A Happy Family
In early May of 1905, Frank Deubel (9 Mar 1883-6 Dec 1910) brought home five baby squirrels that he had found. At the time, Frank and his wife Emma Currid (12 Aug 1889 - 9 Jul 1970) were living at no. 49 ½ River Street, a small tenement house located behind his parents' home at 51 River Street in Danbury, Ct. Frank's youngest sister, Anna Deubel Seaberg, was five years old at the time and recalled the incident in this way:
"Frank was like Pa and was always bringing in things from the woods. He would bring home slippery elm bark and things like that. One time he brought some baby squirrels home and kept them in the entry room, which he screened in. The cat had just had kittens and she adopted the squirrels too, and the kittens that she raised held their tails up just like the squirrels. People from all around came to see them, and they were even written up with a picture in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Magazine."
The Deubels apparently were contacted by the Union Bureau of News in Philadelphia about their story, and Anna Deubel responded with the following letter: "In reply to your note of June 1st, I will say that I have had the happy family of cat mother and 5 gray squirrel children now about 5 weeks. They were within about 4 or 5 days of opening their eyes when my son brought them home. As the cat had young of her own at the time, we tried the experiment of substituting the squirrels for her own young, which was readily accomplished. They have been thriving on cat's milk well and the mother as far as she can regards them as offspring. She of course has had extra troubles with her brood, as they persist in climbing over every thing and running everywhere, upon chairs, tables, amongst the clothes upon a rack within reach of their box, where the mother has her nest, so much so, that she has been compelled to spend part of her time upon the rack to be with her young. Yesterday she was particularly in trouble. She had caught a young sparrow and offered it to her young and tried faithfully all day long to have them eat it, but unsuccessfully. She brought it to them on the floor, upon chairs, table, rack, everywhere, but they would not look at it. They are perfectly at home with the children and jump from one upon the other running all over them without the least sign of fear. Once in a while they will try their teeth upon ones finger, just to try, but so far they have not actually bitten. We expect to have them photographed again within a day or two, and will send you the two photographs, but we expect them to be sent back again.
The photograph of "A Happy Family" first appeared in the New York Herald Tribune, Sunday July 22, 1905. Please contact me if you know of other instances of its publication. Thanks!
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Deubel & Hofmann Families of Danbury, Ct.
Copyright ©2001 by Sandy Repp
Last updated: 8 April 2003
obituaries ~ photos ~ recipes ~ related links
Deubel & Hofmann Families of Danbury, Ct.
Copyright ©2001 by Sandy Repp
Last updated: 8 April 2003