July 29, 1941 (Tuesday)

EDNA, LYDIA, AND HATTIE SPEND THE EVENING SITTING ON THE LAWN

---

A nice shower of

rain this morning

so spoiled the

prospects for having

threshers to-day.

Lyd and Hat come

over to-day staying

all night.

Terrible hot all day.

Lyd finished my ironing.

We sat out on lawn

in lawn seats all

evening.

Henry went to Kent

City on right of way.

---

Lydia (Johnson) Porritt

Lyd (Lydia) is one of Henry's sisters; Edna's sister-in-law.

Lydia was born on December 20, 1868. She is 72 years old when she and Hattie visit Edna and sit on the lawn all evening to stay cool.

Lydia married John Porritt in 1888. She was 19 years old.

John and Lydia had several children; James Chandler, Eleanor Elizabeth, Alden, Olive, Lyidia, and John.

Alden and Olive were twins. They were born on July 27, 1895. Olive died before she turned one.

This photograph of Alden and Olive was taken when they were 10 moths old, just before Olive's death at 10 months and 3 days.

According to the death record for Olive Nash Porritt, she died from "brain fever" on May 3, 1894. Many of the articles I found suggest that in the late 1800's "brain fever"was likely meningitis.

Alden Nash Porritt, Olive's twin brother, outlived his sister by nearly sixty years. He was, according to his World War I registration card, tall and slender with blue eyes.

I searched a database of WWI veterans from Kent County and found no record of Alden Porritt. Alden registered for service but was not called for duty.

Alden passed away on December 3, 1954 at his home in Bowne Center at the age of 59.

News of his passing was noted on the front page of the Lowell Ledger.

Alden Porritt served on the school board for 25 years, was a Justice of the Peace, and a township board member.

"He was a good neighbor and a respected man in his community.

Alden died just 51 days before his mother.

Lydia Johnson Porritt passed away on January 23, 1955, outliving her twins Olive and Alden.

Lydia, Alden, and Olive are all buried in the cemetery at Bowne Center.

Fourteen years before she died, Lydia spent an especially hot evening sitting on the lawn at the Johnson farm in Bowne Center with her sister-in-law Edna and her cousin Hattie Nash Sharp.

I am sure they enjoyed each others company and shared a lot of laughs.

Edna. Lydia. Hattie.

Thank you for letting me join you on the lawn this evening for a little awhile. It was only in my imagination but I enjoyed your company very much.