Chapter 12 - 311 East 43rd Street and the Pinafore Business

Aunt Evelyn may have lost the use of her legs but this did not stop her from living a full and productive life. She had an active mind and a talent for creating beautiful objects. And she needed to find a way to generate some income! The small apartment where she was moved when first out of the hospital was not working out well. The rooms, halls and doorways would not accommodate the wheel chair and all the other equipment necessary for her care. She and her family along with her nurse Nana needed an apartment with more space. They found a first floor apartment in a building at 313 East 43rd Street. It had larger rooms, wider hallways, a better kitchen and a third bedroom. This third bedroom eventually became Evelyn’s office and sewing room. She had never had much practice with sewing but was determined to learn. Her legs could not work the control but her hands could. She found a sewing machine that she could operate with her hands. Once that obstacle had been removed, an inspiration was needed and it suddenly appeared.

Someone gave Carolyn a McGuffy Reader Doll that was wearing a pinafore over her dress. Evelyn fell in love with the pinafore and decided to make a copy of it from fabric. The pinafore was a garment that was not yet carried in children’s shops so this would be a new idea for children’s wear. Evelyn looked upon this as a Divine Idea and decided to make pinafores to sell in children’s departments.

Eva McGuiness, our cousin, was a whiz at designing and patternmaking. She began working with Evelyn, Nana and Myrtle from the very beginning. Everyone had a special role. Eva cut out the garments, Evelyn did the machine work, Nana sewed on the buttons and Myrtle took samples of the finished garments to clothing stores that carried clothes for young children. Evelyn was also the office manager and made contacts over the phone. The business was off to a very good start. They were a great team. It continued to grow and the income from the pinafore business enhanced all of our lives. I am sure that it helped my Mother with our college education expenses.

NANA: All the grandchildren called her Nana but we knew that she had another name. Laura Ellen was her birth name and she was born in 1870 to Robert and Sarah Hopkins. Robert and Sarah had another daughter named Belle, younger than Laura. When the girls were quite young, their mother Sarah died and Robert remarried. The new Mrs. Hopkins was not a good mother to the children and Laura was the one who took care of little Belle. While Belle was still a young child, she became ill and died. Without Belle to care for, Laura had no desire to remain in that household and when she reached the age of sixteen she ran away. If her father gave her money, she did not spend it but saved it. Eventually she had put aside enough to make her way to Kansas City, Missouri. There she found a job at a furrier and made enough money to support herself. She made new friends and met a young man named Addison Shackelford.

She and Addison married and in the Background section of this piece their seven children are shown at their home in a northern and fashionable section of the city. Laura was a diligent and devoted mother to her children. She loved cooking and prepared wonderful meals for the family and for their guests. Addison was doing well in business and his family enjoyed a very comfortable way of life.

When the pinafore business got underway, Nana was also an important and valuable member of this team. She was in her late 70’s by this time and slowing a bit. But while she was able, she used a needle, thread and a small gold thimble to sew on hundreds, maybe thousands of buttons on pinafores. She always gave it her best but she had a stroke in January and passed away in February, 1950 at the age of 80.

I will always remember her. She had the ability to sense a person’s feelings whether it was because of shyness, fear, loss, or sadness. She instinctively reacted showing genuine interest. Her gentle way helped a person begin to feel like a beautiful and beloved being once again.

Her home was run with rules that everyone in the family knew and willingly accepted. One rule was that whenever the telephone rang, family members became silent so that the one who answered the phone could hear the speaker. In the living room there was a player piano and here was another rule. Only an adult was allowed to start the music. I was delighted when someone offered to turn it on for me.

Uncle Walt met with an untimely death. While having some dental work, his gums began to bleed. The dentist could not stop the bleeding and Uncle Walt bled to death in the dental chair. Uncle Walt had served overseas in the terrible First World War. His buddy was killed in that war and Uncle Walt, tender hearted man, would shed tears whenever he heard the song “My Buddy”.