Cotton Mills, Sharecropping, & Moonshine

"Cotton mills, sharecropping and moonshining often were the options of rural Georgians." - Jim Wooten in an obituary for Herman Talmadge

I ran across this sentence today and wanted to preserve it here.

There's a well known story in my family involving the first two options in that list. A cousin Howard Simms, remembered witnessing the following conversation and told us about it forty or fifty years ago.

Benjamin Wilson Baird 1860-1932 -- "Papa"

During the early days of the twenties my grandfather, Wilson Baird, sat with his cousin Jay Simms, talking about the farm depression (which hit right after WWI and long before the crash of '29). With my grandmother great with their eleventh child (my mother) Wilse announced he was considering leaving the farm and going to work for Bibb Manufacturing at their cotton mill in nearby Porterdale on the Yellow River. Jay responded "Wilse, I believe I'd go to sharecropping before I'd raise my children in a mill town."

As far as I know moonshining was not a part of that conversation.

The Bairds did move to Porterdale and my mother was born there, the only one of her siblings not born on the farm. Had the Bairds (from "good stock" according to my grandmother) not become Porterdale "lintheads" would a boy from another mill town have found her there in the late thirties and married her? I am the third child from that union.

Makes it hard for me to mourn Papa's farm troubles. 😀

Gleaning Facebook: Baby Recognition 2020

Our granddaughter Ruth Irmgard Carlin, and Debi & Gregg's grandson, Charles Shaw Lewis, who are my mother's thirty-fifth and thirty-fourth great-grandchildren were among the 23 babies of 2019 who were rcognized in the 38th Annual Louise Langham Baby Recognition Sunday at our church, Trinity United Methodist, this morning!

Nancy has headed up this special service the last several years. Anita's beautiful calligraphy adds so much. And Julie always comes to stand in for her wonderful mom who with Evelyn Clifton organized the celebration and headed it up till her death.

Ruth Carlin is Ruth Baird Shaw's 35th great grandchild, our granddaughter, and the child of our daughter  Brannon Shaw and son-in-law-and-love John Carlin. Ruth is named for my mother and Ruth's other living Great Grand Mother Irmgard Huzel.

Charles is named for my father Charles Columbus Shaw. There are also Shaws on his mother's side of the family. I think my nephew Benjamin Lewis and his wife Caitlin Rae Lewiswere especially delighted that this very natural family name also is a way to elicit the memory of a favorite author: C.S. Lewis.

Greta Tigner
Nice to see you Gregg Lewis and Debbie. 

Gregg Lewis
This was taken at a baby recognition Sunday at our church where 23 babies born during 2019 into families that attend or are associated with our church. Benjamin and Caitlin's Charles was recognized alongside Terrell and Sheila Shaw's second granddaughter named Ruth-- after Debi's and Terrell's mother who will be 97 next month. I believe they were the 34th and 35th great-grandchildren of Ruth who has pictures of every one of them in the hallway of the home where she still lives on her own.

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Hilda Atkins Moore
AWESOME PHOTO

Amy Cavin
What a wonderful day for your family! Blessings on both children!

Margaret Mason Autry
What a blessing!!

Beth Allman Jones
Beautiful family ! Mrs. Ruth looks good. She & my late Mother, Doris Burch Allman were friends and graduated together in Porterdale.

Susan Barnes Babb
Blessed to know and love the Shaw & Lewis families!

Jeanne Wright
So sweet

Natalie Roseberry
So very special! 

Bonnie Turner

Congratulations!

Bonnie Turner
Awesome!

Rita Lawler
Magnificent! Is there an ancestor "Irmgard"?

Terrell Shaw
Irmgard Klebba (Huzel) (b.1924) is the mother of...
Renata Huzel (Carlin) who is the mother of...
John Dieter Carlin who is the father of...
Ruth Irmgard Carlin who is the daughter of...
Brannon Ruth Shaw who is the daughter of...
Charles Terrell Shaw who is the son of
Sarah Ruth Baird Shaw (b. 1923)

So our new granddaughter is named for her two living great grandmothers. 

Rita Lawler
Terrell Shaw I know the name Irmagard. These are my first "Irmgards"

Terrell Shaw
Rita Lawler I think John's grandmother was called "Irmel" by her husband and friends. She is "Oma" nowadays to Brannon & John. She is a very interesting 95 year-old. She and her husband had quite an adventure as WWII ended which is detailed in the book "Peenemunde to Canaveral" by her husband Dieter Huzel. Isn't it interesting at the way the world works. I have often wondered what my great grandfather Lt William Baird CSA would have thought to know he would have descendants who also have ancestors who fought for the USA 1861-65. Now my father who fought as a US Marine in WWII has descendants whose ancestors fought for Germany and others whose ancestry reaches back to Japan. The world shrinks and changes, and gets "all mixed up", as Pete Seeger used to sing.
https://www.amazon.com/Peenemunde-Canaveral.../dp/B000NRCJAO

Rita Lawler
Terrell Shaw connections! In many fundamental ways we are all related.

Faye Layton
Great picture, Terrell and Sheila, and what a lovely tradition at your church.

Evelyn Clifton
That means so much to me, happy to see pictures of everybody. A most special day.

Juanita Cordle
Beautiful service and so happy to celebrate our grand daughter Olivia.

Baby Recognition Sunday

Our granddaughter Ruth Irmgard Carlin, and Debi & Gregg Lewis's grandson, Charles Shaw Lewis, who are my mother's thirty-fifth and thirty-fourth great-grandchildren were among the 23 babies of 2019 who were recognized in the 38th Annual Louise Langham Baby Recognition Sunday at our church, Trinity United Methodist, this morning! 

Nancy Elder (At has headed up this special service the last several years. Anita's beautiful calligraphy adds so much. And Julie always comes to stand in for her wonderful mom who with Evelyn Clifton organized the celebration and headed it up till her death. 

L-R: Gregg Lewis, Debi Lewis, Ruth Shaw, Sheila Shaw, Terrell Shaw, Julie Langham Humphries, Anita Stewart, Nancy Elder

January 23rd has rolled around again. On this day, forty-nine years ago, my life was changed and enriched forever. As Sheila Matthews rested against a giant white pine on the far side of Fort Mountain near Holly Creek, I leaned in to kiss her, and then asked the question I'd been practicing in my addled noggin on the long drive from Kentucky. Her answer was unreserved and positive and brief. One word. "Yes." That has made all the difference.

As I first knew her.

Her wedding announcement picture. It is so strange to see her identified in print as "Mrs. Charles Terrell Shaw". Although she did adopt my last name she has never used Mrs. Terrell Shaw, but rather Sheila Matthews Shaw. 

A more recent shot.

And another.

She and I have been married longer than my parents were. Or either pair of my grandparents.

Lordy, I love this woman.

Here's an early Jan. 23 post.

Gleaning Facebook: Witnesses

 Evan McMullin and I do not generally agree on political policy. He is conservative and I am a progressive. But we both love our country and will not support the criminal in the White House. He is exactly right in this statement.

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Adam Schiff has been masterful tonight.
Howard Smith
His opening statement during Trump's senate impeachment trial was nothing short of brilliant. Trump's guilt was laid out for all to see and he put the spotlight on Senate Republicans who are engaging in a cover up.

Terrell Shaw

The president's guilt has been laid out plainly. #KellyLoeffler knows. #DavidPerdue knows. #MoscowMitch knows. So do #SusanCollins, #CoryGardner, #MarthaMcSally and all 53 Republican senators. Yes. Any senator still voting with Trump in this trial is a part of the cover up.

Marion Dobbs

I was unable to listen to the first half of his opening statement today, but what I did hear was brilliant. I will be sure to find the whole thing online. Adam for Pres!

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Marian Loyd Savage

Under construction

 From the Feeman Harris Funeral Home website:

Photos:

Obituary:

Mrs. Marian Louise Loyd Savage, age 90 of Rockmart, passed away Saturday, January 18, 2020.

Mrs. Savage was born November 18, 1929 in Newton County, daughter of the late H. P. Loyd and the late Vera Baird Loyd. She was a 1949 graduate of Rockmart High School and earned her B. S. in Education in 1967 from West Georgia College. She began her teaching career in 1952 at Goodyear Elementary School. After a leave of absence in 1956, she returned to teaching in 1963 and retired in 1990 from the Polk School District with 31 years of faithful service. She was a charter member of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church and her greatest joy was family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Cecil Savage; and two brothers, Leon Loyd and his wife Marion and Benny Loyd.

Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Mike Carter of Rockmart; two sons and daughters-in-law, David and Gisela Savage of Jacksonville, FL and Steve and Anna Savage of Fort Worth, TX; sister-in-law, Evelyn Loyd of Rockmart; eleven grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Mrs. Savage will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church with Rev. Justin Carter officiating.Interment services will follow in Polk Memory Gardens.

The following gentlemen will serve as pallbearers: Matthew Savage, Brandon Savage, Brett Carr, Charles Soles, Claudio Lorenzin and Robert Hutcheson.

The family will receive friends at the church on Tuesday prior to the service between the hours of 1:00 and 2:30 p.m.

Freeman Harris Funeral Home is in charge of the funeral service for Mrs. Marian Louise Loyd Savage.

A Poem to Start the Week

Here's a fun poem that might be useful for English grammar teachers....

The Grammar Lesson

A noun's a thing. A verb's the thing it does.
An adjective is what describes the noun.
In "The can of beets is filled with purple fuzz"

of and with are prepositions. The's
an article, a can's a noun,
a noun's a thing. A verb's the thing it does.

A can can roll — or not. What isn't was
or might be, might meaning not yet known.
"Our can of beets is filled with purple fuzz"

is present tense. While words like our and us
are pronouns — i.e. it is moldy, they are icky brown.
A noun's a thing; a verb's the thing it does.

Is is a helping verb. It helps because
filled isn't a full verb. Can's what our owns
in "Our can of beets is filled with purple fuzz."

See? There's almost nothing to it. Just
memorize these rules...or write them down!
A noun's a thing, a verb's the thing it does.
The can of beets is filled with purple fuzz.

—Steve Kowit

Grandgirls Today

Clementine

Ruth

 

Visiting Matthews Relatives in Tucker

Dinner with the Matthews cousins and associates at Shorty’s in Tucker. L-R: Terrell, Sheila, Adam, Sage, Mimi, Dona, Wolf, Carol, Jinsie, Michael, Lillian.

 

Jinsie & Michael, with Lillian.

Sheila shows pictures on her iPad to Adams and Sage as Dona looks on.

Gleaning Facebook: Stacking Blocks

Stacking blocks at Gamma's.   Teri Bendiberg
Precious Clementine. I love, love, love, the pigtails.

Gleaning Facebook: Why I Post

I have hoped that the fact that this 72-year-old white middle class church-going, Southern-speaking, descendant of several Confederate soldiers and also several slave-holders --- who tears up when the Stars and Stripes are raised and the anthem is played --- speaks up about things maybe, just maybe, a few others in my demographic will also speak out.

Gleaning Facebook: "The Living Room"

We were a small group but we sure had a good time in "the living room" for A Time to Tell tonight. First Mary Elena Rivera Kirk cracked us up with the history of her skiing career. But the highlight for me (as you will see) was something a little different: Show & Tell from John the Plantman (and sidekick Dekie Hicks). John Paul Schulz demonstrated how to take a fairly bedraggled inexpensive potted juniper, a clay tray, some dirt and rocks, a hacksaw, some snips, and a few clumps of pilfered moss right out of the woods to create a living sculpture. It was a story of care, keen observation, bravery, and joyful abandon. The results were fascinating. Then my name was drawn to take the fascination home. We treasure our new John Schulz original, but you'll have to wait for a picture.

Gleaning Facebook: States I've Visited

I wish I could say I'd visited all fifty. Maybe I can still make it to the twelve states I've missed. I am told eight is the number of states the average American has set foot in. Lots of folks never leave the state they were born in. I put a 

Y 

by the states I have set foot in, and a

N

by the states I have never visited, and a

                

for the ones I have lived in. 

Passing through and airports count--but flying over doesn't, even though after several flights to San Diego I've gotten a better look at Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico than several of the states where I've actually touched the soil. 

38 visited, 

12 yet to go, 

Lived in 4 (We lived in Ohio just on weekends of 1951-52 when Daddy served as a student pastor at three churches in Adams County while he was a student at Asbury College in Wilmore KY the rest of the week.)

Alabama- Y

Alaska- N

Arizona-Y

Arkansas-N

California-Y

Colorado-Y

Connecticut-Y

Delaware-Y

Florida-Y

Georgia-Y

Hawaii-N

Idaho-Y

Illinois- Y

Indiana-Y

Iowa-Y

Kansas-N

Kentucky-Y

Louisiana-N

Maine-N

Maryland-Y

Massachusetts-Y

Michigan-Y

Minnesota-Y

Mississippi-N

Missouri-N

Montana-Y

Nebraska-Y

Nevada-Y

New Hampshire-Y

New Jersey-Y

New Mexico-N

New York-Y

North Carolina-Y

North Dakota-Y

Ohio-Y

Oklahoma-N

Oregon-Y

Pennsylvania-Y

Rhode Island - Y

South Carolina-Y

South Dakota- N

Tennesse- Y

Texas- N

Utah-Y

Vermont- Y

Virginia-Y

Washington-Y

West Virginia-Y

Wisconsin-Y

Wyoming- Y

Washington DC-Y

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Comments

Katie Cauthen Francisco I’m missing just two!! Not Hawaii and Alaska either! I’m missing North Dakota and Michigan.
Ellen K. Thompson
I've been to 40 so far... Plan to visit them all.

 

Ray Barton I’ve made it to all 50. Was number one on my bucket list.

Darrell Fedchak I'm at 34. With any kind of luck I can check a few more off this year.

Charity Gilchrist Nicholson I've been to 30!

Ray Langley Been to 49 plus Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands just missing Hawaii. Lived in 2 states Georgia and Oklahoma

June Lovenbury Warfield We have a big gap in the west - some one of these years we'll get out there and get to the big national parks!! At the current time, while we are still able to endure LONG flights we are pursuing international travel. In the USA, things are pretty much ADA compliant, so we can do domestic travel when we no longer have the mobility for more challenging adventures. It amazes me how many of my peers are already using canes, walkers, electric scooters, etc. Since I'm originally from Massachusetts, Mike's originally from Florida, and we currently live in Geogia, it was very easy for us to cover the east coast.

Gleaning Facebook: Stone Soup New Voices

I'm thrilled to get an opportunity to tell a tale at the 2020 Stone Soup Storytelling Festival along with this great group of tellers from around the country. I hope some of my friends in SC and east Georgia will find a way there in April. By the way, our 2019 Big Fibbers champion, Paul Strickland will be one of the featured tellers, and one of our Big Fibbers runners-up Gary Buchanan will be a "New Voice" along with me. And so is my Facebook friend Gregory Pickett who wowed us at the Nat'l Festival's story slam last October.