What did the family do for fun growing up at Villa Marquette?
There were eventually ten children surrounded by Jesuit priests and academics. But this interesting family found ways to have fun that were enjoyed by all. One thing they did was raise pet crows every year. The boys and Chester would “steal a one from a nest and raise it from a baby. As soon as it was able to fend for itself we would let it go and they always stuck around all summer,” Mary Hallett Stanton told me. “They all learned to say hello, and all played tricks on Mom and Dad.
Left to right are: Bill, Hartford, Roddie, Chet, Cyril, Ed, Chester, Mrs. Hallett, Fred, Margie, Dorothy, and Bub. Mary is in the little photo at left as she hadn’t been born yet when this family photo was taken.
One crow would take the clothes pins off the clothes on the clothes line while Mom was inside getting more clothes. (You can imagine what happened then to the clean clothes! And how Mary’s mother felt about that!). Many of the crows would follow Dad around and steal his nails at work”.
But who could stay mad at a crow who said “Hello”?
Also, the Jesuits would take them frog hunting in the back of the property. “We would catch tons of frogs and they would cook the legs for dinner…..for themselves…..we wouldn’t eat them.”
Thank you Mary, for this glimpse into your childhood at Villa Marquette.