Flora Isabell Davis Ullom Barth

Written March 5, 1990 by Flora Isabell Davis Ullom Barth

I was born March 2, 1918 at Port Clinton, Ohio, the first "war Baby" of Ottowa County, named after both grandmothers, Flora Isabell Davis. My father came home from Alabama for his mother's funeral at Urbana, Ohio, then to see my mother. I was born before he left for France.

My father left high school early to go ranching with his father. He loved Texas and ranching. When the Mexican War started, grandfather told dad to go home which he did and joined The Ohio National Guard at Oak Harbor, Ohio. He met my mother and got married September 2, 1916. He became Regular Army to leave Ohio. His training was Mexican Border to Alabama, then France. He came back a Sergeant, got discharged, taking a job with The State of Ohio, and we lived at Camp perry for seven years.

Our first car was a Dodge Touring Car with "ising glass" snap on curtains that kept out the cold and rain. We had blankets or lap robes for warmth in the winters.

Dad bought a three bedroom house seven miles from Port Clinton, but just outside Camp Perry, and walking distance to the lake and "Willow Beach". This was where my wonderful childhood and growing up took place. Aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents on my mothers side lived within walking distance. Growing up in a seven girl family, the boy cousins were the brothers I didn't have. Dad taught us early to swim and skate. Skating started November, lasted till first of March, and swimming last week in May to cold weather. My father built us a large raft when we were older, to dive from. It was anchored in the lake and our protective dog "Rex" always went with us. He enjoyed the swims and dives as much as we did. Our teeter totter was a large post in the ground with a 12' plank bolted to the post. We could go round and round and up and down. Eleanor and I each took the twins to teeter with us. Our kites were the biggest and best in the neighborhood. Dad had to get them up for us, as they were bigger than we were. My mother during these fun times was busy canning, cooking, sewing and caring for the little ones.

I brought Scarlet Fever home from school in second grade. Quarantine lasted till all recovered, with me missing too much school, that I repeated the second grade. It was at this time little Genieve died. Eleanor and I knew without being told because dad picked us up at school. In the third grade we all had the fever again nearly losing Gerry with Mastoid Infection. We had a high water forcing us to leave home and stay at Uncle Albert's a night and day. They went to Oak Harbor till we went home again. The water was so high dad drove down the middle of the road, using the mailboxes as markers. Eleanor and I thought it was great fun to be out of the house, after being in so long. All the flooding was from Lake Erie.

Dad took us to all Camp Perry programs - movies, boxing, horse shows and sham battles, while Mom did her schedule of little ones, meals and laundry. Mom used to boil the clothes, then scrub on a wash board. Her next equipment was a washer with a wooden agitator that washed the clothes, with Eleanor and me taking turns pulling and pushing the agitator. It was sort of fun and a big help. A gas motor Maytag Washer was next, but so temperamental that it was replaced with an electric motor, which was wonderful. I remember the "sad Irons" used for ironing, one heated on the coal range while other in use. In the fifth grade I told my mother I could iron and she gave me aprons and hankies. It was dresses and shirts I wanted to iron and did. From then on I ironed, and there was a lot to do for a family of eight.

In 1926 dad brought a new Model A Ford, a beautiful blue 4 door sedan. Seems to me it cost $750. A few years later we had electric, but had to pay $150 for a pole back to the house and hook-up. It was wonderful not using kerosene lamps anymore. A Majestic Radio was next. Every Sunday the folks listened to Father Coughlin's speeches. Our favorites were Little Orphan Annie, Amos and Andy and Fibber Magee and Molly.

In the sixth and seventh grades I learned to cook by helping my mother. She had a laundry business and hired five girls to iron. In the eighth grade I was ironing professionally, and Eleanor was cooking. We did restaurant work every summer till mom's business started, working at Kerr's Inn, former neighbors of ours at Camp Perry. In 1938 Social Security started, I paid 1 cent and my employer 2 cents on my earnings.

I was told about growing up when I was twelve. It didn't happen right away, so I completely forgot about it. I was doing hot peppers, jumping rope with cousins and it was painful when it happened. It was a miserable time of the month for me until after my twins were born.

I had twelve years of school, graduating from Oak Harbor, in the upper third of my class of 1937. This was during the depression, jobs were scarce. We, Mom, Eleanor and I split the cost of a telephone installation, paying the $24 for the year in advance, so we could apply for jobs and be called. I worked for Port Clinton Cleaner's, later Standard Products (car parts). Worked middle shift as inspector of window channeling, the easiest job I ever had. The pay $76 per month, very good wages at that time. Eleanor worked first shift on a lathe, really hard work. I didn't like adjusting to eating and sleeping, but did like working.

Enjoyed voting at 21 and bought a Plymouth Sedan that summer. I was very happy and independent, had a nice savings account, thinking of secretarial school. I met and married Harrison Ullom the following year 1940. He was a farmer and dairyman from Westerville, Ohio. I sold my car and used my savings to start housekeeping. I bought a new davenport and chair, silverware service for twelve, White sewing machine, rinse tubs and copper boiler. My Maytag washer, electric, was second hand. Mom gave me my ironing board and iron from the laundry. My family and Harrison's family gave us showers, so we started out very well. I expected to have husband, home and family, and in that order, I got one out of three, the family. We lived on three large farms, Troop, Tracy, and Stever grain and dairy farms, then moved to West Virginia on a dairy farm of 100 Holstein and Guernsey's. Harrison was Herdsman on this farm in the Green Briar Valley. I was getting over Polio when we moved to this job, just getting out of the hospital in Columbus. We stayed only a short time, going back to Ohio in the Tiffin area, which was very close to Port Clinton. My father died while we were on the Stever Farm, April of a stroke, only 62 years old. Bill was named for both his grandfathers. The Stanley Farm was the last farm, and Tom was born at Salem, Ohio. The other children born at Columbus. Harrison did cabinet work again, which he was very good at, in Westerville, but he couldn't put down roots. I refused moving again and started working. The twins started High School and all of them graduated from Westerville. Shirley married in June and Phyllis in September after graduation. I had bought wheels, a little English car that Tom and I called, "Sure beats walking", before the divorce and his father called a "Bucket of Bolts". I was getting more independent all the time, and loved my wheels that was a stick shift, always locking up till I was used to it. Tom always hopped out with a rag to unstick them, and away we went. Bill went into the Navy and was in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean on a destroyer, as Boiler Tender. He married before he went to sea. His station was Norfolk, Virginia. Martha and family were in Marysville, and Bobby and family in Kentucky. I was alone, single for over seven years, joined a Church Singles Group at Worthington. Met the man I wanted marry, name of Vincent Barth. I can't imagine these, almost eighteen years we’ve had, flying by so fast filled with fun, travel and such a good life. Everyone should be so lucky. AND WE HAVE THE REST OF OUR LIVES.

[Post script by David Victor Barth, son of Vincent David Barth, Flora's second husband:
Vincent, born on June 10 1910, was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 1960. In July 1971, on a trip with his first wife, Norma Bell, to Germany, where they picked up a Mercedes Benz they had purchased before leaving the U.S., Norma died in an auto accident in Apeldoorn, Holland. Shortly after the accident, Vincent retired from his job as a research metallurgial engineer from Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio and married Flora. Vincent and Flora enjoyed traveling for several years. Flora provided outstanding care for Vincent as the symtoms of Parkinson's worsened. Severe constipation was an ongoing problem due to the disease, and he died of bowel-related complications in June 1990, shortly after his 80th birthday.]