The Beginning

Let's turn back the time + place to April 11, 1925 to a small Ohio River town located SW of Pittsburgh, Pa. in the tri-state area of Ohio-Pa-W. Va. named Wellsville.  This was my home for the first twenty-one years of my life before reaching out to more “exotic places” in the world.

Ada May and Robert Taylor H (circa 1926)

Wellsville was a secure beginning place for roots in the Presby. Church, walking two blocks to elem. school, riding the streetcar to "up-town," + hiking up Cemetery Hill, + looking down on the river, the Brickyard at each end of town.  Main Street was the center of town and ran four miles from one end to the other.  I remember taking a long trip by car to Marietta, Ohio to go camping.  I was just four years old at the time.

Ada, Bob, and Ray H (1929
on the way to Marietta, OH)

Mrs G, Helen R
Ray H, Ross R
Bob and Ada (1929 in Warren, OH)

Ada and Bob (1929 in Warren, OH)

Ada, 3rd cousin Valois T, and Bob
(1929 visit to Olive T in Barberton, OH)

Schoenbrunn Memorial Park school with
Ada, Aunt Emm, and Bob (1929)

Aunt Emm,
Ada and Bob (1929,
at Schoenbrunn Memorial Park)

I was lucky to have two sets of grandparents within walking distance and I spent alot of quality time with all of them.  My maternal Grandma [Dorothy S] A was an especially good cook + since she had eight children, she made big meals like baking a pork pot roast in the same pot with a beef roast.  It just makes my mouth water thinking about it.  Her butterscotch pies were a rich caramel flavor with flaky crusts.  My mother, who was also a marvelous cook, could not duplicate those great meals.  Why didn't those people ever use recipes to pass down to us?  (Not that we would try making them.)

Grandmother Leota H,
Ada, Russell K, Bob (1929)

My Grandmother [Leota B] H, whose eyesight was very poor, never missed a Sunday teaching her Bible class at the Presby. Church, but she was never able to get grandpa [Edward E H] to join the rest of us at those services.  He was a carpenter by trade + loved his wood working projects in their basement and in his workshop above the garage.

My grandfather H built this 3-foot tall
cabinet for my miniature pitcher collection

Note the beveled top, and hinged doors

Note the shelf joint and scalloped bottom edge

Both my grandfathers had careers in the Pa. R.R. [Pennsylvania Railroad]

Mother Ruth H (circa 1930s near the
5th Street house behind City Hall)

My mother [Ruth A H] was a "stay at home" mom until my high school years, and then she was a substitute clerk at the post office.  Dad [Ray Thomas H] was an office clerk + time keeper at the McClain Fire Brick Co. for 43 years.  Before their marriage, they both had office jobs in the "Round House" at the Pa. R.R. in Wellsville.  Dad was a rare 1913 H.S. [high school] graduate.

Wellsville High School football team (circa 1912),

with my father, Ray, first in the front row

Father Ray H (circa 1930s at the
Wellsville Cemetery)

Bob, Ada, cousin Mary Mc
dog Sport, cousin Jim Mc (1929 in New Salisbury, OH)

When Bob and I were growing up, we had a variety of dogs - all mongrels.  Our favorite was Pal, a mix of various breeds for which Bob traded his dollar pocket watch to a friend.  I'm sure Pal outlived the watch, and we had many delightful times with him.
My favorite story to tell about Pal and our gang was when we coaxed Pal to dig a hole under the stadium fence so we could crawl under + get in free.  A few of us smaller kids made it, but the rest of the perpetrators were caught and reprimanded by the cop + again at home.  No jail time, just hurt feelings + promises never to indulge in such pranks again.

Our Gang: Bob, Floyd M, Carl G, Dick C,
Ada (1929)

My earliest recollection of these early years centered around our home where my girl friends and I met in the backyard by the pump taking turns singing for our neighbors who listened and applauded from their rear window.
We met at the sandbox that provided hours of building sand castles with plentiful decorations of colorful hollyhocks + petunias that bordered our backyard fence.  Mother provided such refreshing glasses of lemonade, so we were encouraged to explore more of our artistic talents!
When Bob’s friends came around teasing us, we ignored them + went on with our performances.
I remember my first two wheeler [bicycle] which dad resurrected which was all rusty, but a fresh coat of paint took care of that.  The front fender was held together with a clothes pin to keep it from rubbing the front tire.  It provided transportation for me to the nearby playground where we met daily during the summer months to test our agility on the swings, slides, + parallel bars.
In elementary school we had two main brick buildings which housed grades 1-3, and 5-6 respectively. Fourth grade was held in two "chicken coops" behind the main buildings.  If anyone misbehaved, punishment was to remain in the coat room or to a trip to the principal's office for paddling.
My favorite classroom game was erasers.  On rainy days during recess we placed the eraser on our heads + took turns chasing one another.  Thelma C, a darling little Black girl, won every time by digging the eraser into her fuzzy locks + outchased everyone!  Fun!!
In the winter before snow suits were invented, we had to wear long underwear underneath our slacks.  Some of us daring girls rolled up the long johns and bravely showed our bare legs.
My cousin, Dolores, and my best friend, Millie, were classmates all 12 years.  Millie and I are still best friends E-mailing + keeping in touch by phone, but my dear cousin, Dolores passed away a few years ago.  The E-mail has brought weekly communications for another dear cousin, Mary.  How well I remember when our first telephone was installed in our home.  I was in junior high school, and we had to speak into the vertical headpiece (mouth) [mouthpiece] + hold the receiver [corded earpiece] in our hand to communicate.  I conveniently had important calls from my friends during dish washing time and mother or dad had to replace me!
This is what I remember about how my nick name “Hammy” came about.  I was always a cutup although I was a serious student, and for the most part consistently made the honor role.  One day in health class, while studying the digestive system, I volunteered to explain the intestinal tract - beginning with the food intake through the large and small intestines and finally to “now you are ready for a bowel movement”.  The class broke up laughing, and Ada May became “Hammy” and the name stayed with me all the way from High school, college and now retirement.