I came to this earth on September 28, 1904 at Melvin Mills in the state of New Hampshire. There was much discussion as to what my name should be.  My mother wanted it Marian Elsie and my father, Mabel Maud because then all my names would begin with “Ma” and would be “different.” The latter name became mine.

    I do not remember much about my very early life but soon it became the custom to have my picture taken every birthday. On one September 28th when we were getting ready to go to have my picture taken a lady who was going with us asked me why I took up so much room on the seat and I answered, “Cause I'm five years old.”

    I had no sisters or brothers except one half—sister and a half—brother who were grown up and married. I wanted to go to school and when I was five and a half years old I went. I was put into a class of older boys and girls, who had been going some time to school already. I learned rapidly and passed over the third grade. When I was about seven or eight I drank some iodine and I am living today because I took whites of eggs. At ten I was in the eighth grade and if my age would have permitted I could have gone to high school at eleven. At twelve I left grammar school. It seemed very strange that I should be leaving that familiar old schoolhouse and those woods and rock, but probably the rest of the school didn't miss the eighth grade much because Lawrence Bagley and I were the only ones in it.

    I always had a pet cat and usually a kitten to. Annie Laurie is my pet now. Peter Whitefoot was caught in a trap belonging to some neighboring boy.  We buried him and I put a row of stones around the grave. I have had whopping cough, chicken pox, measles, German measles besides a great number of sick headaches which I used to have at regular intervals. In high school I took the Domestic Arts course. I am now fifteen years old and a Junior with hopes of graduating from Simonds Free High School in 1921.