Post by Betsy Warren on Dec 2, 2007 14:20:32 GMT -6
The following memories of Ethel McGinnis Hird are shared by her granddaughter, Ardith Davenport:
"My Grandma, Ethel Florence McGinnis Hird, stands tall in my memory as a person of great strength and charisma. I wanted to spend time with her and hear her stories. I never tired of hearing how she came to the Kearney area in a covered wagon. She related that there were no trees between Ft. Kearney and the town of Kearney. The Platte River was free of trees when she arrived in the area with her parents in (I believe) about 1893.
Grandma Hird had a strong Christian faith and all of the family listened to what she had to say. She loved music and raised her children with singing. She told many times about playing the violin with her husband James Hird at barn dances. Another joy in life for Grandma was visiting. I remember that she was always ready to jump in the car and go home with us, but not for long. Before we were ready to have her leave, she was ready to get back to her home in Kearney.
I remember two different houses in Kearney, both south of the railroad and east of Central Avenue. The earlier one was very near the tracks, I think about 1/2 block away. Even as a kid, I recognized the house as not much more than a shack, but Grandma made it livable and homey. We always stopped in when we were in Kearney for shopping or appointments, and Grandma would want to feed us lunch. Usually Mom and Dad [Harold] had forseen this and would have stopped first at the grocery store for a loaf of bread and some meat or cheese. My memories of Grandma do NOT involve her being a great cook. Even when I was in college and stayed a few days with her, I thought her meals were pretty poor fare. Of course I did not expect much after hearing my Dad relating about the "paste" she cooked for him and his siblings in the '30s when they had nothing else.
At Christmas, the Hird family all seemed to just show up at Grandma's house sometime during the day. No formal gathering plans were necessary. I'm not sure just how many could crowd into Grandma's house at one time; the young girls usually ended up sitting on a bed in the "spare room." Grandma always had a card and gift for each of us. I remember those little dolls whose parts were held together with string and later pretty little handkerchiefs. I also remember the "necktie" pattern aprons she made by hand for her daughters and daughters-in-law, all hand sewn.
Relatives who traveled "home" from Maryland, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Oregon, and other places always found the Nebraska Hirds ready for a series of evening gatherings for supper and fun at the home of one sibling or another. We'd make ice cream at Dan and Dora's in Minden one night, gather for a night of music at Mildred and Elmer's in Pleasanton another night, then end up at Bill and Lela's at Poole or at my folks' place for a third night of talk for the adults and playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark, for the kids.
A memory I have from one of those summer gatherings is a large group of us walking out into the pasture at Poole to pick some kind of berries. Grandma hiked out there along the cow paths with the rest of us. Within a few days of that hike, Grandma fell at home and broke her hip and had to have it pinned. That was the end of pasture hikes for her.
Grandma Hird wanted to be a part of our lives. She tried to attend special events for her children and grandchildren. I was so blessed to have her attend my graduations from high school and college, and later to have her with me at my wedding."
"My Grandma, Ethel Florence McGinnis Hird, stands tall in my memory as a person of great strength and charisma. I wanted to spend time with her and hear her stories. I never tired of hearing how she came to the Kearney area in a covered wagon. She related that there were no trees between Ft. Kearney and the town of Kearney. The Platte River was free of trees when she arrived in the area with her parents in (I believe) about 1893.
Grandma Hird had a strong Christian faith and all of the family listened to what she had to say. She loved music and raised her children with singing. She told many times about playing the violin with her husband James Hird at barn dances. Another joy in life for Grandma was visiting. I remember that she was always ready to jump in the car and go home with us, but not for long. Before we were ready to have her leave, she was ready to get back to her home in Kearney.
I remember two different houses in Kearney, both south of the railroad and east of Central Avenue. The earlier one was very near the tracks, I think about 1/2 block away. Even as a kid, I recognized the house as not much more than a shack, but Grandma made it livable and homey. We always stopped in when we were in Kearney for shopping or appointments, and Grandma would want to feed us lunch. Usually Mom and Dad [Harold] had forseen this and would have stopped first at the grocery store for a loaf of bread and some meat or cheese. My memories of Grandma do NOT involve her being a great cook. Even when I was in college and stayed a few days with her, I thought her meals were pretty poor fare. Of course I did not expect much after hearing my Dad relating about the "paste" she cooked for him and his siblings in the '30s when they had nothing else.
At Christmas, the Hird family all seemed to just show up at Grandma's house sometime during the day. No formal gathering plans were necessary. I'm not sure just how many could crowd into Grandma's house at one time; the young girls usually ended up sitting on a bed in the "spare room." Grandma always had a card and gift for each of us. I remember those little dolls whose parts were held together with string and later pretty little handkerchiefs. I also remember the "necktie" pattern aprons she made by hand for her daughters and daughters-in-law, all hand sewn.
Relatives who traveled "home" from Maryland, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Oregon, and other places always found the Nebraska Hirds ready for a series of evening gatherings for supper and fun at the home of one sibling or another. We'd make ice cream at Dan and Dora's in Minden one night, gather for a night of music at Mildred and Elmer's in Pleasanton another night, then end up at Bill and Lela's at Poole or at my folks' place for a third night of talk for the adults and playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark, for the kids.
A memory I have from one of those summer gatherings is a large group of us walking out into the pasture at Poole to pick some kind of berries. Grandma hiked out there along the cow paths with the rest of us. Within a few days of that hike, Grandma fell at home and broke her hip and had to have it pinned. That was the end of pasture hikes for her.
Grandma Hird wanted to be a part of our lives. She tried to attend special events for her children and grandchildren. I was so blessed to have her attend my graduations from high school and college, and later to have her with me at my wedding."