Martha was my grandmother. She died when I was young and I didn't know her very well, but have learned about her through correspondence she kept in a steamer trunk I have inherited.
My grandmother had a riches-to-rags childhood. She graduated from eighth grade and then had to go to work to help support her family. Martha was a caring person and was financially helping people throughout her entire life. She was a self-made woman. She wanted to improve her lot in life, and she did! Martha enjoyed the arts, especially music, and she took piano lessons as an adult. She was able to buy property as a single woman, and even owned a racehorse for a short period of time!
Martha married William K. Cooper in 1915 when she was in her thirties, and my father, Bill, was born in 1918. Martha and William had a son named John who was born in 1920, but he died when he was one day old. John's death greatly affected my grandmother for the rest of her life. I wish she could have lived in a time like today with support groups, but it seems as though she had to suffer through this loss virtually alone. Through it all, however, she still financially supported others, including my parents and their five children.
Even though she died in 1967, everyone in the family still has strong opinions about Martha. It's true she didn't suffer fools very well, but apparently she was very generous with them. She was definitely ahead of her time, and I still don't think the world's caught up with her! I regret not knowing her better on a personal level. She is my inspiration, and I wish I was a lot more like her.
My grandmother had a riches-to-rags childhood. She graduated from eighth grade and then had to go to work to help support her family. Martha was a caring person and was financially helping people throughout her entire life. She was a self-made woman. She wanted to improve her lot in life, and she did! Martha enjoyed the arts, especially music, and she took piano lessons as an adult. She was able to buy property as a single woman, and even owned a racehorse for a short period of time!
Martha married William K. Cooper in 1915 when she was in her thirties, and my father, Bill, was born in 1918. Martha and William had a son named John who was born in 1920, but he died when he was one day old. John's death greatly affected my grandmother for the rest of her life. I wish she could have lived in a time like today with support groups, but it seems as though she had to suffer through this loss virtually alone. Through it all, however, she still financially supported others, including my parents and their five children.
Even though she died in 1967, everyone in the family still has strong opinions about Martha. It's true she didn't suffer fools very well, but apparently she was very generous with them. She was definitely ahead of her time, and I still don't think the world's caught up with her! I regret not knowing her better on a personal level. She is my inspiration, and I wish I was a lot more like her.
Martha was my grandmother. She died when I was young and I didn't know her very well, but have learned about her through correspondence she kept in a steamer trunk I have inherited.
My grandmother had a riches-to-rags childhood. She graduated from eighth grade and then had to go to work to help support her family. Martha was a caring person and was financially helping people throughout her entire life. She was a self-made woman. She wanted to improve her lot in life, and she did! Martha enjoyed the arts, especially music, and she took piano lessons as an adult. She was able to buy property as a single woman, and even owned a racehorse for a short period of time!
Martha married William K. Cooper in 1915 when she was in her thirties, and my father, Bill, was born in 1918. Martha and William had a son named John who was born in 1920, but he died when he was one day old. John's death greatly affected my grandmother for the rest of her life. I wish she could have lived in a time like today with support groups, but it seems as though she had to suffer through this loss virtually alone. Through it all, however, she still financially supported others, including my parents and their five children.
Even though she died in 1967, everyone in the family still has strong opinions about Martha. It's true she didn't suffer fools very well, but apparently she was very generous with them. She was definitely ahead of her time, and I still don't think the world's caught up with her! I regret not knowing her better on a personal level. She is my inspiration, and I wish I was a lot more like her.
My grandmother had a riches-to-rags childhood. She graduated from eighth grade and then had to go to work to help support her family. Martha was a caring person and was financially helping people throughout her entire life. She was a self-made woman. She wanted to improve her lot in life, and she did! Martha enjoyed the arts, especially music, and she took piano lessons as an adult. She was able to buy property as a single woman, and even owned a racehorse for a short period of time!
Martha married William K. Cooper in 1915 when she was in her thirties, and my father, Bill, was born in 1918. Martha and William had a son named John who was born in 1920, but he died when he was one day old. John's death greatly affected my grandmother for the rest of her life. I wish she could have lived in a time like today with support groups, but it seems as though she had to suffer through this loss virtually alone. Through it all, however, she still financially supported others, including my parents and their five children.
Even though she died in 1967, everyone in the family still has strong opinions about Martha. It's true she didn't suffer fools very well, but apparently she was very generous with them. She was definitely ahead of her time, and I still don't think the world's caught up with her! I regret not knowing her better on a personal level. She is my inspiration, and I wish I was a lot more like her.
