she has lighted the world of our family history for over 50 years

I was born April 4, 1924, in the family home on the Sinnott Place, SW 1/4 0f section 8 in Sinnott Township, Marshall County, Minnesota. I was the fourth child and older daughter of James and Maysie (Sinnott) Whalen.

Homemade Fun: Hiding behind the kitchen roller towel, while playing "OUT JUMPED BOO!" with Philip. Swinging out of the pantry on the board rope that Daddy hung in the doorway. Playing with Bette and our dolls in the "Beanhouse", (the caboose off the winter sled) and not being able to play in the yard because Grandma Mary Ann phoned Mama with a warning, "Don't let the children out to play, Maysie. The Gentleman Cow is out. And don't let anyone wear red!" Taking that last as a dare and waving my doll's pink dress (six inches long) out the "Beanhouse" window, brave as a bullfighter, to see what would happen. Wading in the "beehole" at the end of the yard. Learning to print my A B C's off the rim of my aluminum plate. (Philip had one, too) We hid our crusts under the rim). Riding a horse, bare-back and learning to get on by sitting on his head and sliding down his neck when he threw his head up, trying to get rid of me. The scare of finding out that I was riding backwards and had to get turned around, without falling off.

School Days: Walking half a mile across the field, to school crying, because the big boys wouldn't wait for me. Big George Carl carrying me on his shoulders, the last few rods; so I wouldn't be so far behind. Playing "Burlum", "Red Rover" and Ante - Eye - Over" the wood shed at recess. Christmas programs, with two sheets for our stage curtains and a gas lantern for light.

The patient horse (Fleetfoot?) that made two morning round trips to school on Spring and late fall days. (Aunt Margaret, the school teacher, rode him from Grandpa Johnny Whalen's place to school. Daddy the janitor, after getting the fire started, rode him back to our place. Two or three of us kids rode him back to school. After that, someone gave him a slap on the rump, and he trotted back riderless to Grandpa Johnny's place).
Household Chores:

  • Grandma Sinnottt teaching me to sweep the stairs with a chicken wing, , (feathers on) - very handy for getting into corners. Dusting the window sills, during the dust storms and being told to do them over again, because the dust had returned again.
  • Being in charge of the "old baby" (Charles) diaper changing and all, at the age of 8 years.
  • Standing on an apple box to make me tall enough to wash the dishes at the kitchen table. Having permanently shriveled hands from one meal to the next; 10 people made a lot of dishes.

    • How did Mama manage to look after so many little ones and get her work done? She put the older children in charge of the younger ones. Of Course, Mark, being the oldest had to look after everyone, but after that Stephen was in charge of Bette; Philip was assigned guard duty over Danny, Frances supervised Charles and Bette was John's guardian angel. You can see this in some of the older pictures - Mark, holding whoever the baby was etc.

    The Depression YearsAnd Making DoWithout: Mama making our clothes out of the grown ups cast -offs. Daddy resoling our shoes. Mark Stephen and Philip learning to run the sewing machine to make their "own hooker upper" overalls, with red thread around the pockets. Trying to sew, myself some pajamas; breaking the needle by running it through my finger; having daddy pull it out of my finger with his pliers and putting iodine on it.

    Moving to the Hanson place (the House with Gold Windows) across the field and over by the schoolhouse, because the bank foreclosed on the mortgage on the Sinnott place. Missing the row of boxelder trees, the tall cotton wood tree and the lilac hedge. No tress bigger than I was at the new place; no shade; no lilacs in the spring and never enough rainfall to grow any new ones. But a pump in the kitchen, cistern under the house and a cellar door with a trap door in the pantry floor and stairs leading down. Only half as far to school, except for Mark who had two walk twice as far, past the old place to catch the Donaldson School Bus on the new Highway 75, because he was going to high school in Stephen.

    Growing Up: Passing the State Board Exams after 8 years in the little Whalen School.
    Beginning high school in the fall of 1938. Staying in town with the Whalen Grandparents; going home on weekends. A roomful of books at Stephen High School, instead of just one bookcase at District 97.

    Joining the H.S. Glee Club and Mixed Chorus and at St. Stephen's Church Choir. Collaborating with classmates in writing class skits, based on "Lil' Abner" of the comic strip fame. Getting a job at school under the NY program - mending books in the library, during free periods. Earning $4 - $5 month. Riches! The rise of Hitler in Europe and War in Europe.

    Becomming a feature writer for the school paper. Operetta's, spring music contests, declamatory contests. Pearl Harbor! Those ungrateful Japenese! After we worked so hard on a Japenese operetta, they attacked us. Could that have been a contributing factor? The brothers going off to war!
    After High School: I graduated from Stephen High School in 1942. That fall, I enrolled in a one - year teacher training course, preparing us to teach in one - room rural schools with any where from two or three grades to all eight.

    Fall 1943, I was hired to tea a rural school, Dist. 16, east of Stephen, with grades 2, 3, 4, and eight., for the enormous sum of $90 per month.. After one year there, I decided that 5 grades wereto much and I'd never be able to adequately in 11 minute class periods; so I went back to school, myself, to Bemidji State Teachers Collage for one year.

    From 1944 to 1950 I taught 5th grade at the Lincoln School in Austin, Minnesotta. at the same time I took teachers courses and went back to BSTC hoping to get my degree in Elementary Education. Along the way, I met a bachelor who was even more appealing than a Bachelor's Degree; so on October 14, 1950 I married Bernard Crummy, in St. Stephen's Church in Stephen. We have made our home on the SE 1/4 of section 34, in the Middle River Township, in Marshall County, Minnesota, from 1950 until the present time.

    We have five children; Walter James, born Oct.15, 1952; Bruce Bernard, born Nov. 30, 1953; Alicia Ann, born Nov. 15 1957, Mary Ione, born Aug. 5, 1960; and Melanie Jean, born Dec. 21, 1962.

    Walter is married to Margaret Flanagan, of Bloomington, IL. They live in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and have two sons, Brian and Bradley. Walter is a C.P.A. and is a Comptroller for a Real Estate firm in Denver. Margaret is a stay-at-home Mom.

     
     
     
    Bruce is married to Cynthia Barchinger, of Fargo, North Dakota. They have two daughters, Kristen and Alexandra, and they live in West Fargo. Bruce is staff photographer for the Fargo Forum, daily newspaper. Cindy works at Gate City Savings & Loan in Fargo.

    Alicia is married to Ronald C. Anderson of Hallock, Minnesota where they live on their farm west of town. They have two children, Meagan and Jeffrey. Ron is a farmer and Alicia is an Early Family Education teacher of pre-schoolers.

    Ione has her Ph.D. in French from Stanford University of California and has taught French at the U. of SD at Vermilion. In August 1995 she moved to Missoula , Montana and is teaching at the University.

    Melanie is married to Gregg McNutt, originally from Elkhart, Indiana. They have a daughter, Vanessa, and they live in Grand Forks, N.D., where they are both students at the University. Melanie is specializing in Communications Disorders and Gregg is taking studies in Industrial  Technology.

    PhilipBette
    Of Bread and Milk and Indians, a story by Frances
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