This is a story of the Cody family in North America and a story of my family on my maternal side. In the late 1600’s, Philip and Beverly Cody immigrated to the America via Ireland. For many years it was thought that they were Irish. About 20 years ago (estimated), it was learned that Philip and Beverly were married in France. Due to the persecutions of that time, they left France and eventually traveled to America. The history has been recorded first by my great-great-great grandmother, Lydia Cody Newcomb, and then updated by the International Cody Family Association, Inc. in 1986.
According to this biological work and family history, Philip and Beverly had 6 children, of which only 3 had issue, (children). They were John, Joseph and Isaac Cody. William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody was the 6th generation son of Isaac Cody. Lydia Cody was the 6th generation daughter of Joseph Cody. Due to the fame of her cousin, she is the one who started recording the family information that is used in part for all the biographers of Buffalo Bill to this day. Lydia Cody married Simon Newcomb Jr. in 1826. Their daughter, Stella Newcomb married Daniel Wheeler and had 3 children. Their youngest child was my grandmother, Mary Ione. Therefore I am the 10th generation of Joseph Cody, and therefore a cousin 5 times removed Buffalo Bill.
As children, we learned of our family history from my grandmother as well as the family stories. It wasn’t long before I felt important and proud. Of course, this was not conveyed to my mother or grandmother since they would be considered more important to us. They had a higher family number than us children. The Cody Association had started a numbering system to keep the generations organized and traceable. The earlier generations had numbers such as: Joseph Cody (16), Lydia Cody Newcomb (117). It was in her generation that there was a split in the numbering system. All future generations after her would start the re-numbering system. My grandmother was 117/113. This meant that the first 1 pointed to her grandfather who was Lydia’s first child, James Harvey Newcomb. The second 1 point to James Harvey Newcomb first child, Stella Newcomb, (my great-grandmother). The third number 3 pointed to my grandmother, Mary Ione, since she was the 3rd child of Stella. My mother’s gynecological number is 117/1135 and my number is 117/11351. Therefore in my mind, the lower the number the more important the person.
I began to “put on airs” and pride started to grow inside me. I looked down on my school mates which was great since they thought I was not worthy to be their friend. I had few friends in school and now I could make my self important, so important that I did not need them. After a while, Mom started to notice a change in my behavior, and not one for the better. She started to tell me the less famous characteristic of my famous cousin. These stories were not flattering and made Buffalo Bill into a living, breathing human being. This person was not perfect and did make mistakes. He had faults and many bad habits.
This was the lesson or moral that I learned and my passing on to the reader. Even though you have a member of your family that is famous, you do not have the right to share that notoriety. That you have to make your own mark on the world and share in both the ups and downs. That is the lesson of this story.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Story of the Stockings
Again this is a different kind of story and one that will be forever etched in my memory, but not for the good feeling but my first real experience of the dark side of life. It took place during the first Christmas after my 13th birthday. I was finally a teenager and was thinking that I was grown up. Adults have a hard time understanding the budding teenager. They are no longer children but not quite adults. The young teenager still thinks in childish ways, but wants to be treated as a grownup. No wonder there is much confusion in this time period. Parents have hard time dealing as well as their children.
Well that Christmas I got my first pair of silk stockings, complete with the shoes of a young girl, and the garter belt. My mother had told me that stockings were expensive and I should be careful not to get any runs in them. They were to last for several times of wear. I wanted to show Mom that I was an adult and intended to get the maximum use out of these stocking and to take very good care of them. This was before panty hose and the stocking were made of silk and had a seam in the back. That seam looked like a black line going up the back of the leg and it was very difficult to make the seams straight. I still think that seamed silk stockings are sexy but you can’t find them any more. Too bad that times have changed and this item if clothing is lost.
We were going to the family Christmas party. This was my father’s side of the family. Mom had to work so it was my dad and my 3 sisters. Not all of my sisters had arrived on the scene yet. My father’s side of the family was not the loving type, and I really did not look forward to being with them. But I would be wearing my grown up attire for the first time and I was very proud that I was now grown up. That pride would be completely shaken before the night was over.
My father had 3 brothers living in the area. Two of the brothers had 5 boys between them and the third brother had 3 girls. Now the two older girls were hateful and hurtful. The elder girl was 2 months younger than I was and hated me with a passion. She would find great joy in making me the object of ridicule and practical jokes. She enjoyed getting my sister to join in with her plots. Therefore it was always me against the 3 other girls. To this day I can’t think of Elvis Presley with thinking was the ridicule they gave me when they found out I liked his music. They found great pleasure in searching for my diary and breaking the lock to see my secrets and telling everyone about them. My sister enjoyed all the pranks against me and helped them in any way possible.
Well this Christmas they were going to keep me in the place, under their feet. Since I was being treated as a young adult by my father, I was given responsibilities as a young adult in keeping the children in line before the presents were opened, assisting with the dinner, and assisting with the clean up. In a rare moment, my cousins and sister invited me upstairs for some girl talk. They had been very pleasant and friendly, so I had a positive attitude that maybe this would be a lot of fun and they too had changed. But it was a trap.
We entered a bedroom and started our girl talk. They asked me about the stockings and how I liked wearing them. Suddenly, the elder boy cousin, who was a few month older than me, came into the room. I told him that he was not invited because it was girl talk. He quickly informed me that he was invited. He rushed to my side and made me lay down on the bed. Then the youngest of the girl cousins came and helped to keep me down. As I tried to get up, the elder female cousin and my sister started for my legs. They raised my skirt and started to go for the garter belt. They tried to figure out how the undo the stockings from the belt, but I gave them a difficult time. I was kicking and fighting to escape but the hold of too great. When they couldn’t get the stocking loose from the belt, they started clawing at the stockings. I started to scream but my male cousin covered my mouth. Everyone was clawing at me, hitting me, and slapping me. I couldn’t get away. Finally my dad hears the commotion and called upstairs, asking what were we doing. By this time, the younger cousins were witnessing the attack and cheering their older brothers and sisters on as if it was a school basketball or football game.
The cousins got off of me and warned me not to say anything. I was a mess. The clothes were wrinkled and out of place, my hair was all over the place, and my stockings had been torn to shreds. All I good think about was that I had let my mother down. These beautiful stocking were to last me for many days and I had only worn them for a few hours. I started down the stairs, crying and ashamed. My father met me on the steps. He hugged me and told me it would be aright. I told him about the attacked and how my stockings were ruined and how Mom would be ashamed of me. He consoled me and told me that Mom would not be angry. He made me feel safe and unashamed again. I think we left the Christmas party shortly after that because I really don’t remember what happened after the talk I had with my father.
Today the lack of memory would be considered shock after a violent episode, so it is no wonder I don’t remember the events after the brutal attack. Within a few days, my mother gave me a new pair. I wear them responsibly and with great care. I was proud of my new status as a young lady, but never showed that pride. Years later, my mother told me that she was so upset with my sister for her part in the attack and that the replacement stocking were taken out of her allowance. My mother vowed that she would not allow any situation of sister against sister happen again. Years later, a similar situation came up with my daughter and the daughters of my sister. Both my sister and Mom were fast in breaking this vicious cycle, and it never did happen again.
Morale: Allow your children to grow up but keep in mind their emotional age. If a child shows timid ness and shyness with certain relatives, there is a reason. It is a duty of a parent to find the reason and resolve the situation to the best interest of all the children. But most importantly, be supportive to your child.
Well that Christmas I got my first pair of silk stockings, complete with the shoes of a young girl, and the garter belt. My mother had told me that stockings were expensive and I should be careful not to get any runs in them. They were to last for several times of wear. I wanted to show Mom that I was an adult and intended to get the maximum use out of these stocking and to take very good care of them. This was before panty hose and the stocking were made of silk and had a seam in the back. That seam looked like a black line going up the back of the leg and it was very difficult to make the seams straight. I still think that seamed silk stockings are sexy but you can’t find them any more. Too bad that times have changed and this item if clothing is lost.
We were going to the family Christmas party. This was my father’s side of the family. Mom had to work so it was my dad and my 3 sisters. Not all of my sisters had arrived on the scene yet. My father’s side of the family was not the loving type, and I really did not look forward to being with them. But I would be wearing my grown up attire for the first time and I was very proud that I was now grown up. That pride would be completely shaken before the night was over.
My father had 3 brothers living in the area. Two of the brothers had 5 boys between them and the third brother had 3 girls. Now the two older girls were hateful and hurtful. The elder girl was 2 months younger than I was and hated me with a passion. She would find great joy in making me the object of ridicule and practical jokes. She enjoyed getting my sister to join in with her plots. Therefore it was always me against the 3 other girls. To this day I can’t think of Elvis Presley with thinking was the ridicule they gave me when they found out I liked his music. They found great pleasure in searching for my diary and breaking the lock to see my secrets and telling everyone about them. My sister enjoyed all the pranks against me and helped them in any way possible.
Well this Christmas they were going to keep me in the place, under their feet. Since I was being treated as a young adult by my father, I was given responsibilities as a young adult in keeping the children in line before the presents were opened, assisting with the dinner, and assisting with the clean up. In a rare moment, my cousins and sister invited me upstairs for some girl talk. They had been very pleasant and friendly, so I had a positive attitude that maybe this would be a lot of fun and they too had changed. But it was a trap.
We entered a bedroom and started our girl talk. They asked me about the stockings and how I liked wearing them. Suddenly, the elder boy cousin, who was a few month older than me, came into the room. I told him that he was not invited because it was girl talk. He quickly informed me that he was invited. He rushed to my side and made me lay down on the bed. Then the youngest of the girl cousins came and helped to keep me down. As I tried to get up, the elder female cousin and my sister started for my legs. They raised my skirt and started to go for the garter belt. They tried to figure out how the undo the stockings from the belt, but I gave them a difficult time. I was kicking and fighting to escape but the hold of too great. When they couldn’t get the stocking loose from the belt, they started clawing at the stockings. I started to scream but my male cousin covered my mouth. Everyone was clawing at me, hitting me, and slapping me. I couldn’t get away. Finally my dad hears the commotion and called upstairs, asking what were we doing. By this time, the younger cousins were witnessing the attack and cheering their older brothers and sisters on as if it was a school basketball or football game.
The cousins got off of me and warned me not to say anything. I was a mess. The clothes were wrinkled and out of place, my hair was all over the place, and my stockings had been torn to shreds. All I good think about was that I had let my mother down. These beautiful stocking were to last me for many days and I had only worn them for a few hours. I started down the stairs, crying and ashamed. My father met me on the steps. He hugged me and told me it would be aright. I told him about the attacked and how my stockings were ruined and how Mom would be ashamed of me. He consoled me and told me that Mom would not be angry. He made me feel safe and unashamed again. I think we left the Christmas party shortly after that because I really don’t remember what happened after the talk I had with my father.
Today the lack of memory would be considered shock after a violent episode, so it is no wonder I don’t remember the events after the brutal attack. Within a few days, my mother gave me a new pair. I wear them responsibly and with great care. I was proud of my new status as a young lady, but never showed that pride. Years later, my mother told me that she was so upset with my sister for her part in the attack and that the replacement stocking were taken out of her allowance. My mother vowed that she would not allow any situation of sister against sister happen again. Years later, a similar situation came up with my daughter and the daughters of my sister. Both my sister and Mom were fast in breaking this vicious cycle, and it never did happen again.
Morale: Allow your children to grow up but keep in mind their emotional age. If a child shows timid ness and shyness with certain relatives, there is a reason. It is a duty of a parent to find the reason and resolve the situation to the best interest of all the children. But most importantly, be supportive to your child.
The Story of the Love for Shakespeare
This is a story of the influence that a grandparent can have on a child. It is a story of love; love for a children, love for literature, love for a country. My grandmother was born in England in the late 1800’s. She met and fell in love with a farmer, my grandfather. They married and had 6 fine sons who grew up on a farm outside of Geneva, New York. She became a naturalize citizen before she married, but she never lost the love of the country of her birth.
After my grandfather died, she lived a part of the year with each son. The summers were the time that Grandmother lived with us. I loved my grandmother and she quickly realized the amount of responsibility I had. To counteract this responsibility; she would spend hours talking to me. She did not talk of her life, but she talked about England and their history. It was from her that I learned about the kings and queens of England past. She told me of the historical events of England history, about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. She would mentioned that Elizabeth I and myself share a common birthday. Actually they were days apart but close enough to inspire a young girl. Along with tales of Elizabethan England, she taught me about Shakespeare. Many Sunday afternoons, when Dad and my sisters went to the races, I stayed with Grandma. At these times there would be a movie for one of Shakespeare’ plays. I fell in love with “Hamlet” with Sir Lawrence Oliver, “Macbeth”, “As You Like It”, “Midsummer’s Night Dream”, “The Merchant of Venice”, and many others. We would discuss the history behind the play and reasons for why Shakespeare wrote the way he did. By the time I entered high school, I already knew a great deal about the subject and I couldn’t wait till the subject of Shakespeare would be part of the English curriculum.
I had just entered high school. Christmas was approaching and my parents asked myself and my sisters what we wanted for Christmas. My bike was getting too small for me, so they expected me to say a new bicycle, but I surprised them. I had seen the “Complete Works of Shakespeare” in the stationary shop downtown. I was memorized by the book, but it was very expensive. So that is what I asked for. My dad had left school before the 8th grade. My mom had graduated from high school, but she never liked or understood Shakespeare. My parents couldn’t understand why I wanted this book more than anything else. But that was all I wanted. I got the book and believed or not, I still have it. It is one of my most treasured possessions. In fact is the 2nd best Christmas of my life. The 1st best is another story.
By the time I graduated from High School in 1965, I had read most of the plays and all of the sonnets. I had read and saw "Hamlet" so many times, that I had become a sort of expert on the play. In fact when I returned to college in the 80’s, this knowledge served me well. As a student in the Honor Society, the professors would use the Honor Student to proctor their classes. We would assist the professors, assist in testing, and even instruct at study classes before exams. My English professor had a doctor’s appointment and would be unable to conduct a study class before the final. The final would include questions on 3 works of literature. Of the three works, I knew two of them, one of which was “Hamlet”. She informed me that another professor would come in later in the class to instruct on the one piece of literature I didn’t know, but I would be the instructor of the other two. We had finished going over the first and started on “Hamlet”.
A frequently asked question was to identify the three times that Hamlet could have killed his uncle and step-father and why he did not commit the act. The most famous time was when the uncle was in the chapel praying. That is the time when Hamlet recites one of Shakespeare's most famous speeches “To Be or Not To Be”. But what is not so common knowledge was the reason why Hamlet did not kill his uncle at the time and why the “To Be or Not To Be” speech was created in the first place. The reason for not killing the uncle dates back to the time of England’s Henry II and the reason that Chaucer wrote the “Canterbury Tales”. (If the reader is learning the real reason behind this action and speech, drop me a line and I will gladly inform you.) During this explanation, the substitute professor arrived. When I finished, I started to leave and let him take over. He stopped me and told me that he never knew the reason and he was impressed on my knowledge on the subject. I later learned that this question was on the test and all the students answered it correctly. My professor told me that this was a question that she expected the students to miss and it was set up as an extra credit question. She was also impressed with my knowledge and congratulated me on making the subject interesting for her students. She had asked her student where they learnt this information and they told her it was me. They also told her that they now felt that they go could enjoy Shakespeare, not only for the literature but for the history behind it.
Morale: Allow your children to converse freely with their grandparent. Let them listen to their stories. There are lesson that only the grandparent can give that could be carried with them the rest of their lives.
After my grandfather died, she lived a part of the year with each son. The summers were the time that Grandmother lived with us. I loved my grandmother and she quickly realized the amount of responsibility I had. To counteract this responsibility; she would spend hours talking to me. She did not talk of her life, but she talked about England and their history. It was from her that I learned about the kings and queens of England past. She told me of the historical events of England history, about Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. She would mentioned that Elizabeth I and myself share a common birthday. Actually they were days apart but close enough to inspire a young girl. Along with tales of Elizabethan England, she taught me about Shakespeare. Many Sunday afternoons, when Dad and my sisters went to the races, I stayed with Grandma. At these times there would be a movie for one of Shakespeare’ plays. I fell in love with “Hamlet” with Sir Lawrence Oliver, “Macbeth”, “As You Like It”, “Midsummer’s Night Dream”, “The Merchant of Venice”, and many others. We would discuss the history behind the play and reasons for why Shakespeare wrote the way he did. By the time I entered high school, I already knew a great deal about the subject and I couldn’t wait till the subject of Shakespeare would be part of the English curriculum.
I had just entered high school. Christmas was approaching and my parents asked myself and my sisters what we wanted for Christmas. My bike was getting too small for me, so they expected me to say a new bicycle, but I surprised them. I had seen the “Complete Works of Shakespeare” in the stationary shop downtown. I was memorized by the book, but it was very expensive. So that is what I asked for. My dad had left school before the 8th grade. My mom had graduated from high school, but she never liked or understood Shakespeare. My parents couldn’t understand why I wanted this book more than anything else. But that was all I wanted. I got the book and believed or not, I still have it. It is one of my most treasured possessions. In fact is the 2nd best Christmas of my life. The 1st best is another story.
By the time I graduated from High School in 1965, I had read most of the plays and all of the sonnets. I had read and saw "Hamlet" so many times, that I had become a sort of expert on the play. In fact when I returned to college in the 80’s, this knowledge served me well. As a student in the Honor Society, the professors would use the Honor Student to proctor their classes. We would assist the professors, assist in testing, and even instruct at study classes before exams. My English professor had a doctor’s appointment and would be unable to conduct a study class before the final. The final would include questions on 3 works of literature. Of the three works, I knew two of them, one of which was “Hamlet”. She informed me that another professor would come in later in the class to instruct on the one piece of literature I didn’t know, but I would be the instructor of the other two. We had finished going over the first and started on “Hamlet”.
A frequently asked question was to identify the three times that Hamlet could have killed his uncle and step-father and why he did not commit the act. The most famous time was when the uncle was in the chapel praying. That is the time when Hamlet recites one of Shakespeare's most famous speeches “To Be or Not To Be”. But what is not so common knowledge was the reason why Hamlet did not kill his uncle at the time and why the “To Be or Not To Be” speech was created in the first place. The reason for not killing the uncle dates back to the time of England’s Henry II and the reason that Chaucer wrote the “Canterbury Tales”. (If the reader is learning the real reason behind this action and speech, drop me a line and I will gladly inform you.) During this explanation, the substitute professor arrived. When I finished, I started to leave and let him take over. He stopped me and told me that he never knew the reason and he was impressed on my knowledge on the subject. I later learned that this question was on the test and all the students answered it correctly. My professor told me that this was a question that she expected the students to miss and it was set up as an extra credit question. She was also impressed with my knowledge and congratulated me on making the subject interesting for her students. She had asked her student where they learnt this information and they told her it was me. They also told her that they now felt that they go could enjoy Shakespeare, not only for the literature but for the history behind it.
Morale: Allow your children to converse freely with their grandparent. Let them listen to their stories. There are lesson that only the grandparent can give that could be carried with them the rest of their lives.
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