Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Genetics
Cora Allen Hunter & John Frederick Bishop
Born this day, 15 July 1890, Cora Allen Hunter, my paternal grandmother. Grandma was born in Benton, Missouri. She married my grandfather when she was just fifteen-years-old. Together they had ten children. My dad was number nine. Grandma and Grandpa were farmers in Kansas. After the Great Depression, they moved west, to California. Their home was about twelve miles from our home. We visited my grandparents often. I remember the family getting together every summer to pick apricots from their huge tree. We'd eat apricots, bottle apricots, and make apricot jam. To this day, I love apricots. I also remember Grandma's delicious sugar cookies. I've never had a sugar cookie like those Grandma made. I think the recipe was from Germany, the land of her ancestors. Grandma was a good seamstress. She could make clothes without a pattern, and she could cut the fabric in such a way that there were hardly any scrapes of material left over. I watched her in amazement. Grandma was not tall. She was 4' 10", and Grandpa was over 6' tall. It is interesting to me to see how the genes line up. (I'm sure it is also interesting to my awesome nephew, Nathan, who loves the science of genetics.) My dad was only 5' 8", but he had a sister who was 6' tall! And Grandma had the flattest fingernails I have ever seen, until one day, as a little girl, I looked at my hands and oh my heck - flat fingernails. Grandma passed the gene for flat nails right on down to me! One year for Grandma's birthday, Grandpa bought her a beautiful ruby ring. Her birthstone was the ruby. Today the ring belongs to my sister Debbie, also born in July. I am glad Deb has the ring. It would look silly on my flat fingers.
I always remember Grandma Bishop on July 15th.
Grandma died on Mother's Day, at the age of 90.
Grandma was nice!

5 comments:

Tyson said...

This is a nice post, and very informative. If you had asked me this morning the name of Cecil's mom, I would have said, "Lauren."

Plus, I've even been to Ensign, Kansas. Got a large Ryder truck stuck there trying to do a U-Turn on Main Street. Nice car wash there, but they were smart to move west.

Mr. Mustachio said...

You forgot to mention her work on the 80's T.V. show with her maiden name. She used to kick butt and take names.


p.s. bmxzxvcw

L.S.Marshall said...

Now I know why Samuel Allen is such a girlie man. I never knew that G.G. Bishop (that would be my G.G.) had Allen as a middle name.
I did know that you love apricots though and now I know why. It is nice to get a little family history lesson.
Lolo

By the way my word verification to type this is XULRF whatever that means.

Unknown said...

Your grandpa looks like your dad, who looks like Tad, and so on. Could I have a copy of that picture?

Kenneth and Valerie Romberg said...

I too remember the fried chicken dinners on sundays, as well. I also remember the day of her death, as I was with Dad as we went to visit her in the home. The call came in that evening, and I felt very glad I was able to go to see her before her passing. I too have the flat finger nails. Thanks so much Grandma Cora Bishop.