"Ethel and her chickens" - retold by her niece Beverly Frye

Did you ever here about Aunt Ethel and her chickens? Her husband Leroy Felix, bought a small Farm above New Baltimore. Aunt was there alone while he commuted to his job at the steel mill in Johnstown. She had her faithful dog Nellie, chickens, and a huge sow with 10 piglets. But the old barn across the lane housed the chickens and the pigs. Mom and the three of us stayed there often. Aunt and I tried many evenings placing the chickens on their roost because of predators. Of course, they jumped down. It was useless to train them. They roosted when they were ready!

This was a pre-Civil War stone house. It was charming after Mom and Aunt attacked it. No electricity, no furnace – just oil lamps, a pump and a large cook stove.

There were 3 small bedrooms up a narrow stair-way.

Anyway – back to the chickens. You can imagine how cold winters were there with only logs and coal heating the woodstove. Aunt loved it and thrived! But she was worried about her chickens in the barn. Thus she built a coop in the bedroom next to hers and Leroy's.

All went well with her secret coop. Leroy came home quite late – and the chickens were sleeping.

But one loud mouthed rooster crowed too early one morning. Needless to say, Leroy jumped to the low ceiling. But the chickens remained (at Aunt's persistence) until spring!

This is why Mr. Herd's exploits appeal to me.

World War II came along. Aunt and Felix sold the farm and went to Cleveland for jobs, and eventually divorced.



Johnstown Tribune-Democrat: 31 Dec 1992

BAUMGARDNER - Clema Ethel, 86, Eighth Ward, died Dec. 29, 1992, at home. Born March 6, 1906, in Windber, daughter of Jacob and Lavina (Miller) Baumgardner. Preceded in death by parents; and 11 brothers and sisters. Survived by sister, Verda L. Frye, Moxham; and several nieces and nephews. Member of Christ United Methodist Church. Friends received from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Moskal & Kennedy Colonial Funeral Home, Ohio Street and Highland Avenue, where service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, the Rev. Deborah Ackley-Killian, officiating. Interment, Richland Cemetery.