Amy Johnson Crow has a 52 Ancestors Week blog challenge which I have decided to give a try for the second year.
The prompt for week # 8 (February 19-25) is Migration.
Over the years I have blogged about the movement of my ancestors, some from foreign countries and some from state to state. I have decided to blog about my migration with my husband following our wedding in 1969. Since we stayed in the United States it would be called internal migration. Like many young couples, we moved for advanced education and employment.
1. Tiffin, County, Ohio August 1969-July 1970
Ted and I met in Tiffin at Heidelberg College (now known as Heidelberg University). We married and returned to Tiffin. Ted's hometown was Tiffin and he found a cute little one bedroom furnished apartment we rented for $103.00 a month. Interesting side note: it had a push button toilet. 😂
I was hired as a center coordinator/head teacher at the WSOS Clyde, Ohio Head Start Center. Ted was employed as a bar tender at the local country club.
We added the first two pieces of furniture, both antiques and a dog from the local dog shelter, Legolas.
Ted was admitted into the Masters Degree/PhD program in political science at Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts with a full tuition scholarship. And we were off.......
2. Somerville, Massachusetts August 1970-June 1971
Moving into the complete unknown. We found the listing on a board at Tufts when we drove to Massachusetts in June. Ted's parents must have donated old furniture to "the cause". I drove Legolas and a car filled with stuff and Ted followed in a rental van.
Compared to our place in Tiffin, this apartment was spacious. What I found fun was the elevator. It was an old open metal birdcage and reminded me of the elevator Mary Tyler Moore danced in in the 1967 movie Thoroughly Modern Millie. 😁
Ted was able to get a financial stipend and I was hired as a secretary to the public relations/alumni relations department at Tufts. My only secretarial skill was typing class in high school, definitely not qualified. On the plus side, we were both able to drive to the same place every morning. On the negative side, a very low monthly income. We were most definitely living the "broke student life".
This section of Somerville in 1970 was pretty slummy. Junkies hung out on street corners. A portion of our building caught on fire. To add to my distress, three weeks of my pay was used to pay the rent. What was left paid utilities and groceries. Needless to say, these were our "thin" years. 😖
During this year we added another pet to the family, a large Old Maine Coon stray we named Eowyn. We did have a Tolkien theme going on with our pets.
3. North Reading, Massachusetts June 1971-June 1972
Ted met a married couple in his classes and they were renting a half of a house in North Reading. The other half was up for rent and we grabbed it. North Reading is a quaint town. Our place was furnished and the front door actually had original bullseye glass. The downside, a longer drive to Medford. The upside, we got out of Somerville. Still financially strapped and I was not happy with my job. For some unknown reason we decided to adopt a pedigree dog named Ginger from a well known family. It was short lived. Ginger was unruly and we returned her to her original owners.
We had an influx of furniture while living here. My maternal grandmother died and my parents had all of her furniture moved to North Reading. Most was stored in the house basement.
4. Tiffin, Ohio June 1972-June 1973
Hallelujah! We returned to Tiffin. Ted had been hired as an instructor in the Political Science Department at Heidelberg and I was rehired with WSOS Head Start as the center coordinator/head teacher at the Rising Sun Center that was housed in Bascom, Ohio.
Ted's parents arranged a rental for us--a whole house. Unfurnished; however, we now had furniture! Day to day life settled down. We were both happy with work and there was a small financial security.
5. Warrensville Heights, Ohio June 1973-1975
Through his employment in the political science department at Heidelberg Ted received a contract to direct a Cooperative Urban Studies Program through Cleveland State University in Cleveland. Once again we were driving to a new city and looking for an apartment to rent. We landed in a large group of new apartments and moved into a two story two bedroom deluxe. During the summer I found a Head Start program on the "other" side of town. Ted and I decided to simply park the car, take the rapid to work and meet up back at the car in the evening. Our dog Legolas and cat Eowyn were still in the family.
6. Clifton Boulevard, Lakewood, Ohio 1975-1979
During the summer of 1975, the decision was made to move to the west side of Cleveland. I had been promoted to head teacher of a Head Start center and needed to be there to open up at 6:00. We loved this new apartment. Not as spacious as the one in Warrensville Heights...just classic old style architecture. Built in bookcases in the living room and beautiful large bay window in the dining area that I filled with hanging plants. Ted was now on the faculty and the administration of the Institute of Urban Studies at Cleveland State.
We added a second dog, an English Springer Spaniel named Mandy and in 1978, our first child, Aric Hughes Hiser was born. A friend and I decided to babysit children of working mothers and that became my source of income for several years.
7. Marlowe Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio 1979-November 1981
We moved to a two story rental house and I continued to babysit. Our second child, Garrett Bevin Hiser was born while living on Marlowe Avenue. Ted continued in his same positions; however, the department had a new name, The Department of Urban Affairs.
8. Giel Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio November 1981-June 1988 First owned home
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| Two tone hardwood floor |
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Built in China cupboard and
partial view of French doors |
It was decided that we needed a house of our own and with the financial assistance of Ted's parents we moved to the Giel Avenue address. The natural tiger stripe oak throughout the downstairs was a selling point for me. Wood beams, two toned hardwood floor, built in china cupboard and wood and glass French doors.
Ted continued to be an administrator and teacher at Cleveland State in the Department of Urban Affairs. I continued to babysit. Ted decided to go to law school in 1982. The boys were growing up and I made the decision to go back into the classroom at a local nursery school.
9. North Olmsted, Ohio June 1988- the present
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| My backyard playground |
When Ted graduated from law school and was hired by a firm in Cleveland, we decided it was time to move to a larger, more modern house. We have lived here comfortably for thirty-seven years. We have put sweat equity into the house and made and added many improvements. As with all families we have had the happy glorious times and time of sadness and grief. Dogs and cats have lived here. Employments have changed over the years. Our eldest son passed. Like so many older Americans, the house and property are beginning to be too much to care for; however, we are not quite ready to pull the trigger on some form of senior housing.
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