1946-1960
Timeline: (1946-1976 were based on notes I took in 1976
Based on looking at dad’s photo albums)
1946 – Cy III born on March 20th, Mom, Dad, and Cy move from guest house at Acadia Farms to Arrow Cottage, a 200 year old house where Nana had moved about 1928 after she and Grandpa got divorced. Mom’s dad Frank Stephens died of lung cancer on the day that Newt Barrett was born. Uncle Harvey, Aunt Catherine (Sissy), and Newt moved to guest house at Arrow Cottage. Mom made her first trip to Nova Scotia.
1947 – There was a huge snow storm that kept family snowed in for three days. Mom’s dog cricket died. Ziegfried, a German shepherd puppy became part of the family. I believe Aunt Lee died. She was Dad’s oldest sister, much loved by all, very gracious. She had been injured in horse back riding accident when in her late teens, had a back operation that went wrong, lived in California, and was in a wheelchair. The elementary school I first attended was named after her.
1948 – John was born on August 16th. The Indians won the World Series. Dad flew a Bonanza and was involved in an import/export business with England and sold motorcycles, china, and cars.
1949 – The Barretts left Arrow Cottage. Cy III went to Nova Scotia for the first time. Aunt Dib (Elizabeth Tobin) married Uncle Austin Tobin on August 29th.
1950 – Cathy (me) was born on July 23rd. Dad began the tradition of making Christmas cards that had artist take photograph and make picture from it. John went to Nova Scotia for the first time.
1951 – Buffy, a light colored German shepherd joined the family. Dad built a marvelous play house out of the barrels the china came in. Dad and Mom flew to California with Bud and Phoebe Davis in a one engine Bonanza. Aunt Sue was diagnosed with TB, postponed her marriage to Uncle Tim (Jack) Morley and spent 9 months (more?) in a sanitarium near Northfield. Dad made first trip to Ungava, Quebec, a business he was involved in for about 7 years. He spent one month in South America. The boys had measles and chicken pox that year.
1952 – Cathy made her first trip to Deep Cove, Nova Scotia. Cy, John, and Cathy with Bob and David Lefevre traveled by train to Boston, boat to Yarmouth, car to Deep Cove. Dad flew the family to Florida. Cy’s ears hurt terribly in plane. Aunt Sue married Uncle Tim and had reception at Arrow Cottage.
1953 – Elizabeth was born on December 20th during a snow storm, so Mom and Dad stayed with Grannie Stephens on Kemper Road to be close to hospital.. Cy and John rode the pony, Mac.
1954 – The kids rode Sparky and Buster. Grandpa became chairman of the C & O (Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad). Dad was elected to the C & O board.
1955 –Boys rode in first horse show. Stockings was a brown and white pony. President Truman and his wife visited Grandpa. His wife told him that his fly was down. Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell wrote the Russell-Einstein Manifesto with 9 other scientists and Grampa offered to host the conference in Pugwash, Nova Scotia where he had been hosting conferences for presidents and deans of US and Canadian universities.
1956 – Nana (Margaret Pearl House Eaton), Dad’s Mom died of liver cancer. Grandpa was on CBS Person to Person with John and Cy. Edward R. Morrow interviewed Grandpa. The family room, breakfast room, mudroom, Mom and Dad’s bedroom, bathroom and hall were constructed. The steps and storm door from outside to basement were eliminated as was the pantry and door to dining room. Mom and Dad traveled to Italy with the Brandees and Kemnas, their good friends from Germany. Dad made his first trip to Russia. We skied at Loc Beau Port in Quebec. Dwight Griffin was manager of Acadia Farm Shorthorn Cattle Farm. Willie Charron and Betty Royan worked for Grandpa. Betty Royan was probably Grandpa’s mistress. She had been a classmate of Aunt Betty.
1957 – Elizabeth was in lead-line class on Sparky. Grandpa and Grananne (Anne Kinder Jones Eaton) married on December 20th at Arrow Cottage (Elizabeth’s birthday). Kuntza from Germany worked for us. She quit when Cy drank ginger ale from a bottle. In west Kentucky John piloted a boat. Cy and Dad went to on C & O trip to Newport. We went to Nova Scotia with the Barretts. Cy broke his leg at some point on a skiing trip with Dad. The Pugwash Conference on Science & World Affairs was held in July, 1957 with Joseph Rotblat and 21 other nuclear scientists.
1958 – The pool and pool house were completed. We had black lab named Prince and a white cat named Snowball. Pam and Maureen McLaslin (sp.) lived with their parents at our guesthouse. I made my first communion and we had party at Mishler’s. We originally attended St. Mary’s, a catholic church in Bedford, then moved to St. Barnabus Church in Northfield. John and I liked Father DeCrane better than Father Dalton. One time I scraped open my knuckle playing tag, and I wondered if God was punishing me. John and I used to make up sins because we thought our confessions were boring. Mrs. Shaud lived with us and often read out loud to us. Mom and Dad traveled to Spain with the Kemnas and Brandee’s. We skied at Monte Gabriel in Quebec where Grandpa celebrated his 75th birthday. Elizabeth at the microphone had trouble remembering her name and kept repeating how old she was.
1959 – Ray and Jan Francis came to be our riding coaches at Acadia Farms. Premiere Nikita Khrushchev gave Grandpa the Troika (three white stallions that pulled a sleigh or carriage – the outside two galloped while the center one trotted.) Dad raced one of the stallions at the Northfield Trotter’s track in a sulky. Cy III had a grand champion steer at the Summit County Fair.
1960 – The tennis court at Arrow Cottage was completed. The attic in the guesthouse was turned into a bedroom and storage closest. We competed for the first time at Madison Square Garden. I rode Mr. Fox in the ASHA final horsemanship competition. I was one of the youngest to compete in that event. I qualified because at an earlier show not enough riders completed the course, so I was quickly enrolled. Mr. Fox refused a fence. Hans, a weimaraner was given to us by the Mischlers. Cy won the grand champion female at the Ohio State Fair. Dad brought a big army balloon that we played with the Tobins in the yard, throwing it into the air and diving under it. Dad played Santa Claus for John Tobin. The Tobins lived in guesthouse because Aunt Dibbie and Uncle Austin were separated. Aunt Dibbie devised many art contests and projects for us. Farley and I stayed at the annex of the guesthouse. I think we fought a great deal. I remember putting a daddy long leg spider down the drain and not taking a bath for the rest of the summer. Baby robins fell out of their nest by the annex and their mom accepted them when we put them back. Aunt Dibbie used to sing to us at night. Mom went to work at Hawken. We drove to Washington D.C. (where Cy and I ran up the stairs to the Washington Monument) and to Florida. Dad gave a cigar to the sheriff who stopped us for speeding. No ticket!!! Newt came with us. We stayed near Daytona Beach at a place that might have been called Eleanor Village. Cy built a tree house in a tree next to driveway in cattle pasture.