The South Orange County City Directories show that Exie and Cornelia lived at 405 E. Ocean in Garden Grove in 1926. Since Charles Thomas, their last child, was born in July that year, this must have been the house he was born in.
One of my favorite stories told by Aunt Alice Gleffe was about the day that Chuck was born:
Dad had taken the kids to a berry patch and had given each of us 50 cents. We hid it away in the bedroom. On the day Chuck was born, the older kids were saying it's another "stinkin' girl. Don't look at it!" Dovie took them off to the school nearby to climb the fire escape. She kept them there all day, but when they got hungry she told them to go home to get the money so they could get something to eat. "But cover your eyes and don't look at that stinkin' girl!" They did. So late in the day, they could see and hear Dad out whistling and calling for them, with a switch in his hand saying they had better come home. Dovie went home first. Later when the rest of them came in, there she was rocking the baby! She said "It's okay, you can look, it's a boy".
I cannot find that E. Ocean Street on a map today, but then the area has drastically changed. One of the houses where the family lived in Garden Grove burned. I don't know if this is the one.
The City Directory gives a Post Office Box address in Garden Grove in 1929 for "Mrs. Cornelia McFarren, Nurse." No listing for Exie McFarren. I have heard that there were times when Exie would go work somewhere away from home. This must have been one of those times. Cornelia had taken a correspondence course in nursing and served as a midwife, sometimes having to be away from the family for days at a time. We know that she also removed the doors of the garage and created a laundry, taking in work to do at home. It would be interesting to know if this was before, after, or during the time she was serving as nurse and midwife.
Just an aside to the mention of the laundry, there was a day when Cornelia was boiling laundry in a large tub. My mother, then a little girl, apparently slipped her arm into the boiling water. Babe spent a lengthy time in the hospital, or so it seemed to her in later years, recuperating from this burn. She described the arduous (and probably painful) bandage changes and draining of blistering. She had a scar on her upper arm for the rest of her life. She used to point out her mother's finger marks in the scar where she had grabbed her to pull her out of the tub. Whether those marks were actually there or not didn't matter. We thought we could see them and the drama of the story was worth imagining that we could.
Perhaps Exie was working in Porterville in 1929, which would explain his absence from the family. Remember his sister Della Williams and family were living in Porterville. By 1930 Exie brought Cornelia and the children there. This was, of course, the time of the Great Depressio, and conditions had to have been difficult for everyone. When the Census was taken in April 1930, Exie was a farmer and did odd jobs. Cornelia was still serving as a practical nurse. Rent for their home was $16. I recall my mother talking about this time. She said they didn't feel so poor. They always had good fresh produce to eat from the garden and her mother always made all their clothing anyhow, reversing the material of used clothing creating whole new garments. There were people far worse off nearby who would take their leavings from dinner and feel lucky for it.
That year, 1930, found Elmore still at home. He was 19 years old. No occupation was listed. Dovie was 17 and Exie 14. Alice and Babe were 12 and 11, and Charles was 3. A lot of mouths to feed, but it seems they managed.
I imagine that these and any further stories about Exie and Cornelia are something that we all share, having been told by our parents about life in the San Juaquin Valley, the eventual move to Ceres and then Modesto, but I'd like to share my notes on Grandpa and Grandma in this time. Perhaps you can share more, or correct anything I have wrong.
Exie was an an expert fruit tree pruner, among other things, a farmer his entire life. The family always kept a large vegetable garden and fruit trees. He had a wonderful imagination, told amusing and entertaining stories, even into old age when he suffered from senility. He would sometimes have to leave the family for a few months at a time to find work. The family moved at least a couple of times because of Cornelia's asthma condition, which could be quite severe.
They moved north from Porterville to Ceres, CA, sometime after 1930. My mother, Hazel, and sisters Exie and Alice, I believe, attended Ceres Adventist Academy in the mid 1930s. I'm not sure about where the others went to high school.
Also sometime in the 1930's Exie purchased the property in Modesto at 711 Empire Ave. He obtained some small houses that were damaged as they were being moved on a truck. He had them installed on the property and joined them together to create a larger dwelling, which served them until he died in 1964.
Alice McFarren Gleffe says that before they moved to Modesto, Cornelia and Exie had a falling out and separated for awhile. Alice had just married. She took pies and cakes to her father, Exie, when he was living alone. He would bring the pan back to Cornelia in Ceres, and stay to visit with the family. The family lived in Ceres during this time, and after Exie found the property described above, Cornelia was talked into returning to him and making the move to Modesto.
My mother, Babe, also remembered the time of the separation. She recalled going to a party where Exie played the harmonica and fiddle. She said he was a natural musician and loved to have fun. He would also occasionally treat the kids to a movie now and then, without telling Cornelia, who would not have approved. The things kids remember!
Exie built three small houses at the back of their lot in Modesto to rent out. One of Della's sons lived there for a time and others in the family occasionally lived there when they needed a place to stay. Later I remember renters that often vexed Exie and Cornelia in some way. Later the little houses were torn down or sat empty.
They grew fruit and vegetables on about an acre of land surrounding the house. Exie kept bees for honey and liked to make olives and pickles in addition to providing other fresh produce from the garden. We all remember this home, visiting on the big front porch or out on the lawn under the Walnut tree, enjoying KoolAid ice cubes in wax paper or slices of watermelon on a warm summer evening, while Uncle Lloyd and maybe a cousin or two would go fishing for catfish down at the Tuolumne River nearby. Can you tell I was nearly always there in the summer?
man·gle [mang-guhl]
–noun
1. a machine for smoothing or pressing clothes, household linen, etc., by means of heated rollers.
–verb
2. to smooth or press with a mangle.Inside I recall the old wood burning stove before they got a “real one,” and the smell of freshly baked homemade bread. There was the huge mangle that Grandma would set up in the middle of the kitchen to iron everything in sight, including the hand towel for the bathroom. Her clothing and grandpa's shirts were always beautifully laundered and ironed as were the doilies she kept her hands busy crocheting whenever she sat down, unless she was shelling peas. How many times did she tell me that idle hands were the devil's workshop? Or…something like that.
I also remember the creaking linoleum covered floors, in several patterns, the dug out fruit cellar that the 3rd bedroom was sinking into. And I remember those tasty Sabbath dinners of fresh okra, peas, corn, tomatoes and fruit cobblers to die for, and I still remember the grace that Grandpa would say each and every meal.
By the way, LeRoy may or may not be a third given name for Exie. In our mother's papers after her death, we found this list written by Cornelia:
Exie More Lee Roy McFarren April 26, 1882
Cornelia La Bell Patton April 18, 1892
Elmore Le Evern McFarren July 9, 1910
Dovie McFarren Aug. 28, 1912
Author Theodore McFarren June 10, 1914
Exie Catheren Ester McFarren Feb 2, 1916
Alice Mabell McFarren Jan 22, 1918
Hazel Cornelia McFarren April 6, 1919
Charles Thomas McFarren July 7 1926
Death Record
Aurthor Thedore McFarren
Died Jan 22, 1915
Jerry Robertson's note regarding this document:
"This particular handwritten note just sort of jumped out at me because I knew it was written by Grandma but everything on it seemed a little bit wrong. Like being in a parallel universe, as they would say in Star Trek. I can't say that any of it is trustworthy. In my mind things have to fit into precise slots like a jigsaw puzzle, but in their generation you just had to get close - like building a sand castle, you never do it the same way twice."
Chuck McFarren says that Cornelia probably only had 4 or 5 yrs of schooling. Alice agreed that was probably about right and that Cornelia said she had very much wanted more but she had to stay home to work. I recall her reading a lot though, mostly her bible and other SDA material. Obviously, if she took a Nursing correspondence course, she was functionally literate. In her letters, which she was faithful to write to those of her children not living nearby, her spelling was poor, but it was always clear enough to get her point across. I have no idea about the extent of Exie's education. All his siblings seemed to have attended the appropriate years of school as reported in the census so we can assume that he did as well.
Please share your stories with me if you have more. I hope to leave as many memories of the flavor and soul of my ancestors to my children and grandchildren as I can. I feel it is important to have a narrative about who we are.
I hope I've shared a sense for our shared heritage.
Love you all,
Judy