This is the text of an email interview with my mothers mama about our Siberian family that I use in my thesis - as I attempt to see how displaced communities can utilize Second Life I decided to trace my own displaced self - So I had to ask the experts -
To: Megan Jean Harlow
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 8:37 AM
Subject: Co-incidence?
Megan, isn't this crazy? I wrote to you last night asking questions and this morning I get an email from you ask me questions! Now how peculiar is that? :-) OK, I'll answer yours first!
Great Grandma Clara
was she into any of the tarot, astrology, or any pagan like religious rituals? Nope.
what was her relationship with The Old Settlers? She translated for them as they moved into the Woodburn area in the late 60"s and 70's.
What religious, spiritual practices/values/ideologies did she have? She was born into the Jewish faith but told me that they weren't very observant; didn't go to synagogue regularly. She married my Dad who came from a Mormon family but he wasn't a regular church goer either. She let me attend several churches with girlfriends and was nice to Mormon missionaries. Then when I was about 14, I think, I started going to the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints (they're the ones who split from the main church that followed Brigham Young (my great-great uncle, I believe). She started going with me and became a Christian which would have freaked out her more conservative sister, Sue, who remained in the Jewish faith. How observant Sue was, I have no idea. But Mom believed that Jesus was the Messiah predicted by the Jews and they had just failed to recognize him.
How did she speak about Siberia - did she miss it fondly etc? I don't recall her bringing it up a lot but I'd often ask her for stories. She liked Western TV shows, like Gunsmoke, and later I realized it must have been because Siberia's landscape was a lot like the background in those early Westerns. And it was a frontier. Read your Great-Aunt Laura's books, Siberian Odyssey; The Exiles and The Immigrants, and you'll have a vast panorama of Siberia and family. You know Laura Anne spent a lot of time one summer interviewing my Mom for information about her life in Siberia. We have tapes of that. And she used a lot of that information in writing her books.
Did you know her other family members? How did they speak of the homeland? I knew her brothers, Able & Leo and her sister, Sue (Sarah) some. But they lived on the East Coast (Abe in San Francisco; and I was the youngest child of 5 so there was a wide age gap. I never heard them talk about the "old country." My brother, David, told me something of the adventures and narrow escapes that Leo had when World War II broke out. He'd been skiing in Switzerland and because he was Jewish, he had to find devious ways home, like getting secret passage on boats or cargo ships. I wish he'd given me more details and don't know where one could find them. Leo and Abe both volunteered for the Army in World War I. Both went to France. Abe was gassed (mustard gas) and his voice was raspy ever after. Leo married a French girl, Cecile, and brought her home to New York City. Abe (a Sadge) was a scrapper, Mama said. He boxed on or for the army on the troop ships. He was an extremely handsome young man but all that fighting and then mustard gas attack ruined his beauty. :-(
Where exactly is the homeland, or where did she live when they left Russia? Read the books. :-) She grew up in Chita (spelling?) and went to the University in Tomsk, Siberia. The first time they left Siberia was in 1906. Grandpa Gladstone took them to San Francisco and they arrived shortly after the great earthquake. He owned several blocks of property in downtown San Fran. He'd left the majority of his property and business interests in the hands of a friend back in Siberia. When he received word that this friend was gambling away his assets, he sold his San Francisco property and the family returned to Siberia. I think that about 1908 or 1910. Not sure. Abe and Leo stayed behind with cousins in San Fran but Mama, Sue and George returned to Russia. Mama did some English tutoring there but don't when or where. She and Sue went to the University; Mama to study voice, Sue piano. She told me how one day, when they went out to go to class, pamphlets were being distributing saying that the Revolutions had started and students should go home.
How old was she when she came to America?
She was about 8 the first time. And I think she was around 20 or so the second time. She and Sue and her parents escaped Siberia during the Revolution. Christian missionaries took them across the Gobi Desert into China. Mama and Sue lived in Harbin where Mama worked in a Russian-English bank. Since she knew English, she was a valuable translator and employee. I think they finally got passage to America in about 1920 or 21; maybe even 1922. (it was during this voyage that an admirer gave her the little Buddha from India that I have.) She was also engaged to a young Jewish man, David Greenspan, but she "gave him the mitten" in favor of my Dad. She and my Dad got married in 1923 and Laura was born in 1924.
She worked as a dental assistant. Her brother, Abe, and I think George were going to Stanford and knew my Dad. Mom was invited to sing at a party given by a professor and that's when Dad first met her. She said she came home from work the next day to find a bouquet of flowers tied to her door addressed to "My Princess Sunshine." (note; we are a family of unrepentant romantics.)
What is the story of her getting accepted to the opera or something? She sang in the school production of either Carmen or MacBeth. She said the teachers had the starring roles but she was chosen to be one of a trio of gypsies. She was accepted into the chorus at the San Carlo Opera after she was married. She said she had to travel by bus some distance to rehearsals. Newly married, and possibly pregnant or a new mother, she wanted to be at home so she resigned. :-( She also said she sang at a benefit to buy land in Palestine for the Jews. I think it was in America or maybe Russia. Padervsky (not spelled correctly) a famous pianist was on the same program. He complimented her back stage, saying that she had a lovely voice. She sang on the radio a few times and was asked to sing for the Women's Club in Woodburn at times. She was a member there for awhile.
Is there any published material about her beside Aunt Laura's book? Not that I know of.
What are Freda's indigenous roots? Read Laura's book. I don't recall off the top of my head.
How did you become involved with astrology-tarot etc? I met a gal, Evelyn Griffin, who was into astrology. I was already into the mystic path from my membership in the Rosicrucian Order so this seemed a natural offshoot.
What was the church that you brought ma and Joe and Pete to when they
were little? I think it was the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints but mostly we did lessons from the children's part of Rosicrucian Order.
Hope this helps you out with your thesis work. If you call me, I'm off to Chrysalis today; tomorrow morning I'll be at the gym.
Now answer my questions! :-) Good luck on your work! Love, Grams
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