When Mercel and Esmie had their first set of children, life was a lot simpler yet they were very happy together as a couple.
During the 50 through the early seventies, most Districts in Jamaica did not have electricity, running water or phones. Life was a lot less complicated and children were a lot happier. The played together and stayed together. Relationship were a lot more binding and respectful.
When people died the body would stay no longer than two days before being buried. It took two days as the coffins had to be built by a district carpenter. At nights the body would be taken out of the house and put outside as it was much cooler. During the days, coffee would be burned underneath the bed to keep scent down.
Then in Craighead there was a town crier, Miss Larry a very poor woman who was more than happy to get her payment from just being given a whole lot of coffee to drink. If someone in the District was terminally ill, a lot of people would stay at the house every night to await the passing. Once this person passed and news got to Miss Larry, she would do the very loud crying to alert everyone in the District.
External communications were through telegraph only. There was a line connected to each District post office and the Post Mistress would receive a brief message, the Post Mistress would write the exact message on a pink form and have a person hand deliver it to the home of the recipient. Messages were very brief as each letter cost money and the system wasn't built to have long communications. Message, example" come at once!"
There were no taxis to take back and forth and buses only ran certain hours. If that bus was missed, then one would have to travel the next day.
There were so much love in the Austin's home...so much love that whenever their children that they left behind thinks about these memories, it put smiles on their faces.
During the 50 through the early seventies, most Districts in Jamaica did not have electricity, running water or phones. Life was a lot less complicated and children were a lot happier. The played together and stayed together. Relationship were a lot more binding and respectful.
When people died the body would stay no longer than two days before being buried. It took two days as the coffins had to be built by a district carpenter. At nights the body would be taken out of the house and put outside as it was much cooler. During the days, coffee would be burned underneath the bed to keep scent down.
Then in Craighead there was a town crier, Miss Larry a very poor woman who was more than happy to get her payment from just being given a whole lot of coffee to drink. If someone in the District was terminally ill, a lot of people would stay at the house every night to await the passing. Once this person passed and news got to Miss Larry, she would do the very loud crying to alert everyone in the District.
External communications were through telegraph only. There was a line connected to each District post office and the Post Mistress would receive a brief message, the Post Mistress would write the exact message on a pink form and have a person hand deliver it to the home of the recipient. Messages were very brief as each letter cost money and the system wasn't built to have long communications. Message, example" come at once!"
There were no taxis to take back and forth and buses only ran certain hours. If that bus was missed, then one would have to travel the next day.
There were so much love in the Austin's home...so much love that whenever their children that they left behind thinks about these memories, it put smiles on their faces.
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