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Family History excerpt
Oct. 20th, 2024 10:01 pmI have dreams of maybe finding a way to publish this document in some form, some day. My grandmother's writing is a little dated but I love this about it. I am resisting any copy-editing as I retype, other than very obvious mistakes. As a handwritten document, there are very few.
Anyway I thought her description of her childhood memories of her father's store in Iowa from the early 1900s were so beautiful, I wanted to share here.
Long’s Store became a Leon institution soon after its beginning in 1868. A.B. [Aaron B. Long] sold it to his third son Harry about 1887 and little brother [Granville], born 1869 in family apartments above the store, learned the business in youth and spent his adult life working for Harry; that is, until arthritis forced retirement. At his death 11 February 1937 Harry willed all he possessed to Granville’s children since, as he had often stated, without his youngest brother’s drive and unstinting support the business would not have endured so many years as one of the town’s successes. The commendation was freely returned as Granville often praised Harry as a buyer both tasteful and astute. “General merchandise” embraced a variety from pins to furs. The yardage and trimmings were a delight to the eye and soul of a seamstress. Dresses off the rack were then few and largely unsought.
Later, [Granville's] wife Clara often said that young lady customers were attracted by the two handsome very eligible bachelors in charge. Granville was the one who greeted the customers at the door and his rule-of-thumb, oft repeated: “The customer is always right.” Belle Gammon clerked there as a young lady and could not forget that all items were so priced that clerks must wrestle with fractions. A money drawer served as cash register.
This writer carries from her little girlhood memories of the lovely odors in the showcase where perfume bottles enticed the eye; the open shelves that held bolts of goods, cotton, silks, velvets, wools, in charming patterns and colors; and, especially, the large wood and glass winged case filled with colorful ribbons, grosgrain, satin, and velvet. From this array came every dress and coat Mary wore even after she began sewing for herself in preparation for high school. Mother Clara’s “White” treadle sewing machine was kept busy. From the store came the chiffon for Mary’s wedding gown and the lace that trimmed bridal gowns for first cousins Molly and Sarah [my mom Molly and my namesake, mom's cousin Sarah], Granville’s first grandchildren. Mothers Mary and Margaret saved and cared for many usable materials from the store until their girls could enjoy them. By then, however, the store had been radically remodeled and became the Ben Franklin Store, bearing no resemblance to its predecessor.
-Mary Isabelle Long Fleetwood
(Although I find this lilting and haunting and beautiful, I also find it very strange that my grandma Mary didn't specify that Molly was her own daughter - this is the first mention of her. She also omitted Sarah's younger sister Nancy, who was not much younger than Sarah and with whom I have actually met, in her home in southern California, back when I lived in LA for a short time in the year 2000. I saw photos of Sarah and her children on Nancy's fridge, but Sarah and I have never met or spoken. Nancy's two girls are close-ish to my age, a little younger, and I just referred to them as cousins when we met, though they are technically my mom's cousin's children, so that's a couple of steps removed. I guess it makes sense that they don't stay in contact and stopped responding when I reached out. They don't understand why they should care. I remember Nancy fretting about moving her mom Margaret into an elder home after my mom's uncle Carl (my grandma Mary's brother/Nancy's father), died. (Mary's brother Carl, Granville's other child, is also not mentioned here. I know grandma was fond of her brother Carl so there must be some other reason for this.) It was difficult and Margaret was protesting the move even though the home was purely comprised of her best friends and college sorority sisters and had the best care and most robust social opportunities and activity calendar imaginable for such a place. I hope Margaret was able to settle in and flourish, there.)
Anyway I thought her description of her childhood memories of her father's store in Iowa from the early 1900s were so beautiful, I wanted to share here.
Long’s Store became a Leon institution soon after its beginning in 1868. A.B. [Aaron B. Long] sold it to his third son Harry about 1887 and little brother [Granville], born 1869 in family apartments above the store, learned the business in youth and spent his adult life working for Harry; that is, until arthritis forced retirement. At his death 11 February 1937 Harry willed all he possessed to Granville’s children since, as he had often stated, without his youngest brother’s drive and unstinting support the business would not have endured so many years as one of the town’s successes. The commendation was freely returned as Granville often praised Harry as a buyer both tasteful and astute. “General merchandise” embraced a variety from pins to furs. The yardage and trimmings were a delight to the eye and soul of a seamstress. Dresses off the rack were then few and largely unsought.
Later, [Granville's] wife Clara often said that young lady customers were attracted by the two handsome very eligible bachelors in charge. Granville was the one who greeted the customers at the door and his rule-of-thumb, oft repeated: “The customer is always right.” Belle Gammon clerked there as a young lady and could not forget that all items were so priced that clerks must wrestle with fractions. A money drawer served as cash register.
This writer carries from her little girlhood memories of the lovely odors in the showcase where perfume bottles enticed the eye; the open shelves that held bolts of goods, cotton, silks, velvets, wools, in charming patterns and colors; and, especially, the large wood and glass winged case filled with colorful ribbons, grosgrain, satin, and velvet. From this array came every dress and coat Mary wore even after she began sewing for herself in preparation for high school. Mother Clara’s “White” treadle sewing machine was kept busy. From the store came the chiffon for Mary’s wedding gown and the lace that trimmed bridal gowns for first cousins Molly and Sarah [my mom Molly and my namesake, mom's cousin Sarah], Granville’s first grandchildren. Mothers Mary and Margaret saved and cared for many usable materials from the store until their girls could enjoy them. By then, however, the store had been radically remodeled and became the Ben Franklin Store, bearing no resemblance to its predecessor.
-Mary Isabelle Long Fleetwood
(Although I find this lilting and haunting and beautiful, I also find it very strange that my grandma Mary didn't specify that Molly was her own daughter - this is the first mention of her. She also omitted Sarah's younger sister Nancy, who was not much younger than Sarah and with whom I have actually met, in her home in southern California, back when I lived in LA for a short time in the year 2000. I saw photos of Sarah and her children on Nancy's fridge, but Sarah and I have never met or spoken. Nancy's two girls are close-ish to my age, a little younger, and I just referred to them as cousins when we met, though they are technically my mom's cousin's children, so that's a couple of steps removed. I guess it makes sense that they don't stay in contact and stopped responding when I reached out. They don't understand why they should care. I remember Nancy fretting about moving her mom Margaret into an elder home after my mom's uncle Carl (my grandma Mary's brother/Nancy's father), died. (Mary's brother Carl, Granville's other child, is also not mentioned here. I know grandma was fond of her brother Carl so there must be some other reason for this.) It was difficult and Margaret was protesting the move even though the home was purely comprised of her best friends and college sorority sisters and had the best care and most robust social opportunities and activity calendar imaginable for such a place. I hope Margaret was able to settle in and flourish, there.)
