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Introduction

This webpage reproduces a part of
an autobiographical memoir
by
Agnes Cecelia Kozlowski

The text is © Agnes Kozlowski Nutter
and reproduced by permission

This page has been carefully proofread
and I believe it to be free of errors.

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Part 2

Agnes Cecelia Kozlowski
— an autobiographical memoir

[Earliest recollections]

 p1  Wilmington Delaware, the home of the Lipinski, Kozlowski family for a number of years. The family included nine children in all. I being the eight in line. June 16, 1927 was a day of joy to the beloved parents of mine to hold and caress me for years ahead. The home was a comfortable two story building as far as I can recall correctly. In a pleasant neighborhood called Brown Town we all enjoyed life. I have never actually found out why it bore that name,⁠a but it was a wonder­ful section of the city. The rail road tracks, the power house, and the playground, was most marked in my mind. To that was the city dumps where I spent much time.

As I stated a little family of the Lipinski, Kozlowski members, lived in the neighborhood that I always loved and cherished. Why the two names. Well five children have been from the unknown father to me, but little memories made me realize our mother was the same to us all. From the first set of children if it is permissable for express myself that way were Sophie, John, Cecelia, Victoria, Leona. I cant mention any thing about them in general till later in life and what they all meant to me. From time to time remarks would pass the lips of the elders as our father and yours. As years elapsed the man of the house had to leave his flock to eternity leaving his family and burdens behind to those who would have to carry on. I understand at that time it had been the depression period and many know what that meant. Mother struggled along best she could and found a companion to help bring up the children. Charles Kozlowski was the dad of the next four youngsters, as the years passed on: Albert, Blanche, Agnes, and Joseph were brought into the world.

What was my childhood like is simple as others ran in the same line. I really dont recall too much for I just had one talent to remembering things in general. Mother who had a delicate hand for gardening and flowers set up a garden in the yard. That gave me temptations to snap off the heads of the flowers when in bloom. Roses, azaleas, snap dragons etc. So to get into trouble I have  p2 been the first on the list at all times. The other children had more sense than I. The other children were of help picking beedles off from the roses, doing just what they have been asked to do, pla­cing the pests in a jar that hung on one of the fence posts. I can see my sister Cecelia very clear even today watering the flowers during the evening when the sun went down. I dont know if that was her assigned task or did she do it just to be helpful to mother.

When the others were sent off to school Joseph and I would stay home and keep mother busy keeping us out of mischief. The routine was to be taken by the hand and led to the grocery store as she went to get the supply of food for the family. Animal crackers were our delight nibbling on them on the way home, each with their own box. Before long the day would bring the whole family together, including Dad. As all other children through out the wide world would have their favorite games, we were particularly fond of jacks, but how many quarrels came up amongst us as who had who's jacks and ball. I have been a rascal and wanted everything I laid my eyes on. The side walk in front of the yard was the usual place for the games to be played or on the back porch when it rained. A little way down the street was an opened lot where we had a good deal of trouble meet up with us. Playing wood tag, I just a little tot of five tried to partake in the game, and it wasnt long when I was landed in the hospital with a cut face. Trying to reach a wooden pole with intense speed I fell into a pile of broken glass. Naturally those posts had their purpose for the house wives to hang their clothes on them. On rainy days we just disliked staying in doors playing with little tin dishes, or something else. For making food we would ask mother for the paper boxes from butter that was waxed and scrap that off and pile it into the dishes. You can imagine what the floor looked like after we were through making our playful meals. That came to an end pretty fast in the house. Tittle winks was a favorite to the bigger children but we also tried our luck with the game. We lost more than would go into the little glass cup. As time went on I can recall how mother used to lie down on the couch to rest during the afternoon. She must have been quiet ill at the time but we didnt know it and made just as much noise as ever.

 p3  Mother practically never scoulded us while playing and making all the noise a child can make when happy and enjoying his game. We would have some bright ideas at all times. An hand Victorola was in the parlor and we couldnt reach it with out the help of a chair, dragged in from the kitchen. We managed to get the thing going after a few winds. Mother laid there and looked on making sure we were safe, and werent going to get hurt. The one and only record that been played a million times was a polish folk song about the man working in the field gathering up his hay and setting in unto the wagon. We loved the record and finally caught on to the words. Then with our off tune voices sing the melody over and over again until we must have gotten dry throats as bones. Mother never said a word to change it or to stop playing. But now I realize how she must have had the golden patience of a person that only a Mother could have for her little ones she loved. When we played out doors with the neighbors she must have felt we were just as happy, and would give us a cookie or a slice of bread to chew on.

No matter how dirty we have been while playing the water had to reach us before supper time, and a set of clean clothes put on. I loved dressing up and look nice. For Sunday afternoon the Zoo Park was our delight for a few hours. We walked the distance for two miles but we loved it for our reward was to feed the monkeys their peanuts, along with the other animal creatures.

As the holidays approached we counted more than anything else on Christmas. Letter writing to Santa was taken care of during one of the evenings. I remember Leona would help us compose (make up) the letter and she would hold our little hands to write what we wanted. Then we made sure these little slips of paper were placed into an envelope and sealed before our eyes and the stamp was placed on the envelope also. Early to bed on Christmas Eve after the Christmas Eve twelve course dinner was the custom of the polish people. The other held the excuse they were going to church. Naturally the tree had to be trimmed, and the presents to be brought down under the tree. I believe there was a Santa Claus till the age of ten. Baby dolls, and carriages, roller skates along with clothing was for the little ones of the family.

 p4  I recall brother Joseph had received a scooter that last Christmas while mother was still with us. Christmas week had all the neighbor kiddies including us on the next street that had a nice hill to experement how fast things can go down hill, and that didnt take very long. Blanche who was two years older than I had a carriage in her hands that belonged to me and the dolls inside. Joey was on a three wheeler bike and Albert got on behind him to help him hold on and to teach him how to steer it. I started running after Blanche with the carriage, while Albert kept controlling Joeys little hands on the bars untill we reached the bottom of the hill. Half way down the nice smooth Six Avenue speed way, every one in good spirits, Albert warned Joey that he would let him go alone now since it looks safe. Every thing was just fine. In a few moments an approaching vehicle started up, the street towards us all. Joey all alone to take care of himself, I running after Blanche with laughters and screams no doubt, kept pace. Joseph in front as he noticed the approaching vehicle didnt know what to do so he left go of the handles and landed toward as telegraph pole on the side walk, and off he went with force. We all kept running to reach him, insturally [naturally?] Albert was going to answer for it all in one way or another. He picked up Joey and turned white himself. We all saw what happened to our youngest brother . . . blood but from what part of his face. We tried to laugh to keep Joseph from fright, but he complained that his head hurted him. As long as he didnt see the blood he was fine, in that moment Al took a handkerchief and covered the wound and then the screech from Joey's lungs just like a siren he was badly hurt. Trouble for all of us now. The women in the house saw what happened and ran out and picked up the child in her arms and ran into the house to call for an ambulance, the laceration was a fraction of an inch from his right temple. The screams reached my sister's ears who was probably in the yard at the time. She ran to one side of the corner to find out what happened but didnt find any trouble, so she ran to the other corner to see if we were coming home that way . . . nothing in sight, by that time the ambulance was on its way down to Sixth Avenue to pick up Joseph, and came running to us to find out what happened and marched us home. Sophie being the eldest was to take a great burden on her shoulders before long since mother been very very ill.  p5 Dad as a rule was at work at that time during the evening but she (Sophie) got in touch with him and told him what happened. He came home sooner than we thought he wouldnt, in fact none of us had time to make up a story to save our own skin. . . . I didnt have much to do in explaining as I was the one just running after my sister Blanche that had the carriage. I sort of felt sorry for Al he was the eldest of us and should have had more sense than leaving the little one alone on the tricycle. Penance and a good lacing [lacking, i.e. shellacking] was ours before we even had time to say anything more. That was the end of a nice new tricycle that was carried down to the dumps. Today Joseph has the scar on his fore-head just over his right eye.

If it wasnt one thing it was another. Stealing spring water from a near by farmer had him sending police dogs after the ones who attempted to steal from his grounds. Not that we actually were short of water supply in the house, we just have been looking for trouble at all times it seems. In the mean time mother had been failing slowly in health, the Dr. had to make his calls at the house one wintery day. He attended to mother and on his way out he slipped on the steps, all of us got excited and wondered if he gotten hurt. Time elapsed and it was bitterly cold out doors, so we had to play inside. We would go up to pat mother on the face and then sit on the floor near her bed, or try to crawl on the bed to play and talk to her. She was as patient as one can imagine as she knew her days were counted and she would have to leave us for some one to care for Joey and I, along with the rest of the children. One day it just snowed and snowed I looked out the window and informed where does that snow come from? She told me that in heaven the angels cut up candles and they fall to the ground to make the world look clean and pretty. By why the big pieces and the little one as I followed particles until they fell to the ground. The big angels cut the big ones and the little angels cut the little ones for us. That remained with me till today. Every snow fall brings forth that memory of where snow comes from. Mother would tell us religious stories and try to teach us how to pray. how to behave in God's house when we went to church since He lived there. We listened with eagerness and wanted to know as much as possible what happens in Church.  p6 I now realize she wanted us to live up to be good christians although she knew she wasnt going to be with us to teach us more.

And so the winter months months passed on and spring came with all its beauty and splender, then summer. The flower garden once again in bloom and the garden to be taken care of by others. Now I used to help pick up the beetles and place them in the jar. June was arriving and I knew that something was going to be [b]ring me joy, a birthday.⁠b So a nice white and red Shirley Temple dress was my greatest delight. It had a red sash, and red buttons down the front. White socks, and black patten leather shoes, that's all I needed to make me feel like a peacock. While one of the older sister tied my red bow I never moved a fraction of an inch for them. I promised I would be very careful not to dirty myself on that day and I certainly did keep the promise. Some one knitted a baby blue coat that had a scarf attached to the calor and trimmed with white angora, who was that person I dont recall. Later on in years I found out it was a girl friend that my brother John been going out with. We all had simple clothes but when we went any where we were sent clean and nice.

Thayer's Notes:

a According to a page at Delaware Public Media with every appearance of reliability, Browntown — today's usual spelling — owes its name to a house "built between 1819 and 1827 at the top of a hill just east of what is now Maryland Avenue" — this latter thorough­fare often mentioned by Agnes in her conversations with me over the years. The house was not built by Dr. John A. Brown: he was its fourth owner about twenty years later, but was a flamboyant character who made several additions to the house, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

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b Agnes was born June 16, 1927.

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