The Seventh Child

Agnes Neta Buhr HEWITT was born during the great World Depression during the "Dirty Thirties." She tells her childhood memories from birth until after her wedding. She had some help from her Mother, her older sister, her brothers and gleaning information vicariously from over hearing family members talk. Mostly, she writes from memories, events she remembers even from as early as at age two. She writes about great poverty experienced by her family, about food that was mostly home-grown, about a time when there was no electricity and no plumbing in rural farming areas. She talks about how her oldest sister became converted to evangelical Christianity from which time she hoped to convert all her family to believe as she does, and the story then takes a spiritual tone. Agnes writes about her calling to be a missionary and she needed a profession to be accepted. The author also tells about a dark shadow in their home but in spite the hardships they still found time for fun, laughter and singing. Their mother was a source of great inspiration to the family in spite of her heart condition. Agnes tells about her struggles to earn high school credits until she was finally accepted at Manitoba Teachers College. She also tells about romantic relationships which failed until she met and married a widower dentist with two sons and moved to Saskatchewan. Her story is quite emotional, and you might need a tissue while reading this book. While eventually there were twelve siblings, Agnes was the SEVENTH CHILD. Her pen name is Neta Hewy.