Childhood Memories of Elaine Doolin Hitti
This life story is located in my grandmother
Leta Boice Boutwell’s Book of Remembrance -
Leta is Elaine's mother
(Spelling and punctuation corrections have been made
– no changes were made to the sentence structure or
voice – other corrections will be shown in parenthesis –
Linda Fretwell Duchaine – December 2007)
My earliest memory as a child is in Missouri. I was
between two and three years old.
I remember my mother singing church hymns to me and
teaching me to sing. I remember we had some chickens
and a mean old rooster. Every time I would go to the chicken yard, this old rooster would take after me. My
mother always saved me though. I remember going into the sugar cane fields with my father, it was like a huge
forest to me, the cane stocks being so tall and me so short. My father used to cut some sugar cane for me to
suck on. I remember the sweetness of the cane. I remember being in a tornado one time and how black and
mean the sky looked just as we were scurrying for the cellar. I remember the sound of the wind and thinking I
would surely die there.
I remember my grandmother and grandfather Doolin and how they would love and hold me whenever I saw
them.
My next memory is living in the house outside of Manassa before Richard was born. We had some pigs and
one boar was very mean. The day Richard was born, grandmother Boice was at our house, and I remember
her telling me to go sit on the back step and watch for the stork to bring us a new baby. I thought this was the
most important and exciting thing she could ask me to do. I sat and stared into the heavens until it was too
dark to see, then I remember hearing a baby cry and grandma coming and telling me I had a sweet little baby
brother. I remember being very hurt and resentful at him being there without me seeing the stork.
I remember when we had the dairy outside of Manassa down the lane. I would walk to school and back, and in
the afternoon, I would have to pump water for the cows. Many times go to the pasture and bring them in for
milking. I remember helping mother and dad separate the milk, churn buttermilk and make butter.
I remember washing bottles, capping them and putting them into crates for dad to take to town. My memories
of living there on that farm are good memories. Mother loved ice cream and at every opportunity she would
make a freezer of ice cream. It was a special treat when we could have banana ice cream.
Before we had the dairy, I remember living in the “little house” by grandma and grandpa, and what fun I had on
the farm. Lynn and Grant (Boice) were my idols, but they were always running away from me. Not wanting to
be bothered by a little brat cousin. Lots of times I had to tend Richard as a baby, and he seemed to cry more
than I liked. I would rock his cradle and hope and pray he would go to sleep and not cry. I’m sure my time at
rocking was not that long, but as a child it seemed forever. It was always a special time to get to visit my
cousins who lived close by, Dale, LaRee, Betty, Verla and Ronald. We all had such good times together.
When we moved to California, I couldn’t get over the sight of sidewalks and neon lights. I know this was the
most wonderful place to live. I immediately learned to roller-skate and wore…..(the last sentence on this page
is incomplete).
…..(incomplete start to the sentence)..lived there was two little girls my size to play with, Joyce and JoAnn. We
played together and went to school together.
Every Saturday afternoon we could go to the matinee for 10-cents and see a movie plus a “serial” usually
Buck Rogers or Hop-a-long Cassidy. One time there was a vaudeville act with an accordionist. This was so
dazzling and showy, I fell in love with it and wanted to learn to play. That was the plan of the show. After a man
asked who wanted to learn to play, and my hand was the first one up. This was the beginning of my music
education on the accordion. After the man came to see mother about me taking music lessons for 12 weeks
with an accordion furnished, I begged for her to let me. I also remember wanting a bicycle very bad, so mother
gave me the choice of a bike or taking accordion lessons. Well, that was no contest, I started and after the
twelve weeks were over, So. Calif. Music wanted to sell my mother an accordion for me. I know now it was a
tremendous sacrifice for her to give me the opportunity to study music. I started playing and taking lessons
privately and having the good fortune to find on of the best teachers in the whole city.
Elaine Doolin was born April 6, 1930 in Salt Lake City, Utah
She was Baptised May 1, 1938
Elaine Doolin Hitti died November 14, 2006 in Mesa, Arizona
This life story is located in my grandmother
Leta Boice Boutwell’s Book of Remembrance -
Leta is Elaine's mother
(Spelling and punctuation corrections have been made
– no changes were made to the sentence structure or
voice – other corrections will be shown in parenthesis –
Linda Fretwell Duchaine – December 2007)
My earliest memory as a child is in Missouri. I was
between two and three years old.
I remember my mother singing church hymns to me and
teaching me to sing. I remember we had some chickens
and a mean old rooster. Every time I would go to the chicken yard, this old rooster would take after me. My
mother always saved me though. I remember going into the sugar cane fields with my father, it was like a huge
forest to me, the cane stocks being so tall and me so short. My father used to cut some sugar cane for me to
suck on. I remember the sweetness of the cane. I remember being in a tornado one time and how black and
mean the sky looked just as we were scurrying for the cellar. I remember the sound of the wind and thinking I
would surely die there.
I remember my grandmother and grandfather Doolin and how they would love and hold me whenever I saw
them.
My next memory is living in the house outside of Manassa before Richard was born. We had some pigs and
one boar was very mean. The day Richard was born, grandmother Boice was at our house, and I remember
her telling me to go sit on the back step and watch for the stork to bring us a new baby. I thought this was the
most important and exciting thing she could ask me to do. I sat and stared into the heavens until it was too
dark to see, then I remember hearing a baby cry and grandma coming and telling me I had a sweet little baby
brother. I remember being very hurt and resentful at him being there without me seeing the stork.
I remember when we had the dairy outside of Manassa down the lane. I would walk to school and back, and in
the afternoon, I would have to pump water for the cows. Many times go to the pasture and bring them in for
milking. I remember helping mother and dad separate the milk, churn buttermilk and make butter.
I remember washing bottles, capping them and putting them into crates for dad to take to town. My memories
of living there on that farm are good memories. Mother loved ice cream and at every opportunity she would
make a freezer of ice cream. It was a special treat when we could have banana ice cream.
Before we had the dairy, I remember living in the “little house” by grandma and grandpa, and what fun I had on
the farm. Lynn and Grant (Boice) were my idols, but they were always running away from me. Not wanting to
be bothered by a little brat cousin. Lots of times I had to tend Richard as a baby, and he seemed to cry more
than I liked. I would rock his cradle and hope and pray he would go to sleep and not cry. I’m sure my time at
rocking was not that long, but as a child it seemed forever. It was always a special time to get to visit my
cousins who lived close by, Dale, LaRee, Betty, Verla and Ronald. We all had such good times together.
When we moved to California, I couldn’t get over the sight of sidewalks and neon lights. I know this was the
most wonderful place to live. I immediately learned to roller-skate and wore…..(the last sentence on this page
is incomplete).
…..(incomplete start to the sentence)..lived there was two little girls my size to play with, Joyce and JoAnn. We
played together and went to school together.
Every Saturday afternoon we could go to the matinee for 10-cents and see a movie plus a “serial” usually
Buck Rogers or Hop-a-long Cassidy. One time there was a vaudeville act with an accordionist. This was so
dazzling and showy, I fell in love with it and wanted to learn to play. That was the plan of the show. After a man
asked who wanted to learn to play, and my hand was the first one up. This was the beginning of my music
education on the accordion. After the man came to see mother about me taking music lessons for 12 weeks
with an accordion furnished, I begged for her to let me. I also remember wanting a bicycle very bad, so mother
gave me the choice of a bike or taking accordion lessons. Well, that was no contest, I started and after the
twelve weeks were over, So. Calif. Music wanted to sell my mother an accordion for me. I know now it was a
tremendous sacrifice for her to give me the opportunity to study music. I started playing and taking lessons
privately and having the good fortune to find on of the best teachers in the whole city.
Elaine Doolin was born April 6, 1930 in Salt Lake City, Utah
She was Baptised May 1, 1938
Elaine Doolin Hitti died November 14, 2006 in Mesa, Arizona
