the outdoor method to bake bread. The family raised chickens for food and for eggs, as did most of the Oneida families. They had a dog. Their neighbor had a cow. There were lots of children. Oneida was a wonderful village in which to grow up. Washday was another large project. The wooden tubs and washboards for the dirty clothes were put out and filled the night before. After the clothes were rinsed, they were hung outside to dry. It was an all day project. Anna remembered the joy and awe after time had passed and with the arrival of electricity, they all gathered around their first electric washing machine. I can understand why. She thinks it was purchased from Sears. Cleaning also went through the transition from the broom, to the hand sweeper to the first electric sweeper. Irons were heated on the back of the stove before the advent of the electric iron. It wasn’t easy being a housewife, mother, and cook, now, was it? Now, we didn’t talk about sewing, but all the girls in those days had to know how to sew and mend clothes. The girls all had different jobs to do, the dishes, cleaning, beating the carpet, sweeping the floor, starching the curtains and the bottoms of their petticoats. Now, this was new to me. Anna explained that if the bottoms of the petticoats were starched, they did not stick to their dresses. I bet they would have loved the modern day spray starch in a can. Anna told me that nothing seemed hard to do. They were just jobs they had to do. On bath day, the tub was brought out again. The cleanest children got their bath first. On it went until the dirtiest child got the last water. Of course, Mother Honochick had heated water to add after each bath. In the evening, after the supper was cleared away and the chores were done, the kitchen table became the game table. It was divided in half. The boys played checkers on one half. The girls played jacks on the other half. Anna’s mother, it seemed to me, had a saying for just about everything. And, they all made sense. She was the mother, the father and the boss over all her children. She told all her children that they would have to work hard in life to get what they wanted. They all applied that principal to their lives. When the boys were a little older, cars became the topic of conversation. They talked about getting a car. Their mother said, “Fine. If you can buy a car, then you can afford to pay board.” Silence reigned. No one spoke but Jim. He said he would pay board. He was going to buy a car! And he did, with a rumble seat, probably a Ford. For the girls, she told them not to buy diamonds. Diamonds only show the wrinkles on your neck. Don’t buy a fur coat. You’ll only look like a bear. Put your money in the bank for your old age. When Anna married her lifelong friend, John Kowalick in the Greek Catholic Church in
Sheppton, her mother held the wedding dinner at their home. She was happy to do it for them. She had another saying for them. You don’t need a big wedding to have a lot of bills right from the start. Put your money in the bank. Save it for a rainy day. Going to church was a must. All the neighboring families walked the mile to 9 A.M. Mass on Sunday in Sheppton. There was only one service as their priest came from McAdoo. It was fun, even in all kinds of weather. The children walked together, the women could visit on the way and the men could talk about the things men talk about. It was a very happy time to grow up in Oneida and Sheppton, too, during the 20th
Century. Now, one hundred year old Anna understands that the mothers of today have a hard time raising their children. They have so many things taking them away from the family structure. There were no drugs around in Anna’s day. Mothers did not have to worry who their children’s friends were. Mothers did not have to work outside of their home, as a rule. Neighbors were like your own family. They were there to help each other. Anna is thankful that she has a good mind, can read and remember. That’s important. Thanks Anna for a wonderful visit and a wonderful look at life when you were growing up in 20th Century Oneida, PA. P
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