MEMORIES OF ALMA ELLENDER URIE WEED
Born April 20, 1910 in Rainier Oregon
The third daughter in the family of Clyde and Ethel Wonderly 
Urie

     Mother was busy with two young babies Eva 2yrs 8months and Hazel 1yr 
2months only one year and a few months apart, besides Hazel had polio.
     They say I grew up like topsy.  Dad called me, “Snookums,” a cartoon character 
in the newspaper, at the time, who was always getting into things.
     Dad built a two-story house on Rainier Hill, known as Kentucky Flat.  At this 
time there were four girls, Eva, Hazel, Alma and Ruth, all born within one year and 
a few months apart.
     A trip to town in Rainier seemed like a long distance for a child almost three.  
Coming home from town one hot summer day, I refused to walk any further and sat 
down on the sidewalk.  Mother was pushing the buggy with Ruth and Hazel in it, 
sent Eva back to pick me up at which time I was kicking and screaming.  It was a 
struggle but I guess we made it home.
     Mother knew when Dad was coming home from work, as dad’s horse would 
whinny, when she saw him coming.
     Don’t really remember the move to the stump ranch in Delena.
     Just before Roy was born 1913, Dad took all four of us girls in the middle of the 
night to Grandpa and Grandma Wonderly’s home in Rainier.  What a dramatic 
experience for me, to be separated from my mother and not understanding why?  I 
cried, then Ruth cried. Poor Grandma was trying to rock two children at once.  
Grandpa Wonderly yelled out from the bedroom. “Ella if you can’t keep those kids 
quiet I’ll spank every one of them.  That threat made us quiet down.
     At Delena Dad made a baby crib for Roy out of cross-sticks and burlap.  One 
morning after finishing his bottle he tossed it over the crib between exposed 2x4’s.  
The bottle landed under the house.  That was the one and only bottle, which created 
a problem.  Dad had to crawl under the house to retrieve the bottle.
     At the time there was no running water in the house.  All fresh water was carried 
from a spring a short distance from the house.
     One day when Eva and Hazel were in school, Mother sent me to the spring with a 
small bucket to get water for the baby’s formula.  She explained in detail how to dip 
the bucket in so as not to muddy the water.  At the edge of the spring while dipping 
the bucket in my feet slipped and in I went.  Needless to say, a little three-year-old 
came back dripping wet with only one-half bucket of muddy water.  It frightened 
mother so she never sent me again.
     Gypsies who lived in the area were constant pests.  They came to the door 
begging for eggs or milk for a sick baby or husband.  Mother would push me back 
away from the door, so the Gypsies wouldn’t see me.  She was afraid they would 
kidnap me.  If the folks didn’t give the Gypsies something they would open the gate 
and chase the horses out in retaliation.
     Early one morning we four girls in clean starched dresses, pretended we were 
Gypsies and wondered from one black stump to the other, to blacken our faces.  
After consulting each other if we were black enough, we knocked on the back door.  
In unison we said “May we have some milk for our sick Baby”.  Mother stood there 
in horror, then laughed.  It wasn’t so funny when the scrubbing began.  Mother had 
to use lard and soap to remove the black soot and pitch on our faces and hair.  We 
never repeated that again.
     The schoolteacher in Delena often visited the folks.  One evening Mother made 
doughnuts.  The teacher sat across the table from dad, she held up a finger and dad 
would toss a doughnut for her to catch.  It was fun to watch but all too soon it was 
bedtime.
     Grandpa Wonderly purchased a ranch of several acres just a few miles out of 
Philomath, Oregon for Uncle Ira and Aunt Etta Wonderly to manage.  Ira was 
mother’s brother.  
     The ranch had two homes, one of which Uncle Ira and Aunt Etta Lived.  Mother 
persuaded her father she and dad could manage farming the other half of the ranch, 
which had the older home.
     The folks moved to the ranch near Philomath in about 1914, so Eva states.  This 
home had more conveniences than the stump ranch.
     Pigs had been penned near the house and fleas were plentiful.  Each evening we 
took turns standing near a tub of water while mother shook our clothes over the 
water and picked fleas off us.
     Our pet, a beautiful collie dog, named “Shep”, was given to a farmer to train to 
herd sheep after he was caught chasing sheep in the farmer’s pasture.  We children 
were so sad to give up our dog and so mad at Mr. Snodgrass, to get even we decided 
to call him “Snotnose”.   We thought he deserved a bad name for taking our dog.
     Prune ripening time the folks gathered sacks of prunes at a farm where large 
tarps were placed under the tree, then a strong person shook the tree.  The ripened 
fruit was taken to a fruit dryer.  Dried prunes in 100 lbs. sacks were enjoyed during 
the winter months.
     Mother used dried cooked prunes to make a pudding from the juice and pulp.  
Dairy whipped cream topped this delicious dessert.  A flat jelly glass with a tin lid 
was used to send the prune pudding in our school lunches.
     This Gal couldn’t wait for noon and often ate my pudding on the way to school or 
at recess.  At noon when eating lunch, I’d look so sad at Eva, she would divide her 
pudding with me.  Finally she said, “Alma” if you eat yours I’m not giving you any 
of mine.  From then on I either controlled my desire to eat the pudding early or 
went without at noon.  That taught me a good lesson.  The prune pudding I make 
does not taste quite like mothers.
     Old professor, Mr. Platt taught eight grades in a one-room school.  First graders 
were neglected when he taught the upper grades.
     It seemed I needed to be busy, so bored I ripped the hem out of my dress.  Poor 
mother with all the farm work had to re-hem my dress.
     Finally Mr. Pratt tried to solve the situation by having me follow him around the 
room when he was teaching the upper grades.  Sometimes I’d mimic his walk or 
made funny faces behind his back to get the kids to laugh.  He would turn around 
quickly to catch me and one of my blond curls would catch on his vest button.  It is a 
wonder he didn’t punish me.  At times he would have an older student teach me to 
read in the quiet of the cloak room.
     Water at the school was pumped from a well into a large container.  Mother 
made sure we each had our own collapsible drinking cup; otherwise all drank from 
one dipper.
     Dad and Mother worked together at haying time.  We children wearing 
sunbonnets accompanied them to the hay field, where we often road the horses to 
the hay barn.
     One day I wondered away from the hay field into a corn patch eventually into a 
swamp.  The further I went the deeper the water.  The folks finally found me crying.  
Was I ever glad to see them!
     Roy disappeared one summer afternoon.  All of the family was searching and 
calling with no results, finally I happened to look back of the separator door, a 
building just off the back porch and there he was fast asleep.
     Milk was separated to make cream for butter or at times milk was poured into 
large shallow pans for the cream to rise to the surface then skimmed off for 
whipping or other uses.
     One exciting outing stands out as a special event when the folks were invited to a 
house party.  Snow covered the ground.  Dad prepared the sled with straw, blankets 
and hot bricks and all five children snuggled in the sled with dad and mother 
driving the team of horses.  The men and woman did square dances at the home 
while we children were put to bed.
     Often adults in fun, would pretend to pull a chair out as someone sat down.  It 
was supposed to be fun but when I tried it with Hazel, dad’s spanking stung for two 
days.
     In those days sugar and flour were purchased in 100 lb. sacks. Brown sugar, rice 
and beans were found in large wooden barrels.
     When paying the monthly bill, which was convenient for farmers, the merchant 
would give sticks of hard candy.  We children always looked forward to sharing the 
candy.  Seldom did we have candy unless mother made taffy or other types of candy.  
One variety she made was marshmallows usually in a layer of pink and white. Quite 
yummy.
     In 1918 dad’s brothers worked at the shipyards making good wages.  The idea of 
a better income, than the farm was bringing in, encouraged dad and mother to move 
to Houlton, Oregon.
     There were no homes to rent at this time; the only available place was an 
abandoned saloon on the main street in town.  Baseels lived in one-half of the 
building.  Roy was a tease and would make frequent trips down an alley in back of 
the building and pester Mrs. Baseel until one day I saw her chasing Roy down the 
ally swinging a butcher knife.
     Dorothy was born Feb 21. 1918 after we moved.  The old saloon was drafty and 
difficult to heat.  Blankets were used as room dividers.
     Dad learned of a home for rent on S. Vernonia Rd. which was known as the 
chamber house.  We lived there until dad built a home on the property he bought, 
which was located across the street from the rental home.
     The older children helped mother with household tasks.  Many times I’d rock 
Dorothy-a baby at the time, to sleep.  Often for fun I’d make faces to get here to cry, 
so I could rock and comfort her.  She was like a doll in my arms.
     For a time we bought milk from Bennetts, who had a dairy.  Bill Bennett 
delivered milk to us.  One morning I met him at the gate to get the milk.  He gave 
me the milk and a kiss- then ran.
     For lack of play equipment, encouraged us to invent our own.  A basketball hoop 
was made out of a barrel hoop erected on a tall poll.
     Stilts were made from used 2x4’s with odds and ends of scrap material.  That was 
fun, walking tall above everyone.
     Dad was a natural craftsman and a “Mr. Fix It”.  He made tops out of discarded 
wooden spools, shaping the top with his pocket knife and inserting a round stick in 
the center which was shaped and balanced to a point leaving a handle above.  He 
made each one of us a top.  It worked out to be a quiet time for the family when each 
child was spinning their top to compete in a contest.
     The top dad made me many years ago is displayed in a keepsake Cabinet in my 
home.  He also made whistles in the springtime out of vine maple sticks.
     Talk about recycling; nothing was discarded in those times.  It was repaired to 
last years.
     Mother made all underwear and slips out of one hundred-pound flour or sugar 
sacks.  The cotton flour sack dish towels used, during these times are coveted to this 
day, but are no longer available.
     It was the year December 20, 1923 when Ed was born at home that mother 
developed and infection and was in the hospital several weeks.
     Dad persuaded his mother, Alma V. Urie, to take care of baby, Ed.  In former 
years she was a practical nurse or midwife and took maternity cases in her home to 
care for mother and babies.  Dr. L.G Ross was the doctor in town at the time.
     Eva tried her best to keep all six children under supervision, which was more 
than she could do at just 15 years of age.
     Dad persuaded Esther Laughlin, Aunt Fanney’s Daughter to come for two or 
three weeks.  It wasn’t an easy task to control, six children ranging in age from 15 to 
5 years, (five girls and one boy).
     Frequently I visited Grandma Urie to see baby Ed.
     Uncle Charley was staying there at the time and would be bouncing the crying 
baby on his knee.  Even though I was only twelve I was concerned that Ed was a sick 
baby and needed loving care.  Eva and I discussed the situation and persuaded dad 
and Grandma, Ella Wonderly to take Ed and care for him.  We girls made promises 
to help grandma with the housework after school and on weekends.
     Grandpa had bought the old Lamberson place next to Milton Creek, which was 
about one-half mile (guessing), from our home.
     On Sunday, we all went to the Methodist Church which was only about one block 
from grandma’s.  Eva pushing the wicker buggy with Ed Snuggled inside, the rest of 
us trailing behind.
     SECRET OUT.  Aunt Lilly, Uncle Harry Urie’s wife, told us a secret she had 
kept for over 50 years, pertaining to Ed as a baby.  Dorothy, Eva and Ruth and I 
were visiting her at the time in her home in Longview.  Grandma Urie wasn’t able 
to care for Ed in daytime and at night too.  An arrangement was made for Aunt 
Lilly to take Ed at night and return him the next morning.  At the age of 23 and no 
experience with babies, she managed well by laying fussy Ed on her tummy to sleep 
at night.  The plan seemed to work, but none of our family ever knew of this 
arrangement.
     Times were not easy for the folks after the shipyard shut down.  Jobs were 
scarce.  Mother and Dad bought white leghorn baby chicks from Fayett and Ruth 
Little Brooks, who lived beyond Apery in a logging Camp.
     Many problems developed while trying to raise chickens, during the summer 
days the pullet size chickens would bunch up smothering each other.  Mother and I 
would separate them several times during an evening.  The chickens also had 
diseases but provided eggs and meat for the family and brought in some money, 
when butchered and sold to the public.
     The Farm Home magazine was a selling plan for me.  People bought the 
magazine even when they didn’t want it.  With my earnings I ordered a navy blue 
dress with a charm on the pocket. (Mainly the charm was the attraction).
     One difficult winter Mrs. Burcham had a load of wood delivered to our home.  
Money didn’t come easy; we did many different jobs to help out.
     Summers I would do house work for someone needing help.  The money was used 
to help buy clothes and schoolbooks.  The schools did not provide books as they do 
now. While in high school Grandpa Urie, who was custodian of Mc Bride school, 
paid us to help sweep school floors.
     The Bacons had a raspberry farm at Warren where Hazel, Ruth and I picked 
berries.  Dad would take us to the farm at 4 am and pick us up in the early 
afternoon.  We wore large straw hats and old stockings to protect our arms.  Most 
always I picked the most berries.  I guess to make more money.  People often 
wondered how the Urie girls could afford silk stocking.  They didn’t know we had 
one pair, which was washed out at night.
     Great Grandma Baker was cared for in the home of her daughter, Alma V. Urie, 
until she died at the age of 99, lacking one day of being 100.  When Great Grandma 
Baker needed medicine in a hurry, mother would send me.  It was about 2 miles to 
the down town drug store and I would run most of the way.
     After reading a book about elves doing good deeds to surprise people.  It was 
such a good idea I got up at 3 am to sweep floors when mother heard a noise and 
investigated, she asked,”what I was doing?”  “I replied being a good elf”.  We need 
more books published on that line to influence the kids of today.
     When Dorothy was about three, Dad made her a little red chair and table for 
Christmas.  That year we shared the holiday with grandpa and grandma Urie at 
their home. 
     It also was the year Aunt Stella, Mothers Aunt, who was married to Almer 
Meserve, gave each of us a special Christmas gift.  Mine was a childs Wagner Ware , 
skillet, griddle and pot with a wire handle.  Mother advised me to keep the set well 
oiled to prevent rust.  The set is displayed in my kitchen in perfect condition.
     In the eighth grade was the start of my sewing career, when I made a silk blouse 
out of a passed down relative’s shirt.
     The blouse was washed every night to be worn the next day.  Mother didn’t have 
time to sew with seven children to care for.
     Grandpa and Grandmother Wonderly living in Rainier often sent butter and 
cream in a jar, through the mail, one time the postman delivered a drippy package.  
The jar had broken. 
     In our very young years Grandma Wonderly gave a 6-inch plate to each of the 
four girls.  Mine had cherries in the center with a gold band.  There are wonderful 
memories of the times Grandma Wonderly took two or three of us to stay at their 
farm on Rainier Hill during the summer months to relieve mother.
     One afternoon a cow chased Hazel, Ruth and I, out of the pasture, running as 
fast as we could we just made it over the fence in time.  Other times we trapped 
chipmunks and trained them for pets.
     Grandpa Wonderly furnished goat meat which mother canned.  It wasn’t quite 
like beef in flavor and often could have a strong taste, but we ate it prepared in 
various ways.
     Mother had a way of canning gravenstien apple slices for pie.  She used water to 
fill the jars then cooked them in a hot water bath.  All quarts were wrapped in 
newspaper to maintain the natural white color.  The apple pie she made from the 
canned apples always was a treat.
     One summer Aunt Lillie Meserve, mother’s aunt, who was a beautiful seamstress 
in Portland, stayed at the folks to make winter coats for the four girls by using 
discarded relatives coats.  Aunt Lillie often reversed the wool fabric to cover any 
worn places; as a result they looked like new purchased coats.  Some people 
remarked, “How could the Urie’s afford all those new Coats.”
     When mother came home from the St-Helens General Hospital after Gilbert was 
born March 18, 1926, Eva and I took turns the first week giving baby Gib his two 
o’clock bottle and changing him.  Since Eva was eighteen and I was almost sixteen it 
was good practice for us.  He was a good baby and as a toddler would play with 
clothespins by the hours.
     In about 1924 (not sure of the date) one spring Milton Creek rose to the base of 
the bridge flooding homes near the bank of the creek.  A fast snowmelt and rain 
combined caused the high water.  In summer the water was so shallow the rock 
bottom was exposed.
     Mother took in washing for some prominent people in St-Helens, to help make a 
living after dad was disabled.
     We four girls took over the house hold chores, however there was fussing, who 
washed the dishes last, a task no one liked, so dad settled that by making a monthly 
schedule for house hold duties rotating after one week.  One cooked, one set table, 
stacked and wiped dishes: one washed the dishes and one cleaned house for a week. 
It worked smoothly. 
     My! How we hated to peel small patotoes for ten people.  Ruth got smart when 
Cooking was her turn.  She cooked rice, didn’t have to peal it,” she said
     Dad and Mother bought a Hoover Kitchen Cabinet a luxury item with a pull out 
porcelain working surface. Great for making bread and a variety of pastries.  It had 
a spice storage area and on each side a large container for sugar and flour.
     Many loaves of bread to feed ten people were made at the cabinet.  The yeast was 
purchased in chunks at Heinies Bakery.
      Often mother would have warm baked bread just out of the oven on the table 
Cooling when we girls came home from high school.  Any small amount of dough 
was baked in a round pan.  
     One day Mother walked in the kitchen to see all the crust sliced off the round loaf 
leaving it square; I loved the warm out side crust and so did my sisters.  The first 
one there got the largest slice.”Um, Um”!
     The cooking and baking was done on a wood stove.  The hand inserted in the 
oven tested the baking temperature.  Sometimes dad was missing sticks of pitch  he 
saved as an early morning fire starter.  It was dandy stuff to get a quick hot oven.
     Mother acted as doctor and nurse.  A chest cold called for a Denver mud plaster 
applied hot to the chest with a warm wool flannel pinned over that.  By morning the 
cooled Denver Mud left a crumbly gooey mess.  Denver mud came as a paste like 
substance in a can.  Using a spatula the mud was spread on a torn piece of sheeting 
then heated and applied hot to the chest.  Guess it worked, none of us had 
pneumonia.
     In grade school it was a fad to wear a bag of acadifidity around the neck, which 
we did to prevent sickness.  Guess it worked as many of the children had perfect 
attendance records.
     Roy had his right foot run over by the bus at Harpers Corner.  He was speeding 
along on the paved road, one knee in the wagon and the right foot propelling the 
wagon.  The bus driver couldn’t see him and ran over his right foot.  The driver 
stopped and asked him if he was hurt.  Roy said no, but somehow made it home, 
about 1 block, and immediately went to bed crying in pain without telling anyone.  
He had been warned not to take the wagon on the road.  Mother soon found out and 
treated the foot.  Roy never went to the doctor, but had a painful time with that foot.
     Sewing was a creative project for me.  Dorothy was delighted with a white blouse 
I made for her.  It had a high ruffled neckline with black ribbon trim around the 
neck and ruffled sleeves. 
     Eva and I made mother a dress for her birthday; the dainty print was a blue 
forget-me –not design. She wore that dress until it was no longer presentable.
     Eunice Little Reams, a Cousin of mothers, who worked at the Portland Post 
Office, made many weekend visits to our home.  She was our idol.  Frequently, she 
left a check to help buy school supplies or clothes for the children.
     Each Christmas a box of gifts arrived in the mail for every Child.  One time she 
missed sending Roy a gift.  Mother substituted one and found an old tag with 
Eunice’s writing, she had a distinctive handwriting, no one could copy.  Eunice was 
married and divorced.  She lived alone in a large two-story home in Portland.
     David and Morris Little, brothers of Eunice visited the folks often.  The Little 
home remained standing for many years facing hwy 30 and Milton creek.
     Roy blew on Dorothy’s clarinet and as a result got the mumps from Dorothy, 
Hazel had a sever case, both sides of her face was swollen to the chest.  How I 
escaped the mumps, I’ll never know as Hazel and I slept together.  Grandma Urie 
told me Cream of tarter would keep me from getting the mumps.  The remedy 
tasted awful but I took it in the water faithfully.  The mump epidemic in our family 
was at a crucial time just two weeks before my wedding date, June 7, 1931, when 
Elza and I were to be married.
     My first job, A miracle happened for me!  It is strange how I got my first job 
right out of high school.  A classmate, Orleta Boyd, bragged to me she had applied 
at J.C.Penney’s to be cashier and book keeper.  I didn’t know there was an opening.  
That tipped me off, if she could apply, so could I.  I was picking strawberries, at the 
Oscar Weed Farm, in Mc Nulty when a phone message came, Glenn Thomas 
wanted me to come to the store to be cashier and book keeper.  Oh what a 
wonderful day.  My prayer was answered.
     Hazel was working at the courthouse and now I had a job at JCPenneys.  The 
folks furniture was old and in disrepair.  Hazel and I together, bought the folks the 
first davenport and chair.  When that was paid for I bought six oak Chairs with 
blue covered seats.  All the old chairs had broken spokes or legs which dad repaired 
the best he could.
     In 1934 dad made a match holder of Cement and a variety of shells he had 
collected over the years.  The match holder has been a cherished Christmas gift.  It 
is mounted on the wall at the back door.  Dad did exceptional work of 
Craftsmanship, as cement is very difficult to work with.
     One Christmas Dad made mother a sewing cabinet.  He used his skills and 
ingenuity with limited tools to create this special cabinet.  The top lid lifts up to 
reveal a space for storing unfinished sewing below that area various sizes of drawers 
with spaces for thread, buttons and other sewing supplies were added.  It has 
handles on each side with rollers on the four legs to be moved about freely.  It has a 
smooth varnished natural finish.  It is truly a keepsake to be cherished by the 
family.
     One of the original creations of dad’s craftsmanship was a driftwood settee. (that 
is what it was called)  Never in my lifetime have I seen a duplicate.
     It had to be made in or before the time we lived in Rainier where a family picture 
was taken when Ruth was a baby and I a toddler.  Possibly dating back to 1910 or 
before that in Fort Stevens.  
     By the way, that photo was the first picture of me on record.
     That settee maintained a prominent place (always) on the front porch and was 
moved along with the family possessions.  When pieces of driftwood came apart or 
broke dad repaired them.  Guess the settee finally fell apart, with no one around to 
do the repairs but was a sturdy piece of furniture with constant usage for over 
seventy years.
     Dad designed a car’s turn signal and applied for a patent, which required so 
much financing he finally gave it up.  It was disappointing.  
     In 1943 during the war the St-Helens Pulp and Paper mill was in drastic need of 
office help.  Mr. Sherman persuaded Elza to have me try out at the production desk 
at which time I accepted the job and worked until Dennis Was Born Oct 14, 1944.
     In 1958-59 the Generation of Womans Clubs and Vogue Pattern Co. sponsored a 
fashion-sewing contest.  A garment was to be made for yourself and modeled with 
coordinating accessories for the occasion.  When I entered the contest just for fun.  I 
had no idea I’d be chosen state winner.  Much to my surprise I was presented an 
inscribed plaque and a charm bracelet with a thimble attached.
     My garment, with pictures included, was sent to the national contest.  A 
deserving woman in Texas won the national.  That event gave me courage and 
confidence to continue sewing as a hobby.
     Two of the sadist events in my life was when we lost our daughter, Nancy only 41, 
October 25, 1972 and again my husband Elza at 79,  July 9, 1989 of  heart failure.
     One never recovers from the grief but can soften the hurt by pouring the energy 
into being busy making a variety of creative crafts for others to enjoy.

Memories of Alma Ellender Urie Weed
Written January 2000