“Missile Toe”: Cute Kid Story

My nephew was playing with his Iron Man truck that he got for Christmas..on an important mission to stop the “bad guy” from destroying the world.

He tells me the truck has “Mistletoe”.

I give him a funny look and ask what is that. He says “Missile Toe is what you use to blow up the bad guy.”

So cute!

Lynn Mari, December 2011.

John & Ola Ford: 1930 Census Dallas Co., Alabama

FORD FAMILY

Home in 1930: Valley Creek, Dallas, Alabama
Summerfield Road (Edie Morgan Place?)

Head of House: John Ford, farmer, 40

Spouse: Ola Ford, gen farm laborer, 41

Race: Negro

Children:
Fred Ford- sawmill, 18
(My grandfather Robert “Bud” Ford worked in the sawmill as did my cousins)

Jessie Ford – gen farm laborer, 16

Wenona Ford – gen farm laborer, 15

Annie Ford – gen farm laborer, 13

Mary Ford – gen farm laborer, 11

These are my cousins. If you have any information about this line of Fords, or want to connect with other relatives please leave me a message. God Bless!
__________________________
Source Citation: Year: 1930; Census Place: Valley Creek, Dallas, Alabama; Roll: 14; Page: 15A; Enumeration District: 4; Image: 89.0.

Ancestors Approved Award: What I Have Learned

I’ve received the Ancestors Approved award from Footsteps of the Past. Thanks for thinking of me, this is an awesome idea!

I’m suppose to share 10 things about my ancestors that have surprised, humbled or enlightened me and share this award with 10 other bloggers…(deep breath) so here goes!

1. I found the ancestor of the slaveholder online, and our paths crossed doing genealogy… We shared alot of the same curiosity and love for our families. She apologized for her ancestor’s role in slavery and it came to me so strongly, it’s not your fault–you weren’t even alive then. It was an amazing place to be, coming from two very different families, but both standing together in this moment in time as equals, and being able to answer questions for each other.

2. I am always humbled, touched and heartened to meet with or speak with the Elders in my family…your life stories and memories are precious. Thank-you for taking the time to share with me <3

3. Surprised to find traces of my ancestors in the faces of my children..and enjoying watching our family grow and become more diverse

4. Absolutely blessed to connect to my cousin Nile, she is my sister and my friend. I enjoy our conversations and adventures digging up family history.

5. Humbled to visit Moundville, Alabama, and learn about the Indians who once lived there, and what life was like long ago. My uncle said our Indian ancestors were farmers and lived between the Warrior and Cohabee (Cahaba) Rivers…close to this area. http://moundville.ua.edu/

6. Really proud to share our heritage for nationality day at my son's preschool! I dressed him up as a farmer with blue jeans and a straw hat, with a boll of Alabama cotton tucked in the front pocket.

7. Always surprised when a small tidbit of information turns into a huge lead where I find a lost relative or uncover a hidden story

8. Still wondering about my mysterious Ford relatives in Perry, Dallas and Jefferson Counties (AL). Have not found one trace of my great-grandfather, Pettus Ford…one day I hope to meet more of my Ford relatives!

9. Open to learning more..and I love to hear about other families and their stories.

10. I want to encourage my relatives to contact me if you would like to share something or post here.Some ideas: photos, favorite memories, favorite verses/song lyrics/Scripture, recipes, your hopes/dreams, what you would want future generations to know about you…this page is for you!

Many Blessings, Lynn

Visit Footsteps of the Past: http://footstepspast.blogspot.com

In Memory: Renona Davison (Selma, AL)

In Memory Of: Ms. Renona Davison
Monday, December 13, 2010

Ms. Renona Davison, 77, resident of Selma, Alabama passed away December 9, 2010 at Vaughan Regional Hospital. Services are scheduled for December 14, 2010, 11:00 a.m. at The New Cedar Grove Baptist Church officiated by Rev. Dan Moore. Burial will follow in Elmwood Cemetery directed by Miller Funeral Service of Selma.

Ms. Davison is preceded in death by spouse Lawrence Davison; parents, Robert(a) and Jesse Ford; son, Arthur Davison; brothers, Jessie Ford, Henry Ford, and Fred Ford; sisters, Christine and Mae.

Survivors include sons, Robert Ford, Stanley Davison, Jeffery Davison, John Davison, and Michael Davison; two daughters, Juanita Davison and Brenda Smith; brothers, Jeffries Ford, Rickey Ford, and Jerry Ford; sisters, Viola and Betty; ten grandchildren, six great grandchildren, one son-in-law, two daughters-in-laws; nephew, Jesse Ford, Jr.

Sending my prayers to the family and friends of Ms. Renona, God comforts those who mourn.
**********************

These are my cousins, I am working on a family tree for this line of Fords, who came from Perry County (Oak Grove, Perryville and Felix).

Census records list the parents of Ms. Renona as John and Ola Ford, of Oak Grove (Perry County). The Fords also farmed the Morgan Place in Valley Creek alongside my cousins, the
Green(es). Census records also show Ms. Renona was born between 1913-1915, and record siblings: Jessie, Annie, Mary and Fred.

I was told John Ford later married Roberta Green(e), daughter of Sol and Lucy Callens Green(e).

Some of these Fords moved to Birmingham (Jefferson County).

I will be posting more on the family of John Ford soon, please contact me if you would like to add to this entry or have any more information.

Blessings, Lynn

Margaret Green, 1900 Census: Summerfield, AL

1900 United States Federal Census – Margreen (Margaret) Green

Occupation: Farm Laborer
Home in 1900: Summerfield, Dallas, Alabama
Age: 61
Birth Date: Dec 1838
Birthplace: Alabama
Race: Black
Gender: Female
Relationship to Head of House: Head
Father’s Birthplace: Alabama
Mother’s Birthplace: Alabama

Mother: number of living children: 6
Mother: How many children: 12
Marriage Year: 1900
Marital Status: Widowed
Years Married: 0

Household Members:

Margreen Green, Head, 61
Sol Green, son b May 1879, 21
Hariett Green, dau b May 1876, 24
Sye Green, son b Jun 1881, 18
Marrcee Green, dau b Feb 1883, 17

Champ Green, grandson b May 1890, 10
Willie Green, grandson Sept 1893, 6
Jemison Green, grandson Oct 1892, 7
Aleck Green, grandson Feb 1895, 5
Ransom Green, grandson Sept 1898, 1

NOTE: Margaret Green’s husband was Silas Green(e).

I found the following children born to Margaret and
Silas Green(e):
b. 1864 Mary
b. 1866 Johnie
b. 1868 Jimie
b. 1870 Charity
b. 1872 Mary Lettie
b. 1876, Hariett
b. 1878 Silas
b. 1879 Sol
b. 1881 Sye
b. 1883 Marcee

The Green(e) family are cousins, they married into both the Martin family and the Ford family.

Please leave a comment with any more information on this line. Thanks!

Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Summerfield, Dallas, Alabama; Roll T623_13; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 12.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

Mom, the Baby is Burping! (Cute Kid Story)

My kids are excited to welcome their new Baby sibling into the world this December, what a blessing for our family.

DP, now 10, has all sorts of questions:
“If the Baby gets any bigger, Mom, will you explode?” (Then he tries to feed me candy and junk food just to see what will happen!)

“When the Baby goes potty, where does it go?” My kids love this question, it sends them into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Sometimes I wonder if children are to train adults to be “potty trained”–not the other way around. Meaning that children show us that we need to stop taking life so serious and just to laugh! For a child, silliness is the best way to release burdens and worries, making the heart so light that it bobs in the chest like a balloon caught by the wind.

“Mom, if the Baby kicks hard enough, can he poke through your belly?”

My daughter, Nora (7), has a better strategy–when she wants something, she simply leans next to my belly, pauses for a moment and then with absolute seriousness informs me “The Baby said…” I know Nora will adjust well to a new sibling because the Baby always agrees with her!

And then, there is this: I had just finished eating dinner when my stomach began to bubble loudly.

Nora stares and her mouth drops in amazement. She says, “Mom, the Baby is burping!”
DP, a scientist by nature, came over to investigate. His small hands pressed against my rounded belly..anticipating…then gurgle, gurgle!
“He is burping!” My son says in wonder, “Maybe you shouldn’t drink so much pop.”

I thank God every day for my precious children, and look forward to the many adventures we will share.

Love you DP, Nora and Baby <3

xoxoxo Mommy xoxoxox

1910: Jim and Sarah J. Green(e), Summerfield AL

1910 United States Federal Census
Jim and Sarah J. Green

Name: Jim Green
Age in 1910: 39
Estimated birth year: 1871
Birthplace: Alabama
Relation to Head of House: Head
Father’s Birth Place: Alabama
Mother’s Birth Place: Alabama
Spouse’s name: Sarah J Green
Home in 1910: Summerfield, Dallas, Alabama. I can’t read the street name looks like Braud/Broad something??
Marital Status: Married
Race: Black
Gender: Male

Household Members:
Jim Green 39, husband
Sarah J Green 34, wife
Lettie Green 2, daughter
Lettie Martin Jr. 3 , nephew (could be Levie)
Lurn Martin 4, nephew

Source Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Summerfield, Dallas, Alabama; Roll T624_11; Page: 7B; Enumeration District: 64; Image: 53.

Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census

The Martin land in Summerfield was owned by Henry and Amanda Martin, and my family worked this land alongside the Martins for generations.

Sarah Jane Martin and Simon Robins are the parents of my great-grandmother Mary Ella (“Mel”, “Mary”) Martin-Morton b. 1897. Sarah Jane Martin and Simon Robins were neighbors, and grew up together on the Martin land.

Family stories say Simon Robins died, and it is likely Sarah Jane had relatives help care for her young daughter. I believe a cousin named Callie Martin helped raise Mary, though her connection to the Robins and Green(e) families remained strong throughout her life.

I can find no record of Sarah Jane Martin or Sarah Jane (J) Green(e) living with her daughter. Family stories also say Sarah Jane died at a young age.

The Green(e) are kin to the Martins, in many ways our family line has become one through ties of marriage and loyalty. I believe the ties were interwoven through marriage, such as when Sarah Jane Martin married Jim Green(e).

I also found Jim Green(e) and Sarah J. Martin listed in…

1900 Census, Summerfield, My Family Line:
Martin, Sarah J. Black. Head (25) born April 1875.

Green, Jim. Black. Head (29) born May 1871. *I believe he is the brother of Solomon “Sol” Green(e) and son of Silas and Margarett Green(e)*

Martin, Julia. Black. Head (18) born 1882. (Likely also the daughter of Judge and Jordan Martin, sister of Sarah Jane)

Matin (Martin), Jim (this probably is “James” son Judge and Jordan Martin, brother of Sarah Jane). Black. Head (26) born 1876.
Lucy, 1888.
Frank, 1896.
Hubbard, August 1898.
Jordan, July 1899.

If you have any information on any of these family lines, please leave a note below

Lola, You will be missed

My kids told me that our Dalmatian, Lola, had died… I thought this verse would comfort them.

Isaiah 11: 6-10,”The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the
peoples; the nations will rally to him, and
his place of rest will be glorious.”

Big Bird and the Jungle Underwear (Poetry, Memoir)

To Dad, Happy Father’s Day

To a six year old, the 12 foot statue of Big Bird
Towering in the middle of the department store
Looks as fearsome as any prehistoric beast
I am terrified of his massive size,
His eyes are black as hornet stingers.

I have nightmares about Big Bird coming to life,
The linoleum quakes beneath his massive orange feet
The classical music they play in the store, is lost
In the high-pitched furor of his tweet
Big Bird plucks me up as if I am a worm,
Opens his razor-sharp beak
Then hurls me into a tunnel of blackness…
I wake up kicking my legs against Big Bird’s fleshy tonsils
It was just a dream or was it?
A yellow feather escapes from beneath the covers,
Tickling my toes.

I don’t care if I wear the same socks and underwear
‘Til all that remains is a few stretched threads—
I am not going in that store
Until Big Bird is roasted and served with gravy!

Then one day, the inevitable happens,
“Time to get you some socks and underwear”
I begin to tremble from head to toe
Big Bird stands guard over the pink polka dotted panties,
He’d wait until Dad announces my size
Then decide I have grown just right, my stick thin body filling out
My clumsy feet now tearing holes through my socks
Yummm, tender morsel…
In one gulp, I’d be done for!

I am not going. No way.
I will wear my brother’s underwear if I have to!
Dad can’t understand why I am being so stubborn,
He thought little girls like to go shopping,
That he could bribe me with an ice-cream cone
I am not going, no way!
Well, I really like bubble gum ice-cream…
How about the cone with the chocolate chips….
Maybe I will dangle one toe into the store,
Squeeze my eyes shut and make a run for it.

As Dad and I walk into the store,
Big Bird’s massive head turns towards us,
His eyes fix onto me like poisonous stingers
A booming voice fills the room
“We’re going to get you some jungle underwear today.
You know, like Tarzan wears. How about size ‘gorilla’?”
I did not know anything could be worse than Big Bird,
Now Dad is embarrassing me in front of everyone
Talking about “jungle underwear”
I wish Big Bird would swallow me up!

I dash into a rack of clothes as Dad loudly proclaims
“You know Superman wears jungle underwear…”
When I peek out, Big Bird is laughing at me.

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?,
I beg, I don’t think Mr. Hooper sells
Socks and underwear in his store,
I will be safe there.

Dad starts to whistle as he walks down the aisles,
Big Bird winks at me, opens one yellow wing wide
I hide in his downy softness,
While Dad picks out my “jungle underwear”.

Then Dad and I leave the store walking side by side,
I run to keep up with Dad’s long stride
The plastic bag of “jungle underwear” and socks
Bangs against my hip with every small leap
I imagine the ice-cream cone that will soon be mine,
Topped with banana, popular in the jungle.

Lynn Mari, © 2010

______________

I love you, Dad!

I inherited my gift of storytelling from my Dad, who is always making up funny stories and jokes.

Dad never knew how terrified I was of the Big Bird statue in the store (as a child), I would never admit it… I lost that fear when Dad started talking about “jungle underwear”. My Dad is always cracking jokes but with a straight face, so you tend to believe him until you are caught up in one of his tall tales!

My Dad is a wonderful grandfather to D.P. and Nora. He sneaks them ice-cream for breakfast when he is babysitting, and lets Nora read to him all day (she is like a school teacher, ordering Grandpa to sit on the couch then piling up the books!). He plays board games with the kids and takes them to the library or garage sales. When I get home, the house is a mess, and everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else… It is the best feeling to sigh really loud, and act all stern (hiding a smile) and feel the sense of “home” surround me — worn in all the right places with love. Kids clean up. Make Grandpa a lunch for work (and put a cartoon inside his lunch bag just as he did for me as a child). Ready for another adventure?

I pray my kids will be able to see Grandpa, and the rest of the family soon. Circumstances have kept us apart but God will bring us back together (Isaiah 49). Happy Father’s Day Dad! And to my children, I love you always <3

Happy Memorial Day

Thank-You could not say enough to the brave men and women in our armed forces, and to the Veterans who have bravely fought to preserve a free & democratic America for us, and for future generations. Happy Memorial Day, and God Bless!

“The liberties of our Country, the freedom of our civil constitution are worth defending at all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have receiv’d them as a fair Inheritance from our worthy Ancestors: They purchas’d them for us with toil and danger and expence of treasure and blood; and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle; or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men. Of the latter we are in most danger at present: Let us therefore be aware of it. Let us contemplate our forefathers and posterity; and resolve to maintain the rights bequeath’d to us from the former, for the sake of the latter.” — Samuel Adams, Essay, written under the pseudonym “Candidus,” in The Boston Gazette (14 October 1771) .

Samuel Adams was an American revolutionary, who helped organize the Boston Tea Party. Adams was also governor of Massachusetts from 1793 to 1797.