Easter Memories of Memaw

As Easter approaches I am reminded of my Grandmother. We all called her Memaw because the first born grandchild couldn't pronounce Grandma and she had been Memaw all of her life. Every year we would have a huge Easter Egg Hunt in her backyard. She would hide eggs with change and candy. And about 10 large golden eggs with 50.00 bills in them. My cousins and I would tear through the yard looking for them. When we came back in we would have a huge meal and each get a very big Easter basket from the Easter Bunny.

She passed away almost two years ago and some parts of her life are still a mystery. I found her on the 1930 census in Detroit, MI as Emily June Bernardo. After she died my father and aunt found a birth registration card with her birthdate on it and a name of Arratie Flores. I've heard she was born in the Phillipines and not in Detroit. AND that she was adopted by her stepfather Macario Bernardo. *(See the previous post for info on him) I've checked birth records in Detroit, MI for both names with no results. So either she wasn't born there or she was really born in the Phillipines. Her Mother died in a car wreck when she was young and her stepfather placed her in a conveant. Her mother's family from Macon, GA came and got her. From there she entered the service and served as a WAC in WWII. She met my grandfather in Germany and they were married when they came back to the states either in 1948 or 1949. My grandfather says it was in Tocooaa, GA. But...you guessed it...no records. They moved to Pennsylvania where they lived on my great grandfathers farm till 1956 and moved to Maryland. My grandfather was hired on with the D.C. Homicide division and my grandmother worked at the Smithsonian for years. That's where she and my grandfather lived until she passed away.

There is so much I wish I knew about her early years. Hopefully I will be able to find that information and find that missing part of my family. Until then there are always the memories of the times I shared with her and those great Easter Egg Hunts.