Helen Oliver Oviatt

Helen Oliver (Mather) Oviatt was born in 1899, daughter of Ida Myers and Joseph Mather, on their farm near Middlebury, IN. When she was nine months old, they moved from the farm into a house in the town of Middlebury, and in 1907 into a large new home built by Joseph Mather, also in Middlebury. In 1911 the family moved to Weatherford, OK, lived in a seven-gabled house at the end of Broadway Street. She finished high school there and took courses at Southwestern State Normal School in Weatherford. In 1917 when the family moved to Howard, KA, she went to Kansas State Normal School in Emporia, KA, graduating in 1918. She moved to Newtown, MO for the summer, before taking her first teaching job at Muscotah, KS for $60.00 per month. She later wrote the following about that experience:

Interview For My First School

'Twas the summer of 1918-

Fresh out of school, I was young and green.

World War One was on and schools were plenty

Even though I was not yet twenty.

Except in Missouri, in a little town,

Where my parents had settled down.

When a letter came from the far away west,

I packed a bag, and donned my best.

At nine A.M. I boarded a train

And all day long heard the wheel's refrain.

After a change in Kansas City

I headed west on the Santa Fe.

At midnight, all tired and anxious,

I arrived at Muscotah, Kansas.

There on the platform, to my surprise,

Stood a six foot sheriff, old and wise.

His hat was wide, he wore two guns,

His face was tanned by the Kansas suns.

He met all trains, and escorted me

To the village's only hostelry.

The veranda was wide, the lobby neat,

And the land lady was so very sweet.

My room was small, but white and clean,

And the pillows had a lovely sheen.

Tired and weary, in bed I flopped

And almost at once, to sleep I dropped.

Then over my body and over my features

Began to crawl dozens of tiny creatures.

I rose, in dismay, and turned on the light.

Of course they all ran out of sight.

'Twas then I decided to lie on the floor,

And settled down to sleep once more.

I was no sooner settled in place

Than a little gray mouse ran over my face.

I let out a yell, and got onto my feet and then my hair began to curl,

For a male voice, next door, said, "What's wrong, little girl?"

I hastily dressed and sped down the stairs,

Out to the porch and the friendly chairs.

There at last I was safe for the night

And could recover from my fright.

I got the school, but as you can tell,

I DIDN'T LIVE AT THAT HOTEL!

She kept a letter of introduction/reference from Kansas State Normal School dated 6/1/1918 that states:

Miss Helen Mather has been a student in one of my classes during the past school year.

She has proved herself an untiring worker, of more than average ability, with plenty of energy and enthusiasm. She is what might be called a "go-getter" and leaves no stone unturned until she accomplishes her purpose.

She shows good judgement, a reasonable amount of tact and I think she will develop into a good high school teacher.

She is a young lady of pleasing address, good personal appearance, full of life without being frivolous and, I think, will have a good influence upon the young people of the community.

W.L. Holtz. Dept. of Latin

In September of 1918 she took her first teaching job at Muscotah, Kansas for $60.00 per month. That spring her parents moved to the O.K. Farm in McKean County, Pa, she followed in July of 1919. She met Alfred L. Oviatt in Smethport that summer, was engaged to him on her birthday in September, and states she would have married him right away but he had to pay off $100.00 in campaign debts for his unsuccessful try at sheriff.

She taught in East Smethport for two months, then went to Freedom, N.Y. for

a salary of $7.00 per month through June 1920. She started the next school year

at Mt. Jewett for $100.00 per month, but resigned and went to Stroud, Oklahoma to marry Alfred Oviatt in Oklahoma City on Christmas Day 1920. Them lived with relatives after their marriage until Easter 1921 when they returned to Smethport.

They rented a house in Colegrove, Pa., until July 1921 when they moved into an apartment in East Smethport. Helen taught at Burbank Crossing, a one room schoolhouse for three months only, because by Christmas they had moved to Bradford, Pa. They lived first in an apartment on So. Main Street, then on Congress Street where they lived when first son Donald was born. In June 1922 they moved to W. Corydon St. until fall. They returned to Smethport for the winter when the weather and carpentry work was bad. In the spring of 1923 they moved into an apartment in Bradford, rented a house, moved to Buffalo, N.Y., stayed one week, then back to Bradford to another apartment until January, then to Smethport until spring of 1924. At this point they bought furniture, moved to Bradford where son William was born on Helen's birthday in 1924. They stayed there until winter, moved to Sam Green's farm in Smethport until the winter of 1925, then back to Bradford in various apart-ments where Jeanne was born in June 1926. They all moved in with father Wilbur Oviatt after his wife died, staying until 1927. A move to Bethlehem, PA. with three children until the spring of 1928 when Alfred went to Harrisburg to work, she and the children back to Smethport. In August 1928 yet another move to Jonestown Rd. in Harrisburg til spring when they moved to Riverside, N. 5th St. in Harrisburg. Daughter Joyce was born in Harrisburg in Oct, 1931, and Helen's mother had moved in with them after her husband's death. Helen's sister Mary and son David also lived with them after her marriage faltered.

The next move was to Stoney Creek near Dauphin, Pa. where they stayed until the fall of 1934, then to Middletown, Pa. for one month. Furniture was stored in Middletown while they lived in Buckroe Beach, Virginia for one year, and Charleston, South Carolina (7 A Tradd Street, now restored area) until July 3, 1936. They returned to Pennsylvania, but not before everything was flooded in storage spring 1936.

At this point a home was bought, 615 Erie Street in Dauphin, Pa. for $4000.00 where daughter Beverly was born in 1938.

Helen worked in a grocery store in Dauphin, did substitute teaching, was a Girl Scout leader, served on the school board, was secretary for 17 years. She joined the Stoney Creek Social Club, Missionary and Mite Societies, Sunshine Club, ran successfully for tax collector at the age of 77.

In 1980, this daughter attempted to catch the flavor, the character of Helen Mather Oviatt, called it "Absolutes"

My Mother is a good woman.

She is strong, she is independent, she is self-starting.

She has a separate soft spot for each of her sons.

I see her sewing, reupholstering, caning chairs,

I see her trimming the hedge in a cloud of citronella.

I see her washing, wringing, hanging clothes, ironing;

most of all, ironing.

I smell the hot iron and hear "Ma Perkins",

I see determination, liberation before it's time.

I see her bending in the garden, planting, weeding, picking -

Tomatoes, in the sink to be skinned and canned.

She watches "As The World Turns" as she knits, tats, crochets,

Hands always busy, folding, folding and folding a piece of paper

As you talk, as she listens, as she advises.

I see her talking to Mrs. Henry at the back door.

I see her waiting for Daddy to come home.

She plays the piano, does crossword puzzles, plays scrabble

to fill empty minutes.

I see her dusting hardwood floors, the green frog by French doors.

I see her tending to sick cats, picking raspberries, cleaning the attic.

She eats half an orange every day, she takes a nap, she is never ill.

She is not easily flustered, she can handle any problem.

She does not cry.

She will not say no to a request for help.

She does not say "I can't do that", she tries.

She remembers good times, obliterates bad.

She teaches school, collects taxes, secretaries school boards,

knits for Red Cross.

She goes to church to learn and to bring a thought home with her.

She treasures her friends, she keeps in touch.

I see her reading letters at supper. (She makes dessert every day.)

She did without many things many years,

And now she does "just as she sweetly pleases."

She is intelligent, she is eighty.

I think she gave her daughters strength, unspoken love, certainly independence,

self-reliance.

I suppose all of her children see her differently.

(She says I forgot chocolate, pinochle and roses)

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She died at home in Dauphin, sweeping the walk, at age eighty one, is buried in the cemetery at Dauphin, PA.

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Philosophical tidbits found in her recipe box include: "LIFE"

To live is comprehending death; To see the majesty of snow Is to know

That it will disappear, And love it

"Worry Is A Thief"

To dwell in thought upon the future and the sorrow it may bring

Is casting shadows on the pathway where your heart with joy should sing.

For worry can't prevent the heartache fate may chance to send your way,

It cannot dry tomorrow's tears: It just robs you of today.

Charles Baker Martin