Ming and the Irishman

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Beatrice, a nanny for the Rockefellers, spent much of her childhood in a convent where she grew her sharp mind, spirit and charm. She developed a love for Shakespeare while growing up in this mysterious world, a love that stayed with her through the whole of her life. Born to a french family, The Martins of New Brunswick, Catholic faith was central in her life. Her education was very much a classical education and certainly led to her introduction to the Rockefellers.

What struck me as a young man was how beautiful she was in her youth. Though naive about the mysteries of life, she was armed with amazing wit and a disarming smile. The stories of her time with the Rockefellers allude me at this point in my life, but I do remember that she loved their children dearly and they thought of her as a daughter. She was a young woman of 18 or 19 at this time but, had wisdom way beyond her years. She also had a love of the arts and accompanied the Rockefellers regularly to the opera and other performances.

The Rockefellers knew a dynamic and boisterous attorney, an aspiring politician at the time, who was close to turning thirty (30) and still single. This Irishman came from a large family of five (5) brothers and was a 5th generation attorney. (I hear they were an interesting bunch but, like many Irishmen of the time, drank way too much.) The Rockefellers invited him to join them at the opera where he had the good fortune to sit next to the nanny. They had an enchanting time at the opera and certainly bewitched each other.

The opera's main character, Ming, was petite, beautiful and had long flowing hair (almost to the floor) and very much resembled the Rockefeller's nanny who, at the time, was still known as Beatrice. The handsome Irishman was so taken with her resemblance to the character on stage that he dubbed her "Ming". From that evening and through the rest of her very long life my grandmother, Beatrice, was known as Ming.

The Irishman, my grandfather George, quickly proposed to the charming nanny and married her shortly thereafter. All in all, it must have been an interesting time. The world had emerged from a long war and the worst pandemic in history, America was on the brink of the "roaring twenties" and hope was tangible everywhere.

Maine Historical Society - Google Books [IMAGE CREDIT]