Siblings

Ted was the second child born in the Geisel family, two years younger than Margaretha Christine Geisel. Margaretha was affectionately called Marnie by her family, and she had a close relationship with Ted while they grew up together.

Marnie held her younger brother’s hand as they walked to school, played tennis with him at the city courts in Forest Park near their home, and enjoyed dressing in costumes with Ted during the many birthday parties their mother held for them. She played the piano and was very studious, taking school work much more seriously than Ted. Marnie graduated magna cum laude from Central High School and later attended Smith College in Northampton.

As children, they visited the nearby Forest Park Zoo where Ted drew his unique versions of the animals. To  amuse his sister, Ted drew a mural of his own style of animals on her bedroom wall. Instead of getting angry, their mother praised the drawing–but reminded Ted to use a pad of paper next time.

As children, Ted and Marnie visited the nearby Forest Park Zoo.

Not all of Ted’s childhood memories were happy. As America entered World War I and prejudice against German Americans increased, the young Marnie and Ted bonded as they coped with anti-German taunts.

Another sad memory was the death of their youngest sister, Henrietta, who had been born in 1906 and named after their mother. She died of pneumonia at eighteen months old. Ted was not yet four at the time, but the image of his infant sister’s tiny casket reposing in the music room of their home was a memory that stayed with him his entire life.