/
and “on the rarely-mentioned 1921 onslaught, aerial bombing, and incineration of the “Black Wall Street” business district of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921, by white mobs, including the KKK and government forces.”

To be continued ……….

Pages 4 and 5 Black and White enhanced

Lorain – History Mystery – Her name was Clara – Part 4

Part One https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara/

Part Two https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt-2/

Part Three https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/29/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara-pt3/

And now to the continuing mystery of “Who was Clara?” – The word “mystery” by definition problem, enigma, riddle, puzzle means something which baffles or perplexes. coming from the French – *misterie, Old French mistere “secret” fits the tale of the folded papers of a century ago.

I have reached out to historical societies in Oklahoma – and the consensus was ” For the time frame you are looking for is going to be difficult”. They did give me a couple of other resources to try but in the meantime I am hoping we will learn more about the first owners of the property – 212 18th Street, formally Forest. That may give us another clue ….

What we do know is the papers were “hidden” or secreted before 1926, how long before we don’t know . Unfortunately, there was a tornado that hit Lorain in 1924-

Could the home at 212 W 18th predate the tornado ? At a time of great turmoil when neighbors looked after neighbors, Is it possible “Clara” may have been a visitor to the home”- leaving before retrieving her writings?

Was Clara even a real person, could she have been the “character” in a budding writers imagination? Readers will notice at the top of each of the pages thus far documented here are numbers such as 200- 215 -225 counting the words on those pages ( some crossed out) the number of words generally correspond to those numbers. Many writers do this when writing the draft or outline of a story.

Could this be possible? Is this a draft of a book or short story???

Back to the mystery – the next pages( written in the same hand) but NOT on Lorain Lumber letterhead are NOT numbered ( neither was the last page (5) on the letterhead paper). The following pages are paper thin and although found folded with the previous writings they “jump” into a whole different locale to make it worse for the “History Mystery Squad” there is obviously a “segue” page missing which possibly could have explained the Oklahoma connection. Is this the story told to Clara by her mother that would cause so much heart ache and suffering and to tell of her mother’s courage and fighting spirit?

A single woman driving her own “roadster” pre 1926 and having the money to do so ( locally) may have been a bit of a rarity BUT then again we have learned woman in Lorain were often in charge of businesses as the men were elsewhere so maybe not so much of a stretch

Map of the Oklahoma and Indian Territories 1905
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Territory

My romantic imagination tries to fill in the blanks but I know in my heart of hearts I have to follow the evidence trail.
BUT this continuation of “Clara’s ” writing was before Oklahoma became a state a lot of towns and townships were numbered or absorbed into larger communities- were these actual places and names ?

Surely though the prominent people mentioned should have some record history- BUT then I remember Lorain and the burying of her past and people only to find their stories and connection recently “unearthed” If any readers want to join in the investigation please do so , I would love to find out if this is fact of fiction!

CLARA the Oklahoma pages

“It really seemed that every man, woman and child in Bartmore (???) Oklahoma admired Bruce Barton and as a citizen of Bartmore I believe that I knew him best and in the (latter- crossed through) I was associated with him ( torn) (missing) found out that he never could (???) (torn) (missing) very much about himself. But if I am going to tell you the story of this man why let us start from the first day I met him.

It was in June 1902 when a young man came into my Law office and inquired if I was Judge Hartwell (???). Telling him I was he said ” Barton is my name “Bruce (???) Barton and as I am opening a Law office across the street, I thought I would come in and get acquainted . I remember at the time I remarked “Well Barton, misery loves company and I sure welcome you to Bartmore.”

You see Bartmore at that time was a small Oklahoma town with about 8,000 pop and ( torn) (missing) (possible words- :the future) did not look very bright for a young (torn)(missing) I had been called Judge for ???? (torn missing “

the rest of page missing

So here we go

(1) was there ever a Bartmore Oklahoma – a Judge Hartwell- a Bruce Barton ?
(2) Was Bartmore one of the many townships lost to the future along with its citizens?
(3)Did Clara change the names to protect the “guilty or innocent”?-

The beam exposed when the old furnace was removed where the papers were hidden – Photo courtesy of Councilman Dennis Flores
(4)Why hide the writings if she ( and I believe the writings are of a feminine nature) was trying her hand at a story?
(5)Would the content have been frowned upon by those residing in the home in those early days of the 20th century?

To be continued

Lorain- History Mystery-Her Name was Clara Pt.2

PART ONE : https://thatwoman.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/lorain-history-mystery-her-name-was-clara/

The last 48 hours have sent me on a journey, and I am not alone, the History Mystery Squad have been delving into what little facts we can obtain on the subject of just who was Clara?

We have, I believe, solved the mystery of C.C MOORE – Vice President of the Lorain Lumber and Manufacturing Co.

My assumption as to the identity of C. C Moore – Vice President of Lorain Lumber and Manufacturing Co – 9th Street on the letter head may be that of his wife “Carrie Christine ( Friends) Moore” whom Leonard Moore married in 1895-

Carrie’s father was Charles F Friend – The information on Find a Grave has Charles F Friend as a tug boat captain and fisherman but also according to the history of Lorain County Charles F Friend was the Vice President of Lorain Lumber and Manufacturing Com organized in 1881 –

That makes sense to me, those earning their living on the lake need to have an alternative source of income during those months when all the lake gives up is ice and rough seas. The letter head definitely says C. C. Moore .

Was Lorain ahead of her time in having women in important positions? I was told that it was quite normal in that day and age , many of the wives of the ship’s captains, for instance, took over the roles of running the on shore businesses as their husbands, fathers and brothers were on the lake and needed elsewhere.

So I believe, the linkage as to lumber, the Moore of the letter head may be solved but on the other side of the page we still have Clara – what was her relationship with Lorain Lumber if any, the lumber company’s letter head used for her story?

You can see the paper mache replicas of the Moore family, including Carrie, at the Moore House on 5th street. However following the links below will take you to photos and more information:

Lisa and Mrs. Moore

Lisa of Lorain 365 Blog https://Lorain365.com meeting Carrie in 2014
Meeting the Moores

http://www.chroniclet.com/news/2014/11/29/Lorain-s-Moore-House-Museum-opens-to-public.html

We last left Clara going on a day trip with her mother for her 14th birthday

Page 2.

Mrs. Martin had been our House-keeper, sort of a nurse (for(crossed through)to me since I had been 7 years old (and I now to tell her-crossed through).
In a short time we were in Mother’s Roadster and drove to Brighton

ED NOTE: The only Brighton I could find in Ohio and in Lorain County – is Brighton Township and from Wikipedia ” Some say the community was so named on account of it being a “bright spot”, while others believe the name is a transfer from Brighton, New York, the native home of a share of the first settlers. A post office called Brighton was established in 1825, and remained in operation until 1904 The first country store at Brighton opened in around 1839.[4]

and there had a nice lunch and then into the car again and out into the country. Finally we stopped at a beautiful woods and mother said let us get out and explore. We were soon deep into the woods and finally came to the small stream of water. A beautiful day in June and we sat under a large Oak tree and then mother started speaking of the birds, the flowers the trees and spoke of their beauty.

Then she said “Clara I am going to tell you the story of my life and dear it is such a beautiful story if it is correctly told and daughter that is why I have brought you out here today , to this beautiful place.
You are at the turning point in life and will soon step from (girl-hood?) into womanhood (and then she pointed to a bird- crossed through) Clara if you and I had come out her last winter we would have found the trees bare, the grass dead and there would have been very little signs of life, (and-crossed through) But in ………………….

Black and white enhancement of Page 2