Helen's Family

Aurthur Keller - captain in the Confederate Army. A splendid man, large and fine looking and a genuine Christian. He was Twenty years older than Kate, Helen's mother. When they married he had two sons. James, who was about the same age as Kate, and William, a teenager the family called by his middle name, Simpson. The family addressed Aurthur as "Captain". He worked as the editor and publisher of weekly newspaper. He was always short of money, but owned parcels of land here and there. He was a devoted father.

Kate Adams Keller was the second wife of Aurthur. She was a hard worker in the home by curing hams, putting up jellies and preserves, and looking after the poultry, the vegetable garden, the flower garden and supervising the black servants who lived in the same shacks they had occupied fifteen years earlier when they were slaves. She often worked along side of the black servants from early morning until after dinner. She was thoughtful, reserved in nature and a great reader.

Helen Keller's courage, intelligence, and fortitude are a testament to the strength of the human spirit, and the story of her life is an inspiration to us all.

Dash, Joan. "The world at her fingertips, the story of Helen Keller". 2001, Scholastic, NY.

Helen's Mischief

Once Helen spilled some water on her apron. She wanted it to dry so she held her apron near the fireplace. She was too close and it burst into flames. She liked to play tricks. One day she found some keys and locked her mother in the pantry closet. Helen sat on the porch where she could feel the vibrations of her mother's pounding. It took 3 hours for someone to let Helen's mother out of the pantry.

Helen and a young servant named Martha Washington played together. Helen and her friend Martha were cutting out paper dolls when Helen got bored and so she cut off all the flowers growing on vines near the porch. Then she cut Martha's hair and let Martha cut her own long, golden hair.

When Helen was 5 years old her mother gave birth to another little girl. Helen became jealous of the baby who seemed to be taking her mother away. Helen pushed over the cradle with her little sister Mildred in it. Before the baby hit the floor her mother caught her.

Anne Sullivan took the teacher job when she was 20 years old. She had been an orphan. When Anne first arrived Helen would throw bad temper-tantrums. The only way that Anne could teach Helen without the families interruptions was to live and teach in the small cottage beside the families house.

Newspapers in Boston got word about Helen's story and shared stories about Helen and Annie. The papers called Helen the "wonder child". This helped Helen become famous. In May 1888 Helen and Anne were invited to the White House to meet President Grover Cleveland. The president was amazed by how much Helen could do.

In the summer after Helen attented the Perkins school, Annie and Helen went to Cape Cod, and Helen went swimming in the ocean for the first time. This became Helen's most favorite place. Poetry became Helen's passion while she studied at Perkins.

Dogs were her favorite animal.

After nearly fifty years her teacher Anne Sullivan died.

Helen met Franklin D. Roosevelt who had had polio. He had braces on his legs and used a wheelchair. The two proved that people could overcome severe handicaps and achieve great things.

Helen Keller's story has inspired millions and it continues to inspire us today.

Thompson, Gary. 2003, Grosser and Dunlap, NY.

Helen Keller and Alexander Gram Bell

Helen's parents looked for help for their daughter in every way. "Captain", Helen's father took her on a train ride when she was six. They took the train to meet Alexander Graham Bell, who was not only the world famous inventor of the telephone, but also a teacher of the deaf. Bell advised that they look for a private teacher and told them where to find one.

The first person Helen wrote to was Bell after she learned how to write and read raised letters and Braille. This was the beginning of a correspondence and friendship that would continue until Bell's death.

Over the years Bell advised Helen on her education and helped her financially. He encouraged her to speak out on issues and he supported through both good times and bad. Bell told Helen, "You can do anything you think you can." Later Helen wrote of her affection for Bell. "I remember him not so much as a great inventor, or as a great benefactor, but simply as a wise, affectionate, and understand friend."

St. George, Judith.1992 copyright, G.P. Putnum's Sons.

Quote:

"Though these dark and silent year, God has been using my life for a purpose I do not know. BUt one day I shall understand and then I shall be satisfied.

-Helen, in her book, The STory of My Life

New Facts - Blog #5

Annie taught Helen to write using a special board with slits. Helen would put her pencil between the slits to keep her letters straight. Helen was taught how to read lips by putting her fingers on a person's mouth. and read braille brooks.

When Helen went to the Perkins School in 1888, she met other blind children. Helen also learned how to talk. A singing teacher helped Helen use her voice. Helen continued her education at the Cambridge School for Young Ladies in 1896, which helped prepare her for college. Helen then went to Radclliffe College in Massachusetts and graduated in 1904 with Anne's help with a Bachelor's degree.

Helen wanted to work for her own money and began working for the American Foundation for the Blind. Many people asked Helen to also work for the deaf, but at first she only focused on the blind. She gave speeches.

In 1914 Anne got ill and needed help assisting Helen, so they hired Polly Thomson as an aide. Polly accompanied Helen and Anne on their trips to other countries to ask people to help the blind. In visiting many countries Helen helped raised money for the blind. This was used to help build schools for the blind. The Presidential Medal of Freedom given to Americ'a highest award for non-military people was awarded to Helen in 1964, and one year later Helen was elected to the Women's Hall of Fame.

1918 Helen starred in a movie about her life called "Deliverance" in Hollywood, California. Anne and Polly told Helen what she needed to do in each scene of the movie, and the director would stamp his foot to let Helen know when she needed to perform her scenes. Helen also started in the movie "Helen Keller: Her Story". Later all three performed a show in theaters about how Helen learned how to communicate.

In 1936, Anne Sullivan died and Helen missed her greatly. Polly continued to remained an aide to Helen as they traveled around the world. Helen traveled the world nine times in her life and visited 35 countries. When WW2 happened, Helen visited wounded soldiers and gave hope to those who lost their eye sight or hearing.

Her final years Helen spent in Westport Connecticut at her home called "Arcan Ridge". She died in her sleep at 88 years old.

Fun facts: Helen learned to read Latin, Greek, German and French languages. She was also able to read five different kinds of print for the blind, including American Braille and European braille.

Helen Keller Facts - Blog #4

Helen Adams Keller started to misbehave when she got a little older, and had a lot of temper tantrums. Sometimes she bit or pinched others. The Keller's didn't know what to do for their daughter. The Keller's mailed out many letters to people regarding a teacher for Helen. The head of the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston replied back with an answer for them. They finally came to the plan to hire a teacher for her. This amazing 1st teacher and companion was Annie Sullivan who taught Helen how to communicate. Through this communication Helen learned how to share her ideas and feelings with the people around her. When Annie met Helen for the first time it was when Helen was 6 years old. Annie gave Helen a doll and spelled "d-0-l-l-" in her hand. At first Helen didn't know she was spelling a word, instead she thought it was a game. After a while Helen figured out that it wasn't a game and knew that the signals spelled in her hand stood for things and had names. Afterward Helen made Anne spell everything Helen touched in her hand.

Annie Sullivan her teacher was blind as a child but an operation restored her sight. When she was blind she learned braille and American Sign Language through the Perkins School for the blind.

Helen spent her life helping others, especially the the blind and deaf. She traveled around the world and raised money and helped change laws affecting the blind and deaf people. She also wrote many articles for magazines.

Helen grew up with two older brothers and a younger sister. Their mother Kate was a homemaker and their father Arthur served as captain in the civil war. They gardened vegetables, fruit and cotton , along with some farm animals.

When Helen was only six months old she could say simple one word sentences such as tea and water, but it wasn't too clear.

After Helen got sick her mother would wave her hand in front of her face and ring a bell near her, but Helen wouldn't move. That is when her mother Kate realized she was blind and deaf.

Dubois, Muriel L. "Helen Keller". 2003 by Capstone Press.

By age 10, Helen had mastered Braille as well as the manual alphabet and even learned to use the typewriter. By the time she was 16, Helen could speak well enough to go to preparatory school and to college. In 1904 she was graduated "Cum Laude" from Radcliffe College. The teacher stayed with her through those years, interpreting lectures and class discussions to her.

Helen Keller, the little girl, became one of history's remarkable women. She dedicated her life to improving the conditions of blind and the deaf-blind around the world, lecturing in more than 25 countries on the five major continents. Wherever she appeared, she brought new courage to millions of blind people.

http://www.helenkellerbirthplace.org/helenkellerbio/helen_keller_birthplace2_bio.htm

After college Helen’s dad had died causing it to be a very sad time in Helen’s life. A few weeks later John and Anne had a beautiful, colorful, wedding. This was one of Helen’s most joyful moments. All three of them moved to a beautiful home on the West Coast. Helen decided to be a lecturer and a writer even though Anne and the others said she should be a teacher and pass on what Anne taught her.

Helen wrote 14 books. The Story of My Life won a Pulitzer Prize and a Newberry Award. Helen also went around the world lecturing to people. Later she went to talk to the government about making more books for the blind. Eventually the government listened to her and made more books with braille.

Soon John had died, and Helen and Anne were the saddest they’d ever been. A year later Anne died. Helen cried for weeks and weeks. Anne and Helen were together her whole life and now Helen felt alone. A few years passed and Helen learned how to whisper. She wished Anne could hear her speaking now. Another month passed and Helen could speak more clearly. Helen died a few years later in 1966, at the age of 88.

http://www.pocanticohills.org/womenenc/keller1.htm

Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.

Helen Keller

Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

Helen Keller

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Helen_Keller

Many more in-depth information on Helen Keller can be found at: http://www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/aboutsightloss/famous/Pages/helenkeller.aspx

A timeline of Helen Keller's life can also be found at: http://www.rnib.org.uk/aboutus/aboutsightloss/famous/Pages/helenkeller.aspx

Being blind and deaf did not stop Helen Keller from living a remarkable life. Her story gives hope to people around the world. People around the world admired Helen Keller.