Mary Grace

(1931 - )

I have always loved Mary Grace since the day she was born. She was a happy baby with a “million-dollar” smile. In July of 1931 Mother wrote in her diary, “Mary Grace is six months old today and weighs a strong 15 pounds. She is a regular little merry sunshine as she always has a big smile for us.” And as she was growing up she always had this bright, cheerful, happy outlook. No wonder she was such a big favorite in the family, among all our relatives and in our whole community. We four Baird brothers sometimes had disagreements and arguments with each other--as is common in most large families--but I can’t recall a single incident when I was ever the least bit upset with Mary Grace. She was special. I still feel blessed with the good fortune of having such a sweet, wonderful little sister. To this day she has a special place among a short list of my all-time favorite people.

I was seven years old when Mary Grace was born--and her “abrupt” appearance was a really big surprise to me! In those somewhat Victorian days of the 1930s pregnant ladies (at least around Prairie Home) stayed at home as soon as their pregnancy started showing, so most kids were surprised when, for example, Mrs. Burrows had a baby. I had absolutely no idea that the Baird family was expecting a new addition. I still remember that the night before Mary Grace was born Dad had set up a heating stove in the living room, which we seldom used in the wintertime, and also had set up a bed in the room--which seemed unusual. I asked him why he was bringing in a bed and he replied that it would be very handy in case anyone in the family should suddenly get sick. This seemed to me to be a good answer and I thought no more about it. In fact, I remember that on walking to school the next morning I told the Burrows kids what a remarkable coincidence it was that Dad had set up this bed in case of an emergency and that that very same night Mother had a baby girl. I readily admit that at seven years old on a farm where all kinds of livestock births were a common occurrence, I probably should have been much more aware of what was going on. But I wasn’t. Mary Grace’s birth seemed a miracle!

Mother and Dad had had five boys in a row (including DeForest Junior who died after only a few weeks) so everybody was absolutely delighted that there was finally a baby girl in the Baird family!

For such a cheerful, smiling baby, much of Mary Grace’s early months were spent in relative isolation. It was a very hot summer in 1931 so Mother kept Mary Grace mostly in the downstairs bedroom all day. It was cooler in this room than in most other rooms of the house where the kitchen cook stove heated things up--and there were fewer flies. So Mary Grace’s early summer months were spent pretty much by herself as the busy Baird family tried to take care of its hectic farm schedule. But Mary Grace never lost her great cheerful outlook.

When she was still a few months old Mother’s diary reports that “The boys, especially Donald, slip into the bedroom many times a day to see Mary Grace. They seldom pick her up, but they sit down on the side of the bed and play with her. They give her rattles or try to get her to pull their hair. Their clothes are not always clean, but I try not to say too much for we want to enjoy Mary Grace all we can.” We boys thought she was an absolutely wonderful little charmer!

About a year later Mother wrote in her diary, “Mary Grace is such a dear, sweet, happy little thing.” As far as I am concerned, this is the story of Mary Grace’s life. She has had far more than her share of problems and troubles, but she still carries on with a wonderful, upbeat outlook.

As the only girl Mary Grace “stood out” in our family--but we boys were always very proud of our little sister and delighted in her attention. I can’t think of a single instance where any of us thought she wasn’t deserving of extra attention. She was very special, and that was that!

A big disadvantage for Mary Grace was that during the Depression years she had to wear mostly hand-me-down boys’ clothes. Fancy girls’ clothes were not an option during those trying years in the farm. But the photos we have for that period show that she looked really great in boys’ overalls.

It seems normal that Mary Grace would develop into something of a tomboy; she just naturally tried to follow in the footsteps of her brothers. In some respects she was a lot better than any of us. She had a way with young pigs and calves that none of her brothers ever really understood. She cared for them and talked to them in such a personal manner and they responded beautifully. She always had a way with animals.