My father is a full blooded Irishman who was born in Ironton, Wis. He moved to Hudson when he was about 10 yrs and he and his dad ran a farm. He was the 3rd oldest of 10 children and the only boy. He and his dad later bought and built the building on the farm we now live on. He taught all eight grade in a country school when he graduated from High School. He is sixty years old now and still working hard but has a few more conviences than in older times.

My mother was born in Hudson and is of Irish and Swiss decent. She is the youngest of ten children and her mother died when she was four. She had a stepmother and four stepbrothers which she likes very much. She had a high school education and was a good stenographer. She is 55 an is still very attractive for her age.

I have three brothers and three sisters. An older sister 30 married and living in Chicago, another sister 29 working in St. Paul, a brother 28 married buying a farm and helping my dad. The rest of the kids are 14-12-6 and are going to school or are just going to start. My cousin 19 senior in high school living with us.

My dad’s two sisters used to live with us until about five years ago when they moved north and built a home of their own.

As I look in the mirror the first thing I notice about the face staring back at me is the big nose. It is a typical characteristic of the Loughney family only more pronounced with its hump in the middle and lump of the end. Next I have two eyes, brown ones that change from dark to light according to the weather it seems. They will tell my feelings especially if something makes me angry. My complexion is light with red cheeks and freckles, people always say I’m pale because of the contrast of my dark hair and eyes. My hair is brown, naturally curly, thin and fine. It never really looks like I comb it. My teeth are even but not too white and are poor. One of the front ones is broken off and has never been fixed.

The picture described above was born on Feb 20 – 1933 one month earlier then expected. It was a cold blowy day in which to start life. I was the fourth child and the third girl of a family of seven.

I was named Catherine Anne much to my father’s dislike. He promised never to nickname Catherine so true to his word named me Nancy an old Irish nickname for Anne, a name I have been called ever since.

I was a good baby, even though I received a lot of attention from the rest of the family, never crying for more attention. I was breast fed and a chuby youngster, so much did I like food even then that I got exzema. The doctor said it was just from over eating.

I can’t remember much about my early life for some odd reason, but I was always at my dad’s heels where ever he went asking all sorts of questions. Sometimes I wonder how he ever survived those quiz sessions.

There were no little kids in the neighborhood until I was about six years old when a boy moved in next door. It seemed when we played together we were always in trouble. What one couldn’t think of to do the other one could.

One day at his house we started their little tractor, we were just caught in time or would have smashed it into a tree. It seems news travels faster by phone and after having a spanking from his father my mother was waiting when I got home.

Everything we did wasn’t bad though my father made use wooden guns that rubber bands from old inner tubes would fit in. We didn’t’ have a very good cat then and most farms do have some mice we went shooting then with our guns. We really had a good time doing this too.

School started and I was taken to the Catholic school in town. Having always been called Nancy I wouldn’t answer the nuns when the called me Catherine. The nuns finally relented and called me Nancy all through grade school. Everyone at home has always said what a funny name Catherine is, except my mother of course, that I still can’t stand to be called by that name.

Upon entering school I was the only girl with three boys for about 2 months. Another girl transferred from a smaller school and we became fast friends. Our class grew steadily until the eigth grade their were ten of us.

After starting school I began to have ear aches. Soon I was have sore throats and pains in my legs. By this time my mother began to worry so I was taken to our family doctor who didn’t think much of it. My mother still worried and so I was taken to an ear specialist and was told to have my tonsils removed. Now I thank my mother for the way she prepared me when I see some of the poor little kids that come in so scared now. I looked forward to it as I knew exactly what was going to happen and that I would feel better in the end.

With the rheumatic fever I wasn’t in the bed to long at one time but frequently. This left a heart murmur which I have outgrown now. My rheumatic fever grew steadily better after my tonsils were out. Although all the time I missed I still passed on very good grades except in conduct I could never keep my mouth shut. My sister had taught me before school started what first graders should know.

I was looking forward to a vacation. I helped with the weed pulling and things like that until one day a cut on my little finger began to swell and wheep. It happened during the nite and my folks tried to doctor it up but none of us got much sleep that night. It became worse and started to spread so the doctor gave me different lotions to put on it. They all seemed to aggravate it and I soon had it all over my body. They finally used alternating wet packs of boric acid and epsom salts. My aunt, who was a nurs, living with us and my mother took turns sitting up nights with me. They were ready for bed when I was able to be up. No one ever found out what it was caused from week poisoning or from merachrome. Consequently we have never had merachrome in the house since and I didn’t have to pull many weeks for awhile.

It was during the next school year my little brother was born. My mother always let me help her when she took care of him so I can never remember of ever resenting him. It used to be fun to take care of him and to play house with him and the neighbor boy. I had some of the same traits then as I have now. I was very stubborn and they usually did what I wanted them to do. I had a hot temper quick to flare up but usually the first to make up and forget it too.

Honesty and admitting what I did was a trait then. If I broke something it was usually taken to mother with a confession for then I knew she would only scold but if it was broken and nobody said anything and someone else had to tell on you it was the set up for a sure spanking.

When I was ten my little sister was born. I was really thrilled because I used to be allowed to bath her and take care of her. Although like most kids there were conflicts among us we got along well most of the time.

When I was eight I fell and broke my front tooth. I had been told a thousand times to straighten rugs and not to run in the house. My mother wanted something from upstairs and on the way down of course I ran and triped on a rug and hit my face of the furnace. I had not a scratch just a broken tooth. All the sympathy I got couldn’t help my hurt feelings because I knew it was my own fault. A dentist advised not to have it fixed until I was eighteen and I still haven’t fixed it because my teeth are so poor they aren’t worth all that money.

To add insult to injury it was just a few days later when playing in a tree house I feel, of course and landed flat on my back. It didn’t exactly knock me out but I was pretty dizzy. I was taken home and my folks were given a full account of the happenings. Can’t remember how high it as but my father seemed a little upset when he was told I was immediately put to bed for the rest of the day and the next day felt fine.

When I was eleven or twelve my cousin came to live with us. She was my mother’s brother’s daughter. Her mother died when she was four and my aunt that took care of her died so there was no one close enough to town to get her to the catholic school. Her father lived way out in the country and he wanted her to have a good schooling. We got along well she seems more like a sister now than a cousin. She is three years younger than I am.

I graduated from the eighth grade and was given the honor of attendant for crowning of the Blessed Virgin. My older sister and brother received awards when they graduated and although mine wasn’t as big as theirs I was quite proud of myself. For graduation the folks all went together and bought me a clarinet an instrument I had decided I wanted to play in the band. This was on one condition that I practice more on it then I did on the piano. I didn’t take piano lessons for very long but I can play just enough for my own satisfaction.

High school was fun and I met many kids and we had good times together. It was in this year my little brother was born. He was the third boy and met with much approval. We finally named him Mark after my dad who objected terribly but he was really proud about it. Mark was in the hosp. For a month as he was premature and wasn’t expected to live. When he came home he was put behind storm windows and a curtain and my mother was the only one who took care of him, as a cold would probably put an end to him.

My cousin who I sleep with came down with Scarlet fever about this time and a big red quarenteen sign was put on the door. My mother wanted me to go to school so when it was diagnosed I was shipped to the neighbors for 3 wks. They were really nice old people and treated me like their own daughter. My dad and brother because of selling milk had to live in the garage and so I got to see them once in awhile. I passed where otherwise I wouldn’t have as it was so close to the end of the school year and I would have missed so much time.

I had been going out with the neighbor boy up until this time. We soon found other company and I began to go with other kids.

I made fairly good grades in school and had lots of fun doing it. I was in the band and marching band. Glee club for two years don’t know why because it is a standing joke at home and in training what a horrible voice I have.

I missed the honor roll by a few points and my mother was not so pleased with this.

I had been going pretty steady with a fellow through school and we were planning on getting married. Of course my folks didn’t approve of it but never said much. When I finally decided to go into nursing we broke up.

My father was very much against me going into nursing because he never thought much of his sister who was a nurse. He seems more exceptable of the idea now. My folks never said what they want me to do they though you should make you own discessions on such things.

I maintain fairly good marks in nursing but nothing spectacular.

Your social life isn’t too good in nurses training and the fellows you do go with are in the service now. Your best method of communication is by mail.

When I finish training I hope to do and live with my sister in an apartment near both St. Joes and Miller so probably work at one of these hospitals.

My first check will probably get spent on clothes but most of the rest will be saved and sent to send my younger sister through college or what ever she wants to do. It is a way of paying my folks back for…(remaining page(s) missing.)