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Oseola McCarty: The Wisdom of a Washerwoman

Oseola McCarty: The Wisdom of a Washerwoman
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.16

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    citation, scholarship, based, inheritance, personally, account, legacy, traveled, estate, public, death, attend, attorney, unique, during, spirit
     content words:    Oseola McCarty, Wayne County, Eureka Elementary School, First Mississippi National Bank, Trustmark Bank, Southern Mississippi, Frank McKenzie, President Clinton, Evelyn Coleman

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Oseola McCarty: The Wisdom of a Washerwoman
By Joyce Furstenau 		  
1     Do you ever find it hard to save money? Oseola McCarty is someone who could teach most of us a thing or two about saving money.
 
2     Oseola McCarty was born in Wayne County, Mississippi, on March 7, 1908. She was raised by her mother. She moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, when she was very young. Her mother had to work very hard to support her daughter. Many times young Oseola was left alone while her mother worked. She was scared to be alone, but she knew she had no choice.
 
3     Oseola went to Eureka Elementary School during the day. When she came home, she earned money doing laundry. She washed and ironed other people's clothes. Her habit of saving money started early. She saved the money she earned until she got enough to open a savings account. Oseola walked to the First Mississippi National Bank to put her money in the bank.
 
4     The year Oseola was in the sixth grade, her childless aunt became ill. She had to go to the hospital. When she got out of the hospital, her aunt needed help. Oseola was sent to take care of her aunt. She never went back to school. She kept on washing and ironing clothes while her classmates went on to finish school. Oseola kept on putting her earnings into her savings account. Over the years, her savings account grew and grew.
 
5     Oseola continued to take care of her family until they died. Her grandmother died in 1944. Twenty years later, her mother died. Her aunt died in 1967, and both of them left her some money. She added her inheritance to her savings. She inherited her home from an uncle who died so she had a good place to live.

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