We became aware very early in life that our mother left a big piece of her heart in Prince

Edward Island. We loved to hear her stories of growing up on a farm as much as she

enjoyed reminiscing. Her stories were happy ones and involved a relatively small cast of

characters.

Mother L'Jane-hardworking and good natured

Father Paddy-dashing, daring, and exciting

Paternal Grandmother Gammy Whelan-kind and gentle

Matemal Grandmother Gammy Kinch-proud and austere

Siblings Mae, Joe, Roseanne, Annie, Will, Et, Bertha,

Merrill and Frank

Teacher Willie Overbeck-smart and caring

Pastor Father MacDougal

Neighbors Arsenaults, Champions, Waites, Boutes

Relatives Whelans, Kinches, and Doucettes

It is difficult to imagine what life was like on a farm in Prince Edward Island in the late

1800's the only items that were "store bought" were molasses, tea, coffee, sugar, and

spices. Everything else was produced on the farm; eggs, milk, vegetables and meat.

Wheat was taken to the local mill to be ground into flour. Sheep provided wool that was

woven into material for clothes. Trees provided the wood to heat the homes. Horses

provided transportation.

This translated to a great deal of work and even the youngest children had chores to

perform such as gathering eggs. Older children helped out feeding the chickens and

cattle, milking cows, weeding gardens, stacking hay, picking potatoes, and chopping

wood.

It was usually the mother's responsibility to care for the chickens and geese as well as the

vegetable garden. She also had charge of the dairy cream that she churned into butter.

The money derived form the sale of butter and eggs was hers to keep for special events

such as Christmas.

An added ingredient to the Mackie household was Paddy's venture as Captain of a vessel

that transported cargo between PEI and New Brunswick. (Tommy's story on Paddy

Mackie gives more detail on this.)

All of this work provided food and shelter but a minimum of cash. Since this was pre-

radio/TV, people entertained each other by reading, playing cards, and most importantly,

good conversation.

Each season brought particular joys and demands. The long winter evenings provided an

opportunity for gathering around the big kitchen stove. Gammy Whelan, who lived with

them, busied herself knitting mittens and rocking the youngest baby in the cradle. Paddy

was a great storyteller and he had many tales to tell of his adventures on the high seas so

the Mackie home was a favorite spot for friends and neighbors. A frequent visitor was

the local teacher, Willie Overbeck. L'Jane read aloud for them and as Kate grew older,

the job was passed onto her. This was also a time for exchanging great ghost stories.

The more frightened the audience became, the more Paddy embellished his stories.

Christmas was a very special time although the celebration was quite simple. L'Jane

always managed to have saved enough from her "butter and egg" money to order a special

gift from the catalogue for each child. One such gift Kate treasured was a little box in the

shape of an egg, which contained a pair of rosary beads. They also had goose for dinner,

which was a special treat on Christmas.

Spring was a busy time of year with the planting of crops and all the other chores

connected with farming. It also involved attending weekly catechism classes at the

church, which was at least five miles away. The long walks with her sister Annie and the

neighbor girls were pleasant. Stopping at selected farms-particularly Kinch's corner for a

glass of water was a highlight of such trips.

Summer was a happy time-berry picking and long walks in the fields. Kate's oldest

sister, Mae had stayed with her grandmother, Gammy Kinch, when in 1881 the family moved from Kildare to Lot 2 to live with Gammy Whelan. Mae came to visit her own family for a

week or so in the summer. Kate also would spend a few days in Kildare where she

enjoyed the company of her first cousins-the Kinch girls. She loved the walks through the

fields to Harper Road to visit her Aunt Kate and her cousins, the Doucette girls. A "State

Visit" each summer from Gammy Kinch was always a memorable occasion. The church

Picnic, "The Tea Party" in August was the social event of the year.

School started about the middle of August because children had two weeks off in the fall

for potato picking. The school was a one-room building and the teacher, Willie

Overbeck taught all grades. In the wintertime, the boys had to go to school early in order

to start the fire in the wood stove. Kate’s sister Annie and her brothers Joe and Will

attended school with her. She was very close to her sister Annie and recalled her great

sense of humor and the good times they had together. Kate was a good student and when

she was about 15 or 16 years old, Willie Overbeck went to her father and begged him to

send her to the convent in Tignish for a year and then on to college in Charlottetown. He

said that he had taught her everything he knew. That was not possible; there just was not

any money available. (As an aside; Charlie Dalton, L'Jane’s uncle, owned a pharmacy in

Tignish and lived in the center of town. He asked L'Jane if one of her girls would like to

help out at his house and at the same time attend school at the convent. The idea of one

of her girls being in a servile position to a relative was not acceptable to L'Jane and she

flatly refused the offer.)

Such was the world in which Kate spend her childhood and where her characteristics of

courage and devotion to family were formed.

At about this time, her sister Mae's marriage had failed and she was left with two

children. She decided to go to Boston to find work and ultimately to establish a home

there. In the meantime, her daughter Foster was brought to L'Janes and her son Jack was

entrusted to her Aunt Ann (Martin) in Alberton. Mae asked Kate to take responsibility

for her care for a year and, in return, she would pay for Kate's ticket to Boston. Although

her father Paddy was opposed to Kate leaving home so young, he knew there was no

alternative. Kate made her plans for a new life and wrote to her Aunt Kit (Merrithew)

and Aunt Maggie (Christopher) in Boston. She had to borrow money from a neighbor, Mrs.

Champion, to buy material with which she made her own suit for traveling. Mae must have

come through with the money for the ticket as at age 17 Kate left for Boston where she

was welcomed to the home of her aunts.

Since both aunts ran rooming houses and needed every available room Kate set out

immediately to find employment. At first she worked as a domestic in some wealthy

homes and always looked forward to spending her days off at her aunts' homes. Before

too long she started waitressing at Inns and Resorts. She preferred the independence this

type of work provided. She saved her pennies and managed to return to the Island each

summer for her vacation.

She met her husband, Tom [Thomas Aloysius O’Connor] in Little Compton, RI; probably through her work at a resort. About this time she was offered a scholarship at some college in Michigan. They were married and traveled to Michigan to take advantage of the offer. Lack of money was probably the reason she was forced to give up this dream. Apparently the scholarship was for tuition but did not include books and housing.

Tom and Kate then moved to Prince Edward Island and rented a small house in the

center of Tignish. Their first son, John Jeremiah was born there. Tom opened a Pool

Hall, which was a big hit as an outlet for the young boys in the area. It was similar to a

bowling alley in today's world. They carried snacks, candy, chewing gum, and crackers,

which hadn't been available previously. The pool hall was doing so well that they

decided to open a second one in O'Leary. Tom was more of an "idea" man than a

businessman. There was a lot of "slippage" in the O'Leary operation and when World

War I broke out taking all of the young men off to war, they were forced to close down.

Tom and his brother-in-law, Tine Arsenault, left for Boston to find work and Kate and

her sister were to follow later. Tom and Tine found work at the Boston Elevated, "The El" (now

the MBTA or, "The T") and rented a flat in South Boston. Kate and Et had limited funds-barely

enough for their tickets and a little spending money. On the day of departure, Kate went

to purchase the tickets and someone of importance was behind her. Instead of purchasing

second-class tickets as they had planned, she opted to purchase first class tickets, which

left no spending money. (That old pride again-a failed business and riding second class was

too much to bear).

The two couples lived together for a while and then they each had their own flat. A

second child, Catherine, was born in South Boston. She was a beautiful healthy baby but

unfortunately she was stricken with spinal meningitis and died when she was about a

year old. After the funeral Kate went to Jamaica Plan and found a flat there, never to return to

the sadness of the South Boston residence.

Mary Isabel was born while they lived in Jamaica Plain. Tom was now working for the

Railway Express which entitled him to a reduced fares on the trains to the suburbs. Kate

was very anxious to have their own home in the country even though it would be quite a

stretch, especially with no family help available. Kate went to work at night at the Statler Hotel

and saved enough money for the down payment on a house.

They bought a duplex house on Liberty Street in Randolph; price $3,000. The house

needed a lot of work and Kate worked feverishly improving things. They had wonderful

tenants, the Johnson family He was an excellent carpenter. They had a very

harmonious relationship and he did any necessary carpentry work-probably in exchange

for reduced rent. Eleanor was born in that house and at the same time Kate developed

pneumonia. A neighbor, Mrs. McDonnell (The police chief s wife) took the new born

baby into her home, and the other neighbors cared for Mary and Gene. Pneumonia was a

very serious illness at that time and she bad to have medicine around the clock. Her

brothers, Merrill and Will, who were still single and living in Boston took turns coming

out and sitting with her all night. Shortly after this bout with illness, Mary developed a

mastoid and surgery had to be performed which left her deaf in that ear. It was a very

risky operation because of the proximity to the brain. They were so apprehensive about

the outcome that they took her to a studio to have a formal picture taken.

The train service to Randolph was terminated at about this time and commuting for Tom

became difficult. Since there was good train service to nearby Holbrook, they looked for

and found a house located seven minutes from the Railroad Station. The price was $4800

which was a big jump and mortgages at that time were only for twelve years. It was an

ideal home for them but it was with great trepidation that they signed the sales agreement.

They were able to sell the house in Randolph for a little profit. The house in Holbrook

was fairly new and quite an improvement over the one in Randolph. It had hardwood

floors on the first floor, a bathroom and a one-pipe furnace. (Many houses did not have

these" luxuries".) Kate was delighted with her home with a nice yard complete and plenty

of space for vegetable and flower gardens. Tom was happy with his short walk to the

train. He worked six days a week and "sick days" were unheard of in those days.

Tommy was born shortly after they moved to Holbrook and Larry followed two years

later. They were both born at home. The growing family required super household

management.

In 1928 our first car was purchased-a 1924 Chevrolet. Kate constantly was concerned

about the well being of her siblings. Her mother and youngest brother had died in 1921.

She anxiously watched for the mail every day to have news from The Island. With the

purchase of the new car a trip to The Island was the first one scheduled, of course. It was

a trip to remember-with two adults, five kids and a collie dog in a 1924 Chevy. The road

was paved only to Portland so there were miles and miles of dirt roads and gas stations

were few and far between. Apart from the desire to see her father and sisters and

brothers, the main reasons for the trip was to bring her brother-in-law Tine back with us

and make the arrangements for her sister Et and her four children to follow. Et had lost

two children and the economic situation on the Island was desperate. Tine did come back

with us and the car was really packed with an additional adult. He stayed with us for a

while getting a job nearby and saved enough money to send for Et and the children to

come to Boston by train. Within a few months, they were settled in a flat in Roxbury.

About that time, the house next door was up for sale. Kate contacted her brother Will

who also was living in Roxbury. He now had two children and the neighborhood was

deteriorating. It was an ideal home for him as there were three acres of land and he could

have a huge garden and chickens, etc. He worked for the Railroad, which meant he

traveled free. The price was right and before long they moved in. Will loved to farm and

in addition to a large vegetable patch, he had a crop of potatoes. He also had several

chickens and for a couple of years, they even had a pig. Our family also planted potatoes

on their land and also kept a pig next to theirs.

David was born at home in 1930. Tommy and Larry had stayed with the Mackies next

door and Mary & I were sent to a friend's home (the Kelleher's). None of us had a clue as

to what was happening until we were told we had a baby brother. David was born with

spina bifida and the doctor said he couldn't live and they might as well accept it. The

visiting nurse told Kate of another family in town that had a child with the same problem.

Kate contacted them and then visited the Childrens' Hospital and found out about the

chances of survival. From his Railway Express route Tom knew nurses at the-Childrens'

Hospital. Through them they made contact with a Dr. Cutler who was a specialist in that

field. (Needless to say, the doctor who delivered David had been dismissed).

Arrangements were made for him to have surgery when he was five months old. In the

meantime he had to stay on his stomach. It was necessary to pin his clothes to the

mattress, because if he ever went on his back, it would have been all over. Unfortunately,

a visiting friend brought the whooping cough germ into the home, and David came down

with it, making it necessary to postpone the operation until he was seven months old. He

was becoming more active as each week passed and there were many sleepless nights as

the anxiety level rose. On the morning of the operation, we all went to Boston-Mary and

I spent the morning in the Mission Church. Tom skipped down the stairs of the hospital

around noon and we knew that David had survived the surgery. Dr. Cutler was not only a

noted specialist but he was also a humanitarian. Knowing the financial circumstances, he

said there was no charge. Kate insisted that she wanted to pay and he sent a bill for

$25.00. She also sent him a hand hooked rug in appreciation. It is easy to understand why

It bothered Kate that her sister Et, who now had six children, was living in the city. She

was always on the lookout for something they could afford. A friend in Randolph was

selling her home and while it needed many improvements, it was on a large lot, and it was

close to both train and bus service. The price was rights and Et and Tine were happy for

the chance to be out in the country and with some help from Tine's sister, they were able

to purchase the house. Kate developed some medical problems and knew enough to go to

the Lahey Clinic for diagnosis. The Lahey Clinic was located in Boston at that time and

the original Dr.Lahey performed her surgery at the New England Baptist Hospital. She

took the train to Boston and them the streetcar to Parker Street and walked up the steep

hill alone. They couldn't afford to have Tom take the day off. Mary took time off from

school-probably six weeks-and managed the house completely. A friend, Mrs.Keller,

took David to her home, as he was still a baby. Mary baked bread, prepared meals,

supervised the children, paid the bills and kept up with her schoolwork. (A friend

brought home the assignments.) Kate needed further surgery, a hysterectomy so after a

recovery of two weeks, she had to stay in the hospital another two weeks. She said she had to

do it that way because she could never come home and go back in. The ordinary family did

not have health insurance and the hospital had to be paid each week. I recall that the

hospital charged $6.00 a day for room and board-the surgeon's bill was separate but that

could be postponed. I think the cashing in of life insurance policies and a small personal

loan was necessary to defray expenses.

Tom's Uncle Jerry thought our house was too small and offered to pay to have a room

added. He liked Kate very much and was happy to have Tome settled with a family and

home of his own. A large kitchen was added and the room that had been the kitchen was

now the dining room, which was Kate's delight. She loved china and we had a glass

china cabinet that was her favorite piece of furniture. If its contents were not valuable,

they were delicate and added a sense of elegance to the room. We always had Sunday

and Holiday dinners there, but during the week we did our homework around the dining

room table. Tom's Morris chair beside the Atwater Kent radio was also there. The

Depression was at its peak at this time; shoe factories had moved to the south; many men

had lost their jobs (for the most part the only women who worked were teachers and

nurses); there was no such thing as unemployment insurance so people were losing their

houses left and right. The Atwater Kent was turned on only in the evening to hear what

was taking place it the world. Roosevelt was running for President and offered hope for

the millions of unemployed. Father Coughlin of Royal Oaks, Michigan, was on the radio

every Sunday at 4PM. Not even a pin dropped as he preached for an hour about the need

for reform and the need to elect Roosevelt who would make the necessary changes. Tom

was fortunate in maintaining his job at the Railway Express and he worked almost every

day. (But the loss of even one day's pay had an impact.) The fear of being laid off was

always there. The fact that Kate worked so tirelessly at cooking, baking, gardening,

sewing, preserving vegetables, and fruits, kept our expenses low. Behind our house there

was a coal pit in connection with the railroad trains and the boys went down there after

school and picked enough coal to keep the kitchen stove going. We usually had the pipe

furnace going only on weekends at this time.

Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and his Fireside Chats on the radio gave people

confidence. Many programs to help the poor were initiated-such as W.P.A., which

provided work for the unemployed.

********

Kate felt a responsibility for her widowed father who still lived on The Island. He visited

us for a month or so every two or three years and medical problems would then be taken

care of and his wardrobe would be perked up. Sometime in the 30's, she received word

that Paddy was quite sick and couldn't make the trip to Boston alone. Even though it

was winter, Kate and her sister Et with my brothers Gene and Larry headed for the Island

by car. It was quite a hazardous trip and only daughters would have kept going.

They finally had to leave the car in Summerside and take the train the last sixty miles

to Tignish. Mission accomplished-they brought Paddy back with them and his problem was diagnosed as Shingles (rather than a return of the dreaded "tic dou-lou-reux" or Trigeminal Neuralgia.) Tom liked Kate's family very much and he never objected to anything Kate did for her family.

Later Tom was having trouble with his feet and he toyed with the idea of getting a disability

pension. In the meantime, Kate's brother Merrill who lived on the family farm was alway looking for a good buy on property, as he was anxious for her to have a place there. In 1937 he wrote and told her about a foreclosure on a nice farm located on the main road and with a river behind it. Sight unseen, Kate gave Merrill authority to make arrangements to buy it. In the spring of 1938 we moved to the Island and stayed there for two years. We still owned the house in Holbrook. Tom's disability pension never materialized so he only came for a few weeks in the summer. Kate may have been away from farm life for many years, but she never forgot her early lessons. Before long we had a cow, a bull a couple of sheep, and some chickens. Merrill planted potatoes and other crops in a couple of the fields. The boys soon became familiar with all the chores connected with life on a farm. Part of the land was leased out to nearby farmers on a share basis.

It is amazing how we instantly adjusted to our new life without electricity or running water

It was a wonderful experience for us and we learned quickly about the balance of Mother

Nature; how dependent the farmers and fishermen were on the weather; the values of

community and neighbor helping neighbor. We learned to appreciate the beauty of a

sunrise and the power of a storm at sea. We all felt richer for the P.E.I. experience.

Canada entered WWII in September 1939 and it was increasingly difficult to buy

gasoline, etc. so at that time the family moved back to the States and sometime later, the

farm on P.E.I. was sold. In the meantime, Mary and Gene were both married.

Tommy and Larry graduated from high school in Holbrook and before long enlisted in

the US Army and Navy respectively. Gene had entered the Canadian Army. Eventually,

Tommy was on The German Front, Gene was in the Italian Front, and Larry was in the

Pacific. The War took a toll on Kate with three boys in such danger. If the news

reports were good in one area, great losses were reported in the other. David told of

hearing her crying during the night (None of us had ever seen her our mother cry.)

There were three grandchildren by this time, Billy, Terry, and Jackie and they were the

bright spots in her life and probably the only distraction from war. Whenever the boys

sent money home, she immediately deposited it in the bank for them. Many

mothers spent the money received from their sons on lunches going to the movies, etc., as

it was the first time they ever had any money to spend frivolously.

When the war was over and there was plenty of gasoline and everyone had a car, the

desire to have a place on P.E.I. again loomed. Merrill was negotiating for a place at

Donahue’s Shore. An elderly lady, Hannah O'Leary, owned it and would not sell to any of

the locals. But she liked Merrill and agreed to sell it to his sister Kate. A cottage was built and

for a few years, she and her grandsons, Billy, Terry, and Jackie summered there.

Two small cottages were built and other members of the family were able to vacation there.