Grandma's Early Christmas Gift

 This week will mark 110 years since the birth of the oldest child in the Ed and Mamie Gates family. This is based on events surrounding his brief life as related to me by my father, Edmund Gates, Jr.

Little Robert

                The first of twelve babies was born to Edmund, Sr. and Mamie Irene Tripp Gates on December 19, 1912, making him almost a Christmas baby. 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 An Unlikely Marriage on December 13, 1900 at https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2020/12/an-unlikely-marriage-on-december-13-1900.html.) 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. at https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2013/12/early-days-of-edmund-gates-sr.html.)

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 at https://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2014/07/miracles-at-little-house.html.

                 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 one of Grandma’s half sister who was age 5, fed Little Robert green apples. This brought a recurrence 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. 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. 

                When little Robert was born so close to Christmas, how could Grandma, a young mother so much like Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Savior of the world, know how much sorrow she would experience with the death of this tiny one? Thankfully, God shields us from the sorrows of the future.

                Yet Mary heard prophetic words about her baby boy when he was only about six weeks old. She and Joseph faithfully followed the scripture to present this little one to the Lord at the temple in Jerusalem. A godly, elderly man, Simeon had been assured by God that he would see the Lord’s Christ before his death. After blessing the tiny Son of God, Simeon directed these words to Mary, “Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” We can be thankful the Spirit of the Lord reveals our sinfulness and opens our hearts to receiving the sacrifice that pierced Mary’s heart as she mourned at the foot of her beloved Son’s cross. May we make known to all the gift of Jesus that is offered to receptive hearts. No better gift could be received at this season of giving and receiving.

The only baby portrait 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).