Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Wade Spann of Marshall Texas




Wade Spann born around 1849 somewhere in Alabama shows up in Marshall Texas when he registers to vote in 1867 according to the Harrison County Texas Voter Roll. He married Jane Norris. They were the parents of ten(10)children, one being my great grandmother Sallie Spann Burks.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Sentimental Sunday: Zepher Lee Dones/Burks




My mother Zepher Lee Dones/Burks born May 1924 in Marshall Texas to Richard Burks and Essie Dean Taylor. She and my father Theodore R Daviss married in Houston Texas by Rev. Moses Leonard Price at Greater Zion Baptist Church.

There are sooo many memories that I could share about my mother. I miss her terribly. I never could figure out how she would know things that I did until I had children of my own. (Mother's are like that you know).
I went to school across town and every day mom would give me two nickles to ride the trolley to and from school.
This one particular day I wanted some candy real bad, so I spent my fare. I started out walking and had to go through town to get to where we lived.
I walked past the courthouse and something told me to turn around a go up the stairs to the jail.
I sat down and proceeded to tell the sheriff that I had somehow lost my money and that if he could please spare a nickle so that I could get home. I told him that I would pay him back the next day.
When the sheriff asked my name I was smart enough not to give him my real name. He told me that he would be right back and left the room. I guess about 10 minutes passed and in walked my mother.
You talk about eyes that got as big as the moon! Well, those were mine. My mother sweetly smiled and said lets go home. All the time, I was wondering how in the heck did she find me.
I found out years later that because I took that walk from the school to town those were minutes that caused her to wonder why I had not arrived from school.
So she set out in our car to see if she could see me. As she was driving past she saw me go up the courthouse steps.
I am intentionally omitting what happened when we got home because when I think back,the pain in my rear end seems to re-appear along with those words about it hurting her more than me. Ha!!

My mother loved the heck out of her children, four boys and two girls. When we were little, each one of us had a hand to hold so that we could stay close, three on each side with mom in the middle. We sure felt warm,secure and loved.
People didn't believe that we were her kids because she looked so young herself.

I remember when the principal of the school that my younger sister and brothers went to, tried to fail all the black kids. The NAACP was called and also Edward Banks, the owner of the Arizona Tribune Newspaper.
They set up a meeting with the principal and several of the parents. The parents,and several members of the NAACP met at our house to go over the rules that they wanted everyone to abide by.
One thing they stated was to remain calm and let them do the most of the talking. During the meeting all the parents listened, some on edge. Mrs Worthum the principal said that she would not change her position and that negro kids were not as smart as the white ones. The next word that came out of her mouth was that they were a bunch of picaninnys. Thats when my mother struck!!
They had to pry my mothers hands from around Mrs Worthum's neck.
I don't know what happened after that but I do know that all the black kids were reinstated in school,and put back in their proper grades. Mrs Worthum remained the principal for some ungodly reason and my mom, well she was the neighborhood heroine

Mom was in a terrible car accident caused by a drunk driver who had been out celebrating his graduation from College and ran a red light. She was hit directly on the drivers side causing the car to spin and wrap around a railroad crossing pole.
The drivers side of the car was pushed in to the middle of the car, and the front of the car was pushed in to the seat. That's how bad the impact was. My mother was taken out of the car somehow. I was told that she was found under the dashboard on the passenger side.
I don't have to imagine who placed her there,I already know. The man upstairs had other plans for this fiesty mother of mine. And plans he had. He made it possible for her to see more grandchildren born, return to her hometown of
Marshall Texas and visit with her Aunt Carmena,and her uncles Shug,Bud and Leslie. Laugh and cry with her mother Essie, and play with her pride and joy a terrier she named Mister after the character in The Color Purple.

My mother passed away on December 4th 1994 in Phoenix Arizona. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her.
All my thoughts bring smiles and sometimes watery eyes. The kids and I bring up memories that have us laughing so hard.
Like the time I was wondering why she was wearing a scarf for so many days. I caught her with it off about a week later. Mom had cut all her hair off hoping it would come back in a curl so that she could put it in an afro.
She was in her room trying to use curl activator hoping that would make her hair nappy.

My Mother was a classy lady, GOD rest her soul. After she passed away, I picked up her Bible and found all of our pictures resting between the pages. There was also a letter asking GOD to take care of her children.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Surname Saturday: Texans Williams and Williams



                                 The Williams - Williams Two

Alex Frank Darling Williams was born in San Jacinto County Texas to the parents of John Williams and Meckie(unk maiden name)Williams.


Mary Louise Williams born in Cold Springs,Liberty County Texas to the parents of James  Williams and Easter Thornton Williams.


Alex better known as Darling and Mary married and made their home in Cleveland Texas.


Thursday, April 22, 2010

Treasure Chest Thursday: James Penn Daviss Teachers Certificate



My grandfather James Penn Daviss received his Texas Teachers Certificate in 1903. The Certificate was obtained from the Summer Normal Board of Examiners for Colored Teachers and recommended to the State Board Of Examiners by the Summer Normal School. This allowed him to teach the 2nd grade in Grimes County Texas for a period of Five years.
Classes were held in the Little Flock Baptist Church.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

WordlessWednesday: James Penn Daviss




James Penn Daviss was born in Piedmont,Grimes County,Texas to James D. "Jake" Daviss and Sally White Cooper July 22,1878. He passed away on April 17,1953 in Houston,Harris County Texas. He first married Bettye Owens,then his second marriage was to Gertrude Sims.
James Penn Daviss was a Minister and Teacher in Grimes County Texas

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Monday Madness: It Happened on a Sunday




My Aunt Carmena had the kind of voice that you would recognize anywhere. I think she had one of those high soprano singing voices that when she sang in church you knew she was there. I went to stay with my aunt one year in Marshall Texas. I guess I had to be in the 4th or 5th grade. Every sunday we went to church. My aunt lived in the section called New Town,and did not attend the home church (I bet her parents are still rolling over in their graves lol) located in the country on Blocker Road called St.John Missionary Baptist. She went to New Bethel Baptist Church which was much closer to where she and my Uncle John lived.

This one sunday, in fact it was the 1st Sunday of the month when they were having Communion. Me and my friend RoseMary Richardson was sitting in the next to the last pew. Well, this man came up to our row and handed this lady a tray and she passed it down. Shoot, I thought she was giving it to me because it was full of crackers. Me and Rosemary reached in and got a handful and what do you know they were giving us something to wash it down with too. About the same time, Rosemary and I heard this commotion. This man that gave us the goodies wanted his trays back. I did not hear that familiar voice so I knew something was up. When I looked up with a mouth full of crackers I saw the biggest scowl on my aunts face. I didn't know if she was mad at me for stuffing my mouth full of food or mad at that man for taking away the tray he had given us in the first place.

Needless to say when I got home, my aunts finger shook faster than a speeding bullet. I thought my face was gonna take a direct hit.I guess she was too mad to give me a spanking. LOL Anyway, she explained to me later what communion meant and what the proper way was if I would ever take it.

The next day on our way to school at Dogan Elementary, Rosemary and I said that we would never eat at church again no matter what they tried to give us. LOL

Carmena L.Taylor Morton: Parents Joseph and Frances Dickerson Taylor was born in Marshall,Harrison County,Texas on February 14,1905 and passed away Jan 30,1985 in Longview,Gregg County Texas.
Aunt Carmena was the sister of my grandmother Essie Dean Taylor.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Surname Saturday: Dixon/Dickerson,Tolliver, Tolbert

Charles Dixon born abt 1834 in either Ala or Ga: resided in Marshall Texas according to the Texas Voter Rolls when he registered to vote in 1867.

Elizabeth Tolbert/Tolliver Dixon born Abt 1839 in Ky.: resided in Marshall Texas,wife of Charles Dixon. They had three children. Silas, Frances and Charlie Jr.who later was known as Dickerson.

Lucy Tolbert: Born abt 1805 in Maryland according to the 1900 Harrison County Texas census. She is the mother of Elizabeth. Lucy was the mother of 15 children with 4 children still living. Besides Elizabeth one another child Robert has been identified. There are other possibilites of other Tolberts living around the same area.
Lucy was found on the 1870 census taken in Harrison County Texas was the wife of Joseph Tolbert was born in Indiana.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Wordless Wed: John and Sallie Jefferson Lewis



John Lewis born about 1840,unknown Location and Sallie Jefferson Lewis born about 1856 in Fayette County Texas. Lived in Grimes County,Navasota,Texas.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Sentimental Sunday: A Young Affair





I first found Teshan Young in the 1900 census living about two doors up from my gggrand-uncle Silas Dickerson in Harrison County Texas. She and her husband Mose and their children. I was looking for more Dickerson's and Dixons going five pages up and back.
In 1920 I spotted her again when I was looking for Dickerson's. There is a Ida Dickerson living in the same household. This time Matthew is the head of the household and according to this census, Tishe Ann is the widowed mother and Ida is the 15 year old niece.
I wanted to make a connection because I have a tie to a Ida Alexander who is the daughter of my ggrandfather Charlie Dixon/Dickerson. I have been unsuccesful in finding a death certificate for Ida so that I could find out her mothers name. I am not sure that this is my Ida or that she had the Dickerson name. My Ida married Earnest Alexander. I have an oil lease signed by Ida Alexander and her husband Earnest in 1951. This tells me that a Death Certificate should be somewhere.


The picture above was found on the Texas Slave Narrative site:


http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ewyatt/_borders/Texas%20Slave%20Narratives/Texas%20Y/Young,%20Thesan.html


The search continues.....

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Surname Saturday: Pierce, Grimes County Tx

Grandfather Charlie Pierce born around 1875 in Texas was first married to Gertrude Sims in Grimes County, Texas. They had two children Elo and Jimmie Ethel. Charlie's parents were John and Nancy (Johnson)Overstreet Pierce. The 1880 census tells me that Johns parents are from Alabama. John was born between 1825 and 1832 according to the census and Nancy was his 2nd wife. I am in the process of trying to locate John on the 1870 census possibly with his first wife,name unknown. I have been unable to find a Death certificate for John,Nancy or Charlie.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Wordless Wed: Gertrude Sims Daviss



My paternal grandmother Gertrude Sims Daviss,daughter of Fletcher Price and Sallie Jefferson Sims was born in LaGrange,Fayette County,Texas. Gertrude became a blessing on January 14,1886 and eternally rested June 13,1966.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday: James and Gertrude Sims Daviss











My Question is why are the tombstones sinking?

Is the ground so soft that something like this happens is bound to happen. It seems to me if that is the case something could be done to keep this from happening.

These are my paternal grandparents James Penn Daviss and Gertrude Sims Daviss. They are buried in The Little Flock Cemetery located in Navasota Texas.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Honey Hush

Honey Hush by Ms Vicky


Sit'n on the front porch, minding my own business
When a friend of mine came by
What cha' doin she said sitting out here by your lonesome
You look like you bout to cry

Oh I am fine I told her
I was just thinking
How it will be when I am grown
Will I pick up cans on the side of the road
Will I have to clean other peoples homes

Will I be the one to cry all night
Till my pillow gets soak’n wet
Worrying bout my children when things ain’t right
And the bills ain't been paid yet

Will I regret being married to a man
who changes like the wind
Stayin out all night reeking of wine, beer and gin
One who gets home in time for dinner
Then back out again

And then she said “Honey Hush”