19. Marriage and Young Family

Marriage and Family

I returned to Karluk where I continued with my missionary work until I returned to New Jersey to marry Ruth. I came by plane and then went South to Orange, Virginia where Ruth taught religion in the Orange County school system. School was not yet dismissed for the summer so I stayed a few days with Ruth’s friends.

On June 5, 1948 we were married in the garden of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dimmick on River Road in Holland Township, NJ. Rev. Monard G. Sanford, who attended Moody Bible Institute with me and was pastor of the Baptistown Baptist Church, married us. We went to Connecticut for a week and then proceeded to Illinois where Ruth’s brother Bill and Addie McClintick where married. We went on a extended honeymoon together. We each had a tent and camped most of the time. I drove the Plymouth I had Ruth buy while I was still in Alaska and she was teaching. We camped in camping areas in the United States and on into the Canadian Rockies. I had a 16mm Bolex movie camera and took many shots on the trip.

We went into the same places that Chester and I had gone previously. One difference was that we went through Glacier Park. We went swimming in Lake McDonald which straddles the boundary line. I was the first to dive into the water and it was cold! It felt ike it was only a few degrees above freezing. I said nothing, but when Ruth dove in she thought I should have given some warning!

We took a road in the mountains of British Columbia; We soon found out why there were so few cars traveling the same. We came to a river and a railroad bridge shared as a common means to cross the river for both trains and automobiles. The bridge was covered with about a foot of water. Bill took off his shoes, rolled up his pant legs, and started across the bridge. I followed with the car, and the women walked along behind, lest Bill and the car find the road was no more. When we got across we needed gasoline so we drove until we saw the first gas station. When we got the gas, the pump operator asked us where we came from. We told him we had crossed the railroad bridge.

He looked at us surprised and said, “You did?” You’re the first ones to cross the bridge since spring.” This was July. We returned to New Jersey in August.

I wrote to Gordon College in Boston with the application for entrance. I was accepted so in September we were in Massachusetts. We found an apartment behind Harvard University. We stayed the one semester. When I left Alaska I was told by Mr. Jones, superintendent of Alaska Packers Association in Larsen Bay that I was welcome to come back in the spring. We were both anxious to return to Alaska so we made plans to go north. A couple of days before getting the flight for Kodiak, Seattle WA had an earthquake with a 6.5 magnitude on the Richter scale. When we arrived in Kodiak the people were all interested to know everything about the quake.

I was asked to keep store in Larsen Bay during the summer. Ruth would serve tables in the dining room. At this time Ruth was expecting our first child so she left Larsen Bay some time before I did. This was the latter part of August and I left i September.

Stephen Gregory was born October 11, 1949. We were going to stay in the area for some time so I was hired by William. Schaaf when he needed a mason to work on Holland School. He was especially in need of a plasterer. Only union help was hired so I joined the mason’s union. After finishing the plastering I was put to laying bricks. From this school we went to Flemington Elementary School when Mr. Schaaf had a contract to build an addition to the present structure. I worked for Mr. Schaaf on the Kingwood chool and I worked for him building bridges in Kingwood, Sand Brook, Ringoes, and Milford.

I then worked with my father building head walls on a number of roads. I worked building fireplaces and chimneys. I have built at least eighty-eight fireplaces and chimneys in my working days. I also installed about thirty dampers in old fireplaces. Early in time fireplaces were built without dampers. There was no way to control draft or fire without a damper. With the discovery of its worth, dampers were fitted into existing fireplaces. About this time I also began to oil paint pictures, but as the family grew the demands to produce more grew and I did not find the time necessary to do the things I did before.

After Gregory was born we moved to an apartment in Everittstown. On May 29, 1951 John Mark was born. We again began thinking about returning to Alaska. This time we contacted Miss Bucklin from the Women’s Home Missionary Society in New York City about the Children’s Home in Kodiak. We made application and soon had our physicals. In the Spring of 1952 we left for Kodiak.