Part II: In a Family Way

Modified

October 8, 2024

Keywords

fashion, body image, historical fiction, American history, Wisconsin, working class, generational trauma, poverty, healthcare, parenting

Black-and-white snapshot of Lila as a young adult, sitting on the steps in front of a house, surrounded by six small children. Her son, no more than two years old, is sitting in her lap. Most of the children are barefoot and messy. — Lila, circa 1948. In the center is her oldest daughter, Myrtle Joyce. Her son, John, is sitting in her lap. Standing on her left are Veda’s children, Patty and David.

Genealogical chart showing Lila’s in-laws. Edward and Alice Schneider had nine children, including Lila’s husband, Herman. — I developed this genealogical chart using data from ancestry.com. It does not include most of Lila’s children, because Herman only fathered her second and third children (John and Alice). Alice was my mother.

Notes

In this part of the book, we are introduced to the Schneider family of West Salem, which Viola and Myrtle Johnson have already married into.