AUNT ANNIE BUTTS THE BURGLAR!

Rockford Daily Republic
Rockford, Illinois
Thursday, July 11, 1929

A couple errors in the newspaper article:  Mrs. A. E. Brown was the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Beth Brown, not her daughter;  the granddaughter was Beatrice Audrey Brown, not Beatrice Aubrey Brown; another local newspaper reported that the gun she was using was a .38 automatic pistol.

I was really tickled to find this newspaper article and the one from the Rockford Register-Gazette of the same date.  I got to see Aunt Annie in quite a different light than I remember her.  A lady who carried a gun and knew how to use it!  And wasn't afraid to use it!  I first introduced Aunt Annie in Blog Post #1, "The Eales Ladies."  Aunt Annie came to live with us in March 1950 following a hospitalization resulting from a fall and broken arm.  She stayed with us for two years--I would have been about 10 and my sister Clarice was 8 when she moved in with us.  Prior to her fall she'd been living with my Grandpa and Grandma William and Daisy Noyes  in Hebron, Wisconsin, but Grandma Daisy was not well and the additional household member was difficult for her.  We were living in Madison.  Aunt Annie had her own nice little room there where she frequently kept her self holed up.  The room had been converted for her from Mom's sewing room. Aunt Annie always wanted to be helpful--always did the dishes (Clarice and I loved her for this!) and kept the kitchen floor swept after every meal.  She regularly asked for hand mending to do and Mom was always happy to oblige. Aunt Annie marked every piece of cloth that she owned--with a little embroidered eyelet hole in the corner or hem someplace.  Every dish towel, face cloth, handkerchief, slips and other underwear were beautifully marked.  She'd never sew at night.  It was hard for her to see--"The light isn't the same as daylight."  I could never understand this--THEN! But, Oh, how I appreciate this NOW--60+ years later! But she had some quirks! She hoarded toilet paper! She'd go into the bathroom, unroll great streams of it.  Then re-roll it and tie it up in pieces of blue ribbon and store it in her chest of drawers.  She was always going to her room, pulling out her black envelope-style purse, and checking to be sure her rings were safety-pinned to the lining.  This she'd do as often as every ten minutes--even more often if we were driving someplace in the car!  She had two ancient electric curling irons--neither of which worked.  But several times a day she'd pull them out to see if they might have magically returned to a working state.  I could never understand using such an old-fashioned device where one could only put in one curl at a time!  Little did I know years later they'd again become such a popular appliance!

Aunt Annie
Anna Elizabeth (Beth) Eales Brown

Aunt Annie really had a pretty rough life.  Born 7 Nov 1869 in Hebron, Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Though she was married  to Charles Edward Brown in 1886 when she was 17, there were no children for the first eight years of their lives together.  Their first baby, Arland G, born 31 Jan 1894, succumbed to whooping cough at only six weeks old.  It was another four years before their second baby was born.  Ardrey E was born 10 Jan 1898 (year is possibly 1897).  Eight years later, on 29 June 1906, Charles Edward passed away, a victim of complications of diabetes.  Young Ardrey  became his mother's whole life.  Aunt Annie never remarried and it was very difficult during this time in history for a single mother to make it.  She took in sewing and offered to do housework.

Ardry and Hattie's wedding
8 June 1916, Ft. Atkinson, Wis

But, Ardrey grew up and when he was only 18, on 8 June 1916, he married Harriet Edith Hafermann (10 June 1897 - 24 June 1991).  Ardrey and Hattie continued to live with Aunt Annie (or she with them!).  In November 1924 at just fourteen months of age, Ardrey and Hattie's first born--a son named Jack Arden--passed away of tuberculosis.   Prior to his death, Aunt Annie had written to her sister, my grandmother Daisy Noyes, on March 7th of 1924, "...baby has been pretty sick for three days he has got a bad cold and two little teeth are in sight so they can bite..."  Then a week later on March 14, 1924, she again wrote to Grandma Daisy, "...Jack has got two pretty little teeth, he don't feel just good. I can't get out of his sight he crys for me...."  A year later, on 25 August 1925, a daughter was born to Ardrey and Hattie--Beatrice Audrey.  She was a real charmer and soon became the object of her Grandma's devotion.

Then--in Nov 1939, the ultimate tragedy for Aunt Annie.  Her only living son, Ardrey, died suddenly of a heart attack.

Beatrice and Bruce Irish
5 October 1944

Aunt Annie remained devoted to Beatrice.  On 5 Oct 1944 in Waupun, Wisconsin, Beatrice was united in marriage to Bruce R Irish.  After the wedding Aunt Annie wrote to my Mom Arlene Conner in La Crosse, Wisconsin, "Just think My Little Beatrice Grownup and married and Arlene she is a sweet girl boath in ways and looks--she was sure a Pretty Bride White Satan with train and veil and carried Red Roses Her Daddy's Flowers and Arlene she made me Promis that I would not cry so I looked at her and smiled for somehow It Just seemed that her Daddy was with us and was smiling too and somehow it has taken a heavy load of from my mind For her hubby Bruce is such a fine young man comes from a splendid Father and Mother.  And belong to the same church that Beatrice does. They was married in Church By Candel Light.  He has sure a bit of the country so fare."

Beatrice Audrey Brown
at about the age when
her Grandma "Butt the Burglar"

Beatrice and Bruce seem to have broken the spell--they had five healthy children, the first in 1948--all "B's"--Bryan, Bradford, Bickey, Bill and Brenda.

In the mid-40's life again got hard for Aunt Annie.  Her landlord needed her apartment and she needed to find another place to live. Nothing seemed to be available. She spent some time in single rented rooms--whatever she could afford on her Old Age Assistance--and some time with a niece in Fort Atkinson, my grandparents, and my folks.  In 1952 she moved into a care facility in Stoughton, Wisconsin.

On 15 Feb 1940, Aunt Annie had written to my mother, "... and dear Want to ask you something more.  When the little Fellow comes and you name him try and put In the A some place it kinder runs in the Family you know.  Daddy [Ardrey] named both of his babys with an A beginning their middle name.  Jack Arden and Beatrice Audry.  Well dear the name will not matter so much if only all is well and I am sure it will be..."  Two months later, on 16 April 1940,  I arrived.  Mom did better than just begin my middle name with an A.  She and Dad named me Darlene ANNette.

Aunt Annie died 4 April 1956 in Stoughton.  She is buried without a gravestone in Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Atkinson. Her husband, Charles Edward has TWO gravestones, one in Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Atkinson, and one in Hebron, Wisconsin. Also in Evergreen are Ardrey, daughter-in-law Hattie Brown Stadney, and Grandson Jack Arden.  Son Arland is buried in the Hebron Cemetery, Hebron, Wisconsin.  Of the five Eales sisters, three died in 1956--Grandma Daisy at 80 in February; Aunt Annie at 86 in April; and the oldest, Aunt Harriet at 96 in May.  May God bless each of them!