> >Being from the South I thought everyone was like me....in particular like > my > >mother who was the most superstitious person I now know ever lived on the > >earth. > Here are a few I remember: An unmarried female should never let anyone sweep under her feet, or she will never marry. I remember peeling apples with my great grandmother and she told me if you are able to remove the whole peel in one piece, you can throw it over your shoulder and it will land in the shape of the initial of the person you will marry.  [This may have been designed to get the young girls to help with the peeling!] My grandmother told me that her father always said that it was bad luck to kill a cricket in the house, you had to catch it and throw it back outside.  To this day I can't bring my self to kill one, I have to keep catching them! Lisa

Thanks for sharing this with the list. > Being from the South I thought everyone was like me....in particular like my > mother who was the most superstitious person I now know ever lived on the > earth. I remember some of these from when I was growing up. > * No open umbrellas in the > * Marking babies by looking at someone. (While pregnant, marking your baby by looking at something ugly or vile.) > * Don't raise your arms when you're pregnant.. it'll wrap chord around the > baby's neck. > * She knew the fire healing saying but couldn't share it with me because I > was a female. Male could tell female and vice-versa. My dad knew this one but would not share it with me either. He said it had to be passed only to a stranger and if he told me the saying that it would not work for either one of us. I can add to the list: * When visiting someone you must leave by the same door that you entered or you will have bad luck. * Never wash clothes on New Years Day or there will be a death in the family. * Of course, if you break a mirror it will bring you 7 years of bad luck. * Deaths always come in threes. * Eat black eyed peas on New Years Day for good luck all year. Any others? Bob.

Good site to learn about January 6 is http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/3kings.htm Being from the South I thought everyone was like me....in particular like my mother who was the most superstitious person I now know ever lived on the earth. In reading a history of Cherokee County, I learned that the area was settled by Germans and by the Irish. My mother coming from the latter! * Christmas trees down before January 1 * No hats on the bed * No open umbrellas in the house * If I stepped on her heel, she stopped until I patted her on the back 3 times * If she found a pin, she stood on one leg, poked her backside with the pin, and waved her other hand in front of her...said something but I never knew what. * Marking babies by looking at someone. * Don't raise your arms when you're pregnant.. it'll wrap chord around the baby's neck. * She knew the fire healing saying but couldn't share it with me because I was a female. Male could tell female and vice-versa. Many, many more but just wondered if anyone else had these instances occuring in their homes!? (I think I turned out nearly normal ...LOL) Don't give up. Enjoy the journey. WHITE SANDERS DORMAN LATHAM DESTAFFINO DAVIS RAY LONG WILSON RAMSEY Visit my site ...Shaking My Family Tree http://members.aol.com/CampCP/index1.html Priscilla White Perry SCSand99@aol.com

In a message dated 12/28/02 10:02:59 AM Eastern Standard Time, SCSPARTA-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: > Old Christmas was celebrated,seem like it was Jan.6th,does any one else know > > the date and/or significance of the custom? > Best wishes to Everyone > Mary Jane H Brock > Hi, Mary Jane......I understand that this was supposed to be the day that the Wise Men came to see Jesus. However, they probably came a year after His birth, according to some scholars. Vicki Brannon Pickrell

This site has a article on the meaning of Old Christmas. At the bottom of this page, click on "Back to contents of Christmas Pie", has some very interesting stories, etc. http://www.christmas-time.com/ct-history.htm Beverly Spring, TX

I asked my Mom about Old Christmas. She's 86 years young and was raised in the Laurens area with family in Spartanburg and Spindale. She said it was on January 6th, and thought it was derived from the change of the calendar from Gregorian to Roman. And we were always told it was bad luck to still have your tree up on New Year's Day, but if you did leave it up past then, never, ever turn the lights on... :) Happy Holidays! Tamara >> Old Christmas was celebrated,seem like it was Jan.6th,does any one else know the date and/or significance of the custom? Best wishes to Everyone Mary Jane H Brock

In a message dated 12/27/2002 5:39:14 PM Central Standard Time, JPProctor@carolina.rr.com writes: > sure would like to see > Christmas decommercialized. > Amen!! But dont see it happening in the material world we live in.

Could it be "Old Christmas" has something to do with the 12 days of Christmas. The 12 days actually begin on Christmas Day. I too grew up in the South. We always put our Christmas tree up a couple of weeks before Christmas and never took it down until New Year's Day. I follow the same custom today. Seems like folks around here are putting them up earlier & earlier every year, many before Thanksgiving, and I blame that partly on the retailers who begin putting out Christmas decorations before Halloween. A few years ago our town began having their Christmas parade before Thanksgiving. This year ourstores had Valentine Day gifts along side Christmas decorations, and many already have bathing suits for sale. Like the seasons, I prefer one holiday at a time, and sure would like to see Christmas decommercialized. We wish you peace in the New Year, Judy ----- Original Message ----- From: <TennCookie@aol.com> To: <SCSPARTA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, December 27, 2002 5:41 PM Subject: Re: [SCSPARTA] Christmas Memories > In a message dated 12/27/2002 2:19:50 PM Central Standard Time, > Mwoman1948@aol.com writes: > > > > Old Christmas was celebrated,seem like it was Jan.6th,does any one else know > > the date and/or significance of the custom? > > I believe it was supposed to be the date of the arrival of the three Wise > Men. I live in the South, where all traces of Christmas traditionally must > be packed away before New Year's Day (though I can see that changing). > However, I lived 5 years north of the Mason-Dixon Line and was astonished to > see Christmas trees and decorations left up for weeks after Christmas, > sometimes even months! > > > ==== SCSPARTA Mailing List ==== > Newcomers: Please introduce yourself to the list and tell us about your Spartanburg County interests. > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >

I grew up in North Alabama and many folks put their decorations up on or about Christmas Eve and left them until "12th night" or "Old Christmas," including one of my Grandmothers. I have been told it had to do with the calendar change from Gregorian to Roman and the supposed loss of twelve days. I don't know whether that is true but I sure thought it was a purely Southern Hill-Country custom. Your list mom, Mickey -----Original Message----- From: TennCookie@aol.com [mailto:TennCookie@aol.com] Sent: Friday, December 27, 2002 5:41 PM To: SCSPARTA-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [SCSPARTA] Christmas Memories In a message dated 12/27/2002 2:19:50 PM Central Standard Time, Mwoman1948@aol.com writes: > Old Christmas was celebrated,seem like it was Jan.6th,does any one else know > the date and/or significance of the custom? I believe it was supposed to be the date of the arrival of the three Wise Men. I live in the South, where all traces of Christmas traditionally must be packed away before New Year's Day (though I can see that changing). However, I lived 5 years north of the Mason-Dixon Line and was astonished to see Christmas trees and decorations left up for weeks after Christmas, sometimes even months! ==== SCSPARTA Mailing List ==== Newcomers: Please introduce yourself to the list and tell us about your Spartanburg County interests. ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

In a message dated 12/27/2002 2:19:50 PM Central Standard Time, Mwoman1948@aol.com writes: > Old Christmas was celebrated,seem like it was Jan.6th,does any one else know > the date and/or significance of the custom? I believe it was supposed to be the date of the arrival of the three Wise Men. I live in the South, where all traces of Christmas traditionally must be packed away before New Year's Day (though I can see that changing). However, I lived 5 years north of the Mason-Dixon Line and was astonished to see Christmas trees and decorations left up for weeks after Christmas, sometimes even months!

Happy Holidays To All My Grandfather(John Landrum Henderson 1867-1949) always spoke of his memories of Christmas. He placed hs shoes outside the door filled with hay for the reindeer to eat.In the morning the shoes would be filled with hard candies and oranges.The tree was not used in his childhoood.Holly,evergreen boughs and mistletoe were used to decorate the house. Old Christmas was celebrated,seem like it was Jan.6th,does any one else know the date and/or significance of the custom? Best wishes to Everyone Mary Jane H Brock

My mother was born in 1914 in the McKown's Mtn area of Cherokee County. Papa Sanders was a cotton farmer and Grandmother made a little money selling eggs and sewing but Mama said she never "knew" she was poor because they always had clothes and food. She told me how Christmas wasn't so much presents but rather the meals and the smells of the kitchen. (For some reason that old farmhouse always smelled better than any place I've ever been in my life: herbs and seasonings and burning kindling in the woodburning stove.) For Christmas Mama said she would get an apple and nuts and sometimes a precious orange. Maybe a homemade doll. But to the end of her life she would pick up an orange and smell, smile and say "mmm smells like Christmas!" "Things" didn't make Christmas but family did. Hope we hurry and get back to that. Wouldn't it be great! Funny...now I live in an orange grove in Florida. Think of Christmas all year! Merry Christmas memories to you all. Don't give up. Enjoy the journey. WHITE SANDERS DORMAN LATHAM DESTAFFINO DAVIS RAY LONG WILSON RAMSEY Visit my site ...Shaking My Family Tree http://members.aol.com/CampCP/index1.html Priscilla White Perry SCSand99@aol.com

I received as a Christmas gift the new book "Textile Town, Spartanburg County, South Carolina" published by the Hub City Writers Project. It is a thorough, fascinating story about the textile industry in the County since it started. It has many photos and tells the story of almost all of the textile communities in the area. Has many personal interviews and family stories. As one example, Mickey Foster had a posting on this list on Christmas Eve about Drayton and her Aunt Irene Gault . Well, on pages 120 and 121 of this book there is a wonderful interview, including a photograph of Ms. Gault. I think anyone with an interest in Spartanburg County will enjoy the book. The web site for the Hub City Writers project is (http://www.hubcity.org). the mailing address is: Hub City Writers Project Post Ofice Box 8421 Spartanburg, SC 29305 Merry Christmas, Gerald Teaster

Hello everyone, I am new to this site. I have an ancestor named Nathaniel Gaston from Gaston Co. NC. It is in the family records that he married a Lucinda Thompson from Spartinburg SC. Nathaniel was born approx. 1770. Marriage date unknown. I believe Gaston Co. was a part of the Tryon Co. at that time. I hope someone may have a lead on Lucinda. Thanks for any info on this person. Kirk Cronland Lincolnton, NC

Hi List Members! What a great idea to share Christmas memories! Just like our dear friend Nancie O'Sullivan, I grew up in the Drayton Mill village, just outside of Spartanburg. I am a "baby boomer", born in 1948. I guess I started knowing all about Christmas in the early 50s. What a wonderful time to be a kid!!! Our parents had been through the War, our fathers all had good jobs, mostly in the mill. We certainly weren't wealthy but we had everything we needed and then some. Most important we had FAMILY. We had our own family, we had our community family and we had our church family. I certainly remember those Christmas Eve services at the old Drayton Methodist Church- then going down the stairs to the social hall (basement) where Santa would give all of us kids a present (from our parents) and a nice bag of fruits and nuts and a big Hershey chocolate bar. We even got Brazil nuts, of course we didn't call them Brazil nuts. I remember eating some wonderful food just down the street at the Lavenders (Edgar and Sallie, my maternal grandparents). All of my mother's family would be there- my grandmother and my Aunt Irene Gault (ne. Lavender) would cook the turkey that came from the back yard- good as any Butterball you can find! I can still see Grandma Lavender and Irene chasing that bird around the yard! Nobody really was doing anything special- just getting along with the business of living. But, something special was happening... they were making memories. You better believe I'll be calling my Aunt Irene (89 and full of life) and telling her how much I care for her May we all go about the business of creating memories for the generations that shall follow! To my cyber-family- Merry Christmas! Mickey Foster - LaBelle, Florida --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now

I would appreciate any help on the Thomas Price from the Thomas Price house in Spartanburg and his wife. What was her maiden name, where did she come from, etc. All help appreciated.

Dear Listmembers, As I go about my many routines for the holiday season, I think about the many family members I have gained and lost this year. I thought I would stop what I was doing, log on an wish all of you people a joyous holiday season. Maybe some of you are or know people we are related to in one way or another. Either way, I feel we are one big group of people who care about the same thing. So Merry Christmas. May your tummies be full and your stockings stuffed. Sally Roberts _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 limited-time offer: Join now and get 3 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup&xAPID=42&PS=47575&PI=7324&DI=7474&SU= http://www.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/getmsg&HL=1216hotmailtaglines_newmsn8ishe re_3mf ==== ILHENRY Mailing List ==== --------------------- ILHENRY-L Mailing List --------------------- ILHENRY now has over 150 of the best subscribers in the world!! If each one of you would transcribe just one Henry Co biography or obituary you have in your files, look at the library we would have!!! These may be posted to the GenConnect boards via the links on the Henry County ILGenWeb Project Page

I wrote the following story for my grandchildren about a true Christmas experience that I had when I was four years old growing up in Pacolet Mills. This is a community in southern Spartanburg County. The old wooden Brown's Chapel Church has long since been replaced by a modern brick facility. Hope you like the story. Merry Christmas, Gerald Teaster -------------------------------------------------------------- A Tightwad Christmas The year was 1941 and I was four years old. We lived in Pacolet Mills on a pretty street called Tightwad. I don’t remember its real name. Nobody ever called it that anyway. It was always referred to as Tightwad. Nobody seemed to know why. It was the sort of neighborhood where everybody knew every body else. It was a great place to be a child. That Christmas in 1941 on Tightwad is my earliest memory of Christmas. I did not know it then, but a great tragedy and disaster had just happened to our country. Just days before, on December 7, the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor and plunged us into World War II. All over the USA, and the world, people’s lives were going to be drastically changed. Many people’s lives were never again going to be the same. But I didn’t know. I lived in a nice house with my brother Dink (David) and my Mamma - Marie and my Daddy - Fred (Doog). I remember the feeling of that Christmas eve in 1941. There was an excitement in the air that I did not really understand. That afternoon, when it began to get dark, I went down to the church known as Brown’s Chapel, just a few hundred yards away. It was located at the end of Tightwad street. It was a different world back then with very few cars. I believe I went to church with some of our neighbors, but I’m not sure. What I am sure of is the overwhelming sight of the first Christmas tree that I can ever remember. We arrived at Brown’s Chapel and started up the steps of the old wooden church. When I got to the top of the steps I could see inside the church. There was the most wonderful sight my young eyes had ever beheld. There was a towering cedar tree decorated with more lights, ornaments and tinsel than I knew existed. To this day, when I think about a Christmas tree that one at Brown’s Chapel is the one that comes to mind. I walked on into the church. The closer I got to the tree the more magical it became. There were mountains of brightly wrapped presents under the tree. I did not understand about the presents but they were almost as beautiful as the tree. I’m sure there was a regular church service of some sort that night but I do not remember one thing about it. What I do remember is that after we had been sitting for a long time another amazing thing happened. The lights of the church were turned down and the lighted Christmas tree seemed to fill the silent church. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, this wondrous person appeared. He was unlike anything I had ever seen. He was wearing a bright red suit and he had a long white beard. He was big and round and wearing a red hat. He was magical to me. I did not know who he was but it seemed lots of the other children and all of the adults did. "It’s Santa Claus" they all whispered loudly. He was carrying a large sack overflowing with presents. He walked up beside the Christmas tree and put his sack down. He started taking the presents from his sack and began to call children’s names. They came running down the aisles to him and he gave each their own brightly wrapped package. When he had emptied the sack, he moved to the tree and its pile of presents. He started calling out the names on those presents and adults and more children came up to receive their present directly from Santa’s hand. I was still somewhat confused by the whole thing but it did seem like everyone was having a wonderful time. Suddenly, Santa was calling my name and looking directly at me. I ran up to the magic tree and got my present. I don’t remember the present but I surely do the event. Santa kept on passing out presents until every boy and girl in the church had one. Then, with the help of other adults he started handing out large paper sacks filled with oranges and apples and hard candy and nuts. Then it was over, the lights of the church were turned up and everybody started to leave. It was dark and cold outside. Before I could get to the door I heard someone call my name. It was Santa Claus! He walked up to me and said " I will walk you home." Now, I could see him closely - the beard, the high, shiny black boots, the fur trim, the red suit, the friendly eyes. He took me by the hand and we went down the steps out into the cold, dark night. I can still vividly remember the walk home. Santa Claus held my hand and talked to me all the way home. He talked about what I might get for Christmas and what my Mamma and Daddy might get - and he called them by their name! A passerby would have seen a very excited small boy holding the hand of Santa and looking up at him in awe. Santa Claus walked me all the way to my house. He knocked on my front door and delivered me right into my Mamma’s hands. It was a magic, magic night. I’m sure that I got a lot more presents later that night. But I was an adult before I realized what the real presents were that cold night. The real presents were a loving family and neighbors, and a small church where the real spirit of Christmas and giving was very much alive. The best present of all was the bright memory that still warms my soul after more than one half a century. As I got older, my friends gradually lost their faith in Santa Claus. But I believed. I believe to this day. Because, long, long ago Santa Claus held my hand and we shared a magical walk on a wonderful Christmas Eve.

Gerald, Your story is so wonderful. I just read it to my six year old granddaughter and she said "well I guess there is a Santa Claus because he met him"!!! Thank you so much for your story. I'm going to keep it and reread it next year. Merry Christmas to all, Judy At 11:14 PM 12/22/2002 -0500, you wrote: >I wrote the following story for my grandchildren about a true Christmas > > > > > > > > > > >

My mother was born in 1920.And I haven`t heard her talk a lot about her childhood Christmas`s.When I go to see her tomorrow,I am going to ask her about them. I do remember her saying one time that they didn`t have much,no toys,but they would always get a shoebox with apples,oranges and some hard candy in it.And they thought that was the best thing in the world to get and glad to get that!!And she said they would always go out in the woods get a cedar tree and make homemade decorations to go on it.Popping corn and stringing it for garland was always done at their house. I won`t say my age,LOL,but I remember we always got an old white sock full of fruit,nuts and hard candy,when I was little.I also wanted a farm set,but my mother thought I was too young for it,that I may put the animals in my mouth and swallow them!!I finially got one when I was older,but I was no longer interested in getting one by that time!!! Here`s wishing everyone a blessed Christmas. Keep sending Christmas memories!! Vicki Scearce __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com