Biography

Ethelinda was born about 1873. She passed away in 1972.

She arrived in the U.S., on 27 Jun 1887, through Philadelphia on the ship British King. She was 14 at the time of her arrival.

Her mother had died, her mother's sister and husband had come over and were living in Cleveland. They sent for the girls, Esther, first, then Alice and Ethelinda.

These are some of her memories:

"I remember Mother, on a Saturday night, getting Alice, Fanny, George, and I ready to take a bath in a wooden tub. After we were finished, we'd kneel by her knee, and she taught us The Lord's Prayer. George would say, "Our Father t'art in Eaven."

Father had a crooked back. He was pushing a barrow over a plank from a boat to the wharf, and fell in the river.

Mother had a tubercular condition, and someone suggested to Father thathe take her to the country to see if it would help her. We moved to a farm in Rodmershan, and used to picnic on Rodmershan Green, but it made my Mother no better. I remember the night my Mother died; it was raining, There was a bedroom upstairs that leaked; this is where they carried her, as, of course, there were no undertakers. This bothered me.

We sailed from Liverpool on a Wednesday, and were on the water 10 days. From the moment my feet lit on the launch to take us to the steamer, my head began to whirl. I didn't start to feel better until the Sunday morning when we sighted land. I don't remember that I was sick, only that I was whoozy, and I got around that ship on my hands and knees. I never saw my sister, Alice, that whole long voyage. She spent her time where the lights and music were. I'd take my blanket and little pillow and lay out on the deck. One day a seaman stuck his head out of the hatch and asked if I had eaten anything yet. I had eaten nothing but a hard sea biscuit that I'd just nibble on. He brought me 6 eggs, and said, "here, you keep these eggs, and tell me the first day that you feel you can eat one, and I'll boil it for you." I took the eggs into our cabin and put them in a tin cup, but that night the rats carried them off. I could hear the rats in the walls and though it was too dark to see them, the only lights being at the end of the passage, we could feel them run over us at times. But, they say it is a good ship that has rats, that means there are no leaks, though I didn't know that at the time.

Uncle and Aunt had five children.. Nellie and Edward (Ted), were married when I arrived. In fact Nellie's expecting her third child was the reason, indirectly, of my coming. They sent for my sister, Alice, to come and help out. Esther had come some 5 years earlier, and was supporting herself. Iguess I put up such a fuss at being left behind that they had to send some additional money for me to come, too. Alice, Will and Clyde were the Middleton children still at home in 1887.

I couldn't figure out what screen doors were for, they certainly didn't keep the wind out. One day I stood holding one open, trying to figure it out. "Ethel", my Aunt Middleton said, "if you don't shut the door, you are going to let every fly in the neighborhood in." So that was what they were for!

After the table was finished being cleared, following a meal, Aunt would always darken the dining room, by pulling down the shades, to get the flies out. One day she said to me, "you can put the shades down now to get the flies out." So I got a chair and proceeded to take the shades down and lay them on the dining room table. The boys had a good laugh about that.In the morning, before we left for school, we had to wash and dry the breakfast dishes, and clean the kerosene lamps. Some times the chimneys would be made of cheap glass, and being in a hurry, I would put my thumb through one. That did make Aunt cross. I would feel so badly, because I did so want to please her. I was so thankful for a home, the first we'd had since Mother died.

We girls were often called upon to go and stay with different families, if they wanted someone to help out.

All day Sunday was spent at church. In the morning was church, then home to dinner, then Sunday School, home again to supper and then back again to Young Peoples (Epworth League) and church. Oh, how I hated Sundays! Not because of the long hours at church, or, not the long walks back andforth, but it meant the next day was Monday--Market Day, and all the back breaking work. Picking peas, beans and strawberries, enough for two trips a day and packing Iceberg lettuce, two dozen in a case. Uncle grew celery, too. This was bleached right in the fields, with boards around it. Once Uncle told us girls that we could have any money we could make by taking a pit full of celery. We found, to our dismay, that the celery was over ripe, and he wanted us to pick out what was good. He was true to his word, though, we got the money.

Will was often called upon to drive a wagon load of produce to the Italian section of the city, "Little Italy" it was referred to. He used to ask me to go along. That was quite a ride, in a spring wagon.

There was a back lane to the race track that went through Uncle's property, with a gate. Whoever was near when John D. Rockefeller came through, would open the gate for the surry, and receive a dime, and the coachman would drive through."^[1]

No more info is currently available for Ethelinda Chalkraft. Can you add to her biography?

Sources

• Amanda Thomas, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Amanda and others.

• Marriage (m. Barber, Alfred, II) Citation

(Direct & primary evidence)Text: Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Glenville, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: T623_1260 Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 216. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

• Marriage (m. Barber, Alfred, II) Citation

(Direct & primary evidence)Text: Source Information: National Archives and Records Administration. Ohio 1910 Census Miracode Index [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Original data: National Archives and Records Administration. Ohio Miracoda. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. T1272, 418 rolls.

• Marriage (m. Barber, Alfred, II) Citation

(Direct & primary evidence)Text: Source Citation: Year: 1920;Census Place: Cleveland Ward 25, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: T625_1372; Page: 10A; Enumeration District: 476; Image: 807. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 on roll 323 (Chicago City. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1920. T625, 2,076 rolls.

• Marriage (m. Barber, Alfred, II) Citation

(Direct & primary evidence)Text: Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Cleveland Ward 26, Cuyahoga, Ohio; Roll: T624_1176; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 399; Image: 798. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1910. T624, 1,178 rolls.

• Death Citation

(Direct & primary evidence)Text: Source Citation: Number: 274-62-3048;Issue State: Ohio;Issue Date: 1973. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.

• Marriage (m. Barber, Alfred, II) Citation

Direct knowledge by family proxy

1. ↑ Entered by Amanda Thomas, Dec 3, 2012

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