INTRO
Since 1961 is the year of my 20th wedding anniversary, I have decided to recall incidents occurring in twenty years of married life. Certainly not all roses but mostly so. My children will not enjoy this now, but as the grow older, I am hoping they will read with interest the things that have happened and maybe add their memories of the years that I have forgotten.
Meeting Mitchel
Working a a graduate nurse in St Louis City Hospital, we all looked hopefully at the list of new interns coming the first of July. I had been head nurse in the delivery room about two years in 1940 when a complete list of new Dr s was placed on each floor. There was one from Kentucky. Since I was a Kentuckian, I was, shall we say, curious. However, the young man did not have his OB service until the first of September so I did not meet Mitchel Denham until September 1940. He was from Vanceburg Kentucky in Eastern Kentucky. I was from Maceo in Western Kentucky. We were off to a fair start by the end of his service on my floor. The months ahead, we dated off and on. Many fights and quarrels occurring.
Marriage
July 1941 his internship finished, he returned to Kentucky. Practiced in Maysville with Dr. A.O. Taylor a month because Dr. Carmichal was ill. Then When Dr C. returned, he took a job in the coal fields in Eastern Kentucky as camp Doctor- In August, I had a three weeks vacation-my sister Pearl and I went to Harlan for a visit and there Mitchel and I were married. We were rushed for time. Mitchel's boss Dr. Abel was leaving for New Orleans, so we were offered his house and colored maid for two weeks for a honeymoon. We had our blood tests and bought the license. Mitchel was about three hours late for the wedding. He delivered a baby breech, his first. On my charm bracelet, given to me by my children at Christmas time 1959, the large disk has our wedding date August 28, 1941. We had a wonderful honeymoon, even though Mitchel was working. My family knew about the wedding and Mitchel's father. He was afraid to tell his sister because he was still in debt and she had worked so faithfully to put him through school. He had a hard time making it. We had grown up during the worse depression of all times.
Meeting the denhams
One day, the maid, Mammy we called her, looked out the window and called to me to join her. “Dr Mitchel is bringing a young man home,” she said. “He resembles the Dr. So Harry, Mitchel’s youngest brother,had come to see him. He arrived at the office in Coalgood around four in the afternoon. Mitchel had introduced him to all the other fellows and of course he was nervous, not knowing to break the news of his marriage. The others sensed this, immediately they started to tease. Doctors can think of the vilest remarks without being aware of the sound. All ask Mitchel how he was going to explain the strange woman at his house. So Harry found out we were married. Then he had to write his sister before someone else told her. My vacation and Honeymoon over, I returned to St Louis to work. Mitchel was in debt for his schooling and a car which was necessary, being a doctor. We had decided that I should work until the first of the year. When I reached St. Louis, there was a letter waiting- urging me to resign. St. Louis City Hospital, being the school where I received my training, held a very special place in my heart. After consideration, I resigned giving more than a months notice, effective November. Suffice it to say Mitchel came first. Then I met the rest of the Denhams-one man in Vanceburg saw us drive in. For a block and a half, girls down the street heard him yell,”Take a good look, here comes Mitchel's wife.” Then we returned to the mountains. That’s the first time I ever fainted. A mine accident. One nurse on duty at the hospital. I was weary from traveling, meeting in-laws and a strange place. Sure, I could help. I was holding the leg of a patient , a compound fracture, while Mitchel and the nurse were taping the broken ribs. The last I remember was Mitchel saying,”Dammit, hold the leg.” I was out about ten minutes. A big help was I.
WAR, DEATH, AND FLING
Dec. 7, 1941-Pearl Harbor- plunged us in a dreadful war. Between November and December 7, we had taken a post in Lynch, Kentucky. We knew eventually Mitchel would be in the war. We had exactly 275.00 between us when we went to Lynch. We bought a bed, chest, couch, chair, and window blinds, paid cash. Then a stove on time. We had 28 dollars left until pay day.
Mitchel lost his oldest sister in Jan. 1942
1942 in May, we had one big fling. We attended the Kentucky Derby. Just before the Derby, Mitchel's car caught fire, so to save the car, he snuffed out the fire and jerked the wires lose with his over coat. I think he went another without one.
FIRST BORN
We were fortunate, September 9, 1942, we had a little girl, Mary Ann. Mitchel's mother was Mary, my best friend all through training, Annabel and Mitchel's Aunt Anna was the reason for the Ann. Lynch, Kentucky. Reason for the first heart on my bracelet.
MOVE TO MAYSVILLE
The country at war, a new baby, Dr. Taylor writing that Dr. Carmichael had passed away. Mitchel was asked to come to Maysville with Dr. Taylor. As long as he was in the coal fields, he was not eligible for the draft, he had always wanted to work with Dr. Taylor so we decided to move to Maysville. We gave notice and Dr. McCubbin decided to have a party. I had no babysitter, so they came to our house. He made zombies and served them from Ball Mason Jars. We had no rugs, very few of the luxuries, but loads of friends and a wonderful time. We had our furniture ready to be moved. When word came that Dr. Taylor had dropped dead-what a blow-we came on to Maysville and Elizabeth Taylor Morris sold Mitchel the office equipment. Mary Ann was 6 months old when we came to Maysville in 1943. Mitchel started right to work seeing some of Dr. Taylor's patients. His dream of working with a wonderful man like Taylor didn’t come true, but Elizabeth's kindness and the warmth of the people in Maysville made our move worth while.
IN THE ARMY NOW AND A BABY
December 43, Mitchel started his service in the Army at training center for Doctors. I was pregnant and moved to Louisville with Margaret. So the second heart on the bracelet is Martha Seay named for my mother. March 21, 1944. Martha was late making her entrance and Mitch was being transferred to Oregon and hoped to pass through Maysville en route. Margaret knew every one on the street. One of her friends, the mother of a Priest, had told her to get me real mad and I would go into labor. That's what happened. Mitchel didn't arrive. I checked the train schedules, bus schedules, everything. So, I threw a Smith tantrum. Mitchel had stopped off in Vanceburg, picked up his Father, arrived in Louisville around 2 am. I went to the hospital at 2:30. So Mitchel was present for a few hours, long enough to see his second daughter.
OKINAWA AND 2 GIRLS
After serving for a time in the European theatre of war, he was sent to Okinawa through Panama Canal and was 59 days en route. Margaret s husband, Chester, was in the Navy so we were both living in Vanceburg with Mr. Denham. Mitchel went through the typhoon on Okinawa. Soon after he had trouble with the ulna nerve in his left arm. The army sent him back to the states and he arrived in Louisville January 1, 1946-was in a hospital there for a short time until his discharge. It seems in early childhood he had broken both elbows. The left elbow joint had fragments of bone rubbing the ulna nerve and the army thought it should be operated. Mitchel decided against that. It still bothers him some but the typhoon on Okinawa and sleeping on the ground caused the discomfort. We cashed in what bonds we had and bought the house on Jersey Ridge , opened the office and started to try and make a living. Harriet Ruth was born in October in 1946. It was tough going for a while- Mitchel away on calls at night and 3 little girls. The neighbors named her Sunny because she was a wonderful baby and because we had no boys, which she later resented because she had the idea we were disappointed that she was a female. We still had the car that caught fire and could not buy one immediately, so I was on the hill for good. That Xmas was wonderful we were all together again. After the hitch in the army and the flood, everything combined made us realize how fortunate we were. Mitchel worked hard and built up a good practice. Michele came along in October, 1948. 4 little girls-Mitchel really was under a petticoat government. I sewed so much of the time and much of it at night. Nearly ruined my eyes. I made four sets of doll clothes for the girls for Christmas.
a boy and a harry :)
I had a woman ironing then Florence Marshall. Then we managed to get Dolores Silvey to live with us. She was only 16 but stayed 4 years. She proved to be wonderful help and married, has a nice family, brings her children to see us not and then. Mitchel has helped his nieces and nephews, along with some of my family, help to send one girl through high school, one through business school, and scores of other good deeds. However we have never been out of debt, probably never be. In 1950, Mitchel, Jr. was born. Mitchel was in Vanceburg and Mrs. Perrine had to drive me to the hospital. Dr Harry had been in practice with Mitchel about a year then. The nurses laughed and told everyone that Mitchel didn't look at the baby's face just couldn’t believe it was a boy. That year he bought me a car. Course that was a mistake. I could go places. Then his father passed away that year in September. He was bed fast for a year and we were never sure he (knew) we had a boy.
We had added two rooms to the house because we were bursting out the seams. Mike was born April 4 and four years later on the same day Harry Harvey came. He was named for Uncle Harry and his Grandfather Denham. Has the same initials as Mr. Denham but not the same name. I have never liked to go anywhere on the 4th of July since short vacations on Kinney were all we could afford. I got a peace offering that year. My first Diamond. (Mother actually capitalized Diamond).
forest avenue
We were really crowded with six children and I was spending so much time on the road driving the children different places. I always wanted the Hunt house or the one on Forest Avenue so when it came up for sale we plunged in debt again. We moved the first day of March 1955. It was different keeping a big house and much more expensive but the children could walk to school and I could spend more time at home. The day after (end of original manuscript).