Meadville

posted in: The Stories of Erie PA | 0

By Celene J., July 18, 2017 — I was the maid of honor in Sarine’s wedding.  She was mine in my wedding.  She was married to a man named Dennis.  I was dating a guy named Dennis.  We went on lots of double dates.  We ended up breaking up.  I started dating a guy Keith.  We dated for a year or more.  We went to the movies, dinner, get coffee.  On May 20, 1972, I married Keith. We got married at a church here in Meadville. Our honeymoon was at Niagara Falls.  When we were there a man jumped off the falls and killed himself. We got home and moved into a trailer. We had a baby girl Julie, Feb 23, 1973.  She was 7 pounds 4 pz 19 inches long. She had blond hair.

My second daughter was born on March 17,1974, ten months after I had Julie. Her name was Nicole, I had her at Spencer Hospital, right where I am now. She had a little round face. “Oh was she a cutie.”  She was 19 inches long.  When she was born we lived in Pittsburg. It was winter time.  I had Julie in a coat and blanket.  When I came home I put her in the bassinet with that on. She was red as a beat.  I had to rush her to the hospital. They gave her an ice bath. She had a fever. I dressed her too warm.

Keith worked as a manager at Wendy’s in Pittsburgh.  We moved to Meadville. One day I was home alone and heard a crunching noise.  The trailer came completely apart in the middle.  I called the landlord.  He said he would come after supper. He was sorry.  I don’t know why it happened.

June 24, 1975 I had my third daughter Kelly.  She had a round face. She looked like a Pixie baby.  She was also born at Spencer hospital.  I was told to feed her every two hours and she grew chunky. She was also a tow head.

We made another move to Meadville to an apartment on Poplar Street.  Our landlord asked us to go into business with him redoing homes.  We did that for a while.  After a while we moved out into a trailer with Propane heat. It was expensive.  My husband I fought a lot. One fight he put a pistol in the kitchen.  He said you or me. So I left him.  I moved into an apartment in 5th ward.  My mother’s family lived in Franklin they wanted me to move there. They sent a cop out because I didn’t have a phone.  The cop said to call my uncle.  He invited me for Thanksgiving.  They got me a town house down there.  I moved with my daughters.  They went to school right across the street.  There was a man named Bill that lived with me.  My daughters couldn’t stand him.  I just put up with him. One day he put fire crackers in the mail boxes. We thought it was funny, He just got yelled at for it.