I forgot to get this followup out a few days after the Vol I. Sorry about the delay, it just slipped my mind. As with Volume I, I thought I would share this with the group. Mamie is the daughter of James Matthew Harbison of Dickson/Hickman Counties of Tennessee. James Matthew is the son of Thomas Wrenn Harbison & Buelah Bell and grandson of Matthew M Harbison and Elizabeth Wrenn. Matthew & Elizabeth came to Hickman County and Bon Aqua circa 1859. Hard to believe life was so different at the turn of this century in Tennessee. I have posted this on some other mail-lists for surrounding counties (ie Dickson & Maury) so it may be redundant for a few of you, who like me, are on more than one list. But I thought I would share and maybe generate some discussion on this list as well. Comments are always welcome...Enjoy Gordon Harbison, TNKHCKMA List ADministrator More Memories By Mamie Pearl Harbison Davidson If you remember across the road in front of mama’s house, there was a hill that went down into a hollow. It went straight into the woods. The boys made two or three sleds out of wood planks. The planks were about one (1) yard long and 1½ feet wide with a two-inch strip across the front that made a brace for your feet. There were also grapevine swings on the hill. On Sunday afternoons, the hill would be crowded with children. Among the group would be the Harrisons: Warner, Webster, and Douglas; the Stinsons: Robert, Lola, Ima ,and A. W.; and of course the Harbisons: Medrith, Leamon, Elsie, and me—just to mention a few. (Malcolm was four (4) years older than me and since Daddy’s death, he felt such a responsibility for the family that he didn't take much time for playing). At first the sled ride was kind of rough, but soon the path down the hill was slick—and was it fun! We all carved our initials on the trees in that hollow. Mother liked to see us have fun. When she fixed supper on Sundays, she never knew how many would be crowded around her table to eat. It was not easy growing up between two brothers. They were always teasing me about something. One thing they teased me about was my walking so fast. There was a boy that lived up the road about one half mile that I did not like to be teased about. As we were walking to school, Malcolm and Leamon would say, “Slow down, Raymond will wait for you.” If the wind was blowing, they would say, “That’s not the wind, it’s Mamie passing through causing the trees to sway. The One Room School House Fraizer School How would you like to go to school in a one room building about thirty feet (30) wide and fifty feet (50) long with a large wood stove in the center? In the winter, there were long benches on each side of the stove. Everyone would sit on the benches near the stove to keep warm. “I’m going to tell you a “little” secret on myself— one day I jumped out the window to go to the bathroom which was in the bushes.” I don't think that Mrs. Lois Luther even missed me. Since there weren't any inside bathrooms and not even an outhouse, the girls went to the bathroom on the right side of the schoolhouse and the boys went on the left side. Don’t worry! The playground was in the front of the school. The Chicken Coop When Mother had hens that started to set and she didn’t want to have any more baby chickens, she would put them in a coop for eight (8) to ten (10) days. One day Leamon asked her, “why do people get married?” She told him, “When hens wanted baby chickens, they starting setting and when people wanted children, they got married.” He said, “Will you please put me in a coop.” When Leamon grew up, he went to Detroit, Michigan and soon met Vivian Swayze. They fell in love, married and were blessed with two beautiful daughters, Virginia Lee and Loretta Ann. Aunt Tina Harbison said, “Bless his heart he went to far away from home for his mother to put him in a coop.” Bon Aqua In the middle of the twenties, Bon Aqua was a booming little town with three grocery stores. One of the stores was Ed Potts’ General Merchandise. They sold clothing, shoes, hardware, and groceries. Every fall we would go there to get our winter shoes. The shoes were high tops almost like boots. Bon Aqua had mineral springs (sulfur, mineral, and fresh water) and is still known for its water (Bon Aqua is French for good water). I remember my mother-in-law telling me that when she was a little girl, people who had money would come and spend the summer resting in the sun and drinking the mineral water for their health. Bon Aqua also had a hotel and a dance hall for people who liked to square dance. There was another dance hall just up the hill from the hotel for people who wanted to round dance or waltz. Every 4th of July, Daddy would carry us all to Bon Aqua Springs for a picnic, and that was where I had my first ice cream cone. The adults would sit around talking, and the children would play. I remember John T. Davidson, who later became my brother-in-law, getting his first ice cream cone. After eating the ice cream, he rushed back and said, “Mister, here’s your little horn, would you please fill it up again?” School Days Mother taught us that the young man would do the pursuing and if they wanted to date us, they would let us know. The year that I was in the 7th grade our teacher, Lillian Vinegard, carried the 7th and 8th grade classes to Nashville sight seeing. There were four girls and two boys. She was driving a 1928 Ford Coup with a rumble seat. The girls were Doy Myatt, Clara Hood, Opal Estes and myself and the two boys were Homer Owens and Hassell Hood. I rode in the rumble seat with the boys and the other girls rode up front. Mother was not happy about this! She said that one of the other girls could have ridden either going or coming. One time during that same year, Miss Lillian went back to school after everyone had gone home. She found one of the girls, Kathryn Tucker, and Homer Owens in the loft. Of course that was the talk of everyone. Mother was very concerned that we keep a good reputation. Later that year, we went to the funeral of Mr. John Donegan. The funeral was at his home. I was sitting in the car with Katheryn. Mother came down to the car and told us to come up to the house that it was almost time for the funeral to begin. She later reprimanded me for associating with Kathryn. She was a firm believer that you are or will become who you associate with. Grandpa Harbison’s House Once when we were at Grandpa Tom Harbison’s house, we all went to the creek to go swimming. Aunt Effie instructed her son, Douglas who was about six years old, not to get in the water. When we got to the creek, Aunt Bea (Elizabeth) called us all together and told us what she would do to us if we told anyone what she was about to do. She had Douglas take off his clothes except his underwear and then she put him in the water. He had so much fun! When he got out of the water, Aunt Bea had him to take off his underwear and put on his pants. She rung out his underwear and fanned them until they were dry. I believe Aunt Effie died never knowing this incident had ever happened. Cousins and Aunts Aunt Lucille, Uncle Billy Harbison’s wife, would travel from Michigan to spend summers with relatives in Tennessee. She and the children would always stay a week with us. Just about every night we would sing songs—mostly country and sometimes some gospels. Aunt Lucille would yodel. John stuttered and he would say, “Sasass that’s where mom’s hot on it.” When I was about 14 years old, Alrice Davidson told a cousin of mine that he wished I were a little older. If I were older, he would ask me for a date. About a year later, I attended a box supper at Mt. Gossett School. Alrice asked me if he could walk me home. I told him yes—never dreaming that this was the beginning of a long courtship, eventually marriage, and six wonderful children. And you know what—I still walk fast. Alrice told me after we were married that the reason I walked so fast that night of the box supper, I was in a hurry to get home to tell my mother that he had walked me home. When Aunt Dell was thirteen years old, she lied about her age and got a job at the cigar factory in Dickson. She later went to Detroit and lived there the rest of her life. She married Raymond Russell who died, and later Aunt Dell married Bill Zanders. The War Years One year prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, all the young men had to go in the service. It helped them to understand what it was all about. Keith Harbison was in the Navy, and he let his family know that his train would be coming through Dickson about 2 AM. All the family went to the Dickson Railroad Station to stand at the railroad tracks so they could see Keith. An Army train came through going very slow. When the Navy train came through, it was going very, very fast. Keith was on the caboose waving a lantern and yelling (as we all remember, Keith could yell very loud) as loud as he could. I’m sure that was very sad for his family thinking they might never see him again. Medrith and Odell Booker’s first child, Linda Ray, passed away on March 9, 1943 and buried on March 11, 1943. The next week Odell got his draft notice and a week later he was sent to the induction center at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. From there he went to Camp Stewart, Georgia. He stayed at Camp Stewart for about seven months. Then was sent to East Tennessee somewhere around Manchester for maneuvers. He stayed there for about four months. Medrith went to Georgia around the first of June, 1944 and stayed until October. Odell was on a ship going overseas on October 9, 1944. He was stationed at Luxinburg, Germany. He returned home in 1945. During this time Grandma Beulah Harbison had five grandsons in service at the same time; not only in service but stationed in the Pacific. My brother, Leamon; Buford Murray, Aunt Pearl’s son; Keith Harbison, Uncle Ernest’s son; Gene Holland, Aunt Ruby's son; Douglas Harbison, Uncle Clarence’s son. Douglas never returned, he was the only relative to give his life for the freedom of our country. So many things were rationed during the war. The things I remember being rationed were sugar, coffee, meat, and gasoline. There were books with coupons in them that you gave the clerks when you paid for your purchases. New cars were not available and older ones were very expensive. All the manufacturing industries were making war supplies. There were blackouts in so many of the larger cities across the country. I remember sitting on our front porch in Nashville and everything going black. There wasn’t a light anywhere. They said that the blackouts were practices in the event of an air attack. We went to Detroit for Alrice to find work. Elsie and her husband, Carl, lived in our house while we were gone. When we came home a few months later, I looked in the refrigerator. I said, “Elsie, there is a slice of cabbage that I left when we went to Detroit.” She replied very solemnly, “I wanted you to find everything the way you left it.” The 1950s On November 7, 1951 my husband, Alrice was carried to the hospital with a mental breakdown. One week later Grandma Beulah Harbison died in Detroit. Malcolm and Douglas Holland came to Tennessee in a truck and brought the flowers. On Sunday morning, Malcolm decided to go to Dickson and rent a car to drive to the funeral. He was in a car accident before he got to Dickson. The ambulance that was carrying him to a Nashville hospital had an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Malcolm was a very ambitious man. He went to the Mayo Clinic for rehabilitation; came back and entered into politics. He was elected as the Register of Deed and was re-elected for several terms. Mother was a very strong person, and she had so much faith in God. It was the strength she received from the Lord that helped her withstand all the troubled times as she gave comfort and support to others. Elsie had to save for months to buy Christmas presents for Carlton, Faye, and Ronnie. Sometime in early December, they were playing upstairs and found their gifts from Santa Claus. They didn’t breath a word to anyone but Elsie and Mother knew they had found the gifts. We had a Santa Claus suit that belonged to the school. Someone in the family was going to play Santa at the school’s Christmas party. Back then, when a light bulb went out, you usually had to wait till payday to buy another one. Elsie took the front porch light out and I came down after dark and stood out in the yard and yelled HO! HO! HO! . When the children came to the door, I told them that I was Santa and my bag had gotten so heavy that I had leave some of the presents upstairs at their house and would they mind going up and getting them for me. I took the gifts and hid them in the corncrib. On Christmas Eve, Elsie retrieved the presents and the kids had a great Christmas.