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| Angeline Hogue and Emile Roy, c. 1937 |
The following excerpts are drawn from the 1994 book Nootsie, The Life of Ernest Emile Roy
(1914-1992) written by J. Paul-Emile Roy, CA. As mentioned in a previous blog posting, Emile
Roy and Angeline
Hogue shared many precious moments. She noted that, “It didn't take much to
please a person in those times.” They would hold hands and Emile would whisper
“sweet nothings” in her ear. Even though his feet were planted firmly in the
present, he would talk about his plans, hopes and dreams.
Emile married Angeline on August 18, 1937. When asked
whether Emile carried her over the threshold, Angeline responded, “Yes, I think
so. I weighed less then, only about 105 or 110 pounds.” After the honeymoon, they
settled down with a 100 pound bag of flour, a 100 pound bag of sugar and an
extra large box of cookies. They had about $5.00 left between them to start
married life, but they owed no bills.
How were Emile and Angeline going to manage on their own? In
Emile's words, “I’ve got a piece of land, my bucksaw and my two hands. With
that, I’ll make a living.” Thinking back, Angeline recalled that the land was
rich, black soil which was ideal for growing a nice garden. The beets were just
beautiful and the potatoes very large and tasty. Many things from the garden
could be stored in a cold cellar to provide a continued source of food over the
winter. Some vegetables were canned as preserves. Little was wasted for the
motto “Waste not, want not” was a necessity in times of depression.
According to Angeline, “We survived. Somehow, we survived.” When
they were first married, Angeline used to go into the woods to keep Emile
company. He was clearing land and she would help as best she could. On one occasion,
they talked about the love letters he had sent her before they were married. He
remarked, “I hope you are not going to keep them. I wouldn’t want others to read
them and see how sentimental I was.”
