The Children
While Grandmother, Anna, worked, gt Grandmother, Nancy Francis Brown, cared for the boys, Joel and Harry, little Charlie passed when he was two years of age. Both boys attended the DeBow School, Holmeson, NJ, it was an one room school house, education was suburb. When I read Dad’s history book, it was beyond any book in today’s education, in writing and presentation. Their father, Charles Brown, also attended this school, there is a record of him attending when at the age of sixteen, in the study of geography and American History.
Joel and Harry Brown were baptized in the creek that ran along side of the DeBow School, since little Charlie died of the croup, I do no know if he was baptized. I have Dad’s and Uncle Joel’s hand stitched baptism long white dress, made especially for the occasion.
Mother, Margaret T, Margerum Brown, attended the Princeton Elementary School, Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ, graduated from the eighth grade, she also studied piano with a private instructress.
Joseph Harrison (Harry) and Margaret T. Margerum Brown were married at 345 Nassau Street, Princeton, NH, 1912, they were the proud parents of six children, the first born, Charles William Brown, passed within the first two weeks of his life, buried at Princeton Cemetery, NJ, with Grandfather Margerum.
He met Her when delivering milk at Her home, Princeton, NJ, Grandmother Rachel Peck Margerum, was not happy with Dad since he did not appear to have adequate manners and then too, Mother, Maggie, had an arranged marriage to wed a Mr. Walter Robbins, who had a glass eye. But my Grandmother Margerum passed, and Maggie was free to make her own decisions.
Dad arrived at Lakewood, NY, 1908, and set up a grocery business at Ezelikal Thomas’ store, at which time Harry’s father, Charlie Brown, rented for him. Ezelikal’s daughter, Lilly, was a haberdasher and had her hat business in a room adjoining homestead of the Thomas family.
Mother had to wait until Dad had the store profitable before she was able to arrive at Lakewood, NJ, to live with him. We were told that our parents married to have children and this they did. I was the oldest and more or less, had to take care of the younger ones. Harrison seemed to cry, to much, and had to be cuddled by Mother and Dorothy, our baby sitter. Elston was our little brother, was names Peter after the story, Peter Rabbit, he was out spoken and the cutest little boy you ever saw. Both Harrison and Pete came into this world thru Mother’s long underwear trap door. Frances was delivered, at home, by a Jewish Doctor, we all knew that she was Jewish even tho we are staunch Methodist Episcopalians. Helen was delivered by Doctor MacMillan on December 13th, but Mother refused to use the date of 13 since this is mighty unlucky. Pete was born November 11, Armistice Day, so Mother wrote down the 12th because she was afraid that the neighborhood folks would refer to him as “Victor”.
Our gardens ad beautiful Victorian home with Queen Anne Décor windows were our main stay and our stable home. A powerful father and since we are the Almighty Brown’s we were not expected to do anything wrong and we did not. There was no curfew for us children, we were expected to be present to play a card game at nite to sharpen up our brains, homework after dinner, each week, where we ate with Dad for full formal Sunday Dinner, after church, dressed in our Sunday Best and correct manners. During the week we ate in the kitchen, without Dad, Mother would ask each child what they would like to eat, for dinner. This was easy, if we didn’t like what was being served, we went to our grocery store and brought home something to cook. Lunch was usually left overs from the day before or we could go to our garden and pick what we would like to eat. Dad would only eat vegetables fresh from his garden that was fertilized with cow dung, from garden to the table within twenty minutes.
