The Millman Children from left: back row Alfred, Charles and John C. front row Clara, Burta, Mayme, Laura, Ida and Anna

Ida's sisters were Burda, Clara, Mayme, Laura and Anna. Her brothers were John C., Alfred and Charles. Burda married M. Berry Salmons, Clara married William H. Broughton, Mayme married William Magee, Laura married John Schaffer and Anna's married name was Weldon. John C. married Elizabeth, the sister of James Pride Prettyman. Alfred also married an Elizabeth although there is no record of her maiden name. Charles married Priscilla Cassidy.

Ida married James Pride Prettyman in 1903 when she was 18 years old and spent the rest of her life living in Lewes.

Ida had her first child, daughter Mildred Hester Prettyman, in 1904 (photo below shows James and Ida with Mildred). She then had her first son Milman Edward Prettyman in 1905 and her second son James Pride Prettyman, Jr., in 1913.

According to Sue Potts, Ida cooked and heated the kitchen on a large, black wood stove that backed up to the dining room wall. "She had a gas stove in the 'summer' kitchen that was used when we spent time there," Sue said.

"When Granddad was alive, she slept in the double bed in the L-shaped bedroom. When Dick (her brother) and I would visit, she'd sleep with Granddad. I never saw Grandmother take a nap. Also, there was her sewing machine. I think she made curtains and dresses for others. She also did jigsaw puzzles."

During the 83 years of her life, Ida never owned or learned to drive a car but Sue said she transported items in a wagon. "The wagon was her vehicle. She depended on it for so much. She used it to carry home her groceries, particularly when the family was coming. Also, it was used to transport live chickens in a coop home to the chicken house which was part of the shed outside her back door. She fattened those chickens herself. She chopped off their heads with Dick and me sitting up in the tree yelling. I can still see those headless chickens flipping around the back yard."

"The wagon was her way of getting Dick and me to the beach when we were too young to walk that far. After doing her a.m. chores, serving dinner and cleaning up, she'd put us in the wagon (about 1:30 p.m.) and pull us to the beach in the hot sun. We'd stop and visit people along the way. Afterwards, we'd stop and visit on the way home. If the Philadelphia cousins were there at their cottage, we would visit a long time. When I think of hot summers, I wonder how she endured all of this."

"Sunday evenings we went to church with her -- not always but often. Grandmother was frugal, but never stingy. She shared lovingly everything she had with us and with others. She was energetic -- think of how clean that house always was -- and how big it was too! She had a vacuum, mop, pails and cloths. She carried them herself doing all the work."

She and her husband James sent both of their sons to the University of Delaware and their daughter to nursing school.

In 1936, when she was 51 years old, her husband became ill and retired from the Lewes Post Office on disability. She spent the next six years caring for him until he died in 1942.

From the age of 57 until her death at age 83, Ida was a widow living on whatever funds James left for her and small amounts of money she earned by working at the hospital looking after the preemies (babies born prematurely). She collected rent as a landlord sharing part of her house to supplement her income.

The following recollections are from Mary Jo Haverbeck, her other granddaughter. "Ida was a devout Methodist who regularly attended services at Bethel Methodist Church on 4th Street. She did not drink, dance or smoke. As one of her five grandchildren, I never heard her curse, never saw her with her hair down and never saw her in anything but dresses.

She liked to travel and was more than willing to ride with me to Rehoboth where we walked the boardwalk and had dinner at the Avenue Restaurant. She also had a keen appreciation of history and savored special moments. The two of us were on the first ferry boat that crossed from Lewes to Cape May, New Jersey on July 1, 1964.

Ida visited her children who lived in Wilmington by riding back and forth on the bus. She carried a small suitcase and stayed in the tiny guest room in our house.

Her own bedroom in Lewes also was small with a double bed, a chest of drawers and a plain Hope Chest which is in my possession. I remember her having a wind up alarm clock which clicked rather loudly beside her bed.

Her home at 311 Mulberry Street was located within easy walking distance of an A & P grocery store on 2nd Street which is now the Rose and Crown Restaurant.

She loved her front porch, which had four rocking chairs on it, and often sat outside after dinner to "watch the world go by."

She grew her own vegetables in what I viewed as a large garden plot in back of the house. That same area was where she hung her clothes to dry. Her sister-in-law Fanny had a large barn/garage in the neighboring backyard with chicken coops in back of it. I learned a lot about chickens and eggs from their proximity

Ida was a country cook who used a gas stove. She served chicken and occasionally offered small cuts of steak. Corn on the cob was one of her favorites and she made fantastic succotash with local lima beans and corn cooked in the decidedly wicked fat back. She also frequently served stewed tomatoes. I think she's the one who taught me to love soft shell crabs. She also was fond of peaches and I would drive her to the Nassau market to get them.

One of the highlights of the Christmas season was her arrival with tins of home baked cookies. There were paper thin sugar cookies in various shapes with sprinkles on top and chocolate chip cookies as well.

I can remember Ida taking her first train trip to Florida because someone took a photo of the occasion. I can't recall who went with her but it could have been her friend Edith who is often mentioned in her letters. She had the same small suitcase in her hand when she boarded.

Ida saved bits of string, winding everything into a ball. She did the same thing with wax paper and aluminum foil. Years of necessary thrift left their mark on her but as Sue Potts wrote in her letter, she was never stingy."

"Her bathroom, which was upstairs, was quite large and rectangular in shape with a sink, toilet and a bathtub with claw feet," Mary Jo said. "I think there was a linen closet as well.

As a frequent guest in her house, I stayed in the front bedroom which was shaped like an L. The biggest part of the bedroom held a double bed but my part was wedged between one of the two front windows and a closet. There were mature trees growing out of the sidewalk that shook and scared me when we had those frequent thunderstorms.

Lewes sidewalks were of various heights and presented some challenges to bicyclists. It took awhile for me to be allowed to ride my bike around the block. Mostly, I remember walking two blocks down what I'd call an alley to get to the movie theater.

My visits were longer in the summertime and I loved having the freedom she gave me to go to the shopping district to look at comic books and have an ice cream.

One 4th of July, when I was on my own, I entered the holiday's annual pie eating contest. I ate some pie then had to use my nose to find a silver dollar in baking flour that was poured on top of the table. I came home looking a mess but I don't recall being scolded for it. I believe Ida had a soft spot in her heart for children.

That love for kids led her to either volunteer or work in the nursery with the babies at Beebe Hospital. She often mentioned working with what she called "premies" or babies born before their due date.

Ida's living room had a horsehair couch that was very itchy. There also was an upright piano, which as far as I know she only kept in case others could play it. One of her prize possessions was a black and white television. Her favorite shows were Lawrence Welk and any beauty contest.

She had a niece named Patricia Lillie who was in show business. That was someone Ida liked to talk about and she gave me a Christmas card Lillie had sent her because I was working as a TV reporter for WHYY in Wilmington. Lillie mentions her appearance on a Carol Burnett Show with Rock Hudson and another appearance on the Jack Benny Show and a CBS Playhouse production of "The Final War of Olly Winter.

In her note written on the back of Lillie' card Ida offered me some advice on living. "Do cook nourishing food. It's hard for one but can be done. Do you have a good refrigerator with a freezing unit? There are a lot of things you will miss but you will get used to it." Ida knew what it was like to make your own way.

My time with Ida dropped dramatically after I graduated from college and began a teaching career in Wilmington but she often wrote to me on little blue folded pages with her name and address on the front page. I've saved some of the letters and cards that meant the most to me.

She never forgot a birthday. My favorite b-day card from her was sent to me at a time when, for some ridiculous reason, I was worried about my age. She began with, "You know you are only as old as you look and feel and I am sure that would be about sixteen. That is how old you look to me." I think I was in my mid to late 20s at the time. At that point in my life my mother had died and I was moving away from home for the first time into an apartment. Ida's words of encouragement meant everything to me.

In a later letter she began with "Summer is gone and fall is here. I shall miss all the activities out front especially the snow ball girls." I believe these were young girls with blond hair who were summer visitors to a rental property across the street.

At this point, I was in the process of moving from Wilmington to Newark and working at the University of Delaware and she offered her usual good advice. "I do hope you can get something nice and comfortable. A satisfied mind means a lot to me."

In that letter she told me she certainly missed me. As a young person reaching out for all kinds of experiences, I don't think I understood how much she valued news from us. If I had it to do over again I'd spend every spare moment with her and I do miss her very much.