Bigger Families; Faces From the Past

This story was published in one of my elementary school readers, and I remember its strong impression on me as a child. In fact, it's the only story in any reader that I remember from all my school days! (I got this text of the story from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/6600/6600.txt. It's one story in a collection called "The Moccasin Maker," by E. Pauline Johnson. You can find a bio of Miss Johnson here: http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~pjohnson/life.html) The Nest Builder "Well! if some women aren't born just to laugh!" remarked the station agent's wife. "Have you seen that round-faced woman in the waiting-room?" "No," replied the agent. "I've been too busy; I've had to help unload freight. I heard some children in there, though; they were playing and laughing to beat the band." "NINE of them, John! NINE of them, and the oldest just twelve!" gasped his wife. "Why, I'd b...

These photos are all from the Canadian Archive, printed in "The Pioneer Years 1895-1914", by Barry Broadfoot, copyright 1976, Published by PaperJacks, Don Mills, Ontario.

with apologies to Patty for taking so long to post this - I got swamped by life and haven't added photos for over 3 months! Patty writes: My grandpa is the oldest brother at top right. His name was Guiseppe Pasquale. He was about 16 in the picture, His sister next left & 12. Flora is 10 & standing in front of Jean. And the baby is Salvatore (Sam) & he's 8. My great grandparents (the parents of these children) came over to New York's Ellis Island in, I think, 1907. They met on the boat; she was 14 & he was in his early 20's. We think he was a stowaway because he wasn't listed on the passenger list but is listed getting off at Ellis Island right above Great-Grandma's family. Hmmmm. Anyway my grandpa was born in 1912 so this picture is from the 1920's. And there was another child (boy) who was either stillborn or died in infancy, not sure which, born before Jean. My great-grandfather died when my grandpa was 12. So Great-Grandma had to go...