On September 19, 1918, my grandparents Charles and Lucy Brown welcomed the arrival of their sixth child, Mazzie Marreta Que. Mazzie, or Peggy as she was commonly called, was born in Ralston, Lycoming County, PA just one week after her father registered for the draft for the First World War. Fortunately the war was near its end and Charles was not selected to serve. Shortly after Peggy’s birth, Charles relocated the family to Indiana County, PA, where Peggy would spend the majority of her life.
My memories of my Aunt Peggy are a bit vague until I was an adult, and then I only saw her occasionally. She possessed the same good natured characteristics of her siblings who always laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. Although I didn’t see her often, I am glad to have had a few opportunities to hear some of her stories about the family. In 1998 I had the pleasure to sit down and talk with Peggy and three of her sisters about their recollections growing up.
The family had lived in a few locations before they rented a house from the Indiana County home, on the outskirts of town, which sat along the railroad tracks. This is the house that most of my aunts and uncles remember, and they often referred to this house as the farm, as there was a barn, a couple of animals, and several gardens where they grew vegetables. Peggy remembered that when the well went dry, she had to fetch water from the barn along with her siblings. Two would carry water in a large metal tub, each holding a side handle, as well as jugs filled with water in the other hand.
Peggy shared some memories about her parents. About her father, Charles, she stated, “I remember him well by his whistle. We could be a mile away and he would whistle, and when you heard that whistle you [best hurry] home.” Peggy mentioned how her mother, Lucy, was kind to everyone, even the homeless men who rode the trains. Being near the railroad tracks, the hobos would come by and her mother would keep some of these men’s fresh vegetables in her ice box. Lucy would often tell them to sit on the porch while she fixed them a sandwich to take with them; she made sure everyone was fed.
Peggy related another story about her comical maternal Aunt Eva from Bloomsburg, PA. When the family lived on the farm Aunt Eva would come and visit them. During one of these visits, Eva went out and while out of the house she dressed in old worn clothes, put on an old hat and made her face and hands look dirty. She then came knocking on the door, and Lucy not recognizing her own sister, thought Eva was a homeless man. Peggy said her mother thought this ‘bum’ had maybe been drinking, but after a few minutes they finally recognized Eva when she gave herself away by laughing.
On November 13, 1935 Peggy married Arthur George “Art” Carnahan, son of Lisle and Zula Rowe Carnahan. They traveled to Lock Haven, Clinton County, PA to exchange their vows and they honeymooned by visiting Peggy’s maternal grandmother in Columbia County, PA. The couple returned to Indiana County, and lived for a time with Art’s parents before moving into their own home. They had two children in Indiana County, and in the early 1940s they moved to Detroit MI. Art managed a bowling alley in there. Their third child was born in Hazel Park, MI, a suburb outside of Detroit.
Art moved the family back to Indiana County when he entered the U.S. Navy Air Corps on April 26, 1944. Peggy had their fourth child shortly after he went into the service, and she and their children lived with Art’s parents until the war ended and he returned home after his discharge on October 20, 1945. They eventually settled in Homer City and added two more children to their family. Art and Peggy celebrated 52 years of marriage together. Peggy spent most of her life as a homemaker, raising their six children, although she did work for a short time at King Leather in Indiana PA, which specialized in leather bill folds and key cases. Peggy also did some housecleaning for a local woman, but her primary focus was her family.
Peggy lived to be 83 years old and died March 28, 2002, at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. She is buried in Oakland Cemetery, Indiana PA with her husband Art who died fourteen years earlier on April 4, 1988. In addition to their six children—Peggy, Jim, Lee, Roger, Scott and Terry—and thirteen grandchildren, they have a growing number of great and great great-grandchildren on the family tree.
As this year marks the 100th anniversary of Peggy’s birth, I think back to 1998 when Peggy’s family held a surprise 80th birthday party for her at Yellow Creek State Park. Most of the Carnahan clan, even those from out of state, made the trip to celebrate their matriarch. We enjoyed catching up with each other and decided to meet again the next September, which became an annual Family Reunion for the descendants of Charles and Lucy Brown. Her birthday celebration in 1998 helped to create this tradition that we have maintained now for 20 years. Besides keeping connected with my cousins, every year as we gather and share family stories, the memory of Peggy and her siblings is preserved.
Relatively Speaking Blog 