Today is Cora Gushee's 101st birthday. She's a little puzzled as to why she's still here, but pleased nonetheless -- as we are to have her around. Cora is my father's cousin, a favorite niece of my grandmother, Nettie Anderson. And, as most of you know, she was the historian for the town of Porter. She has lived most of her life in Porter, and happily so, and will hopefully return from Tennessee with the warm weather. Vee is a favorite of Cora's, and Cora does give you a hard time, Vee, as she does when she likes someone. I think you were there when she talked about seeing Halley's Comet! Fantastic detail: "a long sparkling tail " that they saw out in the cornfields in the dark. My great-grandmother woke them up and brought them outside to see the comet. I'm trying to get to transcribe her conversations with us (my family) and will share them when I am done. As Vee has told you, a remarkable lady.

Happy 101st Birthday, Cora! Wish I could be there to sing "Happy Birthday" to you. Jo in Michigan who had ancestors in Niagara County - not to far from Lockport. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Hess" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 7:31 AM Subject: [FOLKS] Cora's Birthday > Today is Cora Gushee's 101st birthday. She's a little puzzled as to > why she's still here, but pleased nonetheless -- as we are to have her > around. Cora is my father's cousin, a favorite niece of my grandmother, > Nettie Anderson. And, as most of you know, she was the historian for the > town of Porter. She has lived most of her life in Porter, and happily > so, and will hopefully return from Tennessee with the warm weather. > > Vee is a favorite of Cora's, and Cora does give you a hard time, Vee, as > she does when she likes someone. I think you were there when she talked > about seeing Halley's Comet! Fantastic detail: "a long sparkling tail " > that they saw out in the cornfields in the dark. My great-grandmother > woke them up and brought them outside to see the comet. I'm trying to > get to transcribe her conversations with us (my family) and will share > them when I am done. As Vee has told you, a remarkable lady. > > > > >

Yes, today is Cora's 101st birthday. What a dear old girl she still is! Regarding Mary's grandmother Nettie Anderson, I remember when Mary and her mother and father came here to visit Cora last(?) summer to talk with her, and Cora referred to Mary's father as "Nettie's little boy!" Yes Cora always gave me a hard time but it was more as a teacher and mentor than as a mother figure. You see, my mother was also born in 1903 but Cora was born in March 1903 whereas Mother was born nine months later in December 1903. It was well over 10 years ago that I started volunteering up at the Town of Porter Historical Society Museum and Cora was there to answer any question my eager mind could think up. But any time that I appeared to be getting too big for my britches, Cora always managed to bring me back down to earth by explaining how the real world worked. Over the years Cora would call me on the phone to ask me a question about one of our Town families (she knew that I was researching them throroughly) and we would get into an exciting conversation when I let her know that I knew precisely who she was talking about and that I had a lot more information about them. By the same token, I would call Cora and ask her questions about the history of the Town of Porter or the Village of Youngstown and right off the top of her head she gave me the whole nine yards. And I swear she can still do that if I asked her a question. During the more recent years Cora and I would call each other on the phone and just blurt out something along the lines of "I've got a problem." We'd listen to each other, help each other get through the problem with some sage advice on both of our parts and feel much better after we had hung up. Although Cora was more than old enough to be my mother, I never thought of her in that way. To me she was more of a dear aunt closer to my own age, someone I could turn to for advice or for historical information and someone to share our mutual interests with. Also someone to laugh with. Whenever she would get stern with me it was always with a twinkle in her eye. Isn't that right, Mary? vee ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Hess" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2004 7:31 AM Subject: [FOLKS] Cora's Birthday > Today is Cora Gushee's 101st birthday. She's a little puzzled as to > why she's still here, but pleased nonetheless -- as we are to have her > around. Cora is my father's cousin, a favorite niece of my grandmother, > Nettie Anderson. And, as most of you know, she was the historian for the > town of Porter. She has lived most of her life in Porter, and happily > so, and will hopefully return from Tennessee with the warm weather. > > Vee is a favorite of Cora's, and Cora does give you a hard time, Vee, as > she does when she likes someone. I think you were there when she talked > about seeing Halley's Comet! Fantastic detail: "a long sparkling tail " > that they saw out in the cornfields in the dark. My great-grandmother > woke them up and brought them outside to see the comet. I'm trying to > get to transcribe her conversations with us (my family) and will share > them when I am done. As Vee has told you, a remarkable lady. > > > > >

Mary, I do hope Cora had a happy birthday, even if I am a day late in reading about it. I do so enjoy conversations with the very elderly people I meet. They know so much about things I have only read about. I get a lot out of living with, and talking with my Dad even though he is only 85 and his mind is not what it once was. A few weeks ago a young woman I had met briefly at our genealogy group e-mailed the group that she was doing a documentary as part of a school project, on the subject of school buses in the past. Dad tells of being bussed to school in a horse drawn wagon and he also owned and drove a school bus in the 1950s so I contacted her and she came and interviewed and video taped us for her project. I can't wait to see the finished product. Ruth 7:31 AM -0500 3/10/04, Mary Hess wrote: > Today is Cora Gushee's 101st birthday. She's a little puzzled as to >why she's still here, but pleased nonetheless -- as we are to have her >around. Cora is my father's cousin, a favorite niece of my grandmother, >Nettie Anderson. And, as most of you know, she was the historian for the >town of Porter. She has lived most of her life in Porter, and happily >so, and will hopefully return from Tennessee with the warm weather. > >Vee is a favorite of Cora's, and Cora does give you a hard time, Vee, as >she does when she likes someone. I think you were there when she talked >about seeing Halley's Comet! Fantastic detail: "a long sparkling tail " >that they saw out in the cornfields in the dark. My great-grandmother >woke them up and brought them outside to see the comet. I'm trying to >get to transcribe her conversations with us (my family) and will share >them when I am done. As Vee has told you, a remarkable lady. -- Ruth Barton [email protected] Dummerston, VT