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My earliest memory of growing up in Hartley Settlement,N.B.was when I was about 5 years old when our house burned down, in the wee hours of the morning, in the"dead of winter". This was a very traumatic experience for me, therefore, I believe, that iswhy it is still so vivid and planted so deeply in my memory today. I remember being awakened, placed in an "emptydresser drawer" then put on on top ot the snowbank. I remember sitting there, so afraid, while watching my home burn in front of me. In those days there was no fire departrnent to help in putting out the fire. Even if there was,our road was never plowed in winter, consequently the only transportation to my home was by foot or horse and sleigh
. Wewere taken in by our good neighbor until we could find a place to live, and until my grandfather, Wellington Yerxa Haines could build us a new home,,. We did find a place to live and as soon as the spring came, my grandfather bult us a new house. We moved in before school started that fall. 1939. 1 started school that fall along with my Aunt Marion, Uncle Arthur and Uncle Pete .Back in those days we had no electricity, indoor plumbing,central heat or telephone, thus we studied by lamplight Since we had no indoorplumbing, we had an "out house". If you think that is funny,believe me,it is a rather "cold jaunt in winter". Before I go on to another subject, I wan to include a "song thatour Uncle Pete (Abram Norris) wrote" about our house burning down. He was only about 11 years old when our home burned... It goes like this...Ithappened on Saturday morning .. An hour after dawn...The whole woodshed was burning .. The grainery was all gone...A neighbor was in his bathroonl.. He came downstairs with ashout ..He grabbed his fire extinguisher...Came up to put the blaze out..He couldn't put out the rwe...But saved the furniture alL..We never got another house built. 'til a year from that last fall. The neighbor that Pete mentions in his song is Vernon Tracey who lived down the road. In later years he lost his life fightingfor our country in World War Two.. The next experience I had was when my grandmother, Evelyn Susanna Dale Haines passed away, She had suffered from a blood infection caused by the spring on the screen door cutting her arm Back then, there were no antibiotics, thus no cure. As I was cominghome from school the day she was near death, her doctor pickedme up in his horse and sleigh, as he was headed to seegrandmother. That evening, after supper, she called each one ofus in separately to talk to us alone. It was a long and heartwrenching night, especially for cousin Richard and I as we were so young. Hovered under the blankets and eventually cried ourselves to sleep. In the morning, our dear granmother haddied. Growing up after we had lost her, was never the sameagain. That was in March of 1941 and I was almost 7 years old.I think the next memory of significance was when I was 9 andAunt Ellen (Uncle Earl's wife) and their 10 month old daughterMary Ann moved to the farm from WynndeL B.C. I rememberbeing so excited and couldn't wait for them to arrive. Mary Ann became like a little sister to me, Richard and Pete. We used to take her everywhere with us, even to pick cranberries... The next memorable occasion was when my brother Danny was born in February, 1945. Our mother Mary Haines and his father Daniel Delano lived in Mars HilL Maine. Richard and I used to go visit, which in those days would be like taking a trip to Florida... To Be Continued
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