Grandmother Bennett was an immigrant. Sent to this country to care for a sick aunt. Whether she had the desire to leave her own land or not is not known to me. I do know she came here unable to speak the language and in possession of 16 dollars. That was in 1899 when she was 16 years old. Grown up back in those days. By 1909 she was married to Grandfather Horace. Ten children later, in 1974 she left this earth, perhaps to return to Sweden.
I spent many happy hours with her in her little home on the Springs Highway. That house was originally a " way " station on the road to Montauk. It was a place to stop and rest the horses and get a bite to eat. A prominent citizen of the town , Mr. Tommy Gardiner , secured that home for her and had it moved to that small piece of property. The property is located in the fork of the highway. The front door opened to the Springs-Fireplace Road and the opposite end of the house faced the Three Mile Harbor Road. Before that Grandmother Bennett lived down to Northwest but that was long before my time.
I do recall Grandmother Bennett having a little Swedish flag. It sat in a cup on the shelf in her dining room. She would sometimes speak of Sweden but rarely. I detected no accent in her voice. Of course I was just a kid and she was grandma, Nana I called her and still do.
Looking back over the years, and knowing the things that I do now, I know her life was not an easy one. I'm quite certain America didn't turn out the way she had hoped for or been told that it would be. Surely she must have longed for her homeland and the friends and family there. Oh she had family here in America but rarely did she see them. She went to visit a brother, at least once that I know of, and one came to visit her. I am told that Grandmother was a bit ashamed of her little home and the things she had there. Apparently her brothers were very successful people and lived a finer lifestyle. Who knows ? I do know that she raised ten children in a three bedroom home heated by a coal stove and kerosene parlor stove. I do know that she " took in laundry " as a means of support. I also know Grandfather Bennett was, shall we say, lacking in the responsibility department. He passed before my birth and so I can not speak much about him. I can only repeat what I have been told.
One hundred fifteen years has passed since Grandmother Bennett walked through Ellis Island. All but one of her children have passed on. The little house is gone now, burned sometime in the 1970's by vandals and later sold. The number of her ancestors even I do not know for sure. I have been working on the family tree for years but gaps exist. The number of lives she touched on this soil is immeasurable. She is laid to rest in the local cemetery, Cedar Lawn, is its' name. I often think about her and her life. Did she have regrets ? I'll get the chance to ask her someday, if I prove worthy. There is no doubt in my mind that she is home.
I spent many happy hours with her in her little home on the Springs Highway. That house was originally a " way " station on the road to Montauk. It was a place to stop and rest the horses and get a bite to eat. A prominent citizen of the town , Mr. Tommy Gardiner , secured that home for her and had it moved to that small piece of property. The property is located in the fork of the highway. The front door opened to the Springs-Fireplace Road and the opposite end of the house faced the Three Mile Harbor Road. Before that Grandmother Bennett lived down to Northwest but that was long before my time.
I do recall Grandmother Bennett having a little Swedish flag. It sat in a cup on the shelf in her dining room. She would sometimes speak of Sweden but rarely. I detected no accent in her voice. Of course I was just a kid and she was grandma, Nana I called her and still do.
Looking back over the years, and knowing the things that I do now, I know her life was not an easy one. I'm quite certain America didn't turn out the way she had hoped for or been told that it would be. Surely she must have longed for her homeland and the friends and family there. Oh she had family here in America but rarely did she see them. She went to visit a brother, at least once that I know of, and one came to visit her. I am told that Grandmother was a bit ashamed of her little home and the things she had there. Apparently her brothers were very successful people and lived a finer lifestyle. Who knows ? I do know that she raised ten children in a three bedroom home heated by a coal stove and kerosene parlor stove. I do know that she " took in laundry " as a means of support. I also know Grandfather Bennett was, shall we say, lacking in the responsibility department. He passed before my birth and so I can not speak much about him. I can only repeat what I have been told.
One hundred fifteen years has passed since Grandmother Bennett walked through Ellis Island. All but one of her children have passed on. The little house is gone now, burned sometime in the 1970's by vandals and later sold. The number of her ancestors even I do not know for sure. I have been working on the family tree for years but gaps exist. The number of lives she touched on this soil is immeasurable. She is laid to rest in the local cemetery, Cedar Lawn, is its' name. I often think about her and her life. Did she have regrets ? I'll get the chance to ask her someday, if I prove worthy. There is no doubt in my mind that she is home.
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