Laura Sutton, fifth child & the youngest daughter of Percy Hall Sutton and Emily Cora Hill. She was born in Bloomsbury, but by sometime after 1940, the family had moved into Phillipsburg from Alpha and set down their roots, mostly living on Howard & Fayette streets.
Laura married Hugh Roger Walls, from Easton, on 9 Dec 1944. Come that March of 1945, Roger enlisted in the US Army & was sent overseas. Sometime after returning, they bought their home on Mercer Street in Phillipsburg, and raised a family of 5 children along with their doors open to many a niece and nephew also. Their house was always full of teenagers, or so it seemed to me. Almost all of my cousins up in the area were at least 10 years older than I was, many older than that. By the time I got old enough to have memories, starting around 2-3 or so, they were all teenagers, thus, that is my memory of Aunt Toot & Uncle Rodge's home. A houseful of teenagers coming and going, whooping and hollering, always on the go, day and night. While we were living up there, my mother's youngest sister was also living with us, and thus she was another of the many teenagers with loads of memories to cherish.
Familiarly known as "Toots" (pronounced like 'foots', not like 'boots') to many of the adults, and "Aunt Toot" to all of us nieces & nephews. She was a jolly person to be around, could talk very loud when needed and had a jovial laugh and would often laugh over things until she wiped tears. Very fun to be around. Her kitchen was also almost always with company sitting at her table with a cup of coffee. Early morning until very late at night there was always someone straggling in to sit and have a chat, or sometimes the stragglers would seem to come in droves and her small kitchen would be overflowing with visitors, family, friends, neighbors or friends of any of the afore mentioned.
Aunt Toot loved going to the local amusement park, Bushkill, that had us all many a time going over by the car load full to have a fun evening. Crammed like sardines in the rides and laugh & scream until too tired to do any more. She also enjoyed her bingo nights and going to the dog tracks. Many, many a Saturday night at their house was a crowd around her kitchen table with games of pinochle or canasta, going well into the "wee hours". Other of the many nights, was just so nice, sitting out on the front porch, in the peace and quiet & gentle breezes, for the little whiles there were any (quiet or breezes), and enjoying the "hellos" of the neighbors up and down the street doing the same.
My memories of her home and being with her, I cherish. I always felt at home there. Home is where the heart is, they say, and I always felt like I left a piece of me behind every time we left, after going up for a visit on holidays or while on layovers from Dad's job. I spoke often of Aunt Toot and Uncle Rodge to my children, and when they were mid-teens, in 1998, I finally got to take them up there. They too, felt at home. Especially my son. He broke down the day before we left, not wanting to leave, saying that he knew I had always talked about it feeling "like home", and now he understood, and didn't want to go back south, but knew that we would have to. We had only been up there for a 3 day stay, and these people had been strangers to them when we arrived, but by the second day, they truly felt like "one of the crowd" and fit right in. That had never been for them down here among their "southern" families. When we loaded up to leave, we all felt like we had left our hearts behind.
In 2004, my mother and I made one more trip up, just the two of us. It felt "good to be back", but at the same time, it was a "lost" feeling while there, with Aunt Toot & Uncle Rodge no longer there to visit & laugh with. Right now, as I write this, it feels good remembering all the times, but yet, there is a hole in my heart, a void that was only a space for them.
I will update this, but for now, this is all I can manage.
Laura married Hugh Roger Walls, from Easton, on 9 Dec 1944. Come that March of 1945, Roger enlisted in the US Army & was sent overseas. Sometime after returning, they bought their home on Mercer Street in Phillipsburg, and raised a family of 5 children along with their doors open to many a niece and nephew also. Their house was always full of teenagers, or so it seemed to me. Almost all of my cousins up in the area were at least 10 years older than I was, many older than that. By the time I got old enough to have memories, starting around 2-3 or so, they were all teenagers, thus, that is my memory of Aunt Toot & Uncle Rodge's home. A houseful of teenagers coming and going, whooping and hollering, always on the go, day and night. While we were living up there, my mother's youngest sister was also living with us, and thus she was another of the many teenagers with loads of memories to cherish.
Familiarly known as "Toots" (pronounced like 'foots', not like 'boots') to many of the adults, and "Aunt Toot" to all of us nieces & nephews. She was a jolly person to be around, could talk very loud when needed and had a jovial laugh and would often laugh over things until she wiped tears. Very fun to be around. Her kitchen was also almost always with company sitting at her table with a cup of coffee. Early morning until very late at night there was always someone straggling in to sit and have a chat, or sometimes the stragglers would seem to come in droves and her small kitchen would be overflowing with visitors, family, friends, neighbors or friends of any of the afore mentioned.
Aunt Toot loved going to the local amusement park, Bushkill, that had us all many a time going over by the car load full to have a fun evening. Crammed like sardines in the rides and laugh & scream until too tired to do any more. She also enjoyed her bingo nights and going to the dog tracks. Many, many a Saturday night at their house was a crowd around her kitchen table with games of pinochle or canasta, going well into the "wee hours". Other of the many nights, was just so nice, sitting out on the front porch, in the peace and quiet & gentle breezes, for the little whiles there were any (quiet or breezes), and enjoying the "hellos" of the neighbors up and down the street doing the same.
My memories of her home and being with her, I cherish. I always felt at home there. Home is where the heart is, they say, and I always felt like I left a piece of me behind every time we left, after going up for a visit on holidays or while on layovers from Dad's job. I spoke often of Aunt Toot and Uncle Rodge to my children, and when they were mid-teens, in 1998, I finally got to take them up there. They too, felt at home. Especially my son. He broke down the day before we left, not wanting to leave, saying that he knew I had always talked about it feeling "like home", and now he understood, and didn't want to go back south, but knew that we would have to. We had only been up there for a 3 day stay, and these people had been strangers to them when we arrived, but by the second day, they truly felt like "one of the crowd" and fit right in. That had never been for them down here among their "southern" families. When we loaded up to leave, we all felt like we had left our hearts behind.
In 2004, my mother and I made one more trip up, just the two of us. It felt "good to be back", but at the same time, it was a "lost" feeling while there, with Aunt Toot & Uncle Rodge no longer there to visit & laugh with. Right now, as I write this, it feels good remembering all the times, but yet, there is a hole in my heart, a void that was only a space for them.
I will update this, but for now, this is all I can manage.
Laura Sutton, fifth child & the youngest daughter of Percy Hall Sutton and Emily Cora Hill. She was born in Bloomsbury, but by sometime after 1940, the family had moved into Phillipsburg from Alpha and set down their roots, mostly living on Howard & Fayette streets.
Laura married Hugh Roger Walls, from Easton, on 9 Dec 1944. Come that March of 1945, Roger enlisted in the US Army & was sent overseas. Sometime after returning, they bought their home on Mercer Street in Phillipsburg, and raised a family of 5 children along with their doors open to many a niece and nephew also. Their house was always full of teenagers, or so it seemed to me. Almost all of my cousins up in the area were at least 10 years older than I was, many older than that. By the time I got old enough to have memories, starting around 2-3 or so, they were all teenagers, thus, that is my memory of Aunt Toot & Uncle Rodge's home. A houseful of teenagers coming and going, whooping and hollering, always on the go, day and night. While we were living up there, my mother's youngest sister was also living with us, and thus she was another of the many teenagers with loads of memories to cherish.
Familiarly known as "Toots" (pronounced like 'foots', not like 'boots') to many of the adults, and "Aunt Toot" to all of us nieces & nephews. She was a jolly person to be around, could talk very loud when needed and had a jovial laugh and would often laugh over things until she wiped tears. Very fun to be around. Her kitchen was also almost always with company sitting at her table with a cup of coffee. Early morning until very late at night there was always someone straggling in to sit and have a chat, or sometimes the stragglers would seem to come in droves and her small kitchen would be overflowing with visitors, family, friends, neighbors or friends of any of the afore mentioned.
Aunt Toot loved going to the local amusement park, Bushkill, that had us all many a time going over by the car load full to have a fun evening. Crammed like sardines in the rides and laugh & scream until too tired to do any more. She also enjoyed her bingo nights and going to the dog tracks. Many, many a Saturday night at their house was a crowd around her kitchen table with games of pinochle or canasta, going well into the "wee hours". Other of the many nights, was just so nice, sitting out on the front porch, in the peace and quiet & gentle breezes, for the little whiles there were any (quiet or breezes), and enjoying the "hellos" of the neighbors up and down the street doing the same.
My memories of her home and being with her, I cherish. I always felt at home there. Home is where the heart is, they say, and I always felt like I left a piece of me behind every time we left, after going up for a visit on holidays or while on layovers from Dad's job. I spoke often of Aunt Toot and Uncle Rodge to my children, and when they were mid-teens, in 1998, I finally got to take them up there. They too, felt at home. Especially my son. He broke down the day before we left, not wanting to leave, saying that he knew I had always talked about it feeling "like home", and now he understood, and didn't want to go back south, but knew that we would have to. We had only been up there for a 3 day stay, and these people had been strangers to them when we arrived, but by the second day, they truly felt like "one of the crowd" and fit right in. That had never been for them down here among their "southern" families. When we loaded up to leave, we all felt like we had left our hearts behind.
In 2004, my mother and I made one more trip up, just the two of us. It felt "good to be back", but at the same time, it was a "lost" feeling while there, with Aunt Toot & Uncle Rodge no longer there to visit & laugh with. Right now, as I write this, it feels good remembering all the times, but yet, there is a hole in my heart, a void that was only a space for them.
I will update this, but for now, this is all I can manage.
Laura married Hugh Roger Walls, from Easton, on 9 Dec 1944. Come that March of 1945, Roger enlisted in the US Army & was sent overseas. Sometime after returning, they bought their home on Mercer Street in Phillipsburg, and raised a family of 5 children along with their doors open to many a niece and nephew also. Their house was always full of teenagers, or so it seemed to me. Almost all of my cousins up in the area were at least 10 years older than I was, many older than that. By the time I got old enough to have memories, starting around 2-3 or so, they were all teenagers, thus, that is my memory of Aunt Toot & Uncle Rodge's home. A houseful of teenagers coming and going, whooping and hollering, always on the go, day and night. While we were living up there, my mother's youngest sister was also living with us, and thus she was another of the many teenagers with loads of memories to cherish.
Familiarly known as "Toots" (pronounced like 'foots', not like 'boots') to many of the adults, and "Aunt Toot" to all of us nieces & nephews. She was a jolly person to be around, could talk very loud when needed and had a jovial laugh and would often laugh over things until she wiped tears. Very fun to be around. Her kitchen was also almost always with company sitting at her table with a cup of coffee. Early morning until very late at night there was always someone straggling in to sit and have a chat, or sometimes the stragglers would seem to come in droves and her small kitchen would be overflowing with visitors, family, friends, neighbors or friends of any of the afore mentioned.
Aunt Toot loved going to the local amusement park, Bushkill, that had us all many a time going over by the car load full to have a fun evening. Crammed like sardines in the rides and laugh & scream until too tired to do any more. She also enjoyed her bingo nights and going to the dog tracks. Many, many a Saturday night at their house was a crowd around her kitchen table with games of pinochle or canasta, going well into the "wee hours". Other of the many nights, was just so nice, sitting out on the front porch, in the peace and quiet & gentle breezes, for the little whiles there were any (quiet or breezes), and enjoying the "hellos" of the neighbors up and down the street doing the same.
My memories of her home and being with her, I cherish. I always felt at home there. Home is where the heart is, they say, and I always felt like I left a piece of me behind every time we left, after going up for a visit on holidays or while on layovers from Dad's job. I spoke often of Aunt Toot and Uncle Rodge to my children, and when they were mid-teens, in 1998, I finally got to take them up there. They too, felt at home. Especially my son. He broke down the day before we left, not wanting to leave, saying that he knew I had always talked about it feeling "like home", and now he understood, and didn't want to go back south, but knew that we would have to. We had only been up there for a 3 day stay, and these people had been strangers to them when we arrived, but by the second day, they truly felt like "one of the crowd" and fit right in. That had never been for them down here among their "southern" families. When we loaded up to leave, we all felt like we had left our hearts behind.
In 2004, my mother and I made one more trip up, just the two of us. It felt "good to be back", but at the same time, it was a "lost" feeling while there, with Aunt Toot & Uncle Rodge no longer there to visit & laugh with. Right now, as I write this, it feels good remembering all the times, but yet, there is a hole in my heart, a void that was only a space for them.
I will update this, but for now, this is all I can manage.
Family Members
Siblings
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
