Sina Olsen Ackroyd.  My great grandmother

I was able to read a about my great grandmother Sina Olsen Ackroyd.  I have to tell you the first paragraph that she wrote on her autobiography.  “Autobiography is a very self-consious effort.  You dare not make much of your success for fear it will savour of bragging, likewise you minimize your failures so people will not think too ill of you, so rather than consider this an autobiography think of it as a few of the happenings that I encountered on my journey through life.”  I find this paragraph astounding because I realize that my mother is very modest in her life too.  My mother would probably write the same thing.  It is so interesting to see these characteristics being passed down.  I also stumbled on an interesting fact that she sucked her thumb and was left -handed.  This was only paragraph two and I find this part fascinating because I sucked my thumb and was left-thumb.  My daughter, Charlotte who is only 2 months old, is also trying to suck her thumb on her left hand.  This is so fun! 

There is a story I have to mention because it makes me cringe and I don’t think I can be as brave as my great-great grandmother.  Sina and her brother Chris were playing with the feed chopper.  Sina put her hand in the chopper and her brother turned the wheel catching her hand twice through the chopper.  Sina’s mother put her on her lap and covered Sina’s eyes with her apron and cut off her fourth finger using her husband’s razor.  I am amazed that her mother was able to do that because I could not keep my cool when red ants were crawling all over my Preston.  These ladies had some courage to deal with things on their own and do the best they could possibly do. 

Sina must have been such a wonderful mother.  My grandmother, Clara had nothing ill to speak about her mother.  Apparently Sina’s husband died leaving her to care for 8 children with only one of them was married.  Their family survived since she knew how to live a provident living for them.  Clara wrote about they survived which was growing everything they needed in life.  They even had a bee farm.  They had to get rid of the bee farm when Sina kept getting more allergic with each sting she got.  One time she turned blue and had the boys help her and by miracle and faith she survived.   My grandmother asked how she was ever able to sleep with all of her responsibilities and she stated that when her head hit the pillow she would go right to sleep. 

I love her closing statement regarding her grandchildren, “As I look them over I can see both physical and mental characteristics of my own cropping out in each of them, so here is a sobering thought, these characteristics, for good or evil will be handed down eternally.  Pray God most of them may be for good.”

My grandmother, Clara was with her as she passed away.