Grandma Lu Finds An Old Journal

 Grandma Lu continued to look through the box of newspapers. She unfolded each one very carefully. "Oh there is so much history in these old papers. I see why mom saved them. Oh, well look at this. An old journal. It has an inscription on the inside front. "To Nell Banister my new wife and partner. I hope we live a long and happy life together." The pages were yellow and musty smelling. The cover was old and soft. As she carefully went through the pages she found  that Nell's entries gave her an idea of the kind of life they lived. "Hmm, not always a happy life. Sounds normal to me. Marriage isn't all roses that's for sure. Oh there was some sadness and anger, but some laughs. Maybe not to her, but to me. Oh, Nell, you couldn't cook for sour apples, could you? I have to read this. Here is an old old recipe for a Carraway Cake. Let sit by the fire? Oh my goodness. I don't think I could cook in those days either. How to cook a buttock of beef? Oh my you threw the cake in the fire. Probably not a good thing in those days."

"Oh dear. Here's an entry that you actually buried a chicken? You burned it so bad you buried it? I have a feeling that your first few months there were not easy. You were from the city and never had to cook. I guess your mother would take you to little diners to eat. How else would you have survived? You certainly didn't have a very nice landlady. From what I've heard over the years she was about to kick you out after your mother died. You made her a baby quilt in exchange for your rent. This is where you saw a personal add in the newspaper for Mail Order Brides wanted in Iowa territory. Even though you didn't know much about cooking you were one brave lady. I don't know If I could do that."

 Grandma Lu grew up knowing about her family's history and loved all kinds of history. Newspapers were interesting to her. She had been doing some looking on her computer and found out that the first newspaper in St. Louis was printed in 1808 close by where the Arch is now. St. Louis wasn't even a city then. The spelling was horrible and difficult to read. She grinned and thought, "but it did get much better, just like most things."

One of the first entries in Nell's journal was about moving the sewing machine into the cabin. It had been Marlee Ada's mother's and had not been used for a long time. She had found a letter hidden in the machine from Catherine to whomever her children's new ma might be. The letter wished her well and hoped that the children's new ma would learn  to support and grow fond of Nathan and her children. Sewing was the only thing that Nell really was good at. Her mother's sewing machine had fallen off the raft into the Missouri River on her way to the territory of Iowa. She had shoes on her feet that were held together only by a hope and a prayer along with  some deer skin. She had no money and had almost died of exposure in the cold barn before she was found. By the way the entry sounded to Grandma Lu there was some discussion with Nathan about not moving the machine into the cabin. Grandma Lu wondered whatever had happened, but couldn't find an entry to that effect. Nell sounded disappointed and a bit angry. She did remember her mother having a very old Singer sewing machine when she was a little girl. Surely that couldn't be the same one....

Glue had dried up and had let a lock of hair fall into the crevice of the journal. There was no name or entry. There also was a dried flower that had disintegrated into many tiny pieces. "I'm looking into the life of people that are my family, but I have no clue what they were like. I don't even know what they looked like.

"Here is another tiny tintype of a little girl. I wonder who she is. I'm afraid to take it apart. I might destroy the picture. Oh so many questions and no one here to give me the answers. I wonder if I should join one of those ancestor groups. They cost money, but maybe it would be worth it."