February 02, 2009

Story Traditions: A Little Wee Small Red Hen

Grandma had an amazing memory. One of her favorite stories was "A Little Wee Small Red Hen." This story-poem came from a little storybook she often read to her daughter LaWana, who was born in 1920. Her children remember that when they were small, she would recite the "Red Hen" to them when she mixed and kneaded bread. Larry remembers climbing up on the counter to watch her roll out the loaves and to listen to the story.

She had the whole story-poem memorized and each character had a different voice. Even now, in my mind, I can hear her do the voices of the Red Hen, the Fox, and Mrs. Fox - even though she died in 1984. And I'm amazed that I still have some parts of it in my head, even though I never purposefully memorized it.

Grandma became famous for this story. She recited it at public gatherings, and made a life-size fox costume that she put on a stick and took with her to do her readings. This photo is of her in her later years with the fox. (My brother Greg is in the costume.)

I really loved the "Red Hen" and when I was little she wrote up the whole story for me, including illustrations that she cut out from that little storybook. You can see the originals below - on the last page, you can see her personal note to me.

This story as told by Grandma Perkins is part of our heritage. If you are one of her descendants, I'm sure you are familiar with it.

What stories and poems are your family's favorites? Please leave a comment and tell me what stories are part of your heritage!











Kring_fmflwrs

Comments Imported from Blogger:

1 comments:

Mike J said...

The picture of Grandma and Greg in the costume didn't show for me...it's one of my favorites. this blog is awesome. ~Jenny


Feb 2, 2009 10:30:00 PM | Lillian Viehweg Perkins

2 Comments

Wendi

That is so cool that you have the actual hand-written story with cut-out illustrations from her. What a treasure!! :)

Posted by: Wendi | October 29, 2009 at 04:25 PM

Laura Santoni

My grand mother, Lucy Kelley, also recited this poem to me as a child. I've searched for it for years. Thank you for giving me this wonderful gift. Laura (Canney)Santoni
PS My relatives come from Milo Maine.

Posted by: Laura Santoni | May 19, 2011 at 04:49 PM

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Grandma's Big Black Book Grandma was a story teller. She told stories in songs, she told stories in poetry. But most of all she told her family stories - about the people and places and things that make us all who we are. Many years ago, she decided she needed to put these family stories down on paper. Grandpa spent many hours driving her around their Idaho valley, interviewing family - and people who knew family who had passed on - so that she could learn their stories. She learned everything she could about anything that had to do with their family heritage. She had a wonderful memory and was an excellent historian and record keeper. On the long cold winter nights, she sat at a little card table with pen and paper - and a Q-tip dipped in hydrogen peroxide to erase any mistakes. She wrote out the stories by hand, and sometimes if the pages weren't perfect, she threw them away and started all over. Eventually she filled a big black Book of Remembrance that was a few inches thick. On the title page she wrote: “My family, My record books and histories are my ‘Footprints in the Sands of Time’. Lillian V. Perkins”. That book is now in the possession of her son, Larry, my dad. Grandma would be amazed by computers. She would be thrilled that - with the touch of a button - we can type a history, erase a mistake, and even share our stories with the world. This blog is meant to carry on where she left off . . . to continue telling our family stories.
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"By Dod, I Had to Bury an Indian!" George Madison Mendenhall was an Idaho rancher who raised cattle and horses and always wore a beard. He served as a minute man in the army and was a soldier in the Blackhawk Indian War. I picture a man of great courage. I look at this picture and I really think I see a twinkle in his eye - like he's going to start laughing any minute! In our family, this Grandpa is not known by the name Grandpa Mendenhall or Grandpa George. In fact, most of the kids don't even know his name. We just call him "The Grandpa that shot the Indian." That's because his story is famous (at least among us!) Uncle Leonard Perkins told the story in his own words (told probably in the 1950's) as Grandpa Mendenhall related it to him: Grandfather told me this incident that happened in their early-married life. (Sometime around 1868.) They lived in a one-room log cabin, which was located north east of the house which still stands today. As far back as I remember this log cabin was used for a chicken coop, with a wide shed built on the west side and in front of the barn. One evening Grandfather and Grandmother were sitting, side-by-side on the door step, enjoying the coolness of the evening, with a loaded gun lying across Grandfather's knees as protection in case of marauding Indians, when a bullet passed between them and lodged in a plank of the door. They could see where the shot was fired from by the smoke in the sagebrush as they looked out toward the point of the hill to the north. Grandfather quickly pulled up his gun and fired into the smoke and he and Grandmother passed quickly into the house. They were not molested any more that evening or through the night. The next morning, Grandfather walked over on the hill to the place where he thought the shot had been fired from. As he related the sotry, he said, "By dod, I had to bury an Indian!" In 1st grade, Miles, George's great-great-great grandson, had to make a journal entry in class every day. This is one of his entries - his version of "Grandpa Shot an Indian." I think it's the best retelling yet! What's your family's favorite ancestor story? Leave a comment and tell us about it! Just click on "comments" below and follow the instructions. Comments Imported from Blogger: 3 comments: tipper said... A wonderful story to be passed down through your family! Makes me smile too. Gayle Gresham said... What a great story! Gayle Gresham said... And Miles' version is a keeper! There's a writer in the making!

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