Theodore was born on the fifth day of May, 1939.  It was an unusual day, very hot and unseasonable.  He was born at two-fifteen in the afternoon at City Hospital in East Liverpool, Ohio.  Dr. McCutcheon delivered our baby and he had blue eyes and very blond hair, what little he had!  It was such a happy day for all of us, the happiest one his Mother had ever known.  He weighed six pounds and was almost 21 inches long.

Theodore had a peculiarity in breathing - a rasping sound with lots of phlegm.  This was unusually noticable at birth and became more so as he grew older.

His first trip away from home was to go to Dr. McCutcheon's office when he was three weeks old.  His first trip to church was when he was one month old on June 11th.  He was introduced at Sunday School by Roy Thompson, the Superintendant who was baby's second cousin.  Grandmother Griffin visited us on June 9th and was at church when he was introduced.  Grandparents Prince were also there as they attended the Church of the Nazarene where we did.

When Baby was one and one-half months old we took him to Dr. Hunter, a Pediatrician in Midland, Pa., and he was put on Carnation milk.  He was a breast fed baby for three weeks and then put on S.M.A. which did not agree with him.  He did much better on Carnation but Dr. Hunter could not find his trouble.  When he was two months old we took him to Dr. Boggs in Chester, Wva for ulcers in the roof of his mouth which was not thrush but a fungus growth relative to it.  He noticed the breathing problem and thought it was in the trachea.  When Baby was two months old we moved from my parents' home into furnished rooms in Chester at the home of Mrs. McKenney on third street.  When baby was two and a half months he slept all night without waking for his formula.  He found his hands at three months and reached for his rattle.  He smiled at two months, laughed aloud at two and one half months.  He had beautiful blue eyes and curly blond hair.  He loed the rattle at three and a half months.

Baby was very ill on August 19th and continued so up until September 5th.  The breathing problem was very pronounced so we took him to Dr. Boggs and he was so concerned that he asked us to take him to Dr. Alex Fisher, a new Pediatrician in East Liverpool immediately and on a Sunday Dr. Fisher and Dr. McCutcheon met us in Dr. Fisher's office and took X-rays to determine if it was a thymus gland and they were very concerned.  We went to Dr. Fisher on August 23rd. For the first time.  He diagnosed it as congenital stridor or muscular contraction of the windpipe and said it was dangerous of strangling or choking him in his sleep.  He was put on strained bananas and Pablum on the 27th. and on vegetables on August 30th. and had calcium shots every other day for some time and was put on a three-hour schedule of 5 ounces of formula, Oil of Percomorph and orange juice and Iron - 90 drops a day, calcium -3 (10 grain) a day and we could almost see a differance from the very first day!  We feel that we would have lost our baby if it had not been for Dr. Fisher.  Baby played with his feet at 5 months and put one in his mouth on October 11th.  He loved to play with paper at 5 months and would amuse himself by watching lace curtains blowing in the breeze. I timed him and he would watch them in deep concentration for at least ten minutes without moving a muscle.  He sat alone at six months.  Loved his "Taylor-Tot" that was a gift f rom his "name-sake" and cousin, Theodore Ray and his wife Lennie.

The visitors from Huntington who saw him for the first time in July were Aunt Anna Staley, Lucetta, Sanders and Curtis Steele, Ida Pelfrey and son Olen, Theodore Ray, Lennie, Uncle Zeriah Ray, Opal Wilkenson and Aunt Minnie Ealem.  They were all anxious to see him.

Baby loved to ring a bell at six months.  He was vaccinated for whooping cough on November 10, 1939.  At seven months he stood up in his walker and wants to stand all the time.  At eight months he could almost raise up to a sitting position alone.  At 7 ½ months he said "Da-Da" and at 8 months he said "Nan-Nan".  After his vaccination he remembered Dr. Fisher and the nurse and would almost have hysteria wwhen he saw them.  He had three shots, each a week apart.  After each shot he was sick for an hour or so.  (About three hours after taken).  He was given strained fruit at six month and Kre-mel puddings - Jello and loved them.  He had baked potato when five months.  On his sixth month birthday he had a big time in his walker to celebrate.  When 8 ½ months, he was not staying in his buggy or bed.  He learned to pull up in his big bed too.

He cut his first tooth on January 16th. when he was 8 ½ months.  He was by now very afraid of strange noises such as an egg beather or a guitar but loves music otherwise.  He cut his second tooth three weeks after the first or on February 5th.  He would jump up and down in his bed when told to do so or when Fred or I would say "bouncy-bouncy-boom".  I think we first heard this from Merl Starr when she came to visit us.  On February 7th, he started walking around in his crib by holding to the sides and can roll over any way but does not raise completely to a sitting position yet.  He had his picture made on February 7th when he was nine months and two days old.  He runs everywhere in his walker when 9 ½ months old.  He walks by holding to the furniture when 9 ½ months old.  When he was 10 months old he lost all fear of the above noises.  When he was 10 months old I started to teach him to drink from a cup.  He cut his third tooth on Feb. 10th and the fourth tooth on Feb. 21.  (The last three came about a week apart.)  The fifth tooth came on March 5th.  The first was a right lower, then left lower and upper right and upper left with the lower ones being very crooked.

He visited Dr. Fisher again on March 2nd and weighed 22 ½ lb.  The doctor said he was above average in weight and in development.  He put him on cow's milk - boiled three minutes with an egg yolk from a 3-minute egg and bacon and toast.  He had been eating toast since he was 9 ½ months.  He was still afraid of strangers at 10 months and didn't like dogs but did like horses and cats.  He never crawls but wants to walk.  He got his 6th tooth on March 26th and the 7th on April 1st.  On April 1st he started reaching for people.  His (Great) Aunt Anna Staley, (and her daughter) Dorothy and Hall visited him on March 30th for four days and he loved all of them, especialy Hall.  At 11 months he could "patty-cake" in fact, he first started it on his 11th month birthday.  He recognizes many words at 11 months.  Some of them were - car, horse, shoe, milk, sleepy, baby, Rex, and all our names - Grandma, Grandpa, Fred, Mamma and Daddy.  He thinks "baby" means picture because I showed him a large picture of a baby on a book repeatedly and would say "baby" then I was real surprised to learn he would look at any picture on the wall when I would say the word "baby".  I had him slightly confused to say the least.  I would point at each object and say the name and he would look at the correct item.  He kept saying one word all the time but we don't know just what he meeans.  It sounded just like "Itzs" or "Ictz" but we can't seem to communicate in this language.

We visited Merle and Leslie Starr on April 7th and Baby didn't like visiting away from home.  At 11 months he was completely weaned and loved baked potato and bacon.  He never had a bottle after March 18th.  He waved "bye-bye" on April 10th and would kiss when told to do so.  He knows what the "tick-tock" is and what his fingers are for.  Crawled on April 13th and continued to do so from this time on.  On April 22nd he walked around the wall.

On Teddy's birthday on May 56th, he could nod his head for "no" and "yes", reach his hair when told to and gives each article to us and enjoys this very much.  He went to Sunday School and Fred took him up front and put a penny in the birthday box for him.  We were so proud of him!  After Sunday School we came home and had Mom and Dad come to celebrate his birthday dinner with us and had cake and ice cream.  Teddy ate his ice cream today as he did not like anything cold before this.  He got a high-chair, coat and cap, dog, play-suit from us and Mom and Dad gave rompers.  He received a card from Theodore with a real nice romper suit from them too.  His Grandparents Prince gave him a real clever card too.  He can't walkk alone yet.

On May 23rd he walked for the first time.  He just walked two steps in the kitchen but it was a wonderful start. On May 26th he was at his Grandmother Prince's and we were all encouraging him to try to walk and he found he could, so he would walk from one to the other and just kept this up for over one-half hour, but we had to stop this because he was prespiring terribly.  We never forgot this memorable event.  This happened in Mom's dining room around the dining table.

He wasn't afraid of folks at 13 months.  He would go to sleep in his bed without any fussing.  He is becoming much more brave.

I took him to a party for babies at East Liverpool City Hospital given on the Nurse's Home lawn.  It was sponsored by the D.A.R.  He acted very good and wasn't afraid of the crowd.  Ruth Sarver kept him awhile and he wasn't a bit afraid. This party was given for all the babies that were born in City Hospital in 1939.  Baby ate ice cream and cookies which they served.  Louise Shepherd went with us and she took Larry who was nine months old at the time.  The paper took a picture which I have in his baby book.

Teddy went to the wedding of Juanita Thompson and Arthur Fallon Jr. on June 8th.  He acted wonderful although it was his first formal appearance and we were all nervous.  He loves to smell flowers, can say "rub-a-dub" - "Nyah-nyah" and "moo" at 13 months.  Arose to standing position on lJuly 1 at 14 months.  Before this he would pull up when he got up.  On August 1 he cut two teeth, the 9th and 10th.  Then on August 8, he cut the 11th tooth.  He can't talk yet at 15 months, but weighs 31 pounds.  Tries to say some words and knows what we say,.  His hair has been very curly ever since June.  It is blond and lays in ringlets. Eyes are still blue with some yellow tints in them but his hair is too pretty to cut.  When he perspires his hair goes into very tight curls which are just beautiful!

He was afraid of calves when they bawled.  I took him to see a new calf and it fell down and bawled with fear and he bacme frightened and cried too.  Loves horses, dogs and cats.  He isn't a bit afraid of people now.  He mixes with children fine as he has been around Charles Prince's family of 10 children.  Loved Mrs. Couch, an old lady that Mom kept who was an invalid.  She couldn't remember our names but se loved Teddy and could always remember his.  She would pet him every time he went in her room.  We left Teddy and went to see Fred's folks for three days about his time which was in August of 1940.

On September 21, Teddy took sick with three-day measles or a Rose rash and lost a lot of weight but he had weighed 31 lbs at 16 months.  Theodore brought him a rocking chair and he was so sick that he wouldn't let anyone touch him. Uncle Paul came along with Theodore and Lennie.  Teddy loved a goose of Mom's and the cats on her farm.  About this time he banged his head on the wall at times when angry but this was just a phase in his development.  He soon out-grew this.  There was a severe epidemic of Infantile Paralysis all over the nation this summer.

When Teddy was 17 months old he said "bye".  He could repeat well from this time.  When he was almost 18 months we took him to Huntington, Wva.  Grrandma Prince and I drove her car down and we stayed a week or a bit over.  He said "Uncle Wa-Wa" at Aunt Anna Staley's house and liked him very much.  He was drinking milk from a cup by himself at this age.  I started training him to use the toilet at this age.  He had 15 teeth at 18 months.

Teddy's soft spot grew up at 19 months.  He also quit taking two naps a day at 18 months.

At 20 months he was talking much better. He could say car and milk very plainly.  Had 16 teeth at 19 months.

The last or March I got some training panties and started to train Teddy with more determination. This seemed to help him quit having accidents more than any other method we tried. He quit having accidents altogether one day and that was the last of that! He was so proud or the panties and wouldn't even be wet during the night except for rare occasions.

He said "Mam-Maw" for Grandma and "Bo-po" for Grandpa Prince. About this time he started to say "Mommy and "Daddy" and knew the names of most all the articles in our house at 22 months. He likes milk better than any other food. He doesn't like for me to rock him for some reason but will let all the rest. He is really a very good baby we think. Fred can do more with him than any of the rest of us. He "cuts-up" when people are around but does so because he is nervous and excited. At 27 months he talked good. Had been doing so since his second birthday in fact.

In September 1941 he learned a story about "Three Little Pigs" from Petty Sarver and he just loved to have someone read it to him. He loved "The Three Bears" and "Little Red Riding Hood" and asked me to read them over and over. He wanted a bicycle at two and a half years. Grandma Prince gave him two new books and he loved to have them read to him. They were " Grandfather Frog Stays in The Swimming Pool''  by Thornton Burgess and "Billy Bow-bow and Kitten Little". He laughed until he cried when Betty Sarver read about "Grandfather Frog" and acted out the parts. Soon after this he took diarrhea and had this for almost two months when I took him to Dr. Fisher again and then he recovered completely. On August 24, 1941 we had taken him on a big trip to Skyline Drive in Virginia and on to Huntington, W.Va. We visited Luray Caverns in Virginia and Charleston, W.Va. where we visited the capitol building. Teddy seemed to enjoy traveling.

We visited Blackwater Falls during the summer of 1941 when we went to see Uncle Eddie Griffin and Aunt Edna who had Just had an operation for thyroid removal. Uncle Floyd, Grandma and Grandpa Griffin were there so all of us went to Davis, W.Va. to see the falls and to Bickel Knob where I had a terrible scare atop the "look-out" tower, Arnett's family, Eddie's, and Grandma Jolliffe and Grandpa Jolliffe were along so we had a wonderful trip and the view was fabulous. Ted has lost some weight but still weighs 34 lbs. in the fall of 1941.

When Teddy was six he started to school at Chester, W.Va. at the Washington street school but they changed him to the Central school after a few days. He became ill in February of 1946 and since Dr. Fisher was in the Service at this time, I took him to several Doctors that could not find his trouble. He had a long-lasting cold and cough that wouldn't clear up.  He also lost a lot of weight. However, Dr. Fisher returned in February and I was one of the first to have an appointment ( March 2,) with him. He wanted to know what had happened to Teddy in his absence and made a patch test for TB which came out Positive and Doctor called me the day he found out the results and asked me to bring Fred and come in to see him at once. We were just crushed to hear this! He was put to bed for about six weeks and had to miss the rest or the school year, but after a child Specialist from the Children's Clinic at the Cleveland Clinic inspected his chest X-rays he said he wasn't nearly as serious as Dr. Fisher thought so they ordered him out of bed and up. He had to have his tonsils out in May shortly after we had moved to the Witzgall place that we had bought. Teddy loved the farm and helping his Daddy farm. He had two dogs that he loved. One was called Bo-Bo and the other Midge. "Bo-Bo" was a comic mutt and Teddy loved him but he was hit by a car and had to be put away. "Midge" lived for many years and Teddy loved all her puppies that arrived with regularity every year. He stated he was going to run a kennel when he grew up so he wouldn't have to part with any or his dogs. He would howl like a dog and every dog on the place would soon join him and what a chorus they would give us! On his birthday - his 9th one - he received his pony from Grandpa and Grandma Prince and was he ever a happy boy. He had been wanting one for ever so long as we had looked for one for over a year and what a beauty we found! Its name was "Thunder" but we changed its name to "Fella".  Teddy was expecting a pony for his birthday  and when he got up he  ran to the barn and looked for one and was real disappointed  when he failed to see one and kept looking up and down the  road all morning. At 10 o'clock the pony arrived in a truck  and he broke and ran and said "My pony is coming".  Fred gave him  a lovely saddle and bridle. He could hardly wait to take a ride  and what a happy little boy he was!

He also loved "Wiggles" who was Grandma Prince's dog.  He was a son of "Midge" and another puppy he liked was one called "Spark- plug"

His friends at this time were Gilbert Simpson and Steven Wilson. He also liked Loren Harmon and Sandy and Sue Walters. Carol Ann was older but he liked the whole Family. Ted loved. to drive the tractor but was told to never start it alone but he scared his Grandpa Griffin one time when he did start it.

He played the Tonette when he was in the third grade and went from that to clarinet and Tuba.  We had to change him to the Tuba because of taking him to the Orthodontist in Steubenville,
Ohio who thought it was helping him to have prominent teeth. He seemed to have a lot or talent on any musical instrument. Mr. Lusk,- a band instructor in Chester, W.Va. said he would go far if he continued to do as well as he had been. He told the Band Parent Group this when I wasn't even there but Pete Walters told me about what he said. Teddy played for Band Parent Meetings and P.T.A. meetings every year, and really was thrilled to be able to play alone.

He was always thrilled over Christmas and all the tree decorations. He received an electric train and building bricks and thought they were great fun. Spent hours building churches and houses.

March 2, 1946, Ted was found to have primary tuberculosis and put to bed for six weeks or two months.

Took the nine day measles on March 21, 1946 after being exposed to them in the Doctor's office. I took them sixteen days later and his Grandmother Prince took them also.

Miss Harper, his first grade Teacher brought the whole class and a big Easter basket out to the farm while he was sick.

Ted had his tonsils out in May 1946.

We bought the Witzgall farm and moved there in May 1946.

Ted had Mumps in March 1937.

Pink eye in Feb. 1947.

Received his pony "Fellow" on his 9th birthday - 1943.

Received his bicycle on his 1lth. birthday 1950. ( Schwinn )

Burned his hand real bad on his 12th. birthday helping hold pipe that Fred was using a blow torch on at Grandpa Prince's.

He fell in his Grandparent Griffin's fireplace when 4 years old and had to be rushed to a Doctor in Pennsboro.

His first day of school was in September of 1945 at Washington School in Chester, W.Va.

Transferred in a few days to the Central School in Chester.

First band concert in 1950. Went with the band to games that year as he was in the Senior band.

Had braces put on his teeth on December 15, 1950. Wore these until 1956 after we moved to Florida.

Mr. Coberly gave him a Sousaphone horn which he nicknamed "Clarabelle" to play in the Newell band. He was so proud of this and grieved when we moved to Florida, because he had to leave it behind. It was a new horn bought for his use so be had reason to be proud. We left W.Va. on Thanksgiving Day, November 1953 and arrived in Clearwater in December about December 4th.

Played the Tuba and Baritone horn in Clearwater.

We gave him his Trombone when he was 12 years old in 1952.

Graduated in May 1957 from Clearwater, Florida High School.

Graduated from Olivet Nazarene College in June 1961.

Married on June 18th, 1961 to Barbara Sass in Kankakee, Illinois.