EARLY DAYS
BY ALBERTA JOSEPHINE PARKER KELLOGG CUNNINGHAM ROBERTS

My father, Charlie Parker, was born in Wisconsin; my Mother, Amy Blake, in New York. I don't remember where they were married. My oldest brother, Charles Blake, was born in Wisconsin; myself and younger brother, Ely Wright, in Michigan. I don t remember my father til years after and never heard my Mother talk much about him.

My Mother was a very strong-minded woman. She was a very intelligent and a beautifully educated woman. She was extremely versatile--having the ability to do anything that needed to be done at that moment. My Mother was familiar with the great writers of the world, had a keen appreciation of good music and could paint in oils and crayon. She taught school to support us.

I don t remember much til we went to Iowa to her people. There I stayed with my Grandmother and Charlie stayed with Mrs. Arnold, our Aunt at Arnold s Park on Lake Okabigoa. Wright stayed at Aunt Emm s at Spencer.

My Grandmother and I were going to Arnold s Park for Christmas and stopped at Aunt Emm s for a few days. While there a man came in with the mumps-so I took then with me to my Aunt s. She had three girls and my brother. Did we have a nice Christmas! I can remember yet how we felt when they brought the apples and cider up from the cellar and sat around the fire place---and we couldn t eat any!

Then Charlie got Inflammatory Rheumatism and the doctor told Mother she must take him to a warmer climate. She moved to Oswego, Kansas. She had to hold his legs on her lap on the train. Mother taught school and worked in a making dress shop. My brother got better and we children went to school.

While in Oswego my Mother met my father s brother one day on the street, much to the surprise of both of them as they had not heard of each other for years. This brother lived on a farm near town. His wife was dead and he had three children almost grown. He asked Mother to bring us children and stay with him awhile. While we were there who should walk in one day but my father! He did not know we were there. I don t remember how long he stayed. My cousins called him "Uncle Charlie"----and so did we!

That was the first time I ever remember seeing him and only once after that when he visited me for a short time then went on to Utah where he passed away. When he was with us in Oswego he said he had been living in Little Rock, Arkansas. He never did support us and my Mother s people never approved of the marriage and never talked about him.

While living in Oswego Mother sent me to the store for some tea. She gave me .25. It was paper money. I was fooling along and the wind blew it away. I will never forget how I felt but I couldn t find it. Money was hard to get and we had so little but Mother never scolded about it.

I don t remember how long we lived in Kansas but I was about fourteen, I think, when we left there with some families going to Colorado in covered wagons. Mother and I went with them, leaving the boys in Kansas. We got as far as Leonard, Kansas where Mother had a sister. When we stopped Mother went into the Post Office to leave a note saying that she had passed through. Who should be in the Post Office but my Aunt! She insisted that we stop with her awhile. She lived three miles from town so Mother decided to stay for awhile. We went home with her. Mother stayed a few days then left me there and went on to Trinidad, Colorado. I think I stayed about a month. I was sick all the time while there. I joined my Mother at Trinidad. From there we went to Raton.

They were putting the Atchis on Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad through there and Mother cooked for them and sent for the boys, Wright and Charlie. Wright fell getting on the train and his foot was run over. He was traveling on a pass so there was nothing Mother could do. They took him to the ATSF Hospital in Trinidad and Mother went there and cooked until Wright could leave the hospital.