“Oh!” Annie clapped a hand over her jeans pocket. “I found something in my library that might help shed a little more light—and probably spark more questions too, I’m afraid.” She pulled out the note and handed it to Gwen.
Gwen’s eyes widened as she read the short note. “Didn’t Charley and Betsy buy Grey Gables after they married? It didn’t belong to either of their families, right? This seems to indicate Grandmother left the box with her in 1941!”
“No, Grey Gables wasn’t in the family. Grandpa was originally from Connecticut. Gram’s family lived right in town. I think that’s where your grandmother must have originally taken the box. Do you have any idea what it means about her grandfather being kicked out of the house? And was the wedding hers or someone else’s? The Tribe registry said Evelyn was born in 1906, so she would have been 35.”
Gwen thought for a moment. “Grandmother married a second time after her first husband was killed while working at a lime quarry. Campbell was her second husband’s name. Grandpop Campbell wasn’t officially my grandfather, but he was the only one I knew. Mother’s father was Joseph Hobbs. Why would her grandfather be kicked out of the house?”
“The note is dated 1941? May I see it?” asked Cecil. Gwen handed him the note. Cecil nodded when he reached the last part of the sentence. “As I suspected. Did you notice how Evelyn capitalized the word ‘house’? I believe she was not referring to a family home but Maine’s House of Representatives. Tension had been building for years, arguments over the role and rights of the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot representatives. General anti-Indian feelings continued to grow until 1941 when the tribal representatives were kicked out of their seats.”
“How horrible,” said Gwen. “I remember Grandmother being very concerned with what people thought about her and the family.” A faint ironic smile came to her lips. “Occasionally she would chide me if she didn’t think I was dressed appropriately, which usually meant I had forgotten my gloves. If her grandfather had been kicked out of a government seat, it surely made the newspapers.” Gwen sighed. “Yes, I guess I can see how she might have thought she was making things easier for her children by hiding part of her heritage.”
“I’m grieved that she thought she needed to,” said Annie somberly. “From the research I did after I first found the box, I think many people of American Indian ancestry ended up doing the same thing because of economic or safety concerns.”
“It was difficult to be a Passamaquoddy in the 1940s,” said Cecil. “Even though many served in the American Armed Forces during both World Wars, there was much distrust. The living conditions were unhealthy and didn’t improve significantly until after 1980, and not without much struggle and sacrifice. As much as I loved my people at Sipayik, living there was very hard. Your grandmother had before her two painful paths from which to choose.”
“Yes, she did.” Gwen reached over and placed a hand over Cecil’s, which rested near his knee. “Thank you, Cecil. You’ve been so helpful.”
“Come whenever you want to learn more,” said Cecil. “You can’t be Passamaquoddy and only know one Glooskap story.”
Gwen laughed. “I will visit again after my next volunteer shift. Right now I need to go get dinner started. John has calmed down since last night, but I’m sure he would appreciate a return to home-cooked dinners, especially ones that aren’t burnt.”
“I’ll walk you to the door,” said Annie. “I brought something for Cecil, and I left it in my coat pocket.” The two women walked toward the entrance.
“Annie, I meant what I said about John. He’s doing much better, since I’m beginning to process everything. Just knowing my maternal ancestry includes another Revolutionary War veteran, in its own way, was helpful for us both. I’m thankful that you drove all the way to Sipayik to bring the information back on what turned out to be my family line. I’m also glad that you cleaned in your library this morning and found the letter. Between you and Cecil, I’m starting to understand why my grandmother would do what she did. Peace is returning—and it’s a deeper peace.”
“I think Harvest on the Harbor this year is going to be quite a celebration,” said Annie. “I can’t wait to see your knitting.” They reached the coat racks, and Annie pulled the jelly jar from the pocket of her coat.
“I was struggling with what to design, but I’m finding inspiration from Grandmother’s regalia collar. And that’s all I’m going to say.”