Family Secrets Saga, 'Concluded'

"...when I first started to school it was two large rooms. then they built another room upstairs. it was where the High School is now. my first Teacher was Miss Sadie Kincaid, a fine teacher and then Miss Ella Bailey. then her brother Henry Baily. Mr. Groves and our Teachers would have Prayer and singing be-fore we went in-to our classes those were good old days. I always hated to miss a day. but I dont I ever did get to go to school a whole week at a time with out missing a day or two. as I was the oldest I always had to stay at home on wash day after I got large enough to help her wash. of course that was on the washboard method all day some job. I sure praise the man that invented washing machines. and how. I never went only through the fifth grade. in those days they didn't compell you to send your children to school so I am glad I got to learn what I did as I said after we moved from Sugar creek. to Packs Branch where we lived in that air conditioned house. I went the last three months at Packs Branch School. and did I enjoy going. My Teacher was Miss Martha Susan Windgrove. and I loved her very much. those were good old days. and some of my old School Mates are still around there was Jack Rhodes, Mark Rhodes Emma Cusick, Clara Pack. but Some have passed on. lots of pleasant memories. In those days we had to walk to School. we had some very deep snows to go through but we didn't mind it abit it was fun. we never had cars to go evry where in then like we do now. I remember the first drive I ever took with my boy friend Dock. he went to the Livery Stable here in town and hired a horse and buggy to take me in so we went driving over to Oak Hill to have dinner with his sister Pasa Tucker. I sure got a kick out of that. over dirt roads and bumpy. we had no hard roads much then. well things have sure changed since this episode.

Well I must say a few words about my Uncl John;s family he and his wife Aunt Leleia were both fine people. us cousins would love to visit with one another. there was Glennie, Cara, Myrtle, Dola - Oakie, Garnet, Elmer, Georgia, Jessie then there was Uncle Charles and Aunt Anna Sinks family. we all enjoyed be-ing to-geather abd we did have some good times to-geather. There was 12 children in this family. George [dead] Clyde [dead], May, Maggie Sadie Goldie Earl Sammie, Ambrose [dead], Gertrude [dead] Edith Glayds. at the time we all grew up togeather they lived at McDonald. May and Gladys still live here in Mt. Hope now they moved from McDonald. into a home of their own and have lived here ever since Earl and Sam live on Maple Fork they both have nice homes over there- well any way some live one place some another. it is strange but true. Oh wll we are all going down the other side of the mountain."

Well, that concludes thirty nine pages of Grandpa's sister's family account of life in their time where I grew up. We are all grateful to her for her permanent contribution to our family history...

Grandpa's Sister Continues Her Family Saga

" ...as I was telling you about our house on the corner we had a lot of happy days there it was in this house that Louise had scarlet fever. and I thought she would die but the Lord heard my prayers. Gilman got hiss knee cut on glass and was crippled for a long time. in fact they all called him (Crip) for a long time but he got Ok from that. not to mention many more little odds and ends. Oh well as I was saying we had lived there eight years and Dock came home one day and said do you want to sell the house. it shocked me off my feet. and then he told me there is a man from Glen Jean wants to buy our house. he offered me $22.50.00 for it and wanted it in 10. days. so we made up our minds fast. so at that time my mother had bought a strip of land. which contained 5 lots so we bought 2 lots from her for $300.00. we put up a tent on the lots and lived in the tent un-till we got two rooms so we could live in them un-till we could get the house finished we got Mankins and Crouch from Beckley to build our house. it was $1600.00 turn key job. so I said when I moved in here it was my last move un-till they took me out in a box. but we never know what can happen in this old world of ours. we have so many ups and downs it is mostly downs. Dock and I both worked awful hard to have our home. and we were very proud and thankful for it. but then as the years passed his health failed him and the Lord called him away Feb. 3rd 1937. Gilman and his wife Pat were living in Beckley at that time. Mr. Fred Deal was boarding with us and Jencil Wees was staying here with us. at that time we had 3 or 4 cows on leased land and sold milk Jencil helped with them we paid him by the week and boarded him. he was a fine boy to work. he is Madge Walker's first husband and father of her two oldest sons Earlen and Russel Wees. he was killed in a car wreck. Then she married Boob. Walker. Well any way after Dock died Jencel never would come back to help me. so I had to make it the best I could. Mr. Deal was an awful good man. he soon left. Gilman and Pat and Frank came to stay here with me. and then after a year passed Mr. John W. Perry and I were married he was 79. and I was 51. Well he was a real good husband. and his money helped me to keep my home and we were happy to-geather even though he was much older than I. we had one another for companion ship it sure did mean a lot he needed some one and so did I. he lived ten years and he died. but I can say he sure was crazy about me and I miss him a lot. but the Lord knows best so that is that and well do we know it. Well after Mr. Perry and I were married. Gilman and Pat moved up in Green Brier Co. to Charmco. and stayed there for a while then they moved to Oak Hill W.Va. and then Pat was not well and Gilman had to be goone away from home at that time, so they moved over here with Mr. Perry and I. they have been a help to me and I have been a help to them and we are still all living to-geather here at the present time. Mr. Perry has passed on and Frank is married as I said before so I am just plodding along and doing the best I can I dont know how much longer I will plod. the Lord only knows that. Well this is Sunday Feb. 10 1957. this is the day Gilman is supposed to come home from the Hospital sure hope he does. the Sun is shining beautiful today I am so thankful for it. we have been having so much rain. I have been going like a house on fire for several days now. but there is one thing I forgot to mention and as you can tell by all this writing I have done misspelling and such I don't have very much education. but what I have got I got here in Mt. Hope. all except the last three months I went to school. of which I will tell you later as I go along."...