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Aunt Zip's Farm Research Paper

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Aunt Zip's Farm

Vivian Melva was born in 1910, the fifth child in a family that would grow to include nine children at a time when large families were still the norm. We called her Aunt Zip for as long as I remember. It started long before I was born, and I have no idea when the nickname was given, or by whom. Aunt Zip was many things, and her bundle of energy was no surprise. The first-born in her childhood family, a son, died in infancy from Whooping Cough. Infant death was rather common, although never easy. The fact that he was the only infant death among these nine children in those days was as uncommon as the large brood was common. The only other child that didn't enjoy a long life was Thelma Mae, the third born and first daughter. She succumbed to TB in 1923 at the age of seventeen, in a sanatorium in Spokane. There would soon be a viable treatment. Only three months following Thelma's death, my mother was born, the last child, born in Spokane due to Thelma's …show more content…

She was beautiful to me, in every way. From her long jaw to her tanned, creased face, to her busy, worn fingers, fingers that were never idle, Aunt Zip was beautiful in the world. I know it was difficult for her to suppress her energy to sit and visit, and I'm sure she enjoyed the visit. Always patient and kind, I think her mind must have been at least partly on all the chores that were waiting for her. When she left us, it was a great loss, as was losing all the aunts. I do wonder if she would say her life was a happy one, and I know she did have happiness, but I wonder if she had enough. All the sisters suffered the tragedy of life, all came from the hardscrabble life of the early 1900's, suffered through the depression, the wars, the losses, and came out the other side. Strong stock, these woman, and wonderful role

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