Hello From Bob Bertram

Hi to all of you at the Woodsdale Kids Blog, my name is Bob Bertram and I was a Woodsdale Kid from 1950 thru 1955. My brother Bill and I were also Woodsdale Children’s Home Kids on 14 Orchard Road and were more commonly referred to as “ kids from the Children’s Home “.

I think at this point I should give you some background information as to how we ended up in the Children’s Home in the first place. We where born in Steubenville Ohio and at some point my mother and father got a divorce, my father abandoned us and my mother could no longer support us, we also had a little sister, Carol. My mother agreed to place us in the home and my sister in a foster home until she could afford to support the family.

My mother came to visit us every Sunday and would never sign papers to put us up for adoption as other kids had been, I can remember a couple came to the home for adoption purposes and looked at me and said what a cute little boy I was and I’ll tell you I was afraid they where going to come to the home that night and get me, needless to say I didn’t sleep very well for a couple of nights. My mother got a job at the A&P store in Steubenville and brought us home along with my sister in 1955. Life in the Children’s Home is a story in itself, but all in all it was a better life than running the streets of Steubenville when I was in the first grade. The good Lord does watch over his children.

I don’t remember very many kids in my classes but I remember some teachers like Mrs. Johnson, Miss Riley in the 4th grade and Miss Fritz who always reminded us that it was Washington and not Warshington. My brother Bill mentioned a Mrs. Wolf that I don’t remember. I have some class pictures and pictures, along with names of some of the kids from the Children’s home that I will share with you when I join your Blog.

This has brought back a lot of memories from the past and it will take some time to review the Blog archives but I will post some memories of Woodsdale and the Children’s home that I hope won’t bore you.

Bob Bertram