Aunt Francie's Diary

Our Aunt Frances was the middle sister, born in 1919.  During my grandmother's pregnancy she contracted influenza...fatal to many during the "Spanish flu" pandemic at the end of WWI.  Frances had difficulties from birth.  My mother remembers knowing that Frances was different, but she was their sister.  All the girls had chores and Frances was in charge of clearing the table and washing dishes.  I remember helping Aunt Francie even when I was little.  She was in charge and I was her helper.  I never thought of her as being small, because I was small then.  But now, looking at pictures, I realize that she was.  Mother tells me that she didn't grow physically beyond the size of a pre-teen.  My grandparents hired a tutor to help Frances, but she never learned to read or write.

One of the most poignant moments of my recent stay with my mother was what we found when my cousin Mark came over with four boxes filled with family memories.  There were precious photos, yes, but when we opened a little red booklet we found a diary...not written by Frances, but obviously dictated by her.  Her entries were filled with swinging, sitting and playing on the porch, and many mentions of who visited on any given day.  What a wonderful thing my grandmother did for Francie to give her a voice, to validate her days and give them importance.  As her sisters were going off to school, Francie had her own teacher come to her house.  As her sisters did their homework, Francie dictated entries for her diary.