by
Daughters, Frances Howard Sweet
and Helen Howard Kasemeyer
Maude Beatrice Thompson was born January 14, 1905 in Joppa, Alabama. She had two brothers and one sister. When she was eighteen the family moved to Pineville, Kentucky where her mother continued to be a homemaker and her father worked in the coal mines. In January of 1924 she married William Goebel Howard. They were married 42 years and had nine children, three sons and six daughters. (As of July 2015 there are one hundred sixty direct descendants from their marriage!)
During World War II, while living in the Sharonville, Ohio area, mother applied and was accepted for the position of bus/truck driver at the Sharonville Engineering Depot March 23, 1943. This was the perfect job for her since she had experience in operating farm equipment. She transported soldiers and equipment from the barracks to different locations on the base. Her pay was $.65 per hour. At this time she already had seven children. One son was in the Marines and one was in the Army. A few years later a third son joined the Army. As a side job, she and our father ran a dry cleaning business along with caring for their children. When she became pregnant with the eighth child, she left the service.
Five years later we moved to Fall Rock, Kentucky. Dad worked in the coal mines. Mother was a wonderful homemaker. She was an accomplished seamstress even making her own dress patterns. It was not unusual for my sister and I to come home from school and be delighted to find a new outfit that she had made for us. They were made from feed and flour sacks, so of course they didn’t match, but that didn’t matter to us. We were happy to have new clothes. Sometimes the blouse was a flower pattern and the skirt was stripes, but we wore them with pride. She never made slacks for us. In her opinion girls/women should not wear slacks. When she had to wear trousers in the service, she was unhappy and she wouldn’t let any pictures be taken of her for the family to see. Mother was a quilt maker, could crochet, knit embroider and tat lace. Any family member or friend who was lucky enough to have something that had been made by her felt very special.
Mother was just as handy with a shot gun as she was with a sewing machine no matter if it was protecting the family or shooting a chicken. She did shoot a rogue rooster at fifty yards and we ate it for dinner along with dumplings. Also, she wounded a trespasser one dark night. It became well known in the community that trespassers were not welcome.
Mother’s cooking was always a special treat. She could prepare a mouth- watering meal from scratch. Cakes, pies, bread, and cobblers all were made without recipes. Every spring she and our dad would plant huge gardens, plus, a cash crop of tobacco. Also in the spring, she would buy 200 chicks for eggs and chicken dinners. As soon as the vegetables were ready, she would start canning. There would be enough vegetables to last the entire up-coming winter. She would pick blackberries and fruit from the fruit trees and can them too. Mother was very frugal. Every bit of food was used to feed the family or livestock. Nothing was ever wasted.
Automobiles were a fascination to my mother. She was the first woman in the community to drive a car. Mother was a careful driver (with a slightly heavy foot!). She could drive on the winding, hilly roads of eastern Kentucky like it was flat land, rarely slowing down for curves!
Mother was a devoted Christian. She loved reading her Bible, going to church, and spending time with her family and friends. She prayed continually for all her children. Many of her prayers were answered in that all of her children grew up to love God, home, and country. Mother insisted in total obedience from her children, whether to her, school, or civil government. If you got in trouble outside the home, you would have to face Mother when you got home.
She enjoyed listening to Billy Graham and went to hear him preach during one of his crusades, which was a treasured event for her. Kate Smith was her favorite singer, especially singing “God Bless America.” Mother’s all time favorite song was “Amazing Grace.” She went to be with the Lord February 19, 1978.
During World War II Mother felt it was important to support the war effort while doing what she could, even while raising a large family. She was truly the Matriarch of our family and we are proud of her and the life she lived.