1994: The Pellettiere Part of Ruth Kellogg's Family

There we are in the living room of the house in Palatine:  (couch) Kate (24), Diane, Dan, (front) Lynn (28), Cindy (27).  As you can see from the little Santa in the foreground, this picture was on our
Christmas card, so probably taken within a week of Thanksgiving.

Nov. 24, 1994 - Thanksgiving
"Everything went well today, except that the turkey took an hour longer to cook than the directions indicated!  We ate everything except the turkey - then had it later - and dessert still later.

Thought the meal was good.  Vi brought ravioli from a store near her - and sauce.  She brought some artichokes as well as cheese.  The artichokes were disappointing.  Also had a fruit salad, a broccoli & carrot dish with horseradish sauce, sweet potatoes, oven-roasted potatoes, herb scones, Applejack Pie, French Chocolate Cake - plus the turkey and traditional Bread Stuffing.

The stuffing recipe's origin is lost in antiquity.  It probably was Mrs. Millard's, the woman who raised my grandmother when her own mother, Viola Hawley Weekes, died in 1896.  ..I must check the 1900 census & see if William Weekes is on it & if any of the children are shown with him.  

Vi and Dorothy Heitschmidt both joined us for dinner.  Kate picked them up & Dan & I drove them back to Vi's.  Jim was here too.  He had had a dental patient - emergency - in the morning.  He was working on Lynn's car too.  Was in a very good mood  in the afternoon .  He did a lot of the dishes with Dorothy drying for him!  Jim's back was bothering him."

Vi was Dan's much-older sister and Dorothy was one of her closest friends.  Jim Waldman and Lynn were engaged and would marry on June 3, 1995...The grandmother I referred to is Lottie Meredith, Ruth's mother.  Lottie was 9 years old when her mother died of "chronic gatarrhal gastritis" when she was 38.  Two of the 4 children had died.  Only Lottie (Carlotta Lola Lucretia) and her younger brother, Lewis Henry, were left with William, their father. 

The Merediths Say "Good-Bye" to William Weekes, Lottie's Father

This necklace belonged to Viola Weekes, mother of Lottie Weekes Meredith (my grandmother).  It says "1891" on one side and "Mother" on the other.  One of Viola's children, Leroy, was born in April and died in August, 1891.  It's likely that William Weekes, Viola's husband, gave this to her.  Another child, Walter, died in 1894 and then Viola herself passed away in 1896.  That left just William, Lottie (9) and Lewis (7).

I don't have a picture of William, though perhaps one day I'll find one.  Born in Wilkes-Barre PA on Aug. 14, 1844, William moved to Chicago in 1872, according to his death certificate.  That was the year after the Chicago Fire, when workmen of all kinds were pouring in.  So William, a carpenter, packed up his tools and moved to Chicago, where there was plenty of work to be had.  The following excerpts from Ruth Meredith's 1928 diary are not in Pieces of a life. 

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 1928  -  "My Grandad (Mama's father) had a stroke & Mama & Papa had to go & take him to a hospital.  He's not expected to live long.  Folks just got back & ate a little supper.  9:50"

Thursday, Sept. 27, 1928 -  "Grandpa is not breathing so hard now.  Isn't expected to live past morning."

Friday, Sept. 28, 1928  - "I am almost sick with a cold & just at present am alone as the folks are at the hospital and Jimmie is at a parade."

Saturday, Sept. 29, 1928 - "Grandpa died at 6:30 this morning.  Mama, Papa & I had a lot to do to arrange matters besides go to register so as to vote."  Ruth also mentions her cold again.

Sunday, Sept. 30, 1928 - "Cold worse.  The whole family including John went to the Undertaker this afternoon for a few hours.  Irene came in the evening.  At lunch we gave Mama her birthday gifts instead of tomorrow on Mama's birthday."

Monday, Oct. 1, 1928  - "Felt terrible all day.  Had the funeral & service at 2:45..  Mama feels quite sad."  Ruth mentions a few friends of her mother's whom came to the funeral.  She also said that her parents were out for a walk that evening.

 Lottie felt very close to her father, who ended his years in a boarding house, working occasionally as a handyman.  Younger brother Lewis died in the 1920s after having been mustard gassed in World War I.  He lost his balance while riding on a wagon and was trampled.