Charlotte (Lamb) Metcalfe was rooted simply;  faith, family,friends and neighbors, agriculture and work ethic,  Charlotte was of English , and Irish-Pennsylvania Dutch decent.

 

Her Pop, (father) Robert Eli Lamb in the late 1800’s immigrated from St. Mary’s Ontario,Canada as a young man.  His parents were David and (Priscilla_____) Lamb After coming to the USA he first worked for the White family of Bottineau, who had also immigrated from the same area of Eastern Ontario. Robert Lamb  then homesteaded in the Fortuna, ND area, then finally settled on the farm, in Holmes Township, Rolette County down the road from the Sylvia Wicks homestead. His siblings were George, Priscilla, Sarah, Alfred, Albert, and Wilbert.

 

Sylvia Arizona Wicks was a female pioneer homesteader who proved up her land west of Carpenter Lake in Holmes Township, Rolette County.  Her parents Samuel and Elizabeth (Welch) Wicks had traveled to North Dakota from Iowa by covered wagon in the late 1800’s and proved up a homestead in the Perth, ND area.  Their other children were Ocie, Orville and Carl.

 

Charlotte Harriet Lamb was born the second of  four children, of the union of Bob and Sylvia Lamb.  Charlotte was born on January 10, 1925. Assisting in her birth was her maternal grandmother area nurse/midwife, Elizabeth (Welch) Wicks of  Irish-Pennsylvania Dutch decent.

 

Charlotte was a quiet country girl.  Gatherings were at, area family and  neighbors, school programs and the Church of the Brethren.  Almost every summer Sunday, folks coming by, mostly by horse and wagon brought ice cream freezers to the home of her grandparents, Sam and Elizabeth Wicks.  Her mother, Sylvia baked cakes and mixed up the ingredients for various flavors of  ice-cream.  Folks would uncover the ice chips from the ice house and crank ice-cream mixers. Children played games and  adults visited. Those were the days of no electricity,no running water, an  out house – out back, the drawing and carrying  the water from the well, hauling in wood,  berry picking, big gardens and canning, and raising livestock and poultry and butchering to provide staples for the winter, and harvesting ice from lakes for the summer supply of ice.  Her mother Sylvia,  a prolific flower gardener, shared her bouquets with numerous people.

 

The thirties great depression, hit the country and life was hard. There was  no easy transportation  or finished main highways.  Country folks persevered. And neighbors helped each other out.   Pop was the cook who made pancakes and dumplings.  He also made wonderful puddings.  One of Lottie’s favorite recipes was for Plum Pudding, a recipe handed down through the Lamb family made at Christmas time.

 

Thanksgiving 1934, at age 9, Charlotte became very ill.  She had a high fever.   Pop  had no money.  He traveled miles west, cross country to  visit the county commissioner, Henry Hagen and asked for the special permission, “Would the county  pay for professional medical attention for Charlotte?”  The answer was affirmative, Charlotte was then transported  many miles, over bumpy rutted trails and gravel roads  to Rolette Hospital.  Doctor Hayhurst told her Pop, they would pack her in ice and if she survived through the night  he would  operate on the ruptured appendix  the next morning.   Charlotte survived the night, the operation, and remained in the hospital for  two months.  Grandmother Elizabeth Wicks, traveled to the Vaughn family farm south west of Rolette , and  stayed for a time, and would come into Rolette visit Charlotte at the hospital. Charlotte  remembers feeling very sick, no energy and very anxious.  She spent her ninth Christmas at the hospital.  Santa came in the form of Dr. Hayhurst who gave Charlotte, her first store bought doll for Christmas. Time  slowly moved to January 10, 1935, Charlotte’s tenth birthday and Dr. Hayhurst gave her another store bought gift , a tea set  to feed her doll.  Dr. Hayhurst   would come  to her room to play-feed her doll and sip tea! Charlotte developed much of her  trust and respect for doctors on her first experiences with her special doctor/friend Dr. Hayhurst , “a truly good person ” and “old time doctor”. 

 

Later that winter, she arrived back at the farm better than she left, but still a  a sickly little girl.   In July of 1935, she was once again hospitalized in Rolette and had surgeries again.  Her maternal uncle, Carl Wicks came by automobile to bring her home to the hills. She recalled meeting an older man in the hospital , who was sickly, with a “poor heart .”  After her summer hospital stay, on Charlotte’s trip home to the hills, her Uncle Carl gave a ride to the sickly older man, William Metcalfe to his mail  box. Mr. Metcalfe walked the remaining three miles to his home.  She heard later that Mr. Metcalfe went back to the hospital and died there shortly after.

 

Another of her fond memories was her enjoyable father – daughter time with her dear dad whom she always called Pop.  One warm summer day, just the two of them walked to the grand celebration at the Int. Peace Garden the day it was dedicated.