Uncle Who??

This post is especially meant for those who attended the Witham Family reunion this year.

When people starting arriving at the meeting hall, we noticed some whispers like, "Who is that?" "He's from Uncle Charley's family." "Well, who is Uncle Charley?", and, "Who is that? "She's from Uncle Clay's family." "Well, who is Uncle Clay?" So, we saw the need for a quick family history lesson so everyone would know how we are all related - an unplanned and unrehearsed family history lesson. I thought I could handle this, but I ended up goofing it up. I tried to cover too much information in a short period without any notes or visual references. I had brain lock. Sometimes I think I talk so fast that my mouth outruns my brain. So, sorry for screwing that up, but that's ok. I've had time to think about how I should have handled it, had I planned ahead and been prepared. I will do better next year and we can try again for the new folks at the reunion.

In the meantime, this is what I SHOULD have said. I'm going to give this in 3 versions, an overly simple version for those who like it short and sweet, a version with a little more information, and finally, the long version for those who like to know all the details.

Everyone who attended the reunion this year fell into one of two family lines. You were either from Uncle Clay's family or Gpa Charley's family.

SHORT AND SWEET (cut to the chase):
Uncle Clay and Gpa Charley were brothers.

A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION:
Uncle Clay and Gpa Charley are both sons of Francis Calvin Witham. Uncle Clay is the first (and only) son of Francis Calvin Witham with his first wife, Martha "Mattie" McDonald. Gpa Charley is the oldest son of Francis Calvin Witham with his second wife, Mary Susan "Molly" Rains. So, technically, Uncle Clay and Gpa Charley are half brothers. They have the same dad, but different moms. However, when I talk about my family, I don't really like to use terms like "half" and "step", but technically that's the case.

LONG, DETAILED VERSION:
I want to focus on Francis Calvin Witham. Not just in this version of the story, but I want to focus on him A LOT on this website because he is the man that all of us Jacksonville Withams have in common. As far as I know, every person who has ever attended our Jacksonville area reunion is related to Francis Calvin Witham.

To relate him to someone you probably know from Gpa Charley's family, he is the grandfather of Aunt Myrtle, Aunt Mary, Uncle Hank, my Gpa Tom, Uncle Ed, Uncle Warren, Aunt Marjorie, Aunt Betty, and Uncle Ray.

Francis Calvin Witham was born and raised in Kentucky. If you look back through the census records, you will see that while growing up, his family lived near another family, The McDonalds. Francis Calvin Witham fell in love with one of the McDonald girls, Martha ("Mattie"). They married and had a baby boy together. They named him Alexander Clay Witham (Uncle Clay). This sounds like the making of a storybook romance. Two young kids grew up near each other. When they grew older, they fell in love, got married, and had a baby. Unfortunately, this love story ended in tragedy. Shortly after giving birth to Uncle Clay, Mattie McDonald passed away. We don't know exactly how she died, but it was less than 6 months after Uncle Clay was born. This left Francis Calvin alone with baby (Uncle) Clay. While this is a tragedy for Uncle Clay's family, Uncle Charley's family wouldn't exist if it didn't happen the way it did.

Francis Calvin remarried. He married a lady named Mary Susan "Molly" Rains.

FC & Molly Witham. Kids: Ed, Til

FC & Molly Witham. Kids Unknown

Together, Francis Calvin and Molly had 8 kids of their own. Including Uncle Clay, there were 9 children total. 

The family continued living in Kentucky until 1912, when Francis Calvin Witham moved his family (of mostly farm workers) from Kentucky to Morgan County Illinois to look for work. 

At the reunion this year, I was asked a question by cousin Jeff Dixon about the Withams that are still in Kentucky. I think I misunderstood his question at the time. I think he was asking me, "If Francis Calvin Witham moved his family to Illinois, then who are the Withams that are still in Kentucky?" While Francis Calvin Witham moved HIS family from Kentucky to Illinois, he had brothers, sisters, and cousins who stayed behind in Kentucky. Basically, most of our Withams from Illinois are the family of Francis Calvin Witham. Most of our Withams in Kentucky are the family of Francis Calvin Witham's brothers, sisters, cousins, etc... Several of the Kentucky Withams have found our website and we have made contact with several of their family lines. A few years ago, our cousins Becky and Jackie (from Uncle Clay's family line) made a trip to Kentucky to meet with our Kentucky relatives and explore the area where our family settled. 

So we can get a little better understanding of who everyone is, let's take a closer look at the 9 children of Francis Calvin Witham. 

Of the 9 children of Francis Calvin Witham, four of them have been represented at our Jacksonville area family reunion in the past years, that I'm aware of. Those four are:

Uncle Clay

Uncle Clay

Uncle Clay & Aunt Lieu

Uncle Clay was married to Lieu Bell and they lived on a farm near Berlin, IL. Our family would sometimes go out to his house for Sunday lunch, but not too often, because it was a distance away and there was no good way to get there easily. Everyone says Uncle Clay and Aunt Lieu were some of the sweetest people you could ever meet. And if you notice the photo of Uncle Clay, he was very tall.

Uncle Clay and Aunt Lieu had 5 children: Annie, Addie Lee, Prentice, Evelyn, and V. Walter.

Uncle Clay has been very well represented at our reunions in the past few years. His great grandson, Warren Smith, brings more and more folks with him to the reunion every year, including Warren's father, Wendell, and Warren's wife, Connie, as well as their kids and grandkids. That's awesome. Uncle Clay was also represented in 2011 by his great granddaughters, Becky and Jackie, who flew in from California and Arizona, and his grandson, Charles Richard Koehler (and wife, Nancey).

Uncle Bill

Uncle Bill & Aunt Zella with Ruby and Gertrude

Uncle Bill was a farmer and a politician. He was a republican and served as the County Commissioner for Morgan County Illinois.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Zella had 3 children: Ruby, Gertrude, and Billy Jean.

Uncle Bill has been represented at our reunion by Cousin Bucky Leadill, his wife, Connie, and daughter, Tracy Leadill Mulquin. He was also represented in years past by the Ryan family.

Aunt Jen

Aunt Jen

Aunt Jen & Aunt Ex

Aunt Jen's name is Janie Cate Witham, but everyone calls her Aunt Jen. She was married to William Sparks. They had 2 children, William Sparks and Lucy Gordon Sparks.

Aunt Jen has been represented at our reunion by her granddaughters, Sandy Sparks McCurley and Marilyn Yost.

Grandpa Charley

Gpa Charley & Gma Josie Witham
Kids: Aunt Myrtle & Aunt Mary

Gpa Charley & Gma Josie Witham
with all 9 of their sons and daughters

Grandpa Charley and Grandma Josie had 9 kids: Aunt Myrtle, Aunt Mary, Uncle Hank, my Gpa Tom, Uncle Ed, Uncle Warren, Aunt Marjorie, Aunt Betty, & Uncle Ray.

They have been very well represented at our reunion by many family members.

So, to recap...

Out of the 9 children of Francis Calvin Witham, 4 of them have been represented in recent years at our family reunions. That leaves 5 family lines that have not been well represented yet. Of the 5 lines that have not been well represented, 3 of them have no living family to represent them. They are:

Sarah K. Witham
Sarah Witham was born in December of 1885 and passed away in January of 1886, before she was one month old. Therefore, she has no living family to represent her at our reunions.

Matilda "Tilda" Witham

Aunt Ex & Aunt Til

Aunt Til never had kids, so she has no family line to represent her at the reunions.

Exonia "Aunt Ex" Witham

Aunt Jen & Aunt Ex

Aunt Ex married and had a daughter, Mary Jane Gillis, but Mary Jane never had any children, so there is no one left in their family line to represent them at our reunion.

So, to recap once again...

Out of the 9 children of Francis Calvin Witham, 4 of them have been represented in recent years at our family reunions. That leaves 5 family lines that have not been well represented yet. Of the 5 lines that have not been well represented, 3 of them have no living family to represent them. That leaves 2 family lines that have not been represented at our reunions in recent years, but still have living family members (as far as we know). They are:

Thomas Walter Witham

Francis Calvin & Mary Witham. Charley on left, Walter on right.
Bill between Gma & Gpa, Jen on Gpa's lap. Exonia on Gma's lap

Uncle Walter had a son, named Thomas Haskell Witham and a daughter named Edna. We don't know too much more about him yet, but cousin Becky is on the trail of this family, trying to track them down.

Edward Francis Witham

Francis Calvin and Mary Witham
Kids: Uncle Ed, Aunt Til

Uncle Edward had two daughters. One daughter was Marie Watson from the Granite City, IL area. The other daughter was Sue Dyer (married to Bill) from St. Louis.

If you can help us find either of these families (Uncle Thomas Walter's or Uncle Edward Francis'), please let us know. You can post a comment here or email me directly at Mike@WithamFamilyHistory.com.

So, to recap one last time... (I really like recaps, huh?)

Out of the 9 children of Francis Calvin Witham, 4 of them have been represented in recent years at our family reunions. That leaves 5 family lines that have not been well represented yet. Of the 5 lines that have not been well represented, 3 of them have no living family to represent them. That leaves 2 family lines that have not been represented at our reunions in recent years, but still have living family members (as far as we know).

I hope that helps to clarify who all the aunts and uncles are. If you have any questions, please post it in a comment below or email me directly and I'll see if I can find an answer for you.

Witham Family Reunion 2014

Hello, Withams! Yesterday was a great day as we celebrated the 25th annual Witham Family Reunion. The first reunion was held July 19, 1989 and was attended by just brothers and sisters. Soon, cousins were added and the reunion expanded.

The reunion was organized and headed by Uncle Raymond for many years. Since Uncle Ray's passing in 2012, we have been transitioning into a new generation of leadership and we would like your help to continue to grow the reunion.

This year, we had 28 family members attend, which is a pretty good turn out. Two of Francis Calvin Witham's offspring were represented at the reunion this year. Uncle Clay had 12 family members representing him and Grandpa Charley had 16 family members in attendance. Thank you to all who came to help support the reunion and if you weren't able to make it, please consider attending next year. We would love to see you and catch up with you.

Thank you to Kim Witham Heise, Kelly Dixon, and Joni Doolin for taking and sharing your photos with us.

Click on the photos to enlarge them.

(If I made any mistakes or misspellings in labeling the photos, please let me know and I will correct them right away! Mike@WithamFamilyHistory.com)

Kim, Abby, and Pat Heise

John Smith, Robin Snelling, Neil Snelling

Uncle Clay's Family. Front: Michael Marek, David Smith, Jacob Burrow.
Rear: Savannah, Beverly Marek, Hannah Releford, Kohana, Connie Smith,
Rear Continued: Wendell Smith, Shelby Carlisle, Lee Smith, Warren Smith.

Kelly & Jeff Dixon

Mike & Joni Doolin, Mary Louise Doolin, Mary Beth & Bill Kruzan

Aunt Betty Robinson & Judy Leak

Mike Smith

In Search of Relatives

We are currently searching for any living relatives of the following children of Francis Calvin Witham:

Edward Francis Witham
Thomas Walter Witham

These are the family lines of Francis Calvin Witham that are not currently represented at our Witham family reunion. We would love to touch base with you to share information.

Uncle Edward Francis had two daughters. One daughter was Marie Watson from the Granite City, Illinois area. The other was Sue Dyer, married to Bill, from St. Louis.

Uncle Thomas Walter Witham had a son named Thomas Haskell Witham.

I'm afraid that's all I know about these folks. If you are a relative of one of the above family members, please contact us. You can comment here or you can email me directly at Mike@WithamFamilyHistory.com. I look forward to talking to you!

Witham Family Reunion 2014

Hello, Withams! We just received an email from Mary Beth with the details for the upcoming Witham Family Reunion. If you did not receive the email, please let me know and I'll make sure you get on the family email list. Several emails got returned due to bad/changed email addresses, so we would like to get that fixed if we can.

I am not always able to attend, but I plan to be there this year! Hope to see many of you there! ~Mike


Dear Family,
I hope this note finds you all well.  It's that time again--the annual Witham Family Reunion.  It will be held on Sunday, July 20, 2014, at the Lion's Club in Franklin, IL.  We will begin at noon with a potluck style meal.  Please bring a dish or two to share, your own drinks and table service, any pictures and stories as well. The doors will be open around 11:30am for those who would like to arrive early.  The Lion's Club is air conditioned and does have a wheel chair ramp for accessibility.  There is a park across the street for the kids and shade trees in the yard next door.  Bring any games, indoor and outdoor that you would like and don't forget your camera!  If I've left anyone off of this please let me know their address and I'll include them or feel free to forward it onto them.
I hope many of you will be able to attend.  It is not necessary to RSVP but feel free to drop me a line and let me know.  I'd love to hear from you either way!  
The last few years the reunion hasn't been very well attended.  Therefore, I think we need to talk about if we are going to continue having it.  I do value it, don't get me wrong.  But if it's just the same dozen people each year we could have it at a local restaurant and save the $75 rental fee.  That's just a suggestion.  I am open to others and I am by no means in charge of this.  I just reserve the hall and send out the information.  If anyone would like to take that over, just let me know.  I hope to see you July 20th and look forward to catching up!
Love,
Mary Beth Doolin Kruzan

Family List for John B. Witham Sr & Ann P. Akers‏

We have received a family list for John B. Witham from our contact, Renee. Here is the information she has. If you want more information or would like to contact Renee, just let me know and I'll pass on your contact information. Otherwise, Renee, you are welcome to leave your email address on here, also. Thank you for sharing your family list with us!

Here is a family chart for John Benjamin Witham Sr. & Ann Pauline Akers

with Spouses of each child, if any.:

John Benjamin WITHAM Sr.

Birth 1810-1811 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States

Death 1853 in Lewiston, Androscoggin, Maine, USA

Parents:

Obadiah WITHAM

Birth 1766 in Gloucester, Essex, Massachusetts, USA

Death ?

Married in Gloucester, MA

Judith (????) LeBarron/Lebaron/L'Baron

Birth 

Death 

-----------------------------------------------

Spouse:

Ann Pauline AKERS

Birth abt 1818 in Saccarappa (Westbrook), Cumberland, Maine

Death in Massachusetts, USA

------------------------------------------------

Children:

1. Capt. Charles C Witham

Birth 10 Feb 1837 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States

Death 

         +   

      Elizabeth Lizzie M. Foster

            Birth abt 1848 in Maine

            Death 

2. Thomas A Witham

Birth 8 Dec 1838 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States

Death 1867 in Michigan, USA

3. William Welch Witham

Birth 25 Oct 1840 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States

Death 31 Aug 1841 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States

4. Ann Pauline Witham

Birth 28 Aug 1842 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States

Death 2 Oct 1889 in Fryeburg, Oxford, Maine, United States

+              William Johnston Howe                            Birth 12 Oct 1835 in Fryeburg, Oxford, Maine, United States                            Death 13 May 1873 in Fryeburg, Oxford, Maine, United States  5. Eunice S Witham Birth 28 Aug 1842 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States Death 11 Oct 1842 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States 6. Claudine Adeline (Addie C) Witham Birth 16 Jan 1845 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, United States Death      +      Frank L. Hendry           Birth abt 1844 in Roxbury, Massachusetts           Death 19 Nov 1890 in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts, USA      +       John Hayes 7. Caroline "Carrie" T. WITHAM Birth 28 Mar 1847 in Portland, Cumberland, Maine, USA Death 3 Nov 1899 in Waterville, Kennebec, Maine, USA      +      James A Williams           Birth in Maine, United States           Death 18 Jun 1864 in Petersburg, Dinwiddie, Virginia, USA      +       Thomas B. Menealy      +       John A. Martis             Birth abt 1848-1850 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States             Death (Family Lore says he changed his name to George A. Wilson)        +       George A Wilson              Birth abt 1848-1850 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA              Death 1921 in Fairfield, Somerset, Maine, United States 8. Benjamin A Witham Birth Mar 1850 in Maine, United States Death ? 9. Drum Maj. John Benjamin Witham Jr. Birth 6 May 1850 in Medford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States Death 19 Jan 1910 in Boston, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States      +       Emma L Butterfield             Birth abt 1849 in Waterville, ME or Portsmouth, NH             Death 7 June 1897 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA      +       Mabel A. Reed             Birth Nov 1865 in Massachusetts            Death Aft. 1910 in Massachusetts --------------------------------------------------------

John B. Witham

We received an email from a Witham relative with some great information and some great photos concerning her family. If anyone has any information for her, please feel free to post a comment or email me at Mike@WithamFamilyHistory.com. Thank you to Warren and Becky for passing this on. 

"My Great Great Grandmother was Caroline "Carrie" T. Witham, born in Portland, Cumberland, Maine in 1847, one of 9 children of John Benjamin Witham Sr. and Ann Pauline Akers (Both of Maine). I do not have a photograph of Carrie but I DO have a photograph of her brother John B. Witham JR.

With the help of another Witham researcher, it is believed that John B. Witham Sr's father was Obadiah (Obediah) Witham, and mother was Mrs. Judith LeBarron (Maiden name as of yet, unkn).

My Great Great Grandmother Carrie married 3, if not, 4 times. Her first husband died during the battle of Petersburg, VA, the same battle her brother John fought in and survived. Carrie's son, my Great Grandfather, was George Atwood Wilson Jr. I am including a pic of Carrie's brother and a picture of my Great Grandfather George. As well as John Jr's obit and a news article about him. I have a LOT of records and such pertaining to John B. Witham Sr. & Ann P. Akers and their children. If any one is interested I have names and dates, spouses and children for each of John and Ann's children."

John Benjamin Witham Jr. 1905

George Atwood Wilson Jr 1908
Dressed for work
Lineman New England Telephone Co

Witham Family Reunion Photos - 2013

I just got some photos in from Warren Smith from the 2013 Witham Family Reunion in Franklin, IL.

These are the only photos we have received so far. If you have some more photos to share, please let us know.

Thank you to Warren for getting these to us!

Barbara S. Witham-Dyer

Bishop Wendell Smith passed this on to us through his son, Warren. Thank you gentlemen for passing it on to the rest of us. You can click on the image to enlarge it.

Please keep her family in your thoughts and prayers!

Shirley Jean (White) Harter - Obituary

I'm sorry to report that a family member, Shirley Jean White Harter, recently passed away.

Shirley J. Harter, 65, of Muncie, IN passed away Thursday June 27, 2013, at I.U. Health Ball Memorial Hospital. She was born on October 31, 1947 to Glen and Geneva (Witham) White in New Castle, Indiana.

Shirley was employed with General Motors until her retirement in September of 2006 with 32 years of service. She was a member of the Hazelwood Christian Church in Muncie, Order of Eastern Star 411 Upland Chapter, and U.A.W. Local 2209.

Survivors include loving mother Geneva P. White of Muncie; children Jim (Gina) Litteral of Adams, Tennessee, Joe (Melissa) Blackmer of Gaston, Jeff (Connie) Blackmer of Watertown, Wisconsin, and Amanda (Kendrick) Shadoan of Muncie; step-children April (Brad) Neal of Redkey, Robert (Deandra) Harter of Lafayette, Louisiana, and Pam Wilson of Muncie; 15 grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her father Glen White, son Jason Blackmer, and grandson Cory New.

Friends may call on Tuesday July 2, 2013 from 4-8 pm with an Order of Eastern Star service at the Garden View Funeral Home 10501 N. Indiana 3, Muncie. Funeral services for Shirley will be held on Wednesday July 3, 2013 at 11:00 am at the funeral home with calling one hour prior. The Reverend Colby Smith will officiate.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association or to the American Heart Association. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. Online condolences may be made at www.gardenviewandgardensofmemory.com

You can find more information as well as family photos here:
http://gardenviewandgardensofmemory.com/book-of-memories/1623408/Harter-Shirley/obituary.php

Our prayers go out to her family. 

(Thank you to Becky for bringing this to our attention so we can pass it on. )

Witham Family Reunion 2013

Hello, Withams! Mary Beth sent out the family reunion information for this year's Witham Family Reunion. I'm not sure if I'll be there this year or not, as I'll be in the middle of a job change at that time. I hope many of you can make it, though. If anyone would like to be added to the Witham family email list so you'll receive notifications personally, just shoot me a message or comment below and I'll make sure you get added. Here are the family reunion details:

Dear Family,

I hope this note finds you all well.  I just wanted to remind you of the date for the annual Witham Family Reunion.  It will be held on Sunday, July 14, 2013, at the Lion's Club in Franklin, IL.  We will begin at noon with a potluck style meal.  Please bring a dish or two to share, your own drinks and table service, any pictures and stories as well. The doors will be open around 11:30am for those who would like to arrive early.  The Lion's Club is air conditioned and does have a wheel chair ramp for accessibility.  There is a park across the street for the kids and shade trees in the yard next door.  Bring any games, indoor and outdoor that you would like and don't forget your camera!  If I've left anyone off of this please let me know their address and I'll include them or feel free to forward it onto them. I hope many of you will be able to attend.  It is not necessary to RSVP but feel free to drop me a line and let me know.  I'd love to hear from you either way!  Unfortunately, we only see each other and catch up on sad occasions these days.  This is a time to celebrate our family: to remember our past, live in our present and look forward to our future!  

Love,

Mary Beth Doolin Kruzan

Growing Up In Pisgah

Pisgah (PIZ-gee) is a small farming community in Morgan County, Illinois, about 8 miles Southeast of Jacksonville, the county seat. It is also the town where my grandpa and his family were born and raised. For many years my grandpa's parents lived in this 2 story farmhouse located diagonally across highway 104 from the grain elevator, the most recognizable landmark in town.

The first time I saw this house was when I was a teenager and I drove my grandpa to a family reunion in nearby Jacksonville. He told me he grew up in that house as we passed it on the highway. I was too young at the time to be interested in family history, so I didn't really ask any questions about it.

The next time I saw the house was after my grandpa passed away and I was going to our family reunion by myself. I was older now and I was very interested in learning more about where my grandpa's family came from. I stopped in at the property and knocked to see if anyone was home. No one answered, so I looked around a bit and took some photos. I can't describe to you how I felt standing on that property - the home where my grandpa was raised. I imagined him running around outside, playing with his siblings. It was a powerful feeling for me. I felt very close to my grandpa, even though he had been gone for several years by then.

I wanted to learn more about this home and how my grandpa grew up, so I contacted his sister, my Aunt Marjorie, and I asked her question after question about what it was like to grow up in Pisgah. She was very patient with me and answered all my questions, bless her heart! This is what she told me.

My great grandparents, Charlie and Josie Witham lived in the Pisgah home with their nine children, Aunt Myrtle, Aunt Mary, Uncle Hank, my grandpa (Tom), Uncle Ed, Uncle Warren, Aunt Marjorie, Aunt Betty, and Uncle Ray. I thought grandpa Charlie's parents, Grandma Mary and Grandpa Francis Calvin, may have lived in the home, also, but they didn't. They had a place of their own, a few miles away. To get to their house, you would get on the road South from the elevator and turn right at the first road. They lived a long ways back on the South side of the road. It was quite a distance away - too far to walk. Grandpa Charlie would hook up the horse and wagon to go to Grandma Mary and Grandpa Francis Calvin's house. The kids would sit on bales of hay in the wagon for the trip.

My grandpa (Thomas Washington Witham) was born fourth out of the nine children. From my grandpa on, every one of Charlie and Josie Witham's kids were born while they lived in that house in Pisgah. Aunt Marjorie is unsure about the rest, but she knows the last three kids were actually born IN THE HOUSE.

Pisgah was a small community of 50 people or less. The surrounding towns made fun of people from Pisgah because they considered them hicks. There was an elevator in town and a store with a porch. The store had a gas pump on the South end of the porch. On the North end of the porch, there was a bread box where the delivery man could deliver the bread in the wee hours of the morning. The bread box remained unlocked, but no one ever stole any bread from it. The man who ran the store lived upstairs. Today, the elevator is still standing, but the store has been torn down.

The Witham kids attended a one room schoolhouse in Pisgah called, 'Science Hill School'. They walked to school or caught rides with neighbors who had cars. The neighbors driving by wouldn't pass them up without giving them a ride. One day the teacher asked everyone in class what year they were born. Uncle Ray and Aunt Betty got a spanking for saying they were both born in the same year, 1926. Grandpa Charlie came to the school and told the teacher they WERE born in the same year. Aunt Betty was born in January and Uncle Ray was born in December. The teacher had to apologize. Aunt Marjorie said that even though Pisgah was a small town, they had a lot of kids in school. In the third grade, they had so many kids, they had to sit 2 kids in each seat.

Grandpa Charlie tenant farmed for a man named Albert Curry. They farmed wheat, beans, and corn. They had to shuck corn by hand. Aunt Marjorie said her brother, Uncle Hank, was the best shucker in all of Morgan County. They also raised chickens and had a cow to milk. They walked behind horses to plow their fields and even had a lawn mower that was pulled by horses. Albery Curry always gave them a few hogs to kill. The neighbors would all get together when it was time to do the butchering.

In the house, there were 3 bedrooms upstairs for the kids. Aunt Betty and Aunt Marjorie had the bedroom in the Southwest corner. The bigger, middle bedroom was shared by my grandpa Tom, Uncle Warren, and Uncle Raymond. The Northwest bedroom was shared by Uncle Ed and Uncle Hank (John Francis). Aunt Myrtle and Aunt Mary were already out of the house by this time, as they were the oldest. Downstairs, there was a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and Grandma Josie and Grandpa Charlie's bedroom. The kids normally slept 2 in a bed, but would sleep 3-4 in a bed to keep warm in the colder months. Uncle Ed remembered cracks in the house where the wind would blow through, but Aunt Marjorie doesn't remember
this. Everyone would line up behind the stove downstairs to keep warm when they had to.

There was no electricity in Pisgah when they were growing up. Aunt Marjorie said she was in high school before they got electricity. Grandpa Charlie had one gasoline lamp. When they did get electricity, they just had a bulb hanging from the ceiling. There were no lamps or light switches on the wall. When they got electricity, my grandpa, Tom Witham, bought Grandma Josie a washing machine. It was the old kind that had rollers and then you would hang your clothes to dry. In the Wintertime, you would hang them indoors. There was no indoor plumbing, so you had to use the outhouse when nature called.

For family entertainment, they would listen to the radio, especially the Grand Old Opry. This was in the 30's. They would also listen to Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen, and an eerie show called, 'Inner Sanctum'. It was a big deal when there was a Joe Lewis fight on the radio. Neighbors would come over to the house to listen to the fight. There was a small wind-powered generator on the roof to charge the battery for the radio. They would also talk or the boys would play cards on the dining room table. Uncle Hank Witham would sometimes swear when he threw away the wrong card. The first time Aunt Marjorie heard Uncle Hank swear, she got up and left.

Grandpa Charlie would get mad at the kids sometimes and say, "All you want to do is eat, sleep, and run somewhere." The girls weren't allowed to go anywhere. The boys could hitchhike to Jacksonville. At this period in time, the girls in the family had to wait on the men, so Aunt Marjorie and Aunt Betty washed a lot of the boys' clothing, ironed their shirts, and polished their shoes, along with other chores, like carrying in water from the well.

Grandma Josie did most of the cooking when it came time for meals. The family always ate together, even breakfast. Grandma Josie sat at the head of the table. Grandpa Charlie sat in the first seat around the corner from her. They didn't have enough chairs for everyone, so they used a bench that would seat 4-5 people. Since there was no electricity, leftovers were left in the middle of the table covered by a clean dish towel. They used to have Sunday dinners with the extended family, but they stopped doing that because Grandpa Charlie's sisters married democrats!! (Mike: Too funny!)

There were no presents at Christmastime because there was no money for them. However, everyone hung up a sock and they received an orange, some candy, some chocolate drops, and a bag of nuts. The kids at school told the Witham kids that they never got Christmas presents because they were mean. Grandma
Josie said, no, it's because we don't have the money for them and told them there is no such thing as Santa Claus. The Witham kids then went back to school and told the kids that were teasing them that there's no Santa. Aunt Marjorie told me that when Uncle Hank got big enough to work, he bought a celluloid doll for Aunt Betty and Aunt Marjorie for Christmas. He also bought presents for every little kid in Pisgah.

The family went to Union Baptist Church. The kids usually got a ride to church. Aunt Betty, Uncle Raymond, my Grandpa Tom, and Aunt Marjorie all became members of the Pisgah Baptist Church.

Growing up, the Withams had dogs as family pets. Aunt Marjorie remembers a black mutt named Dan, and a police dog. Before he passed away, Uncle Ray told me about another dog they had. Here is what he wrote me about the photo above: "The name of that little dog sitting on Dad's lap is Pug. Someone dropped her off in Pisgah and she came to our house and stayed. Our whole family fell in love with her. She was a good rat dog."

Aunt Marjorie also told me about another large family in Pisgah that they were friends with, The Myers family. She said there was a Myers friend for every Witham kid, it seemed. In fact, Harry Myers was a great friend of my grandpa's. Harry married a lady name Nellie. Nellie's first cousin was Annabelle Stucker, who became my grandpa's first wife.

Before the depression, the Withams had a nice car and everything they needed. During the depression, like everyone else, they fell on hard times. They got their first car about a year before Aunt Marjorie started highschool, which was 1937. It was a 1934 Ford, so it must have been kind of new. They also owned
a model T at one time, and later, a Model A. Aunt Marjorie remembers standing on the running boards of the Model T once while my grandpa drove it. She admits that wasn't so bright, looking back on it. One day it was like they had everything they wanted. The next day, they had nothing because of the Depression. If you don't know Aunt Marjorie, or if you've never spoken with her, then you may not know she's a strong, independent lady. I've never heard her get overly emotional when speaking about anything except when she told me the following. She nearly started to cry. I could tell it affected her deeply. She told me that after the Depression hit, her dad had to work so hard to care for his family. It broke Aunt Marjorie's heart to have to see him work that hard. He could have given up - maybe he even should have, she said, but he didn't - he wouldn't. He just kept working to feed and raise his family. I didn't know my great-grandpa Charlie personally. He passed away before I was born, but he was a hard worker. He was a family man. He was not a quitter. He just pressed on and did what he had to do even when it tough - very tough! Doing the right thing isn't always easy, but it's always right! For that, I respect him greatly!

My family lived in this house until 1942 when they moved to Jacksonville. All 5 of the boys were gone in the service by then. Aunt Mary and her family later lived in the home again, so another generation of Withams were able to enjoy it. I'm not sure who lives in the house today, but I wish I were rich so I could buy it, restore it, and keep it in the family. Either way, I enjoy visiting it anytime I'm in the Pisgah area for a family reunion. To spend time in a place where my grandpa grew up almost 100 years ago is special! Thank you to Aunt Marjorie for sharing her memories with me and thank you to Charlene and Aunt Marjorie for sharing your photos with me!