Remembering Thanksgivings with Lucy
November 2025
Vintage Discoveries
Remembering Thanksgivings with Lucy
by Ken Weyand
My earliest memories of Thanksgiving go back to the 1940s, when my parents and I often spent the day with my step-grandmother Lucy and my Aunt Ruth at their home in Hamilton, IL, about 40 miles from our farm in Missouri.
Lucy, who became a step-mother to my dad and his seven siblings in 1897 when their mother died, and anchored the family when their father died two years later, had turned 80 by the time I was born. She was “hard-of-hearing,” as they said in those days, and I was instructed to “speak up” when addressing her.
In one of our conversations, she told me that her parents had taken her to a Lincoln-Douglas debate in Quincy, Illinois when she was a “babe in arms.” While she had no personal memory of the event, the historic connection we made with Lincoln made a lasting impression.
Although the family had a few homemade recipes for grape and dandelion wine, Lucy considered herself a teetotaler. But one of my uncles gave her a bottle of French brandy each year on her birthday, and my aunt noted it had been consumed when Lucy’s next birthday rolled around. It apparently did her little harm, as she lived to be 98.
Each Thanksgiving, Lucy and my aunt often invited members of Lucy’s family, and occasionally my dad’s oldest sibling, my Aunt Florence, also would join us. There was a neighbor who occasionally joined us, a Mr. Fenton, who worked for the railroad and once gave me a ride on a switch engine – a real adventure.
Aunt Ruth, who had lived for a short time in France, took pride in her cooking, and the meal was always a great occasion. She also had a large garden, fertilized with compost from her kitchen. She also canned the surplus, and had well-stocked jars on shelves in the basement.
After the main meal, which left everyone stuffed, we all made room for ice cream, which my aunt frequently topped off with Crème de Menthe liqueur – making it a unique sundae, and another “exception” to the family’s teetotalling nature.
The family in Hamilton, circa 1943. My parents are standing, flanked by Ruth on the left and Florence (the oldest sibling) on the right. I’m standing in the foreground, with Lucy on the left and Carrie, my mom’s mother, on the right. (Photos from Weyand collection)
Lucy Weyand in 1944
Later, the family would relax in the living room. In those “dark ages” before TV and its offerings of NFL football, we would resort to family conversations. As the “old folks” visited, I would peruse my aunt’s collection of Life magazines, and a few old toys that she reserved for my visits. At some point, our after-dinner entertainment involved card-playing, and I recall that Canasta was one of the favorites.
Lucy was also famous for her love of watermelon. I recall more than one summer visit when she remained at the table, finishing a large portion after the rest of the family had finished their meal.
One summer in the 1940s I spent a week with Grandmother Weyand and Aunt Ruth, bringing my bike to explore the paved streets of Hamilton – a major improvement from the dirt roads near our Missouri farm. I remember that my aunt made me a breakfast treat she had enjoyed in France: a soft-boiled egg served in an egg-cup. Cracking the shell at its top, she would add a dollop of butter and a bit of salt and pepper. There was even a special downsized “egg spoon” for the occasion.
Ken Weyand is the original owner/publisher of Discover Vintage America, founded in July 1973 under the name of Discover North.
Ken Weyand can be contacted at kweyand1@kc.rr.com Ken is self-publishing a series of non-fiction E-books. Go to www.smashwords.com and enter Ken Weyand in the search box.
Riding crop recalls days when horses ruled the roads
February 2023Vintage Discoveries Riding crop recalls days when horses ruled the roadsby Ken Weyand Antique Riding Crop Nearly forgotten among the “family artifacts” packed away in our house was an ancient riding crop once used by my grandmother. At least that’s what...
Old top was a favorite in the 1940s toy box
December 2022Vintage Discoveries Old top was a favorite in the 1940s toy boxby Ken Weyand Toys of yesteryear Many of today’s youngsters take little interest in the toys of yesteryear. Devoid of today’s electronics and high-tech gadgetry, and handcrafted from basic...
Baby shoes from the 1880’s recall some sad family history
November 2022Vintage Discoveries Baby shoes from the 1880’s recall some sad family historyby Ken Weyand My dad often referred to his seven siblings when recalling how the family split up when their parents died, and they were “farmed out” in 1900 to various aunts and...
Terracotta figurines survived rugged European trip – and more
October 2022Vintage Discoveries Terracotta figurines survived rugged European trip – and moreby Ken Weyand Some vintage items bring back a lot of memories. In 1953, I had the good fortune of traveling in Europe with the director of the Apollo Boys Choir. As a...
Mementos of a trip to Paris: 1921-22
September 2022Vintage Discoveries Mementos of a trip to Paris: 1921-22by Ken Weyand Sailing on the Aquitania My aunt, Ruth May Weyand, was the youngest of eight siblings orphaned in 1899 and farmed out to various relatives. By 1917, she had graduated from Illinois...
Picture book was a 1917 railroad souvenir
August 2022Vintage Discoveries Picture book was a 1917 railroad souvenirby Ken Weyand Rocky Mountain Views One of my relatives who traveled through the Western states by rail in the early 1900s came home with a souvenir book of “Rocky Mountain Views. The origin of my...
Old theater posters gave notice of big entertainment to come
July 2022 Vintage Discoveries Old theater posters gave notice of big entertainment to come by Ken Weyand Late 1800s and early 1900s Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, before the days of Chautauqua or Vaudeville, an assortment of show-people performed on theater...
Toy car had the look of a Chrysler “Airflow”
June 2022 Vintage Discoveries Toy car had the look of a Chrysler “Airflow” by Ken Weyand Back in the mid-1940s Back in the mid-1940s, my wife’s dad, a physician in Hamilton, IL, had acquired a couple of toy metal cars. My wife, Karen, said her dad gave the...
Ancient geography textbook reveals a lot
May 2022Vintage Discoveries Ancient geography textbook reveals a lotby Ken Weyand Old Geography Book One of the few records of my grandfather’s early life and that of his brothers is an old geography book I re-discovered recently in a cedar chest full of other...
Solving a jigsaw puzzle—80 years later
April 2022Vintage Discoveries Solving a jigsaw puzzle—80 years laterby Ken Weyand Bored Youngster When I was a youngster, we would occasionally spend Sundays with my dad’s stepmother and his two sisters in Hamilton, IL, across the river from Keokuk, IA. I...
Old nursery rhyme book fondly remembered
March 2022Vintage Discoveries Old nursery rhyme book fondly remembered ~ by Ken Weyand ~ My first books One of my first books – saved by my mother over the years – recently turned up in my attic. “Three Little Pigs” is a nursery rhyme classic, and it was...
Donald Duck pull toy was a 1940s hit
February 2022 Vintage Discoveries Donald Duck pull toy was a 1940s hit ~ by Ken Weyand ~ As a youngster, one of my favorite comic-strip characters was Donald Duck, a creation of the Walt Disney Co. in the 1930s. Like many of his contemporaries, Donald...