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Note: Pearl Morgan Sowers Social Security Number: 212-74-1527
Name: Source 19 claims Pearl originally was spelled Pearle, but the "e" was left off later. Pearl told Nancy Daniels that Morgan was surname of Clara Walters best friend.
Religion: Presbyterian/Congregational.
Occupation: Teacher, then housewife.
Illness: In 1971 she was diagnosed as having manic-depression.
July 4, 1924: Pearl's first kiss (Quoted and paraphrased from Pearl's diary entry of, Friday, July 4, 1924): "Dick and Mary here. Amos came for dinner. I got up and cleaned the house a little. Read part of the morn. and kept Dick. We baked cream, butter-scotch, custard pies, and Dora made an angel-food cake. We had a very good dinner. Amos bro't some ice-cream. At 1:00 Harry, Minnie Smith & Aunt Nannie Sowers came and took me to Clarion. When we got there the grand-stand was filled and so we had to stand. Across the track on the fence was John Eberline and Don Grace. Oh! I had a jolly time. Flirted and so on. We saw auto, horse, & jockey races. They were very good. Oh My! I saw Hazel Neil and Harold Miller. Well about 6:30 we started for home and it started to rain. When we got to Corsica, we went over to John De Haven's and I did not expect to get out of the car but we all did. Glad afterwards that I did. As soon as we got there, Charles Hindman [The whole family was up.] had his violin, so we played. Oh such is life. Well after awhile we went out to have the fire-works. They were great! Charles called me sweetheart and everything. He told me about Bill Marshall and etc. Babies put off the sparklers. Went in the house again and we played together and sang til 10:00. Then we started. Got out on the porch and he asked me for a kiss. When I got in the car, I had my first good-night kiss [age 19]. Then we started home.
August 30, 1924: From Pearl Sowers Diary : "At 8:30 I got my pictures out and showed them to the fellows & girls here. John took one of the best ones. Well at nine we started down the steps & ran into Grant C. The fellows wanted to take us home & I asked Harriet & she said they didn't ask her. So I said I didn't care. When we got down at the bottom of the stairs the fellows were out of sight. I wanted my picture so I raced up the stairs & into the office & asked where John was and they didn't know. Well I sure felt cheap. Harriet & I didn't know what to do so we walked down street & here they came along in the car. We got in. Drove along 'till we got to Strattonville and turned. J. had his arm around H. & I. I took his ring off his finger coming back. We met the state police 3 times. Harriet tried to light Moldy's [a guy] cigarette & the match would go out every time. When we got home it was 11:30. We got out at Harriet's & went up on to the porch & talked awhile & I heard someone yell "Pearl" up the street, & here it was my mother. I down off the porch with a (I'll get the dickens) and yelled at John to get my things out of the back of the car. He was so bad scared he could hardly say good-night. I couldn't. I got the dickens going home. I was so cross I didn't speak to Hester or Kate. Got to bed & couldn't sleep. August 31, 1924, Sun: Went to S. S. & church. Harriet apologized to Mother. Of which I was the whole cause of it all." =================================================================== Jan 29, 1930: Automobile: From Pearl Sowers Daniels diary: "We bought a new Reo car." [But, who is the "we". I (JPD) assume it was Sam Sowers family, since Pearl was not married yet to Frank.] =================================================================== Nov. 13, 1930 - Learned of Moore Apt. [In Jeannette, I (JPD) believe] Nov. 15, 1930 - Mrs. Leitch took me to see Mrs. Moore. F. saw Hugg so it was settled that we move Dec. 1. I was glad. To Greensburg to see about refrigerator moved. Dec. 1, 1930 - Up at 5. Moved today. Men here at 7 packed & over to house & thru' by 10:30. Boys in to help in eve. & Dad D. too.
[Here are some of Pearl's diary entries when they lived in Jeannette & Greensburgh and Pearl's sister, Mary, died, probably from a miscarriage, shortly after which Pearl's first child, Patricia, was born.]
Sep. 19, 1930 - I told Alda our secret. Oct. 23, 1930 - Told Sewing Club girls our secret. Jan. 31, 1931 - Dr. Miller said baby to come May 30. Feb. 28, 1931 - Mary sick. Mar. 3, 1931 - Mary better. Mar. 8, 1931 - Dora down to Homewood [In Pittsburgh where Fenstermaker's lived then] & took Mary, Amos, Dick & mother home. Mary stood trip real well. [During this time, Grandpa Sowers had pneumonia, for about a week. Also Frank Daniels' company cut all salaries by 10% (Monthly salary down from $270 to $243) -- these were additional things for my mom to worry about besides her sister and her own pregnancy.] Friday, April 10, 1931: "Mary operated on at Brookville Hospital at 10:30. Took baby from her. Very sick. At times they couldn't hear her pulse." Wednesday, April 15, 1931: "Mary died today at 11:50 A.M. from a blood clot on heart. Jennie O' called Frank & he came home & told me. He stayed with me until I got over the weeps (2:30). Alda stopped. I decided that it best for me not to go up. I talked with Dora and Mama over phone." Thursday, April 16, 1931: "Alda & I ordered a basket of roses ($10.00) for Mary. I drove car. At noon I wrote to Hat & cried. Rev. & Mrs. Crawford called in P.M. Just before he left he prayed & that upset me again." Friday, April 17, 1931: "Frank left here for home at 8:25 & took his father along. I cried so when he left. Alda came up to console me....At 6:40 Frank was back. Funeral was at 2:30." Tuesday, April 21, 1931: "Card from Mama saying they'd come down Wednesday." Monday, April 27: "About 6 I started to time the bearing-down pains & they lasted 6 min & descending to 2 min. so called Dr. at 7 & he said to go to hospital. F. got Alda & we went. No hard pains 'til 9:30. Home at 10:30. House Dr. examined me at 10." Tuesday, April 28, 1931: "Patty born at 1:10....After they took me to my room F. came & later they bro't baby in....Patty weighed 7 lbs. 5 3/4 ozs." Wednesday, May 6, 1931: "Dr. in at noon today & said I could go home any time tomorrow....Mother & Dora over with F. in eve. Amos on to Pitts." Thursday, May 7, 1931: "Nurse dressed me at 8:30. At 9 we went to nursery & saw baby bathed. Nursed baby & out to sun-parlor down stairs where folks waited for me. Home again by 10:35. Baby slept whole way." Friday, May 8, 1931: "Baby kept us awake a good bit last night. Amos & Mama started home about 3:15. When Mama saw Patty for first she said 'Oh! Isn't she fat!' F. said she looked like an Indian."
In e-mail [from Mildred Fenstermaker 4 Feb 2004] she said that Dick was apparently at my parents house and he heard someone outside and ran to the door saying maybe it was his mother? But, Dick said Grandpa Sowers came to his class room at school and told him his mother had died. I assume my mother heard about her sister's death shortly after 12:00 noon because she said she got over the weeps at 2:30.
The whole situation was pretty sad and traumatic I'm sure, especially since Mary died in Brookville. I assume Amos was in Brookville for the operation and stayed there after the shock of his wife dying unexpectedly. Then Grandpa Sowers, also in shock at the death of his youngest child, and had to drive to Pittsburgh and tell 8 year old Dick that his mother died, and he would have a really tough time understanding what was really happened. And, my mother would not only have been distraught because her sister died, but because she couldn't attend the funeral since she was expecting her first child. And also she was probably worried the same thing could happen to her during childbirth. ======================================================================= Miscellaneous diary entries:
1932 Feb 7 - We drove all over Greensburg & Jeannette looking for houses for rent. No luck. [A few more entries on house hunting, then...] 1932 Feb. 16 - Got an answer from Mr. D. E. Bossart saying we could have Greensburg house for $40 a mo. One from Templeton, too. 1932 Feb 19 - F. & I went to house in Greensburg & took measurements. [Many entries about going to house, putting down linoleum; turned lights, water & gas on; cleaned cupboards, ordered rugs, scrubbed wood work while Patty slept in car in garage, 1932 Mar. 15 - Up early & moved to Greensburg and all over by 1. 1941 Jul 13 - Had first accident in Detroit [I (JPD) believe a car pulled out of a parking space and they collided] [Had the 1938 Studebaker at the time] 1941 Jul 1, - Had to see about get new fender. 1941 Jul 15 - Stayed at cabin & drove on to Milwaukee arrv. 5:30 pm 1943 (not diary entry) Histerectomy - fibroid - only one ovary removed. 1949 Aug 25 - "Met him at La Guardia. F. home 1st time since May" 1953 Apr 13 (not diary entry) 7/8 of stomach removed because of ulcers (which started after her mother, living with them, broker her hip and had a slight stroke). ======================================================================== Miscellaneous Notes by Pearl Sowers Daniels:
Potatoes stick to the ribs better than bread & baked ones. Be sure to eat the jacket. Hard boiled egg will chase hunger best & longest. ======================================================================== Medical:
In 1943 after my hystermacy I realized I had M.D. [That is interesting because I (JPD) thought she wasn't diagnosed with manic drepression until 1971.] Oh! No! As I saw how my mother was. [Her mother was also depressed much of her life -- probably had manic depression also.] I felt so sorry for her but I didn't know how to ease the agony she was in. One Mayo Dr. said to the others just outside my door "To think her mother had no medicine." Mama wouldn't take medicine, even asprin... lithium hadn't been discovered yet. [Letter from Dr. Kammerer indicated on April 13, 1948 that she had depression for the past three years duration.]
Operations: 1943 Hysterectomy in Wash., D.C. (depressed after that). 1953, Milwaukee, 85% of stomach removed (ulcers). 1971, Mayo - St. Mary's - Gall bladder (27 small stones)
1949: Most of my trouble over the years has been rash.
1954: Wauwatosa diagnosed her psychiatric desease as: cyclothymia depressed reaction. Another doctor indicated secondary anorexia.
April 2 to May 22, 1971: was at Mayo Clinic for 50 days.
"April 15, 1971: While in the the Closed Ward (psycho) at Mayo, a man of about 60 sat down and ate with me (Pearl) for several days. He was N. P. Goulandris, a wealthy Greek ship owner & his son, Peter, was going to marry Christine Onassis, Aristotle's daughter. He told some of the men on the floor that he had a whole floor of the hospital rented and his wife lived there and the fleet commander came every evening. Once when Mr. Goulandris was at the labs, the fleet commander sat near the piano where I was playing hymns. He said that was very nice. I asked Mr. Goulandris to write something in Greek for me. He took a napkin and drew a picture of his wife saying "Hello there. Goodbye from N. P. Goulandris, Mayo Clinic, April 15, 1971." [JPD notes from Web search, Sep. 2004. If it is true Peter married Christine Onassis, the marriage would have been short lived. She married 4 men, length not over two years each. In 1988 she died at age 37 of a heart attack brought on by years of drug use. She was not married to Peter at that time. But, another interesting thing is that Peter's sister, Chryss, is wife to Sir A. J. F. O'Reilly (Tony) who is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the H. J. Heinz company.]"
At this time, after being diagnosed with manic-depression, she was put on Lithium -- a drug which had been around a long time, but was newly being experiemented with for manic-depression.
April 1976: Mayo and Fort Wayne doctors decided to take her off ALL medicines for one week. "...and that was HELL" (This was done to check for rashes) She couldn't sleep at night. Then they gave her wooden shoes and they presented a problem. Her rash would be on one foot, then the other. Also the rash frequently started on one ear, then spread to the other, then to both wrists, then in her hair. Soles of feet had big blisters and had to use a cane to walk. She also had scattered diverticula. Problems with bowels.
April 1976: More information from notes prior to visit with Dr. Sidel: "Bkf. at 7:30. Went back to bed and tried to sleep by reading but I have to be so quiet all the time as my husband started his income tax before Christmas and he just finished it today [April 12]. He is a perfectionist. No wonder his nerves are shot. He doesn't llike to take sedatives because he doesn't want to get int he habit....After I ate, I rested, then my husband wanted me to cut his hair. I stood for over an hr. doing that and I got very tired, 3 cuts....I'll bet this rash means I can't get to my 50th college reunion & take a vacation trip out East. Live is very mysterious. My husband, all his life, has done things, then regretted it. I have talked to a Dr. about him & he made me show my husband the notes I wrote. I think my husband is a sick man. Today my husband announced I was to go over all the Maryland and Indiana income tax returns with him. My husband is out of his relaxing pills. He is a loner and my daughter and husband never notice when I am sick, but my son and son-in-law can tell when I'm sick....When I was about to take a bath, the spigot leaked so I called my husband. My husband can fix anything....I need friends...Fort Wayne has friendly people.
Her weight varied quite a bit. Oct. 1980 weight was 119 pounds. Sep. 1983 weight was 137 pounds. Her blood pressure was reasonable -- in 130's. Father's blood pressure was sort of high -- in 150's. But she was the one who died from complications of a stroke, and probably all the medicines she had taken over the years.
Oct. 21, 1977: Dr. J. A. Graf of our Psychiatry Dept. met with the patient. "The patient's manic depressive illness is under excellant remission with lithium therapy....Dr. Key and I appreciated the opportunity to participate in the care of this pleasant lady." Lawrence Solberg and Thomas Keys of Mayo Clinic.
I'm (JPD) not listing all the medicines, but Pearl has a list of 72 medicines she has taken over the years! She also has a list of 66 doctors she has seen in her lifetime.
In 1978 she was diagnosed with dry eyes and had to take "Tears"
In 1978 told doctor she was having a problem with her husband not interested in her personal needs. For a short time things went a little better. A few months later he said he was not at all interested again, and she was "terribly disappointed". He says the problem is her fault. She wondered if his brain atrophy has anything to do with his problem. "He will be 79 this Oct, and now he yells at me, he critizes me and everyone. He hates to grocery shop yet he won't let me go as I might spend a few cents more than he will as he will run to 2 or 3 stores to save some cents. I get too tired to do that and do my housework. He is a perfectionist. He does nice things but at times I feel like a whipped dog. I've always taken little things to neighbors -- a glass of jelly, cookies, etc. -- and recently he wants to know why I do that. Then I get a guilty feeling, and so the Merry-Go-Round goes."
Oct 1978 letter from Mayo physician to Ft. Wayne physician: "Consultation was obtained with Dr. J. Graf of the Dept. of Psychiatry who noted some stress between Mrs. Daniels and her husband of Mr. Daniels' recent irritabillity and forgetfulness. Doctor Graf recommended that they see you together to discuss his irritability and possible use of a minor tranquilzer".
Nov. 1981 Taken off lithium when she entered Parkview Hospital in Ft. Wayne. They put her on Haldol and "I just about went crazy. I didn't know what was going on. Later I had to learn to walk all over again." [What eventually happed was that her husband, in doing some drug research, found the drugs Parkview Hospital had given her reacted badly with the other drugs which were prescribed at Mayo Clinic for her.] They stopped the different drug and went back to lithium which worked when the correct dose was determined.
Effect of Depression from Pearl's notes: "Wouldn't go to church, sew, embroider, knit, play piano. Got so I wouldn't go groc. shopping, so my husband did it at noon, near his office. Did the same thing everyday--meals same time--not hungry but ate some. For four years, at least, I wore the same winter skirt -- zipper broke at side but still wore it. I wouldn't go to store to shop & am hard to fit anyway. We ate the same meals week after week for dinner: Meat, potatoes & a vegetable. For 2 yrs we went out to eat Sunday dinners, but got tired of that. I wouldn't write to my family, as I felt, I couldn't. Everything was too hard for me to do. I didn't want people to see me so I sat away back on the porch near the rear door. I would't answer the door, the telephone, etc. One depression spell, I was very depressed for 2 yrs. & next morning I got awake & I was O.K. Don't know why.
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