S:
Did your rather have brothers and sisters?
F:
He didn't have as many as she did. He had two brothers and one sister; as far as
I know, that's all. They were all alive during my childhood.
S:
So you had lots of aunts and uncles when you were growing up. But you were an
only child?
F:
I was an only child and I was born late in my parent’s lives, so my aunts and
uncles were all pretty old. I didn't have many cousins, at least not first
cousins. I think there were four: three on my mother’s side and one on my
father’s. It was two boys and one girl on my mother’s side and one girl on
my father’s side. I had lots of distant cousins.
S:
And you went to school in Portland? What schools?
F:
I went to Hawthorne grade school and Washington high school. My mother had gone
to school in Oregon City. And my father had gone to early school in Mt Tabor and
all the way into Portland for high school. He got there someway or other; I
don't know how. The high school, then, was on 14th and Morrison, I think it was,
not far from Lincoln now. Then he had to go back at night so it was quite a hard
experience, I imagine, but he was glad he'd been able to do it.
S:
Would he have ridden horses then? Or was there a trolley cart?
F:
I don't know how he got there; I never asked him that. Maybe by that time, they
had moved in closer to Portland, because later my grandfather moved in right to
where Grand Avenue is now and owned all that property up and down Grand Avenue
on the east side and probably to the river. There wasn't any street then; it was
just country. Maybe that's where my father lived when he was in high school; he
couldn't have gone in every day from Mt Tabor.
S.
Where was the house that you grew up in then?
F:
I was born on 15th and Davis, and that’s near downtown Portland
now. We had a small house and then my father had built on this other land two
flat buildings.
There were two flats in each building. And those buildings are still
there, at West 15th and Davis. If you come down to my apartment,
I’ll show them to you; I can see them from where I live.
S:
I’d like to. How long did you live there?
F:
Then we moved when I was about six. We moved over to what was called Hawthorne
Park, and it was 13th and East Salmon. There was a big park that the
Hawthorne family who had settled that property had made into a public place. So
there I lived until I was married. And then I was; how old was I when I was
married? Twenty-three or twenty-four, I forget which.
S:
How did you meet Pops?
F:
I guess I met him in high school. Oh, he moved across the street. That’s when
I met him. And he was also in my class in high school. So I started going with
him in high school. We spent that winter (it was our senior year) which was a
very snowy winter that year. Everyone that could get there would go out to
Laurelhurst Park and skate. It was really loads of fun. We had to take the
streetcar out there so it was really quite a trip.
S:
So it was that cold winter that you got to know Pops?
F:
And then the next year, we both went to Oregon State. But I didn’t go with him
so much for a while. It was just a good thing, I guess. I played the field with
other people. He was only able to go to college one year because his father had
lumber interests up in Washington; everything was going fine and then there was
a very bad fire and it burned most of his timber down. So, it was quite a sad
thing for them.
S:
So they didn’t have enough money to send Pops to college after one year. Then,
when did you get married, Fauncie?
F:
About four years after I went to Oregon State.
S:
You graduated from college. What was Pops doing during that time?
F:
He could only go to college one year because his father had three adverses. I
can’t think who he worked for; he had some pretty good jobs. Those times were
not very prosperous. I forget even what he was doing when we got married.
S:
Did he play baseball?
F:
Oh, I know. He worked for a gas station and he had the job because he was a good
baseball player. They had a baseball team and I forget whether they won the city
championship. Anyway, it was kind of fun for him, but he’d much rather have
gone on to college.
S:
Fauncie, what can you tell me about Pops’ parents? I understand their name was
Ragenovich, is that right?
F: Ragenovich. His mother was just an American girl from California and his
father… Where we they from now?
S:
Was it Yugoslavia?
F:
Yes, I think it was. I believe it was Yugoslavia, or close enough to there
anyway.
S:
Do you know what part of Yugoslavia or when he came?
F:
No, I don't. But I imagine it was in his early twenties, as a young man. I
should know. If I come across anything like that, I'll let you know but I don't
remember.
S:
Did he come by himself, Pops' father, or did he come with his family?
F:
I don’t know. I never knew his grandparents. They didn’t live here so I
don't know. Pops' father was a very nice gentlemanly man, though, well educated
in his country and he spoke good English too, but he was definitely a
Yugoslavian.
S:
Then when did Pops have the name shortened?
F:
Oh, it was after he'd gone that one year to college. So it was five or six years
after that.
S:
Before you got married?
F:
I would not marry him unless he changed his name. .
S:
Why?
F:
I couldn't stand that name. Ragenovich. My parents couldn't stand it either.
S:
It was too long?
F:
Oh, yes.
It was just too foreign; that was all.
S:
Well, it's hard to spell certainly.
F:
I never discussed it with his father but he was a pretty good sport to go along
with it.
S:
So it was really you who wanted it changed.
F:
Well, I imagine Louie did too, but he didn't put forth the way I did.
S:
How did Pops get the middle name of Brooks? That doesn't sound very Yugoslavian.
F:
The Brooks were some good friends of theirs. Maybe he was named after one of
their boys named Brooks. I never knew them. That was when he was a little
infant. I don't know when they first came to Oregon.
S:
Where was Pops born?
F:
It seems like he was born in Idaho or Montana. I think his brother Don was
probably born here in Portland. There were just the two boys.
S:
Did Pops ever have a chance to play with the New York Yankees? That's what Bunny
thinks.
F:
Heavens no. I don’t know where he got that idea. He played baseba1l but not
Yankee baseball. He p1ayed with the Portland Beavers, if they were the Beavers
in those days.
S:
Well, it's a good story anyway. How did he get started in the stock brokering
business then?
F:
Let's see. Now I was just thinking about my own father.
S:
Well, tell me anything you want to tell me.
F:
My father did not play baseball with the NY Yankees either. Nobody I knew did.
Well, let's see. Pops, first, I think he was in the real estate business. He
liked that very much but that was a very bad time for real estate. Somehow, I
don't know how he got started in the stock brokerage business but he…
S:
Do you know the first firm that he worked for?
F:
Yes. I'm sure it was Dean Witter.
S:
Fauncie, tell me something about your grandparents then?
F:
Well, grandfather on my mother's side was Swiss or German; it wasn't French, I
guess. His name was Switzer and he died before my mother was born. I guess I've
told you about that story.
S:
Tell me now for this tape.
F:
Well. They must have had several children by then, maybe five. Well, I guess
that they had the whole family by then because he died so soon. But this one boy
had what was called "hip trouble” and there was no doctor in or around
Portland that could do anything for him so they took him to California and left
him. It was so hard to hear from -- there was no news unless a boat came in. And
so they got terribly worried about him and my grandfather went down. My
grandmother went too; they both went down. [Susie’s note: must have been
around 1860.] They found he had died. So they were bringing his body back and
the ship was wrecked at Cape Mendocino in northern California and grandfather
was drowned. My grandmother was pregnant with my mother; and she was put in
ashore on a breeches buoy, you know, a rope. And how she ever got home I don't
know. Maybe another boat came along and picked them up. Anyhow my mother was
born in Portland in 1860. I mean in Oregon City.
S:
Did your grandmother ever remarry?.
F:
Yes, she did. They've always called him, my mother too, Mr. Kent. He was an
awfully nice man, apparently. He died before I was born, but he was a New
Englander, a very sweet man in every way. Of course, he was good with the
children, and the children were on there way up in years because my mother was
the youngest. After my grandfather Switzer died, my grandmother then married his
brother. So then my Aunt Caroline (I called her Aunt Cattie) was his child. I
don't know how long he lived, but then later, after he died, she married Mr.
Kent.
S:
So Mr. Kent was her third husband?
F:
He was her fourth husband. Her first husband's name was Sandborn. My oldest
uncle is Irwin Sanborn. He's been dead a long time. He was a steamboat captain.
That was about the only thing people could do outside of farming, I guess, in
this country and he died years and years ago. He lived in Oregon but he had a
boat that he ran in Idaho on Lake Coeur d'Alene. My mother with Mr. Kent had
another son; his name was Jimmy, Uncle Jimmy. He's dead too. He had one child
only. None of them were very great about having children. My Aunt Mary had a
son; he's long since dead. Caroline (I called her Aunt Cattie) had a daughter
and she's long since dead. I'm the only one left. Oh, no, Jimmy’s son (James
Kent) he lives up in Kelso I think.
S:
Now tell me about the Geer that's in Bunny's name.
F:
That's my mother's family: the Geers were the feminine side of her family. They
came from New England, right near the coast of… I went out to their place
once, saw their property. I'd like if you're back there sometime to look it up
if you can hunt it up. I suppose they're dead now; they were very, very nice and
their son, who was a Yale graduate, met us and was very nice. The original house
was a log cabin but the next original house was still there, a great big New
England house, a beautiful home. You could see where the log cabin had burned
down in the corner of the property. The daughter and her family lived off in the
distance, about half a mile, and she had a great big house, lovely home and she
came over to meet us. They were very nice people. There was a daughter who I
believed was the headmistress of some school in New England: Marianne Geer was
her name. She wrote to me one time and asked me if I'd like to consider going to
Europe with her. I don't know if that was before or after I was married but I
didn't go. I don’t know if I even answered her or not: wasn't that awful! I'm
sorry that I lost touch with them; they were such nice people.
S:
How did the Geers get across the country then? When did they come?
F:
They lived in New England. This book that I have can probably tell you lots more
than I can. My grandmother came in 1847 by covered wagon. They came first to
Illinois, I believe it was. The winters in New England were very severe and they
thought they'd like another climate.. So then they stayed in Illinois for a
while and then they came on to Oregon; the book can tell you when. (Book by
T.T. Geer: he was a governor here).
S:
So the Geers were relatives on your mother side and your father's name was
Gradon? Fauncie, your mother lived with you for quite a while.
F:
Yes, after my father died, maybe eight or ten years. She lived with us first at
our house on Salmon, 13th and Salmon. Then, in Riverwood.
S:
Where did you and Pops live when you were first married?
F:
In a duplex up on 23rd and Salmon.
S:
Where were you married?
F:
First Presbyterian Church.
S:
What year was that?
F:
About 1928. I'd been out of College about four years before we were married.
S:
You were working at a newspaper?
F:
I taught school one year. Then I worked for a newspaper. Don't tell anyone what
I did; I was a cooking expert and I gave all kinds of cooking information.
S:
Like a home economist. Was that your major in college?
F:
Yes. First I started to major in business. Oregon State didn't have any liberal
arts. I don't know why I went there except that I didn't want to go to Oregon. I
guess that was the reason.
S:
So you worked for a few years and then Bunny was born and you became a full time
housewife. Bunny was born in 1933. Fauncie, tell me about the Cannon Beach
property that your parents bought. I know that you and Pops, Bunny, Ronnie and
Janis spent summers there when the children were small -- the house on Jefferson
Street.
F:
Gee, I was just a little girl then; I can't remember when that was. They wanted
a place at the beach. They had had a place for about 15 years at what they
called the north beach just across the Columbia and to get down there you had to
take a night boat and then a full day’s trip by horse and wagon up to Long
Beach where they had their cottage and it was just too much. My father didn't
have much time; it took so much time to get there and back. They had it with my
aunt and uncle; at least they used the property. Anyhow, then when I got to be
five years old, my parents thought they should take me to the beach and I could
have the experience of living at the beach for vacations. The Tillamook beaches
were just opening up then and so they decided they'd like to look at the
Tillamook beaches so, they didn't have a car. So they took the train to... I
can't remember where they got off. Then they got off the train and met a real
estate man; this man took them around and they didn’t like them very well. It
was very sandy; the wind was blowing the dunes. But they'd heard of Cannon
Beach; there were some people on our block who'd gone to Cannon Beach; they were
the only ones because nobody went there then. They decided they'd like to go to
Cannon Beach. They stayed at the hotel down there a couple of nights near
Tillamook and just didn’t like it. So they got up early in the morning and
climbed over Neahkahnie Mountain, which is no small thing. My mother was quite
frail and not in very good health after a lot of stomach operations. They had to
start at a time when the tide was low so that could get to Cannon Beach. If the
tide was high, they would have been stalled at no place at all. When they came
down and looked at that beach they thought they'd never seen anything so pretty
as that beach. They'd gone before for twenty years to Long Beach and that's just
a long beach; that's all it is. They started out walking and they looked at this
and that and the other thing but there were no people to talk to until they
finally got up to the Warren Hotel which is about a six mile walk besides
climbing over that mountain. It was getting toward night and my mother was
always white haired as long as I can remember: she got white hair because she
had such stomach trouble. Anyway they went to the Warren Hotel and told them
they'd like to see some property and arranged to see a real estate man. Anyway,
they went to bed and the next morning this person met them. They didn't have
cars then so he took them around in a horse and buggy and showed them some
pieces of property. Even then property was extremely high compared to other
beaches so they didn't buy a front lot. The front lots were the highest. But it
turned out that a lot of those front lots caved away and caved away and caved
away: people had a lot of trouble over them. They were ecstatic about Cannon
Beach; it was so much prettier than Long Beach and the other beaches they'd seen
down below so they finally bought four lots on Jefferson. They kept all four for
a long time and finally sold the other two. I was just a little girl when we
started going there – not even in high school yet.
S:
Then you went with Danja and Pops and your children for many summers, I
understand. Were all three children, Brooks, Ronnie and Janis born when you
lived in the Riverwood house?
F:
Let me see now. I'm trying to think. After we were married we lived at 13th
and Salmon. There was a very cute duplex on 23rd and Salmon and some
of our friends lived on that street. We moved there and it was a cute duplex for
those days. It had a living room, dining room and kitchen on the first floor and
upstairs there were bedrooms. It was quite elegant for our state of life at that
time. And then next to us lived a crazy couple named Elma and Guida and I don't
know what they did; they both worked. They were absolutely the goofiest couple:
there was nothing wrong with them; they were just people that you had absolutely
nothing in the sun. in common with. Then those people moved out (we lived there
for at least two years, maybe four) then another couple moved in. They played at
some nightclub; they were musicians. Then after that, they'd bring their playing
friends over and play the piano and the orchestra for half the night.
S:
When Bunny was born in 1933, how did you get that name from Brooks? Why did you
call him Bunny?
F:
Because he was such a funny looking little fellow, with black hair, lots of it.
He looked like a Bunny.
S:
And then Ronnie was born when you were in the Riverwood house?
F:
Yes. No, let's see. We moved to Riverwood without any children. So Bunny and
Ronnie were born there.
S:
And Janis was born in the Iron Mountain Boulevard house that you built in 1941?
F:
Yes, I think she was. We lived in that Riverwood house for eight years but we
lived there for at least two years without any children. Then Bunny was born and
then Ronnie.
S:
When did you build the Iron Mountain House?
F:
It was just at the start of the Depression, I know that much.. We got caught in
the Depression but it worked out all right. I'll have to figure that out.
S:
Fauncie, who was the person that was called Grandmother Petch who lived in
California?
F:
That was Louis' mother. She remarried. She left her husband; he was the
sweetest, nicest man, but I guess maybe he didn't do very well financially for
her so she left and divorced him. Her family lived in California. Then she
married Mr. Petch. I believe she brought him up here one time. He seemed nice
enough and she was a very nice sweet person but anyway…
S:
So what became of Mr. Ragenovich then?
F:
Well, he changed his name to Ragen too because the boys were changing theirs.
Well, he final1y died. I forget what kind of work he did do. He was gone a good
deal of the summer time. He didn't live with us .He boarded some place downtown,
down by the Park blocks or something like that. And I think maybe he and Don had
an apartment somewhere until Don was married to Beth.
S:
Now Don lived with you for a while didn't he?
F:
Yes, he lived with us when we were first married. He was a dickens. Oh, he was a
devil at that time. He just did things that used to make me so mad! The poor
thing; the reason was that he was so unhappy because his father and mother were
getting a divorce that he just couldn't control himself I guess. It was a sad,
sad thing. One Christmas after we left that little house on Salmon, there was a
very nice house up on Madison between 15th and 16th. That
was during the Depression and the builder couldn't sell either one of them. So
we rented one of them. It was an elegant house for us really. That was when Don
was in college. He had a room there when he was on vacation; there were three
bedrooms and a big party room in the basement so we could have a little party
there. The house was nicely finished; it was a beautiful house. We got the rug
that was our dining room rug when we were there; it was a very beautiful rug at
that time. We were so proud of it and so happy with it. Now Uncle Don is the
sweetest person and so nice, but then he was annoying. He was unhappy about his
father and mother breaking up and it was harder on him than on anybody. He went
to college for two years and then he had to stop that and then he worked.
S:
Then Don married Auntie Beth and they had two boys Doug and Gary.
F:
Beth is a Catholic and he was married over at the Catholic church over in
Irving. I forget the name of it. It was a very pretty wedding. Do you know what
the Alexander Court is? That great big ugly… well it isn't ugly: it was the
finest residential apartment hotel in Portland for ages. It was fight across
from Fred Meyer down there on 20th. Anyway it was a morning wedding
and then we went over there for breakfast and it was lovely, very nice.
S:
What can you tell us about your wedding? I know you still have your dress.
F:
I guess I'll have to think about that. I can't think who my attendants were. I'm
sure Helen Lawton was one. She was always one of my best friends. They had come
here from Iowa in the years of the Depression.
S:
Who gave you away?
F:
I don’t know. I'll have to ask… I don't know who I'll ask. Somebody gave me
away. No, I think my father was at my wedding. Yes, I'm quite sure he was. I
think he gave me away. He died not too long after that. I think we were married
in about 1928 and he died in 1929. Maybe I'm wrong about that. Anyway, I've got
my wedding book and I'll show it to you someday.
S:
I'd love to see it. Is there anyone that we've forgotten that you'd like to talk
about?
F:
I can't think of anybody. I had no brothers or sisters and only three cousins in
my lifetime. It's all I can think of at the present time. If I think of
something startling your book will not be published, I don't suppose.
S:
I really appreciate your taking the time to do this tape Fauncie. I think that
your nine grandchildren will appreciate having a written record of some sort
about yours and Pops' history.
F:
I wish it were more, more romantic, or…
I am interested in your perspective on what
you found to be interesting within this interview of my grandmother. If you could please send me
feedback, I would be grateful.
Thank you.
