Mary Alice Rathbone was the fourth child born to Orville William Rathbone and Carleen Cody Rathbone. She was born February 29th (leap year) 1940. She died of crib death 3 weeks later. She is buried at Fines Creek Baptist Church in Haywood County NC. Her grave is marked with a large stone put there 75 yrs ago by my grandfather. My family has also fulfilled a promise made over 20 yrs ago to my grandmother Mary Alice also has a proper headstone.
For my Grandmother Carleen and my Aunt Mary Alice
By: Janet E. Meadows
As little girl while my parents worked the swing shift during the week and I was usually covered head to toe in casts recovering from one of my orthopedic surgeries I stayed with my grandparents Orville and Carleen Rathbone on our family farm in Haywood co NC. This gave me plenty of free time to hear my Granny talk about “the baby that died”.
Mary Alice was the 4th child born to my grandparents and the third girl. She was born February 29th 1940 on leap year and the only baby of my Grandmother’s seven children to be born in the hospital.
In the 1930’s and 1940’s before my Grandfather went to work at the Champion Paper Mill my grandparents lived on Fines Creek a rugged part of Haywood co. During those days Papaw just farmed and made liquor it was the only way he had to support his family they didn’t have a telephone or even own a car.
When Granny went into labor with Mary Alice the local midwife couldn’t come, so my grandfather decided to take Granny to the hospital, they had to walk to the neighbors who had a car, not easy for a woman in labor.
Granny said she begged Papaw to let her lay down in the barn and have the baby, but childbirth was for the women folk to take care of and he didn’t know what to do and was scared.
When they finally got to the neighbors and then to the hospital, Granny said the first thing that the nurses did was put a bed pan under her and left the room Mary Alice was born right away.
By the time the nurses got back into the room Granny had already gotten Mary Alice out of the bed pan and started her breathing, the nurses took the baby away from Granny and placed her in a basket. Granny said it was two days later before she got to see Mary Alice she hadn’t even been cleaned up but miraculously was still alive.
Back in those days it wasn’t unusual for the newborn to sleep in the same bed w/the parents especially since there weren’t more than two or three beds in the whole house.
When Mary Alice was about three weeks old Granny woke up one morning to nurse her and noticed right away that she wouldn’t suckle. She told my grandfather to wake up that she thought the baby was dead. Papaw put his finger in the baby’s mouth to see if she would suck and when she didn’t Papaw said yes the baby is dead.
Mary Alice died from crib death, but Granny would always blame her death on being born in the hospital.
To prepare Mary Alice for burial Papaw’s two sister’s Mora and Genevieve were brought over to dress the baby and lay her out. In the mean time my Grandfather, his brothers and brother in-laws built her coffin.
Aunt Mora and Genevieve bathed and dressed the baby in a little dress and bonnet and laid her out on the table w/a quart mason jar full of water on each side of her head to hold it in place while her body got cold. My Papaw’s brother’s Mark and R.L. made her casket and carried her to the cemetery. My Papaw found a large rock that is used as her headstone.
Mary Alice is buried at Fine’s Creek Baptist church in Haywood County where my great grandparents Richard and Etta Rathbone along with many of the Rathbone’s are buried. Every year at decoration Granny would take me with her to put flowers on all the graves of our people and every year I would hear Granny tell again the story about “the baby that died”
For my Grandmother Carleen and my Aunt Mary Alice
By: Janet E. Meadows
As little girl while my parents worked the swing shift during the week and I was usually covered head to toe in casts recovering from one of my orthopedic surgeries I stayed with my grandparents Orville and Carleen Rathbone on our family farm in Haywood co NC. This gave me plenty of free time to hear my Granny talk about “the baby that died”.
Mary Alice was the 4th child born to my grandparents and the third girl. She was born February 29th 1940 on leap year and the only baby of my Grandmother’s seven children to be born in the hospital.
In the 1930’s and 1940’s before my Grandfather went to work at the Champion Paper Mill my grandparents lived on Fines Creek a rugged part of Haywood co. During those days Papaw just farmed and made liquor it was the only way he had to support his family they didn’t have a telephone or even own a car.
When Granny went into labor with Mary Alice the local midwife couldn’t come, so my grandfather decided to take Granny to the hospital, they had to walk to the neighbors who had a car, not easy for a woman in labor.
Granny said she begged Papaw to let her lay down in the barn and have the baby, but childbirth was for the women folk to take care of and he didn’t know what to do and was scared.
When they finally got to the neighbors and then to the hospital, Granny said the first thing that the nurses did was put a bed pan under her and left the room Mary Alice was born right away.
By the time the nurses got back into the room Granny had already gotten Mary Alice out of the bed pan and started her breathing, the nurses took the baby away from Granny and placed her in a basket. Granny said it was two days later before she got to see Mary Alice she hadn’t even been cleaned up but miraculously was still alive.
Back in those days it wasn’t unusual for the newborn to sleep in the same bed w/the parents especially since there weren’t more than two or three beds in the whole house.
When Mary Alice was about three weeks old Granny woke up one morning to nurse her and noticed right away that she wouldn’t suckle. She told my grandfather to wake up that she thought the baby was dead. Papaw put his finger in the baby’s mouth to see if she would suck and when she didn’t Papaw said yes the baby is dead.
Mary Alice died from crib death, but Granny would always blame her death on being born in the hospital.
To prepare Mary Alice for burial Papaw’s two sister’s Mora and Genevieve were brought over to dress the baby and lay her out. In the mean time my Grandfather, his brothers and brother in-laws built her coffin.
Aunt Mora and Genevieve bathed and dressed the baby in a little dress and bonnet and laid her out on the table w/a quart mason jar full of water on each side of her head to hold it in place while her body got cold. My Papaw’s brother’s Mark and R.L. made her casket and carried her to the cemetery. My Papaw found a large rock that is used as her headstone.
Mary Alice is buried at Fine’s Creek Baptist church in Haywood County where my great grandparents Richard and Etta Rathbone along with many of the Rathbone’s are buried. Every year at decoration Granny would take me with her to put flowers on all the graves of our people and every year I would hear Granny tell again the story about “the baby that died”
Mary Alice Rathbone was the fourth child born to Orville William Rathbone and Carleen Cody Rathbone. She was born February 29th (leap year) 1940. She died of crib death 3 weeks later. She is buried at Fines Creek Baptist Church in Haywood County NC. Her grave is marked with a large stone put there 75 yrs ago by my grandfather. My family has also fulfilled a promise made over 20 yrs ago to my grandmother Mary Alice also has a proper headstone.
For my Grandmother Carleen and my Aunt Mary Alice
By: Janet E. Meadows
As little girl while my parents worked the swing shift during the week and I was usually covered head to toe in casts recovering from one of my orthopedic surgeries I stayed with my grandparents Orville and Carleen Rathbone on our family farm in Haywood co NC. This gave me plenty of free time to hear my Granny talk about “the baby that died”.
Mary Alice was the 4th child born to my grandparents and the third girl. She was born February 29th 1940 on leap year and the only baby of my Grandmother’s seven children to be born in the hospital.
In the 1930’s and 1940’s before my Grandfather went to work at the Champion Paper Mill my grandparents lived on Fines Creek a rugged part of Haywood co. During those days Papaw just farmed and made liquor it was the only way he had to support his family they didn’t have a telephone or even own a car.
When Granny went into labor with Mary Alice the local midwife couldn’t come, so my grandfather decided to take Granny to the hospital, they had to walk to the neighbors who had a car, not easy for a woman in labor.
Granny said she begged Papaw to let her lay down in the barn and have the baby, but childbirth was for the women folk to take care of and he didn’t know what to do and was scared.
When they finally got to the neighbors and then to the hospital, Granny said the first thing that the nurses did was put a bed pan under her and left the room Mary Alice was born right away.
By the time the nurses got back into the room Granny had already gotten Mary Alice out of the bed pan and started her breathing, the nurses took the baby away from Granny and placed her in a basket. Granny said it was two days later before she got to see Mary Alice she hadn’t even been cleaned up but miraculously was still alive.
Back in those days it wasn’t unusual for the newborn to sleep in the same bed w/the parents especially since there weren’t more than two or three beds in the whole house.
When Mary Alice was about three weeks old Granny woke up one morning to nurse her and noticed right away that she wouldn’t suckle. She told my grandfather to wake up that she thought the baby was dead. Papaw put his finger in the baby’s mouth to see if she would suck and when she didn’t Papaw said yes the baby is dead.
Mary Alice died from crib death, but Granny would always blame her death on being born in the hospital.
To prepare Mary Alice for burial Papaw’s two sister’s Mora and Genevieve were brought over to dress the baby and lay her out. In the mean time my Grandfather, his brothers and brother in-laws built her coffin.
Aunt Mora and Genevieve bathed and dressed the baby in a little dress and bonnet and laid her out on the table w/a quart mason jar full of water on each side of her head to hold it in place while her body got cold. My Papaw’s brother’s Mark and R.L. made her casket and carried her to the cemetery. My Papaw found a large rock that is used as her headstone.
Mary Alice is buried at Fine’s Creek Baptist church in Haywood County where my great grandparents Richard and Etta Rathbone along with many of the Rathbone’s are buried. Every year at decoration Granny would take me with her to put flowers on all the graves of our people and every year I would hear Granny tell again the story about “the baby that died”
For my Grandmother Carleen and my Aunt Mary Alice
By: Janet E. Meadows
As little girl while my parents worked the swing shift during the week and I was usually covered head to toe in casts recovering from one of my orthopedic surgeries I stayed with my grandparents Orville and Carleen Rathbone on our family farm in Haywood co NC. This gave me plenty of free time to hear my Granny talk about “the baby that died”.
Mary Alice was the 4th child born to my grandparents and the third girl. She was born February 29th 1940 on leap year and the only baby of my Grandmother’s seven children to be born in the hospital.
In the 1930’s and 1940’s before my Grandfather went to work at the Champion Paper Mill my grandparents lived on Fines Creek a rugged part of Haywood co. During those days Papaw just farmed and made liquor it was the only way he had to support his family they didn’t have a telephone or even own a car.
When Granny went into labor with Mary Alice the local midwife couldn’t come, so my grandfather decided to take Granny to the hospital, they had to walk to the neighbors who had a car, not easy for a woman in labor.
Granny said she begged Papaw to let her lay down in the barn and have the baby, but childbirth was for the women folk to take care of and he didn’t know what to do and was scared.
When they finally got to the neighbors and then to the hospital, Granny said the first thing that the nurses did was put a bed pan under her and left the room Mary Alice was born right away.
By the time the nurses got back into the room Granny had already gotten Mary Alice out of the bed pan and started her breathing, the nurses took the baby away from Granny and placed her in a basket. Granny said it was two days later before she got to see Mary Alice she hadn’t even been cleaned up but miraculously was still alive.
Back in those days it wasn’t unusual for the newborn to sleep in the same bed w/the parents especially since there weren’t more than two or three beds in the whole house.
When Mary Alice was about three weeks old Granny woke up one morning to nurse her and noticed right away that she wouldn’t suckle. She told my grandfather to wake up that she thought the baby was dead. Papaw put his finger in the baby’s mouth to see if she would suck and when she didn’t Papaw said yes the baby is dead.
Mary Alice died from crib death, but Granny would always blame her death on being born in the hospital.
To prepare Mary Alice for burial Papaw’s two sister’s Mora and Genevieve were brought over to dress the baby and lay her out. In the mean time my Grandfather, his brothers and brother in-laws built her coffin.
Aunt Mora and Genevieve bathed and dressed the baby in a little dress and bonnet and laid her out on the table w/a quart mason jar full of water on each side of her head to hold it in place while her body got cold. My Papaw’s brother’s Mark and R.L. made her casket and carried her to the cemetery. My Papaw found a large rock that is used as her headstone.
Mary Alice is buried at Fine’s Creek Baptist church in Haywood County where my great grandparents Richard and Etta Rathbone along with many of the Rathbone’s are buried. Every year at decoration Granny would take me with her to put flowers on all the graves of our people and every year I would hear Granny tell again the story about “the baby that died”
