Saturday, March 12, 2011

Fearless Females: March 12 ~ Working Girl

During the month of March the Accidental Genealogist is providing 31 days of blogging prompts to celebrate Women's History Month.  I has missed the first 11 days...but I'll attempt to try at least a few of these during the rest of this month.

March 12 — Working girl: Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.
I'll start with my grandmothers.
 
My Grandma Derks attended school through the 8th grade.  After her schooling she went to work on the family farm, or the muck as we like to call it.  The farm's main crops were onions and potatoes.  She continued to work on the farm during my mom's childhood.  She recalls being dropped off after school at Aunt Lizzie's house and then walking down to the muck while grandma worked.  They also spent many summers on the farm.  Other things that my grandmother did included working at the senior care house that was next door.  It was run by Mary Kellar, she took in elderly individuals.  My grandmother helped her to take of the people that stayed there.  She also Marion Canning Factory and later worked and retired from Garlock's in Palmyra.  She worked on one of the lines in the factory.
 
My Grandma Haskins didn't finish high school either.  She worked at Kodak in Rochester with her sister.  She did this until she got married and continued working there until my grandfather went into the military during World War II.  At that time she moved to Marion and lived with my great grandparents.  She then worked in the canning factory.  My dad tells me that during the early 1960's she worked  at a local Marion restaurant.  I don't ever remember her working, she was always at home.
 
My mom graduated from high school in the late 60's.  After an initial  attending college at SUNY Oneonta she went to the Genesee Hospital School of Nursing in Rochester.  She became an RN and worked at the Genesee Hospital as a nurse on the OB floor.  After she had kids she stayed home to take care of us.  She baby sat for a long time which allowed her to stay home.  When we were older she went back to work as a nurse at the Fairport Babptist Nursing Home.

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