The following is recollections from Mildred Cox Farmer concerning her mother, Paralee Malinda Brown. Mildred was 85 years old at the time of this recollection.
Paralee cooked on a coal cook stove until Mildred was about 10 years old. They converted the cast iron stove to gas. Paralee prepared biscuits every morning for George and the family. George loved potatoes, and Paralee prepared them in some form, usually fried, for every meal. She baked bread about three times a week. Mildred remembered that Paralee made hominee on occasion.
In the early years, they used coal oil lamps for lighting, and later converted to gas lights. Mildred could not remember when they started using electric lights.
Paralee appearantly was an ill person for several years during her later years. Mildred was about 16 years old when her mother died. Paralee had a nervous breakdown when Mildred was about 14 years old. Appearantly they did not know she had cancer at the time. She spent several months in a saniterium. Mildred thinks it was in Alton, Madison County, Illinois. (The family lived in East St. Louis, Illinois at the time.) About two years later they discovered that she had cancer, from which she died.
Mildred recalled that the home was happy during her pre-adolescent years. When her mother's health began to decline, there was stress and frustration with the illness. The family appearantly did not know or understand that Paralee's health was declining due to the cancer. While Paralee was sick, Mildred had to assume the responsibilities of the housework.
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We have a dilemma on Paralee's date of birth. Her obituary indicates she died on 18 Jul 1925. That matches the engraving on her tombstone. The obituary further states she was aged 39 years, 2 months and 8 days old at her death. That computes to 10 May 1886. However, her tombstone is engraved as 10 May 1887. Hence, the dilemma.
However, since John Thomas Brown, her father, died in Tunnel Hill, Johnson County, Illinois on 9 Apr 1886, Paralee would have been born 13 months after her father died if she was born on 10 May 1887. So it would seem that the engraver made a mistake.
Paralee cooked on a coal cook stove until Mildred was about 10 years old. They converted the cast iron stove to gas. Paralee prepared biscuits every morning for George and the family. George loved potatoes, and Paralee prepared them in some form, usually fried, for every meal. She baked bread about three times a week. Mildred remembered that Paralee made hominee on occasion.
In the early years, they used coal oil lamps for lighting, and later converted to gas lights. Mildred could not remember when they started using electric lights.
Paralee appearantly was an ill person for several years during her later years. Mildred was about 16 years old when her mother died. Paralee had a nervous breakdown when Mildred was about 14 years old. Appearantly they did not know she had cancer at the time. She spent several months in a saniterium. Mildred thinks it was in Alton, Madison County, Illinois. (The family lived in East St. Louis, Illinois at the time.) About two years later they discovered that she had cancer, from which she died.
Mildred recalled that the home was happy during her pre-adolescent years. When her mother's health began to decline, there was stress and frustration with the illness. The family appearantly did not know or understand that Paralee's health was declining due to the cancer. While Paralee was sick, Mildred had to assume the responsibilities of the housework.
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We have a dilemma on Paralee's date of birth. Her obituary indicates she died on 18 Jul 1925. That matches the engraving on her tombstone. The obituary further states she was aged 39 years, 2 months and 8 days old at her death. That computes to 10 May 1886. However, her tombstone is engraved as 10 May 1887. Hence, the dilemma.
However, since John Thomas Brown, her father, died in Tunnel Hill, Johnson County, Illinois on 9 Apr 1886, Paralee would have been born 13 months after her father died if she was born on 10 May 1887. So it would seem that the engraver made a mistake.
The following is recollections from Mildred Cox Farmer concerning her mother, Paralee Malinda Brown. Mildred was 85 years old at the time of this recollection.
Paralee cooked on a coal cook stove until Mildred was about 10 years old. They converted the cast iron stove to gas. Paralee prepared biscuits every morning for George and the family. George loved potatoes, and Paralee prepared them in some form, usually fried, for every meal. She baked bread about three times a week. Mildred remembered that Paralee made hominee on occasion.
In the early years, they used coal oil lamps for lighting, and later converted to gas lights. Mildred could not remember when they started using electric lights.
Paralee appearantly was an ill person for several years during her later years. Mildred was about 16 years old when her mother died. Paralee had a nervous breakdown when Mildred was about 14 years old. Appearantly they did not know she had cancer at the time. She spent several months in a saniterium. Mildred thinks it was in Alton, Madison County, Illinois. (The family lived in East St. Louis, Illinois at the time.) About two years later they discovered that she had cancer, from which she died.
Mildred recalled that the home was happy during her pre-adolescent years. When her mother's health began to decline, there was stress and frustration with the illness. The family appearantly did not know or understand that Paralee's health was declining due to the cancer. While Paralee was sick, Mildred had to assume the responsibilities of the housework.
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We have a dilemma on Paralee's date of birth. Her obituary indicates she died on 18 Jul 1925. That matches the engraving on her tombstone. The obituary further states she was aged 39 years, 2 months and 8 days old at her death. That computes to 10 May 1886. However, her tombstone is engraved as 10 May 1887. Hence, the dilemma.
However, since John Thomas Brown, her father, died in Tunnel Hill, Johnson County, Illinois on 9 Apr 1886, Paralee would have been born 13 months after her father died if she was born on 10 May 1887. So it would seem that the engraver made a mistake.
Paralee cooked on a coal cook stove until Mildred was about 10 years old. They converted the cast iron stove to gas. Paralee prepared biscuits every morning for George and the family. George loved potatoes, and Paralee prepared them in some form, usually fried, for every meal. She baked bread about three times a week. Mildred remembered that Paralee made hominee on occasion.
In the early years, they used coal oil lamps for lighting, and later converted to gas lights. Mildred could not remember when they started using electric lights.
Paralee appearantly was an ill person for several years during her later years. Mildred was about 16 years old when her mother died. Paralee had a nervous breakdown when Mildred was about 14 years old. Appearantly they did not know she had cancer at the time. She spent several months in a saniterium. Mildred thinks it was in Alton, Madison County, Illinois. (The family lived in East St. Louis, Illinois at the time.) About two years later they discovered that she had cancer, from which she died.
Mildred recalled that the home was happy during her pre-adolescent years. When her mother's health began to decline, there was stress and frustration with the illness. The family appearantly did not know or understand that Paralee's health was declining due to the cancer. While Paralee was sick, Mildred had to assume the responsibilities of the housework.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have a dilemma on Paralee's date of birth. Her obituary indicates she died on 18 Jul 1925. That matches the engraving on her tombstone. The obituary further states she was aged 39 years, 2 months and 8 days old at her death. That computes to 10 May 1886. However, her tombstone is engraved as 10 May 1887. Hence, the dilemma.
However, since John Thomas Brown, her father, died in Tunnel Hill, Johnson County, Illinois on 9 Apr 1886, Paralee would have been born 13 months after her father died if she was born on 10 May 1887. So it would seem that the engraver made a mistake.
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