as part of TEETER KIN, 2003, genealogy by Laurie S Dunham.

"Ode to an Olde Lady", by Mother 1997

The forsythia blooms and sweet little pansies show their faces.

Trees are blossoming while leaves come about.

Sweet spring has opened its portals to God and mankind.

All about, grass is greener every day; soon we'll go out to mow.

We'll water our gardens and flowers and watch them them grow.

Oh, Spring eternal, is ever in my heart.

Do not leave me yet; I'm only eighty.

I want to live and see some more.

Children playing with their kites, like birds in the sky.

Babies sunning with their mommies while daddies dig up the earth.

To make our gardens grow.

* * *

"Reflections of Life and Tompkins Co NY", by Mother:

Turkey Hill Road, in Varna 1941 ~ always loved that so-named place; folks who lived there were independent and proud.

Slaterville Springs, nestled among 99 acres of wood, and the Harrison house, on Buffalo Road. Remote, but so lovely.

Spencer Street, Ithaca NY; old Humboldt Street (Floral Ave) and Uncle Andrew White's house, near Anna Teeter's home at 1036 West Seneca Street. West Hill School was open and bustling; kids played marbles and hop scotch, baseball, jacks, and jump roped to "Mable...Set the Table". The West Side House had dances and old movies...Tarzan and yes, Hop Along Cassidy...so long ago and yet, yesterday.

Trumansburg Road, across from Bishop's, now torn down. Taking the greyhound bus to town, on time. as it only ran once or twice then up that away.

Jacksonville NY and the quaint post office. Such pretty floral like countryside.

Connecticut Hill wrapping itself around hills, Seabring Cemetery, and my children's Uncle Richard Teeter's house in Newfield NY on Black Oak Road.

And sweet Enfield NY and the original park entrance where a little white house once stood witness to birth of my fifth born child, in 1943. The babbly brooks, and the laughter of my children. All these, my life.

Floral Ave and its call to Butternut Falls and the west end and visits downtown via State Street to Corn Street where many shops flourished. The children loved seeing the "Wizard of OZ" and "Lassie Come Home" and watched them over and over on a Saturday at the State Theatre. The kids also sold poppies on Veterans Day, and watched their uncles march in the parade.

And, yes, Bethel Grove and church. Visiting the Craig and Drake families.

Willow Creek Road and the Schroeder farm; the kids loved it there. The polio scare ~ one of my daughters got and fought it, successfully, thank goodness to the almighty.

The Coddington Road near Candor and Van de Marks house; my last born born there in 1946.

And, the (kids said) "haunted" house on Steven Town Hill Road, in Danby, said house long gone. The kids picking plums and climbing trees, raising goats, and making maple sugar candy. So long ago.

And, then there was Applegate's Corners, near Rolfe Cemetery and the old Applegate Tavern, in Enfield. It had an old dance hall upstairs and the floors creaked. Forever gone. Kids waited for school bus (station wagon) on the corner to go to school. Mrs. Ramsey taught many grades in a one room schoolhouse. There was no electricity nor heat other than coal or wood stoves. The kids played in an old broken-down truck and swam in the brook and fell in love with Bootsey's 7 kittens. The kids also sold Cloverine salve and all-occasion cards to make money for Christmas which would not have been with turkey had they not endeavored. They also picked potatoes and strawberries and listened to the radio and the Lone Ranger and The Shadow. They made mud pies and covered woodchuck holes with stones.

We also visited Annie Frantz on Floral Ave beyond Clinton Street; all that is gone too with the Inlet change of the 1970s. Annie gave perms and was grandmotherly, with lots of spunk. Fred and Beverly Cornell and the Suttons lived nearby, along with the Navjores, the Brazzos, the Foleys, and many others, who were friends and neighbors. William Teeter made and sold horseradish, nothing like it...a family held recipe, over many generations. The war (WWII) kept everyone in the dark at night and on rations ~ the parade was spectacular in Ithaca when it ended.

And, then back to Trumansburgh NY ~ and the farmers, Murphy and wife. The only candy kids got at Christmas was fudge and a peppermint stick that they held onto for as long as they could. Everyone kept their stockings from year to year. The church had gift exchanges and helped folks in need ~ one of my daughters, yet has a scarab bracelet. The winters were cold that year but we prevailed, always moving onwardly.

And to Perry City NY (Podunk Road) and the little house that we rented that was once a school house, I remember the goat that we milked and how the kids hated the taste of it on their oatmeal, but how they loved those tiny eggs of the little banty hens that we all had to hunt down and put in the shack every evening who hid under the burdock bushes. Across the road, lived the Reynolds family and they had a wildlife preserve. They had one child who played with my several children; they also had big parties and made pickles and homemade wine. The children played Red Rover...Come Over and the neighbor girl found friends.

Again, visits to Floral Avenue (old Humboldt Ave) and the Fish and Drake families, and the Murinchaks too. And, the house at Aurora Street cliffside to the creek, that housed a dentist, Galvin, and 2 other apartments with shared bath. The house leaned into the river and a bakery threw its old bread into it. The Normandy Restaurant was nearby and Rothschilds and Woolworths and Montgomery Wards. All these gone. But I remember.

And, then there was Court Street (furnace store there later) and Meadow Street, next to a bakery, Zazzaros, I believe. And, then we moved to Syracuse NY Onondaga County onto Eaton NY Madison County and the Triple Cities of beautiful TN and later pretty oceanside VA. Life was full and busy; with ups and downs, and challenges, tears and laughter, and always love. This I remember ~ so very much indeed, in between. Born in Oregon, raised and married in California (and even Indianna with ancestors from Ohio and Indianna), and having lived, worked, and raised family in NY and moving on to Tennessee and VA, my life had round circle, coast to coast. So much to see and do and live for. These are but a snippets of my life's experiences and feelings. But, this I remember ~ the lovely scenery of where I've been, and particularly, San Diego CA and Tompkins County NYS.

Webhost Note: Mother loved San Diego Co CA and Tompkins Co NY ~ the grand scenery and watching her children grow. Her nostalgia for the beauty of nature never left her, nor did her love of life and appreciation of what counts in life, her children, and the love between us.

NYS CENSUS: heads of households for surname of TEETER (years 1900 and 1920). *** If you have data for these households, I will add it there. Thank you, Laurie S Dunham.

Email: Lakeshore32(at)Odyssey(dot)Net

Study the census data link. Then come back here ("Miscellaneous" ~ Mother's page) and go back to the homepage of TEETER KIN and explore other files listed in the contents section.

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