Robert Bernard Gates

This week will mark one hundred years since the death of the oldest child in the Ed and Mamie Gates family. This is based on the account as related to me by my father, Edmund Gates, Jr.

The Death of Little Robert

                The first of twelve babies was born to Edmund, Sr. and Mamie Irene Tripp Gates on December 19, 1912. They named their firstborn son Robert Bernard. Little Robert could have been named for Mamie Irene’s stepfather, Robert “Bob” Black. (See the blog post entitled The Marriage of Robert and Nettie Black which was posted on October 6, 2013.) Another possibility for the source of the new baby’s name may have been Robert Bell Gates, the uncle of Edmund, Sr. My grandfather, Edmund, Sr. had lived for some time with Robert and his family in Illinois. (See the blog post entitled Early Days of Edmund Gates, Sr. dated December 1, 2013.)

This is a photograph of the young family. The man at the extreme left of the

photograph is unidentified. To the right of the team of horses is Edmund Gates, Sr. Next to him is Little Robert and Mamie Irene Tripp Gates. This same house was featured in the blog post entitled Miracles at the Little House, which was posted on July 20, 2014.

                 My grandma always preceded his name with the adjective "little" when she talked of her first baby. In the late summer of 1914, Little Robert became ill with summer complaint, a case of acute diarrhea contracted by little ones mainly due to food contamination. It seemed to strike most frequently in the late summer primarily due to the lack of refrigeration and the excessive heat usually experienced in July and August. According to my father’s account, Edmund, Sr., his father, said Little Robert was about over his case of summer complaint. Then his in-laws, Bob and Nettie Black came to visit with their children. Grandpa told how Ruby, Grandma’s half sister who was age 5, fed Little Robert green apples. This brought a reoccurrence of acute diarrhea leading to excessive dehydration that his little body could not overcome. On September 15 in 1914, my grandparents’ precious little firstborn son died. Thus, the first of many members of the Gates family was buried in Pixley Cemetery, a few miles from the land that would become the family farm in 1917

The first family portrait with Edmund, Sr. holding Little Robert
with Mamie Irene to their right.

               How difficult to fathom the excruciating anguish my grandparents must have experienced during those last days prior to Little Robert’s death when none of the remedies they tried eased the suffering of their little twenty-month-old toddler. As I reflect on this overwhelmingly sad time in my grandmother’s life, it is hard to imagine how a nineteen -year-old mother would be able to walk away from the tiny grave in the cemetery on the lonely hill overlooking the Arkansas River.  Only other mothers who have buried one of their dearly loved children can empathize with the crushing internal pain that my grandma was feeling.  My next thought is actually a question. Do mothers today or any of us, for that matter, realize how blessed we are with modern medicine? If a little one today is experiencing an illness similar to what Little Robert had, a pediatric drink to replace the lost electrolytes or a brief hospital stay to cure the dehydration with intravenous feedings will have the toddler healthy soon. I hope that in the 21^st century we will consciously remember the devastating heartaches faced and conquered by our ancestors amidst harsh conditions. Hopefully, we faithfully give thanks for the innumerable blessings we have that those who went before us would yearn to have. Whether we need to steadily plod each day or cope with a sudden, horrific tragedy as my grandparents dealt with 100 years ago, may their examples of steadfastness and resiliency strengthen us in our own resolve.

The only baby picture of Little Robert.
Grandma had written on the back: Robert
Bernard Five months, 16 days old. Notice
it was still the style to dress all babies
whether boys or girls in fancy, little white
gowns.

Tombstone marking the grave of
Robert Bernard Gates in Pixley Cemetery
in the West Big Bend Community. (as
seen on findagrave.com).