Garrett Barry b. Feb 11 1870 - d. Sep 11 1952
Nellie Floody b. Aug 24 1875 - d. Oct 19 1953
Married Apr 1894
Garrett Barry
HOME IN NATIONAL PARK
Grandmom (Nellie Floody) and Grandpop (Garrett) relocated from Philadelphia and settled on Red Bank Ave. across the street from National Park in West Deptford Township, New Jersey. Garrett bought a whole block that went from the school yard to the next street West of their home. He sold off the lots for people to build on to finance improvements to their house.
Gerald and Mary lived next door (beyond a vacant lot that later became Barry Brothers Coal Yard) with their seven children. Later, when Jim and Madge got married they moved into this house. The school yard was the scene of many stick balls games played with a broomstick handle and a half a ball. The ball was made by cutting a hollow rubber ball the size of a tennis ball in half. This was a real low cost sport in those days. In good weather family gatherings were on the lawn beside the house and many of the conversations in this book occurred there.
Since this area was primarily a summer resort for Philadelphia people, it was not well developed. A fire house was needed for protection and was built near their home. Garrett, as well as a number of other permanent residents, put their houses up to secure a mortgage to finance it. He used to tell me that, many years later when I went there to the Saturday afternoon Western movies, telling me I didn’t have to pay the $.10 admission.
A very clever craftsman, in the 1930’s he took an electric motor and mounted it on the handle of push lawn mower. This was long before the concept of a power mover was considered, let alone produced. When he would be out front pulling the electric cord around behind him, cars would stop to see what was going on. I believe he deliberately cut the grass in the late afternoon when the traffic from the Navy Yard Ferry was heaviest.
During the war, when Victory vegetable gardens were the thing, he helped me put one in the lot between his house and the school. We had to leave intact the Cherry and Crab Apple trees. For cultivating, he had a plow that you would pull rather than the usual push plow. The corn, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, etc. were delicious but there was no economic or wartime justification. The gas consumed in travelling from Woodbury to tend the crops plus the size of the garden did not save us any money. It did give my father and I a chance for the weekly visit with Garrett and Nellie.
I never knew Garrett to drink much but I do remember the story of the annual gift John got from a contractor. It was a pinch bottle of Haig and Haig scotch. He would give it to Garrett who exchanged it for two bottles of Bourbon or Rye.
CAREER ABILITIES
Garrett was originally a boiler maker by trade. He later became one of the early Hartford Boiler inspectors whose job it was to inspect the safety of the boilers and the related pressure equipment. This required his being constantly away from home on inspections when the mode of transportation was horse and buggy and/or train. The first I ever heard of Cincinnati was when he told me about Cincinnati’s Union Terminal. Four railroads ran out of the terminal and split the management into four two-year terms. His company insured two of the railroads so he come to Cincinnati four years out of the eight to inspect the boilers in the station.
He told me about all the tricks con artists (Ticket Agents, Waiters, Conductors, etc.) used to use on travelers. They would give change for a $10 when offer a $20 and wait to see if you reacted. If so, they added the other $10 so you couldn’t report them as being dishonest. Waiters were more clever. In a party of four, when the bills were $8.75, $.8.25, $8.25 and $8.25, he would give $.25 to three and $.75 to the fourth. Again, if discovered, he made a big production out of getting the $.50 back as he refunded the $2.25. Translate these small 1920 numbers into today’s dollars and it was big money.
Garrett was fired at age 62 so the company would not have to pay a pension. This was a common practice in those days and led not only to the growth of unions but also the importance placed on seniority in reducing staff.
I used to help him repair equipment (mostly conveyors) for Barry Bros. in their early days. My Father, a Treasurer of the Red Bank Transportation Company hired him to do maintenance on the dock building at the ferry slip to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. When Garrett submitted a bill for one of his projects, I got my first lesson in practical honesty (You not only need to be honest, you need to appear to be honest, as well). He has recorded every nail, screw, putty, broken hammer on the bill. My Father said “delete all these items and add two hours necessary to cover the cost”.
HEALTH
Garrett was famous for being hard of hearing unless Grandchildren were talking about their jobs. He would then confront them across the room with either counsel or questioning. He knew and could tell you where each of his grandchildren worked and what they did. One of his favorite questions to a grandchild was "does your boss like you?" if you responded yes he would say "ask him for a raise". One time, my response was I just got one. His retort, "ask him for another one". If a Grandchild was looking for work, he would tell them to stop at any plant where smoke was coming out of the stack. That went back to his boilermaker days with a smokestack economy and no environmental regulations on air discharges.
No one could fix his bed right except Nellie and everyone knew that. It reminded of the story of the princess sleeping on a pea. He took a nap daily even in his sixties, and we all knew not to wake him. This was particularly difficult because you had to pass his bedroom on the way to the bathroom.
When he was in his 70's, he fell off a ladder to the 2nd floor (changing screens) and broke his hip. He use to joke that his sons couldn't take down the storm windows and install the screens "right".
He went downhill fast after that. They got a hospital bed for him and turned the parlor into a bedroom on the first floor. When he finally succumbed in Bishop Eustice hospital at age 82, May and I were present along with Nellie, Frank, Jim and possibly others. He was in an oxygen tent, air tubes to your nose had not been designed, and suffering. The last words I remember was when he turned and said -"what am I going to do, May" (he had always been close to May). After he passed away the doctor wanted permission to perform an autopsy to see why he had died. Uncle Frank quickly said he was 82 years old I can't let you do that. I supported that since I had gone through that with my father's death less than three years before. On the way to the hospital Mom and I had known the end was near. We discussed offering two of our cemetery lots for Garrett and later Nellie. So I offered them and they accepted and they are both buried there today.
CREATIVITY
One of the pictures on their porch table was Garrett on the front steps of their house conducting a band composed of his sons. This led to the requirement at early family reunions that the band hired for the dinner dance had to be willing to let the brothers play their instruments. Sometimes the hired band played 10 minutes and rested 50 while the brothers played.
Garrett built an inboard motor boat for Frank and Jim. It was appropriately called the "Nellie B". He made it from an old truck which made it the only speed boat I have ever seen with a clutch and gear shift. They moored it up Woodbury Creek but brought it around to the Red Bank Ave. beach on the Delaware river for towing an old fashioned one-piece surf board. In addition to Frank and Jim I remember Gerald Jr. and his sister Mary surfing.
Garrett's sense of humor is evidenced by many stories:
When I was about nine, Friday night pinochle games were a frequent thing at our home on Wesley Ave. We were not allowed in the dining room during these games. But when Garrett was present he would take me in with him until I made noise and my father sent me out. On one occasion when I made noise Garrett said "he knows I have a good hand". At that age I had no idea what a good hand was.
The family was vacationing at a rooming house in Atlantic City where everybody ate at one big table. Garrett sat down a woman asked him if he was part of that wonderful family that had just arrived. He responded "I'm the oldest son"
One time when Garrett and Nellie came to dinner at Maple St. May had prepared her usual delicious Sunday dinner. Garrett said if I knew this was going to be such a fancy party I would have shaved twice and worn a clean shirt. I believe that was the same dinner when all my brothers and I stopped talking but kept our lips moving. Garrett who had the hearing problem thought it was funny but not Nellie.
ACTIVITIES
When television first came out in the late 40' s Garrett had one of the first TV sets in the county (Barry Bros. were in the business). It was a six-inch screen that he later added a magnifying screen in front to get it up to a blurry nine inches. They installed it in the dining room so Garrett could still sit in his chair next to his radio. On Friday night I would join him for college football games. I asked him if he wanted me to explain football to him. He asked me how many men were on the right side of the bail and I answered eleven. We repeated for the left side of the ball. His question then was "what the hell are those 22 people doing running around the field".
He was an avid newspaper reader particularly the sports page. He loved to listen to the fights on radio and later on television. In fact, he would watch the football game, listen to the boxing matches on the radio, and read the paper all at the same time. In his earlier years he went to both Philadelphia Athletics and Phillies baseball games at a cost of $1.14. ($.57 under 12). But as his eyesight deterioration added to his hearing loss that stopped. I believe it was the last game he went to that he convinced my father to take me to my first big league (Phils/Cards) at age 10. For many years after many people kidded me about my rooting for the cardinals because they were Saints (St. Louis).
My mother and I went to a surprise birthday party at Gerald and Clara’s house in Trenton for Garrett's 81st or 82nd birthday. Most of his sons and their wives were there. Charlie at that time was a witness in the 0'Malley trial (more about that under ‘Charlie and Mazie’) and was forbidden to leave the state of Pennsylvania. He did not want to risk driving so he took the train. When the presents were passed out Charlie, true to form, held out to be last. When he gave the card to Garrett he said, "be careful pop, there's half a hundred there"
HOME LIFE
Garrett's signal of manhood was that he carried the only key to the front door. This despite the fact that Nellie ruled the roost since he traveled so much. He drove an automobile called a Willys Knight of which he was proud. He decided to raise chickens once for food but he got to know them so well he couldn't kill them and eat them.
On Sunday night various members of the family would gather at their home. The funniest thing I remember about that was when Charlie and Mazie would arrive they sent Charlie Jr. and Jackie (Tim had not yet been born) into the house. They would come in only after their favorite radio show was over (I think it was Fred Allen).
Nellie Floody
HOME LIFE
Nellie used to talk about her days in a factory before she was married. But her most frequent copment was bragging about being from Donegal. Nellie had a friend from those factory days living with her in early 30' s. Her name was Aunt Jenny Igo, an Italian non-relative who was there 5 to 10 years. I remember her well because I had helped my mother get our Christmas cards ready to mail. I did not know that Nellie expected all the boys to include a check in Aunt Jennie's card. When Nellie found out she wasted no time letting my father know of the oversight. He conveniently blamed it on me.
There was no question that Nellie ruled the roost on Red Bank Ave. My father, John, was adamant about this. Whenever anyone would complement Garrett on his wonderful family, John would say "give credit where credit is due" and point to Nellie.
After her sons got married she became a bingo nut, so much so that people used to say she would sooner miss mass than miss bingo. After St. Matthew's discontinued it, she started to go to St. Patrick's in Woodbury. About this time, I got my driver's license and my father allowed me (insisted really) to have the car every Friday night. The stipulation was I had to take Nellie to the bingo game at 7:30 and return her home at 10 :30. You can see why I grew up not only disliking bingo but even people who played it.
When Frank and Jim got married, Nellie called a meeting of her sons to cover their need for finances. The deal they worked out I thought was unusual. Each son would pay a weekly allotment every six weeks to Barry Brothers and the company provided her the weekly funds. Since Frank and/or Jim claimed them as dependents on their income tax my father insisted on his rebate each year. The reason only six sons were involved in this operation was Charlie didn't want to be bothered every six weeks. So he paid the large annual bills like taxes and insurance on the hope.
COOKING
The large Sunday dinners at her house were a big thing when I was young. We did not stay too often because it was close to our home. But when we did, I do remember that not only did I not get served until the last table, but Tom (Gerald's son) and I had to sit on a table board atop a very warm radiator.
Nellie cooked primarily to satisfy Garrett who liked his steak so rare that it was not even warm. I remember him telling May "don't cook it too long" when he was at our place. Father raved to my Mother about one of the dishes Nellie used to cook for him. Nellie' s response was "he wouldn't eat that today".
Charlie bought Carson's Air Dried Beef Co. (to launder the gambling income?) and they made deliveries to meat markets in South Jersey. Every week or two they would drop off a two-pound package of dried beef for Nellie's use. When I would take them to mass on Sunday morning Nellie insisted I have breakfast with them where she served cream chipped beef on toast. For those of you too young to remember this was known in the service during world war 11 as shit on a shingle.
Nellie bought her milk from a local dairy farm run by Edna Wilkins. At some times of the year the cows ate the garlic in the field and it got into the taste of the milk. I played it safe and never drank her milk. It is obvious that my memories of family dinners with Grandmom did not fit the common mold.
OUTLOOK ON LIFE
She faced her life expectancy very casually. I remember her telling me to buy her a small jar of Jergen’s lotion because she wouldn't live long enough to use up a large one.
Nellie had a cleaning lady named Kate Lawler who was quite a contrast with Johanna Hoops who helped May clean our house. Kate would come into the house and jam everything away so it would look neat quickly.
Johanna who grew up cleaning offices in Philadelphia cleaned very well but put everything back exactly where she found it. Johanna was famous for telling may her fortune was hidden by pigeons under Billy Penn's hat 25 stories above Broad St. in Philadelphia's City Hall.
Nellie had code words that her sons understood, although I did not. One such phrase was "goodbye Mr. O'Connor". The first time I heard it was when I had walked the mile or two to her house taking my brothers along for a visit. When we were ready to leave told me to say "goodbye Mr. 0' Connor to uncle Frank. When I did I was amazed to hear him say ‘she wants me to drive you home’. I later found out that when Tom 0' Conor (John’s godfather) visited them he always gave them coins as he left. If he failed to do so, they would line up as he left and utter that familiar phrase.
My father came into a large amount of money (for those days) due to an unusual investment Nellie strongly encouraged him to make (more about that later). He rewarded her by giving her a check of unknown but significant value. When she took the check she said, "I think I'll go to Florida" a frequent winter vacation site for them, usually at Charlie's expense. She and John got into a discussion about why he had written a check instead of giving her cask. John explained he could write 10 checks per month at no cost. Not fully understanding, I wanted to know why he couldn't write one of those free checks for a bicycle for me.
- John E. Barry
Nellie Floody b. Aug 24 1875 - d. Oct 19 1953
Married Apr 1894
Garrett Barry
HOME IN NATIONAL PARK
Grandmom (Nellie Floody) and Grandpop (Garrett) relocated from Philadelphia and settled on Red Bank Ave. across the street from National Park in West Deptford Township, New Jersey. Garrett bought a whole block that went from the school yard to the next street West of their home. He sold off the lots for people to build on to finance improvements to their house.
Gerald and Mary lived next door (beyond a vacant lot that later became Barry Brothers Coal Yard) with their seven children. Later, when Jim and Madge got married they moved into this house. The school yard was the scene of many stick balls games played with a broomstick handle and a half a ball. The ball was made by cutting a hollow rubber ball the size of a tennis ball in half. This was a real low cost sport in those days. In good weather family gatherings were on the lawn beside the house and many of the conversations in this book occurred there.
Since this area was primarily a summer resort for Philadelphia people, it was not well developed. A fire house was needed for protection and was built near their home. Garrett, as well as a number of other permanent residents, put their houses up to secure a mortgage to finance it. He used to tell me that, many years later when I went there to the Saturday afternoon Western movies, telling me I didn’t have to pay the $.10 admission.
A very clever craftsman, in the 1930’s he took an electric motor and mounted it on the handle of push lawn mower. This was long before the concept of a power mover was considered, let alone produced. When he would be out front pulling the electric cord around behind him, cars would stop to see what was going on. I believe he deliberately cut the grass in the late afternoon when the traffic from the Navy Yard Ferry was heaviest.
During the war, when Victory vegetable gardens were the thing, he helped me put one in the lot between his house and the school. We had to leave intact the Cherry and Crab Apple trees. For cultivating, he had a plow that you would pull rather than the usual push plow. The corn, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, etc. were delicious but there was no economic or wartime justification. The gas consumed in travelling from Woodbury to tend the crops plus the size of the garden did not save us any money. It did give my father and I a chance for the weekly visit with Garrett and Nellie.
I never knew Garrett to drink much but I do remember the story of the annual gift John got from a contractor. It was a pinch bottle of Haig and Haig scotch. He would give it to Garrett who exchanged it for two bottles of Bourbon or Rye.
CAREER ABILITIES
Garrett was originally a boiler maker by trade. He later became one of the early Hartford Boiler inspectors whose job it was to inspect the safety of the boilers and the related pressure equipment. This required his being constantly away from home on inspections when the mode of transportation was horse and buggy and/or train. The first I ever heard of Cincinnati was when he told me about Cincinnati’s Union Terminal. Four railroads ran out of the terminal and split the management into four two-year terms. His company insured two of the railroads so he come to Cincinnati four years out of the eight to inspect the boilers in the station.
He told me about all the tricks con artists (Ticket Agents, Waiters, Conductors, etc.) used to use on travelers. They would give change for a $10 when offer a $20 and wait to see if you reacted. If so, they added the other $10 so you couldn’t report them as being dishonest. Waiters were more clever. In a party of four, when the bills were $8.75, $.8.25, $8.25 and $8.25, he would give $.25 to three and $.75 to the fourth. Again, if discovered, he made a big production out of getting the $.50 back as he refunded the $2.25. Translate these small 1920 numbers into today’s dollars and it was big money.
Garrett was fired at age 62 so the company would not have to pay a pension. This was a common practice in those days and led not only to the growth of unions but also the importance placed on seniority in reducing staff.
I used to help him repair equipment (mostly conveyors) for Barry Bros. in their early days. My Father, a Treasurer of the Red Bank Transportation Company hired him to do maintenance on the dock building at the ferry slip to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. When Garrett submitted a bill for one of his projects, I got my first lesson in practical honesty (You not only need to be honest, you need to appear to be honest, as well). He has recorded every nail, screw, putty, broken hammer on the bill. My Father said “delete all these items and add two hours necessary to cover the cost”.
HEALTH
Garrett was famous for being hard of hearing unless Grandchildren were talking about their jobs. He would then confront them across the room with either counsel or questioning. He knew and could tell you where each of his grandchildren worked and what they did. One of his favorite questions to a grandchild was "does your boss like you?" if you responded yes he would say "ask him for a raise". One time, my response was I just got one. His retort, "ask him for another one". If a Grandchild was looking for work, he would tell them to stop at any plant where smoke was coming out of the stack. That went back to his boilermaker days with a smokestack economy and no environmental regulations on air discharges.
No one could fix his bed right except Nellie and everyone knew that. It reminded of the story of the princess sleeping on a pea. He took a nap daily even in his sixties, and we all knew not to wake him. This was particularly difficult because you had to pass his bedroom on the way to the bathroom.
When he was in his 70's, he fell off a ladder to the 2nd floor (changing screens) and broke his hip. He use to joke that his sons couldn't take down the storm windows and install the screens "right".
He went downhill fast after that. They got a hospital bed for him and turned the parlor into a bedroom on the first floor. When he finally succumbed in Bishop Eustice hospital at age 82, May and I were present along with Nellie, Frank, Jim and possibly others. He was in an oxygen tent, air tubes to your nose had not been designed, and suffering. The last words I remember was when he turned and said -"what am I going to do, May" (he had always been close to May). After he passed away the doctor wanted permission to perform an autopsy to see why he had died. Uncle Frank quickly said he was 82 years old I can't let you do that. I supported that since I had gone through that with my father's death less than three years before. On the way to the hospital Mom and I had known the end was near. We discussed offering two of our cemetery lots for Garrett and later Nellie. So I offered them and they accepted and they are both buried there today.
CREATIVITY
One of the pictures on their porch table was Garrett on the front steps of their house conducting a band composed of his sons. This led to the requirement at early family reunions that the band hired for the dinner dance had to be willing to let the brothers play their instruments. Sometimes the hired band played 10 minutes and rested 50 while the brothers played.
Garrett built an inboard motor boat for Frank and Jim. It was appropriately called the "Nellie B". He made it from an old truck which made it the only speed boat I have ever seen with a clutch and gear shift. They moored it up Woodbury Creek but brought it around to the Red Bank Ave. beach on the Delaware river for towing an old fashioned one-piece surf board. In addition to Frank and Jim I remember Gerald Jr. and his sister Mary surfing.
Garrett's sense of humor is evidenced by many stories:
When I was about nine, Friday night pinochle games were a frequent thing at our home on Wesley Ave. We were not allowed in the dining room during these games. But when Garrett was present he would take me in with him until I made noise and my father sent me out. On one occasion when I made noise Garrett said "he knows I have a good hand". At that age I had no idea what a good hand was.
The family was vacationing at a rooming house in Atlantic City where everybody ate at one big table. Garrett sat down a woman asked him if he was part of that wonderful family that had just arrived. He responded "I'm the oldest son"
One time when Garrett and Nellie came to dinner at Maple St. May had prepared her usual delicious Sunday dinner. Garrett said if I knew this was going to be such a fancy party I would have shaved twice and worn a clean shirt. I believe that was the same dinner when all my brothers and I stopped talking but kept our lips moving. Garrett who had the hearing problem thought it was funny but not Nellie.
ACTIVITIES
When television first came out in the late 40' s Garrett had one of the first TV sets in the county (Barry Bros. were in the business). It was a six-inch screen that he later added a magnifying screen in front to get it up to a blurry nine inches. They installed it in the dining room so Garrett could still sit in his chair next to his radio. On Friday night I would join him for college football games. I asked him if he wanted me to explain football to him. He asked me how many men were on the right side of the bail and I answered eleven. We repeated for the left side of the ball. His question then was "what the hell are those 22 people doing running around the field".
He was an avid newspaper reader particularly the sports page. He loved to listen to the fights on radio and later on television. In fact, he would watch the football game, listen to the boxing matches on the radio, and read the paper all at the same time. In his earlier years he went to both Philadelphia Athletics and Phillies baseball games at a cost of $1.14. ($.57 under 12). But as his eyesight deterioration added to his hearing loss that stopped. I believe it was the last game he went to that he convinced my father to take me to my first big league (Phils/Cards) at age 10. For many years after many people kidded me about my rooting for the cardinals because they were Saints (St. Louis).
My mother and I went to a surprise birthday party at Gerald and Clara’s house in Trenton for Garrett's 81st or 82nd birthday. Most of his sons and their wives were there. Charlie at that time was a witness in the 0'Malley trial (more about that under ‘Charlie and Mazie’) and was forbidden to leave the state of Pennsylvania. He did not want to risk driving so he took the train. When the presents were passed out Charlie, true to form, held out to be last. When he gave the card to Garrett he said, "be careful pop, there's half a hundred there"
HOME LIFE
Garrett's signal of manhood was that he carried the only key to the front door. This despite the fact that Nellie ruled the roost since he traveled so much. He drove an automobile called a Willys Knight of which he was proud. He decided to raise chickens once for food but he got to know them so well he couldn't kill them and eat them.
On Sunday night various members of the family would gather at their home. The funniest thing I remember about that was when Charlie and Mazie would arrive they sent Charlie Jr. and Jackie (Tim had not yet been born) into the house. They would come in only after their favorite radio show was over (I think it was Fred Allen).
Nellie Floody
HOME LIFE
Nellie used to talk about her days in a factory before she was married. But her most frequent copment was bragging about being from Donegal. Nellie had a friend from those factory days living with her in early 30' s. Her name was Aunt Jenny Igo, an Italian non-relative who was there 5 to 10 years. I remember her well because I had helped my mother get our Christmas cards ready to mail. I did not know that Nellie expected all the boys to include a check in Aunt Jennie's card. When Nellie found out she wasted no time letting my father know of the oversight. He conveniently blamed it on me.
There was no question that Nellie ruled the roost on Red Bank Ave. My father, John, was adamant about this. Whenever anyone would complement Garrett on his wonderful family, John would say "give credit where credit is due" and point to Nellie.
After her sons got married she became a bingo nut, so much so that people used to say she would sooner miss mass than miss bingo. After St. Matthew's discontinued it, she started to go to St. Patrick's in Woodbury. About this time, I got my driver's license and my father allowed me (insisted really) to have the car every Friday night. The stipulation was I had to take Nellie to the bingo game at 7:30 and return her home at 10 :30. You can see why I grew up not only disliking bingo but even people who played it.
When Frank and Jim got married, Nellie called a meeting of her sons to cover their need for finances. The deal they worked out I thought was unusual. Each son would pay a weekly allotment every six weeks to Barry Brothers and the company provided her the weekly funds. Since Frank and/or Jim claimed them as dependents on their income tax my father insisted on his rebate each year. The reason only six sons were involved in this operation was Charlie didn't want to be bothered every six weeks. So he paid the large annual bills like taxes and insurance on the hope.
COOKING
The large Sunday dinners at her house were a big thing when I was young. We did not stay too often because it was close to our home. But when we did, I do remember that not only did I not get served until the last table, but Tom (Gerald's son) and I had to sit on a table board atop a very warm radiator.
Nellie cooked primarily to satisfy Garrett who liked his steak so rare that it was not even warm. I remember him telling May "don't cook it too long" when he was at our place. Father raved to my Mother about one of the dishes Nellie used to cook for him. Nellie' s response was "he wouldn't eat that today".
Charlie bought Carson's Air Dried Beef Co. (to launder the gambling income?) and they made deliveries to meat markets in South Jersey. Every week or two they would drop off a two-pound package of dried beef for Nellie's use. When I would take them to mass on Sunday morning Nellie insisted I have breakfast with them where she served cream chipped beef on toast. For those of you too young to remember this was known in the service during world war 11 as shit on a shingle.
Nellie bought her milk from a local dairy farm run by Edna Wilkins. At some times of the year the cows ate the garlic in the field and it got into the taste of the milk. I played it safe and never drank her milk. It is obvious that my memories of family dinners with Grandmom did not fit the common mold.
OUTLOOK ON LIFE
She faced her life expectancy very casually. I remember her telling me to buy her a small jar of Jergen’s lotion because she wouldn't live long enough to use up a large one.
Nellie had a cleaning lady named Kate Lawler who was quite a contrast with Johanna Hoops who helped May clean our house. Kate would come into the house and jam everything away so it would look neat quickly.
Johanna who grew up cleaning offices in Philadelphia cleaned very well but put everything back exactly where she found it. Johanna was famous for telling may her fortune was hidden by pigeons under Billy Penn's hat 25 stories above Broad St. in Philadelphia's City Hall.
Nellie had code words that her sons understood, although I did not. One such phrase was "goodbye Mr. O'Connor". The first time I heard it was when I had walked the mile or two to her house taking my brothers along for a visit. When we were ready to leave told me to say "goodbye Mr. 0' Connor to uncle Frank. When I did I was amazed to hear him say ‘she wants me to drive you home’. I later found out that when Tom 0' Conor (John’s godfather) visited them he always gave them coins as he left. If he failed to do so, they would line up as he left and utter that familiar phrase.
My father came into a large amount of money (for those days) due to an unusual investment Nellie strongly encouraged him to make (more about that later). He rewarded her by giving her a check of unknown but significant value. When she took the check she said, "I think I'll go to Florida" a frequent winter vacation site for them, usually at Charlie's expense. She and John got into a discussion about why he had written a check instead of giving her cask. John explained he could write 10 checks per month at no cost. Not fully understanding, I wanted to know why he couldn't write one of those free checks for a bicycle for me.
- John E. Barry