Chapter 9 - Minnie Boyd
Magdalena's older sister Minnie Boyd, lived across the street from Magdalena and Albert, on May 14, 1943. “I called the doctor for her,” Minnie said.
"Albert Waugh had already deserted her; even before Ronnie was born, he'd abandoned all of them," she continued, "It's not quite clear to me even now, but I believe Magdalena took Ronnie when he was months old, to the Walker family herself." Minnie said, "When I think about it, it is still perplexing about how hard and sorry her life had become in just a few years after she married Albert Waugh. Magdalena gave birth to six children, in rapid succession; all of whom Albert Waugh abandoned just as he had his first family with his first wife, Alice."
"Albert Waugh was cruel to Magdalena. She was young, high spirited and fun loving. Why she ever married him, an old man when she was a lovely girl of fifteen, we never understood. Other young mothers might have carried on, and many of us did, but he broke her spirit; he left her disillusioned and confused."
"After he slipped off, we heard he went to Georgia, Magdalena was traumatized. Her decisions for herself and her children were confused. She moved her children from place to place, and all of them were bad places. Our mother often would find the children alone, and send our father out, time and again to track her down in some beer joint in Ironton. She'd last two or three days at home with her six children, before she was gone again."
