I thought two things were interesting about they way they talked about Elizabeth Susan Burnett Brunt. For one, they always said the complete name. Now that I am deep into family history that makes more sense. The entire name gives you reference. Nothing much was said about her husband George Brunt. Remember his story here? That was a very strong maternal line of the family and Elizabeth was among the most faithful of all those women. We have already had several posts about Elizabeth. We have discussed her taking her small family without George from New Zealand to America to be with the saints, including tossing her small son Will from one ship to another when they found him missing. You can review the details here.
Since the story of Maudie from last week is so interwoven with Elizabeth's life I want to include an essay written by Maudie (Maude Neeley) about how their two lives came together. It is entitled
"Birthday Present for You Mother"
The young mother looked dreamily into the weary but relieved eyes of her own mother, eyes that immediately twinkled at the mention of her birthday, for she had forgotten during the long night that this was her birthday, her 54th birthday. This baby that they had all waited for with such anticipation was here! On her birthday! And it was a girl! After eight grandsons a little girl was surely welcomed. It was the young mother's third child, but her first girl.
"Well, thank you my dear, it's a very wonderful birthday present and now you get some sleep. I'll take the boys home with me, and Mrs. Ellis, the midwife, can take care of things here."
Everything went along beautifully for the next few days, the young parents and little brothers spent much time trying to decide on a name for baby sister but couldn't find one that seemed to do. Then Maude, for that was the young mother's name, started to run a temperature, slight at first, but it didn't break. By the eighth day she was very ill. The doctor was very worried but couldn't cool the terrible heat. While they were frantically trying to find what was causing the temperature the young mother slipped quietly away leaving the little baby girl to be literally a birthday present for her heart-broken grandmother.
Good friends and neighbors took the baby and cared for her until after the funeral and until the grandmother who had had to take to bed from overwork, anxiety, loss of sleep and heartache was able to care for her precious birthday gift.
One of the first things to do was to find food for the baby. Everyone, including the doctor had many suggestions, but the only thing grandmother could do was keep trying till something would agree with the little stomach.
Sometimes she felt sure she had solved the problem, only to find that if the new formula stayed down, it caused diarrhea. It seemd almost better for it to come up.
Meantime a name had to be decided on. Here the father, whose world had collapsed and grandmother were of one opinion, that the babe should be given the mother's name. It was done. The name was Maude Elizabeth, but it was hard to say and hard to realize that this little sickly baby was to be the only Maude from now on. Hard to believe that the other lovely gay and beloved Maud was gone. . . . .
On the day they left for New Zealand Elizabeth was 56 years old and had been a widow for 22 years. Elizabeth's daughter Violet accompanied her. With their cases and trunks, they were on their way to San Francisco and onto Hawaii where they stopped for two or three days. During this time Maudie ate and kept everything down and asked for more for the first time in her 14 months of life. It was like a good omen on the trip at that point and proved a promise of what was to come for Maudie. She gained in health and strength and never again had even a slight cold in her chest. Even on the voyage, which took six weeks, she changed from a skinny sickly infant and became a chubby curly hair filled out Maude.
The six months in the beuatiful land of New Zealand did more for these three disheartened people than even the grandmother had hoped. Her own spirits were restored, the baby was the picture of health and as happy as a child could be with all the attention and fussing over that she received.
As they sailed away on the boat to return to America Elizabeth looked at the spirited young girl at her side (Violet) and healthy baby in her arms. She breathed another fervent prayer of thanksgiving and supplication.
"Thanks for a good life and supplication, for strength and faith to keep it so."
You are pretty amazing Elizabeth Susan Burnett Brunt. Happy Birthday.
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