My maternal gg parents are Ma and Pa Hellums Pa Hellums is Earnest Lavert Hellums and Ma Hellums is Vera Electria Franklin-Dodson Hellums. My mom says, "I was told that her middle name came from Benjamin Franklin's invention and they named her Electria so people would not forget who she was related to. Her mother died when she was born I think. Anyway, her grandmother and grandfather Franklin raised her. Her dad's name was Haze Dodson and he remarried after his first wife's death. Anyway, she married Ernest Lavert Hellums until death did they part. Now Pa Hellums had at least one sister that I know of, Mae Hellums Hollaway, Aunt Mae was married to Arthur Hollaway, a justice of the peace until death did they part. Pa Hellums also had a brother who lived in the Memphis, TN area with his fam ily. I think I met him one time when I was small. Somehow Pa Hellums was related to a guy I always called Uncle Cliff Phillips, who was the Pontotoc, MS, Chief of Police for years. He was a fine man, just like Pa Hellums. I don't know exactly what the relationship was, but they were related. (I was really small, so I cannot remember all that I should remember. I cannot remember the name of Pa Hellums brother at all, but he raised his family in the Memphis, TN area.) (Oh, by-the-way, there was another Ernest Lavert Hellums that lived in the Pontotoc area and the two were not related to my knowledge.) Pa Hellums said all the Hellums were changing the spelling of the last name to Helms, but he would not because his dad was an honorable man with a good last name and he was going to honor that last name. I salute him for standing his ground on that one. Yeah, go Pa Hellums, go, you too, passed on to the the other side with an honorable name and I thank you for that." Ma and Pa had 2 daughters, Myrtis Hellums-Brown and Francis Hellums Hodges. Myrtis and Leo Brown had 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls. One of those girls married John Raymond Reece, that is where I come in. I'm Nancy M. Reece and I have 1 sister and 2 brothers. I also have 1 son, age 11. So, to the list, this is what I know about the Hellums. A couple of other list members have mailed me personally with info., but I will them post to list if they like. :D Nancy Reece