The Valentines – A Family with a Heart
By Kathryn E. Eriksen

Dorothy Valentine Hadley passed away on February 23, 2008. She was brought back to her hometown of Waxahachie to be buried in the family plot. Relatives from all over the United States came to pay their respects.

And they contacted me.

My connection to the Valentine family is not through a person, but a place. From approximately 1930 to sometime in the late 1950’s, the Victorian home located at 1201 E. Marvin nurtured and sheltered Valentines and their offspring. My husband and I are now the owners of this same home, but we did not have faces to attach to the names we had heard over the years. Now we do.

To honor Dorothy, her relatives wanted to see the old home place again.

A note was stuck on my back door yesterday, explaining the situation. I immediately called Nancy Anderson and we made arrangements for her and her mother to come see the house after the funeral. I gladly agreed, since I wanted to meet these folks who grew up in my house.

Five or six cars pulled up at once. People dressed in black poured out of each vehicle, and immediately started wandering around the yard, pointing and taking pictures. Everyone introduced themselves and then I was taken on a trip down memory lane – right in my own house!

It was great fun to hear about how Dorothy and her brother would go into the attic and use a rope to climb down from the highest point of the roof – without hurting themselves! Or to listen to Dorothy’s son tell about the time when he was nine years old and he was sent up to the attic to close the vents – right in the middle of a horrific thunderstorm! Or about the apricot orchard and hen house that was located in the back yard.

It was obvious that this family loved each other very much. Warm and gracious, they were so appreciative of the opportunity to tour the house and recall fond memories. The house seemed to bask in the warm and loving vibes that surrounded this group. Did the house remember them too?

I have always felt honored to own a piece of history. I now have a much greater appreciation of how much a place, and a time, can contribute and shape a family.

We all agreed that Dorothy Valentine was up in heaven, smiling with pleasure on this gathering at her childhood home.