Evelyn Clair Dodge Nelson
Evelyn Clair Dodge: Nearly a Century of Hard Work and Love
You should know about your ancestor, Evelyn Clair Dodge, affectionately known to her grandchildren as Nana. She lived an incredibly long life, from the horse-and-buggy days all the way into the digital age. When she was born on January 13, 1911, her parents, Fred and Mabel, were so excited. They were 35 and 33, which was a little older for new parents back then, Evelyn was born on a dairy farm in a small town called East Haverhill, New Hampshire.
Evelyn's life was one of a lot of movement and change. When she was a little girl, around eight years old, her family was living in Lewiston, Maine. Her parents Fred and Mabel were very religious and moved to Boston, becoming deeply involved in a church there. A few years later, by the time she was 14, they had moved again, this time to Providence, Rhode Island where her parents founded the Church of Jesus in 1927. She really settled into her life there. In fact, she graduated from Commercial High School in Providence in 1928, having studied bookkeeping, which was a practical skill that would serve her well. Evelyn was an attractive woman, standing at 5 feet 11 inches tall with long legs and beautiful hair.
That same year, at just 17, she married Carl Nelson. They got their marriage license in Providence on November 20, 1928, and a whole new chapter began. They started their life together in Providence in an apartment on Westminster St. Providence was a busy, bustling city. Soon after their marriage Evelyn became pregnant and delivered a healthy child who tragically died soon after birth from sudden infant death syndrome. Its hard to imagine how this young woman dealt with this aweful event. Two years after their marriage, Evelyn became pregnant with her second child, and the Dodges suggested that she and Carl move in with them. While in Providence living with the Dodges, she gave birth to 3 children, Ruth, Esther and David, all named for biblical characters. In 1936 they moved to Cranston, RI where her fourth child Miriam and youngest child Fred (named for his grandfather) were born. She didnt go to a hospital to deliver her children but birthed them at home with the aid of a midwife.
They lived with Fred and Mabel for over 10 years with a number of other church members in a large 30 room home nicknamed “The Big House”. At 2:00 am on Monday, June 10, 1947, Fred and Mabel and others forcibly evicted Evelyn, Carl and their 5 children from the home rendering the family with children ages 6 to 16 homeless. Carl filed suit against the church and won a judgement allowing He and Evelyn to purchase their lifetime home on Garden Street in Cranston. Evelyn never spoke to her parents again.
DETAILS OF COURT CASE 1948 DETAILS OF APPEAL 1949 They were a working-class family, with Carl working at a jewelry company and Evelyn in The Country Store on Rolfe St in Cranston. The Country store burned down in May of 1963. Evelyn put her bookkeeping skills to work later in life as a credit office clerk at the Outlet Company store in Garden City. She worked there for 12 years efore retiring in 1976. They must have worked really hard to raise their large family. Evelyn was a woman or great faith in God and never said a bad word about anyone. She believed that God was not judgemental, but was always kind and was there for us. Her faith was simple, strong and quiet. One of her pleasures on a hot summer afternoon (there were no home air conditioners in those days) was to sit out on her screened porch which she called “the piazza” and enjoy her yard and neighbors. Evelyn always remembered the birthdays of her grandchildren. She always sent a birthday card with $5.00 tucked inside. When the grandchildren visited she pulled out a shoebox of little plastic "cowboys and indians" from under the bed for them to play with and treated them to old fashioned "hermit bars". In 1978, her children threw a surprise party for their 50th wedding anniversary at the Admiral Inn, with 180 of their friends and family. they even recived a proclamation from the Mayor of Cranston. It was a big deal!
Later in life, Evelyn suffered fron osteoporosis, which left her with painful vertebral fractures and a "bent over" appearance eventally landing her in a wheelchair. Evelyn lost her parents, Mabel and Fred, in the late 1950s. She said goodbye to her husband, Carl, in 1986 after 57 years of marriage. Evelyn lived to be 96 years old, which is a truly amazing accomplishment. She saw so much of the world change in her lifetime. She was born before World War I and lived to see the rise of the internet. She passed away on September 19, 2007 at Hallworth House in Providence and was buried in Johnston, Rhode Island. She was a woman who built a family, worked hard, and lived a long, full life. At the time of her death, she left behind 16 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren and several great-great grandchildren.
DETAILS OF COURT CASE 1948 DETAILS OF APPEAL 1949 They were a working-class family, with Carl working at a jewelry company and Evelyn in The Country Store on Rolfe St in Cranston. The Country store burned down in May of 1963. Evelyn put her bookkeeping skills to work later in life as a credit office clerk at the Outlet Company store in Garden City. She worked there for 12 years efore retiring in 1976. They must have worked really hard to raise their large family. Evelyn was a woman or great faith in God and never said a bad word about anyone. She believed that God was not judgemental, but was always kind and was there for us. Her faith was simple, strong and quiet. One of her pleasures on a hot summer afternoon (there were no home air conditioners in those days) was to sit out on her screened porch which she called “the piazza” and enjoy her yard and neighbors. Evelyn always remembered the birthdays of her grandchildren. She always sent a birthday card with $5.00 tucked inside. When the grandchildren visited she pulled out a shoebox of little plastic "cowboys and indians" from under the bed for them to play with and treated them to old fashioned "hermit bars". In 1978, her children threw a surprise party for their 50th wedding anniversary at the Admiral Inn, with 180 of their friends and family. they even recived a proclamation from the Mayor of Cranston. It was a big deal!
Later in life, Evelyn suffered fron osteoporosis, which left her with painful vertebral fractures and a "bent over" appearance eventally landing her in a wheelchair. Evelyn lost her parents, Mabel and Fred, in the late 1950s. She said goodbye to her husband, Carl, in 1986 after 57 years of marriage. Evelyn lived to be 96 years old, which is a truly amazing accomplishment. She saw so much of the world change in her lifetime. She was born before World War I and lived to see the rise of the internet. She passed away on September 19, 2007 at Hallworth House in Providence and was buried in Johnston, Rhode Island. She was a woman who built a family, worked hard, and lived a long, full life. At the time of her death, she left behind 16 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren and several great-great grandchildren.