Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Rachel Burden knows just how amazing her great-grandmother was, and now others can, too.
Burden, 86, recently wrote a book entitled, “Amazing Mazie,” about her great-grandmother, Mariam Olive Greenlaw McGlauflin.
“My great-grandmother used to love writing poems,” said Burden, “and I started compiling them. As I started looking at them, I wondered, ‘Is that enough to do a book?’”
The answer proved to be, “Yes.”
“Amazing Mazie” includes several of McGlauflin’s poems, as well as old family photos.
“Mariam Greenlaw McGlauflin was one of 11 children born to Mary and John Greenlaw in Charlotte, Maine. My most vivid memories center about the last two decades of her life,” said Burden. “She appeared frail physically, but her mind was keen, her eyes danced with the love of life, and the stories she told were unbelievable, wonderful history. From interviews recorded in old Star-Herald’s, I found accounts of her colorful life that she had told all of us in the family over and over.
“From poems which she wrote, I have gleaned biographical data, as well as a chance to appreciate the depth of her Christian faith. She wrote poems for special occasions such as golden weddings, birthdays, sympathy, new babies, holidays or warnings about ‘Demon Rum,’” she said. “She apparently hoped her poems would change lives to correspond with her philosophy of living. She hoped her readers could all become Christians, Republicans and Teetotalers. It was my desire not only to share stories of this remarkable pioneer woman, but to inspire readers with the example of her Christ-filled life.”
Mazie was a bride at 17, had her last child at age 43, and was a widow at 58. She lived for 99 years, and saw a lot in her lifetime.
Burden said the idea to write about her great-grandmother “got into high gear last fall.”
“I’ve been working on it for more than a year,” she said. “It was fun. Just when I got discouraged, there’d be a beam of light.”
Those beams of light came in a number of forms.
“In doing my research, I went to Turner Library and found the 1900 Census. I found out where Mazie and her husband, James, lived, their ages, and what they put as their occupation,” said Burden. “As it turns out, she listed her occupation as ‘book agent.’ Her daughter, Flora Searles, wrote a novel called ‘The Scarlet Ribbon,’ which a lot of people have heard of. My guess is that Mazie was peddling books for her.
“Another high point was finding a diary kept by Mazie’s daughter, Lula McGlauflin Keirstead,” she said. “When I found that I was prancing all over the place. It was filled with so many clues and information. It was in that diary that I discovered that I’m currently living next door to the property where Mariam and James lived on Allen Street.”
Burden said despite some low points during the writing process, she was “encouraged by relatives, friends and history buffs.”
“There were times when I thought, ‘I’m too old for this,’ or that I should have listened more and asked questions,” she said. “Growing up in Mapleton only a few miles from my grandparents and great-grandmother in Chapman, I was privileged to visit often and listen to the old tales. Alas, with such a blessed heritage, I didn’t realize what an opportunity was mine, so I would scoot off to visit my twin cousins and think, ‘I’ve heard all that before.’ I regret what might have been.”
In addition to photos and poems, “Amazing Mazie” has sections including “Gold Rush and Early Charlotte Life,” “Civil War,” “Post War in Spragueville,” “Postmaster Life in Mapleton,” and “Mazie and James in Presque Isle.” Burden’s daughter, Kathy Crowell, did cartoon sketches that are interspersed in the book, as well.
“Mazie was an amazing woman,” said Burden. “I think if she were to see this book, she would be pleased.”
Burden, who grew up in Mapleton, now lives in Presque Isle. She taught elementary school for 26 and a-half years throughout Maine, and was married to Fred Burden.
Over the years, Burden has also written books about her father (“Ray Higgins: His Mapleton Memories,” 1981) and half-brother (“Tater Picking Scientist: Selected Writings of Irwin R. Higgins,” 1999).
With 200 copies of “Amazing Mazie” printed, Burden said she’s “gotten rid of almost 50.”
“I’ve given a lot away,” she said.
Copies of the book are available at Mr. Paperback in Caribou or by calling Burden at 764-1250.
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
RACHEL BURDEN, 86, of Presque Isle, recently wrote a book entitled, “Amazing Mazie,” about her great-grandmother, Mariam Olive Greenlaw McGlauflin. The book features family stories, photos, and several poems written by Mazie. “It was my desire not only to share stories of this remarkable pioneer woman, but to inspire readers with the example of her Christ-filled life,” said Burden. Copies of the book are available at Mr. Paperback in Caribou or by calling Burden at 764-1250.
