Charlotte Rose Henry Recalls Her Childhood Home

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Charlotte Rose Henry was born in 1922 in Redding, but the first home she recalled later was in Cottonwood, Calif., across from the family’s store.
The small Rose General Store had a gas pump out front and sold groceries, firewood, livestock feed, yardage, rope, overalls, tools, and more.  Charlotte’s grandfather, William L. Rose, built the store in 1910.
Charlotte’s family home was small like the store and with a large yard, where they raised chickens, bummer lambs, and an array of dogs and cats.  One year her father invested unsuccessfully in a flock of sheep, losing money when the market fell.  Another time, a customer offered to pay a bill with a pregnant pig.  Before Rose got the sow home she had given birth to five piglets, but only one survived, which Charlotte and her siblings bottle fed.
A stove in the kitchen heated the house and provided hot water that ran in coiled pipes through the stove.  On cold mornings, everyone dressed near the stove, and Charlotte said she became adept at dressing “inside the flannelette nightgown” beside the stove.
 
Source: Henry, Charlotte R. "Trivia: That's the Way It Was in Cottonwood." The Covered Wagon, 1994, pp. 61-65.

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Gail Fiorini-Jenner