DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Reuben Gaines' memoir, undated

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Page 20

PAGE 20. Buxton. 
Conclusive decision. (Nettie must go) and be confined in a Wayward Home for girls and which she always hereinafter referred to as a Reform School. Two years cooled her down with quite some serenity. Consequently when she was freed she never did rip; rare and tare as before. The next ten or twelve years would not have won a prize but she settled down low enough to marry a man by the name of Ramsay. In five years they had seen too much of each other so they separated. After another five years she was married to Charlie White and in about eight years he passed away in Quincy Illinois; then in two or three years she met up with a very old friend of hers back in her girlhood days by name of Alonzo Wat They married and lived together in Cedar Rapids and most of the time in Chicago for the last 50 years until Alonza Watson died in the Spring of 1971 and Nettie passed away on Oct 7, 1971 with both at the age of 88 years. She always on ev ocassion for the next 30 years let her resentment be known that: 
"You incarcerated me in a girls reformatory at Mitchellville, Iowa for nothing
My father left Buxton in the month of Sept. 1910 to visit his old home-stead and friends which he had not seen since 1879. His visit was over in one month and then he returned home but not alone for he had brought a young girl with him at the tender and dangerous age of 15 years. My Mother looked her ove from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head and she was dissatisfied an I could see that she was also going to be disagreeable about this girl. It wa explained that she had been uncontrollable and the change of environment might give her a new start in life. I could see that there was a small fire being kindled in my Mothers mind and it could burst into flame at any time for when Father had arrived home and regardless of how long he had been away she never said I am glad you are home or did you have an enjoyable visit or any kind of enthusiastic greeting. I was sure all along that I knew what the trouble was all about. My parents never discussed marital troubles in the presents of the family; so she took him in the bed room which lead off from the living room an shut the door. I moved in closer to the door to find out why a small mental war was being fought about this girl. She seem to be a 32nd cousin or some relation that dated back a long time but she did go by the name of Gaines. I had to really get clost for the words to be audible and the Transom over the door was open about one half inch which nobody had noticed and which was a big help for me to perform a perfect job of "Eaves Dropping". "You must be completely out of your mind"to bring an uncontrollable girl into this house to live with your son of 20 years". "Whether she has been exposed or not; at 15 years of age she will have the prevailing urge to find all about Human Relatio " It will take a squad of Vigilantes to keep her in her respectful place" I "Cannot ride herd on her twenty four hours a day; but I will use what surveilance I can but I know that will not be enough.

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PAGE 20. Buxton. Conclusive decision. (Nettie must go) and be confined in a Wayward Home for girls and which she always hereinafter referred to as a Reform School. Two years cooled her down with quite some serenity. Consequently when she was freed she never did rip; rare and tare as before. The next ten or twelve years would not have won a prize but she settled down low enough to marry a man by the name of Ramsay. In five years they had seen too much of each other so they separated. After another five years she was married to Charlie White and in about eight years he passed away in Quincy Illinois; then in two or three years she met up with a very old friend of hers back in her girlhood days by name of Alonzo Wat They married and lived together in Cedar Rapids and most of the time in Chicago for the last 50 years until Alonza Watson died in the Spring of 1971 and Nettie passed away on Oct 7, 1971 with both at the age of 88 years. She always on ev ocassion for the next 30 years let her resentment be known that: "You incarcerated me in a girls reformatory at Mitchellville, Iowa for nothing My father left Buxton in the month of Sept. 1910 to visit his old home-stead and friends which he had not seen since 1879. His visit was over in one month and then he returned home but not alone for he had brought a young girl with him at the tender and dangerous age of 15 years. My Mother looked her ove from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head and she was dissatisfied an I could see that she was also going to be disagreeable about this girl. It wa explained that she had been uncontrollable and the change of environment might give her a new start in life. I could see that there was a small fire being kindled in my Mothers mind and it could burst into flame at any time for when Father had arrived home and regardless of how long he had been away she never said I am glad you are home or did you have an enjoyable visit or any kind of enthusiastic greeting. I was sure all along that I knew what the trouble was all about. My parents never discussed marital troubles in the presents of the family; so she took him in the bed room which lead off from the living room an shut the door. I moved in closer to the door to find out why a small mental war was being fought about this girl. She seem to be a 32nd cousin or some relation that dated back a long time but she did go by the name of Gaines. I had to really get clost for the words to be audible and the Transom over the door was open about one half inch which nobody had noticed and which was a big help for me to perform a perfect job of "Eaves Dropping". "You must be completely out of your mind"to bring an uncontrollable girl into this house to live with your son of 20 years". "Whether she has been exposed or not; at 15 years of age she will have the prevailing urge to find all about Human Relatio " It will take a squad of Vigilantes to keep her in her respectful place" I "Cannot ride herd on her twenty four hours a day; but I will use what surveilance I can but I know that will not be enough.