Emma Bisset

This lovely story was graciously Donated by Tom Giammo and his wife Caral. Please note that it is not to be reproduced in any form without the explicit permission of Mrs.Caral A. Giammo, who can be reached at giammot@access.digex.net. Tom transcribed this description of the short courtship of his wife's grandmother Emma Bisset.
 

The story of the meeting in 1870 and short courtship of Alfred Bissett and the widow, Mrs. Erma Maguet, is taken from the autobiography of their daughter, Mrs. Emma Sampson (nee Bissett), written a few years before her death in 1951. Although it is based on the memories of what was told to her by her parents, it is probably somewhat fanciful. For example, the arrival of Alfred Bissett was not likely as random an event as presented in the story. In 1870, Alfred was living with and sailing for his older first cousin, George Henry Bissett of River Bourgeois. Coincidently, this George Henry Bissett had been the best man at the marriage of Erma's mother in 1852 - who was living with Erma in 1870. It is likely, therefore, that Alfred's meeting with Erma was arranged by George Henry and Erma's mother.

"To help identify the individuals mentioned in the story: Alfred Bissett had been born in 1846 in the Dartmouth area to Joseph Bissett and Elizabeth Conrod. The family moved to River Bourgeois around 1850 when Joseph joined the shipping firm of his brother, George Edward Bissett. When she grew up, the Adele Maguet mentioned married Henry Joyce of D'Escousse. The (Victor) Hillaire Maguet mentioned was the son of Yves Maguet and Petronille Quesnijore, who had migrated from France in the early 1800s. Erma's mother, Melanie Bareste, had been born in the French colony of Saint-Louis in Senegal in 1835 to Jeanne Dorau, who later married Jean Baptiste Pertus and moved to the Isle Madame area around 1841.

 
My mother, Erma (Maguet), was first married at the age of fourteen. She was a mother at sixteen and a widow at seventeen. Her husband,( Desire Sampson,) had been lost at sea.

Now, it was a worse tragedy because her own father, the beloved school master Hiliare [Maguet], had perished a few years before, which had been one of the main factors why she had married so young. Emma was fullygrown and, being the eldest [child of Hiliare], the welfare of her home had to be shared with her (widowed) mother, Mrs. Melanie Maguet nee Bareste (who was the step-daughter of John Pertus).

As this abode had need of earning hands, these two courageous women had left no stone unturned in doing whatever work came to hand to eke out a living. Their house [in D'Escousse] was known as "The House on the Hill", a house with two widows, where the younger was again big with child[ by her now drowned husband].

It was to this house then that Alfred [Bissett], seeking to have his laundry done finally knocked on the door of this small, white cottage. The door opened wide and facing him with a beautiful, young woman, whose delicate condition made him stammer with embarrassment. He thought he had come to the wrong place, and so he turned to go. But, the woman, pointing to the bag on his shoulder, stated, "You want your clothes washed? Then, you have come to the right place. We do washing here." She ended by saying invitingly, "Come in and lay your bag on the floor."

Alfred was at a loss for words at first, but again needing to know the truth he asked, "What do you mean by we? Is there another person here? Surely you don't wash yourself!" Erma smiled gaily and answered, "But I do and I am very well and strong. Mother, who lives here too is also the village nurse. At present she is in the River Bourgois, nursing a Mrs. McNeil, who is having a baby. Her husband[, Malcomb Jeremiah Thomas McNeil, ]is the School Principal." Alfred's eyes opened wide and then he threw back his head and laughed heartily, exclaiming, "Nancy [(actually Martha Marie) ] McNeil having another baby! She is my young aunt and has many already. My name is Alfred Bisset and the Bissets of River Bourgois are my family."

Then he shook hands with her and appeared glad to meet her. They began to speak as if they had known each other for a long time. Then Alfred said, "You shall not do my washing. If you are willing just tell me what to do and I shall do my own." The result was he carried the water in from the well and filled the large iron pots and when they were hot, poured the water from them into the wooden tubs. Rolling up his sleeves Alfred rubbed up and down, up and down on the washboard while they talked and laughed happily. Erma busied herself in preparing dinner, which consisted of boiled potatoes, with the jackets on, and salt herring. Then a salad of green lettuce, fresh from the garden, rosy red radishes all mixed into thick sour cream. The homemade bread, homemade butter and strawberry jam made it a meal which Alfred said, with a full mouth, "this is the best meal I have ever had!"

Looking at the family around him Alfred realized that this poor, young woman was really alone and caring for them all, besides taking in washing. His eyes filled with emotion.

There were two young brothers. Marcel, who was nine; Hubert, who was six and the lovely sister, Adele, who was eleven year old. Then, there was her own cherub of a baby, Victor, who was around a year old. When he looked at her now and saw her so young, so vital, so happy, yet with her new ordeal soon upon her, his heart was filled with compassion.

He asked her to be allowed to stay with them until his ship was ready to sail again. He would pay for his keep. At his words, Erma, who had thrilled at the first sound of his voice, now looked at him with her heart in her eyes - her heart which had now been pierced by Cupid's arrow. She was filled with the wonder of it all. She could only lower her eyes and murmur a soft assent. Then Alfred went to work, using his young man's versatility and vision. First he saw that the cradle which, no doubt, had rocked Erma and all the children, was much the worse for wear. To remedy this he asked Erma's permission to make a new one. When she saw the finished cradle, new and shining, fashioned out of young trees and put together with the sharp jackknife, she was strangely moved to tears. Now she could rock her newborn infant without fear that the cradle would fall apart. The new rope which Alfred brought from the ship's chest made a lovely sturdy bottom to hold the straw mattress, topped by a feather one. Then Alfred made a bunk, man size, and a smaller one where a young child could sleep in comfort and safety. These he also lashed together with the rope, making good strong bottoms to hold the straw tick and the soft feather beds. His position as first mate on the ship gave him leeway to the chest and its contents. Of course, he did this work while at home from his duties on board ship which always allowed him time apart from the outside chores which he did no early rising to help out the children. They went wild over the good man, Alfred.

From the first, Alfred won their hearts by the dear little things he did for them. First, there was the whistles made out of young twigs cut from the willow trees. He made some into flutes upon which he played the tunes of the Church Hymns. When he played these tunes all would sing, including Erma, who had a lovely sweet voice.

Then he made each boy a sailboat and fitted them with masts. Erma sewed on the small pieces of canvas which he brought from the ship's chest, which he had cut into the right shape and size. As these two worked together making these toys for the man-missing boys, their eyes would meet and their hearts would leap to the God-given emotion of love, shaping itself in their hungry hearts.

But, the one who enjoyed Alfred most was the young Adele. To her he brought, from his own personal chest, a string of odd ornaments made into a lovely necklace. this he had fashioned from the pits of the Tamerine, a date-like fruit, from the East. He had cared each one in a delicate pattern and gilded and painted it in beautiful colors. All this he did to satisfy his need for lovely and useful things in the spare hours on his ship. Now, in giving it to Adele, he presented it, saying "And all the time I was doing this work I never knew it was to give to such a dear one as you". Adele worshipped him anew and her young heart held a strange fascination for him. Then there were the picture frames made from fine bamboo and shaped into lovely designs. Some he made fit Adele's Holy pictures and some for the house itself. One frame he made which lasted many years was on the edge of a box in which he had set a full rigged ship or Barintine. It reposed on water made of putty cleverly painted and shaped into rolling waves. This box then held this scene of an English ship in full sail. It was covered with a glass. On the edges of this frame was the finely wrought bamboo which made a beautiful trimming.

But the greatest gift from this versatile young man was the beautiful table cover woven by hand from new rope. It was knotted and fitted into a solid body, yet a soft mass. This gift was lovely and as he presented it to Erma, their fingers touched and he suddenly grasped her hands saying breathlessly "Erma! Erma!"

He had been there now over a month. After his daily work on the ship he would rush to this place that had now become his home, even more so than the one in which he had called home, for many years. Alfred's parents had died when he was yet a child and he had been brought up by an aunt who believed that work, good constructive work, was the only necessary factor to bring up a child in the manner which would do him the most good. Alfred had been on his own for most of his young years, hence, the wide scope of his knowledge. As far as education was concerned he was a sponge which could soak it up to spare. He learned in the school of vast experience and the world found it good.

One afternoon Erma was busy ironing. Her fingers flew about the lovely Altar Cloths and the Priest's Robes which she did to perfection. This work had been done by these two women for some years and was a staple source of their income. Alfred had chopped much wood which was needed to keep the irons hot. Alfred, who was somewhat of a dandy, had beautiful linen shirts with many fluted ruffles. He was happy to know that Erma could do such good work on them which would show them off in their beauty and value. What a wife she would make and at this thought his heart gave a great sob. He could not contain himself any longer. He stood up and seized her hands as she was about to change her iron. He placed them on his shoulders and looking into her soft eyes, he said, "Erma, we both know that we love each other. Let's not fool about it any longer. I want you to be my wife and let me be a father to all of you. Some day, God may bless us with some of our own. My ship leaves in a few days. I can't bear to think of you alone here and what may happen to you. I want to have the right to protect you. Please, please, Erma, Marry me."

Erma just continued to look into his eyes, drowning there, in the consenting of his wishes. No words came, but the swooning desire in her own eyes came to give him his answer as she swayed toward him for his kiss - the ironing board between them.

It was later that they made their plans. They would be married on his return trip. At present he would give her all the money he had on board, his good clothes would remain here with her as he would have no need of them now. He could not afford to go on shore to spend his wages with a ready made family and more in the offing.

They went to the village priest with their intentions and asked for his blessings. The good priest gave it, making Alfred know that all his life God would be merciful to him because he had shown mercy to the least of these - the young widowed mother and the children.

When my grandmother returned from her nursing and learned all about this startling event, she gave her consent freely, knowing full well and remarking that, "in the versatility of a Bissett, they would all survive!