My Grandma Luena

I have so many fond memories of my grandmother, Luena Ransom Smith. These memories include making cookies, big hugs, heartfelt talks, and words of wisdom. Grandma has always called me her "sweetheart" and has given each of her granddaughters her own special nickname. Being the oldest granddaughter, I feel like I have been so lucky to get to know her so well. My younger cousins will never get to experience her the way I have.

Because of how close I am with Grandma Luena, I feel that it is my duty to document the experiences she has shared with me and have chosen to do so through a student-designed project for my Intro to Writing Family History class.

My goal for this project has been to gather information about my grandma's childhood during the 1930's and 1940's. After the interview process, I decided to take the information and find labels and adjectives to describe Grandma and dedicate a blog post to each one. I feel this will help me explore different aspects of the culture in which she grew up.

I hope this background information will help others understand the project more. Enjoy!

Left to right: Luena's father (Joseph Ransom), Luena, Luena's little brother Ned

Sheltered

Luena began her life on July 3, 1931 in the shelter of her family’s farmhouse. There was no maternity ward at a big, fancy hospital—just the help of the local doctor. The neighbors didn’t hear her newborn cries. The closest ones lived at least a block away. Her mother was very excited to have a little girl. Four older brothers came before her and one younger came after. Because of her “only girl” status, little Luena was not expected to use the outhouse like the boys. Her pan was emptied for her each day.

As an older child, Luena noticed the huge mountains that surrounded her beloved Cache Valley, Utah. This valley was her world and she often thought, “Surely nothing exists beyond those mountains!” She really believed that the whole world was right there in her valley. Luena wouldn’t know any different until her teens.

When Luena was a teenager she went to Ogden, Utah on a trip with her family. This was the first time she had ever seen a black person. Cache Valley was fairly isolated and had a small, Caucasian population. It was interesting for Luena to see someone who looked so different. The people in her town had many similarities including the color of their skin, the way they spoke, and how they practiced religion.

Luena was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of her neighbors as a child were the descendants of Mormon pioneers who had come to Utah to escape religious persecution in the 19^th century. This conservative religion heavily influenced how Luena was raised. For example, she was always protected from sexual topics. Her father would never let her be exposed to mating animals around the farm or animals giving birth. She didn’t know anything about sex until she trained as a nurse later in her life.

To this day, Luena will not deny that she was sheltered. She acknowledges that it was “just the way it was.”

Hardworking

uena was born and raised a farmer’s daughter. She grew up on a forty-acre farm. Although most of the farm work was done by her five brothers and her father, there were times where she needed to pitch in. At the beginning of World War II, all four of her older brothers joined the military. Despite the German prisoners-of-war that were sent to help her family with the farm work, Luena had to take on a lot more responsibilities around the farm.

Besides her usual work of helping her mother mind the house, she learned how to help harvest , ho weeds, drive tractors and teams of horses. Luena also learned how to drive a big, clunky truck at the age of 13 so that she could help her father load lug boxes of tomatoes. He would load the boxes and she would drive to the next one to be picked up. Her mother taught her how to can and preserve everything their family grew. Luena did all of this while attending school. Her life was busy and productive—there was always something that needed to be done. Even when there was a little bit of free time, she always was required to have something to work on in her hands.

The skills and work ethic that Luena acquired as a child helped her succeed in her life and be self-sufficient. She went on to earn a nursing degree in a time when women with degrees were not common. She also raised five children while working full-time. Her mother had always said to her, “I don’t care what you do. Just do something!” Luena embraced this saying and has accomplished many, many things throughout her life.

Thrifty

Born during the Great Depression, Luena’s culture was one of thift and frugality. Fortunately, her family’s self-sustaining farm softened the blow of the economic downturn. Because her family could grow its own food, Luena never went hungry. She was always taught to “eat what you take.” The Ransoms knew that food and other resources were scarce and learned not to waste what they had.

Luena often noticed her parents’ trying to make everything stretch. She watched her mother make applesauce and use the leftover peels to make apple syrup. The family used flour sacks as dishtowels. Little pieces of string from packages were always saved. Her mother made the family’s soap and canned everything that could be canned. During the winter they would preserve food by putting it in the grain where it would be kept cold, dry, and sealed from the air.

New clothing was a rare luxury. Each child of the Ransom family received one new pair of shoes each year. In addition, the words “Sunday best” held a lot of meaning for the large family. Luena had one special church outfit that she wore to church every Sunday. It was a rule in her home to take off church clothes as soon as the family got home. It was very important to preserve Sunday clothes so that they would last longer and not need to be cleaned as often.

Like many people that were raised during the Depression, Luena has continued to be thrifty and frugal throughout her life. Recently, she wore the same shirt two days in a row and one of her youngest granddaughters could not believe that she would do that. Although times have changed and she has more access to clothing and washing machines, the lessons of her youth still prevail. She lives by the quote, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”

The Ransom Family: Standing: Luena, Kyle, Vaughn, Ned, Verl, Earl. Sitting: Ethyl and Joseph.

"Just a Girl"

Being the only daughter in a family of six children, Luena enjoyed special privileges and felt she was often the center of attention in her home. She was not required to use the outhouse like the boys were and before she got running water at the age of six, her mother would let her bathe first in the large tub of water that was heated every Saturday.

Every night before bed, Luena’s mother would put her golden hair in pin curls so that it would look like Shirley Temple’s hair each day. Her curled coif was the envy of the town and compelled one young admirer in her kindergarten class to exclaim to his mother, “She has the most beautiful hair!”

Although these experiences left her feeling loved and cherished in her family, she was often left out of “boy things” and was always taught to defer to a man. Luena would follow her brothers around and try to learn their games, but they never included her. She watched from the sidelines. When there were decisions to be made all of her brothers got a say, but Luena was never asked about her thoughts or opinions.

There was a distinct line drawn between roles of men and women during her childhood. Luena’s parents fit into their roles perfectly and it worked well for them. Her father ran the farm, managed finances, and made a living for the family. Her mother did the washing, made the meals, and minded the house. When either of them needed help, the other would lend a hand.

Throughout her life, Luena has tried to fit herself into the role that her parents taught her to fill. She struggled as a homemaker because she had her hand in the masculine role of bread-winning as a full-time nurse. Luena grew up with the subtle feeling that she was not quite as good as the boys and this feeling has haunted her her whole life. She has never felt like she “measured up” to what she should be. She has always been “just a girl.” Her brothers (now in their 70s and 80s) still treat her the same as when she was a young girl.