I've promised myself I'm not going to use this blog to be political except in rare, significant occasions. I'm not sure if this really qualifies as significant, but it touches on an aspect of politics that has impacted me personally, deeply, in the past few months and an aspect that I have made a new focus of emphasis in my Poli Sci classes. That aspect is the prevalance of hate speech and demonization in our political discourse. More and more we have this mindset developing that anyone who disagrees with us is evil and out to destroy the United States. It's an offshoot off what Hofstader defined as the "paranoid style in American politics" back in the 1960s, but whatever the cause, it is the biggest threat I see to our nation's success. If one defines the "other side" as evil, that makes negotiation and working together impossible. Many "true believers" on both "sides" don't like to admit this, but the true genius of our nation has been our ability to take widely divergent points of views and work together to achieve a solution. I had accepted this concept for many years, one has to while teaching American History and teaching the many compromises that were crafted in that convention at Philadelphia that designed our Constitution. But it was really driven home by that old son of Mississippi, Shelby Foote, in Ken Burns' Civil War, when he drawled that our "real genius" was compromise and it failed us in the time of the Civil War.
I'm not coming from a "holier-than-thou" position, I get fired up at times and have called Dick Cheney, "Satan". But, as a rule I have tried to recognize the fact that people on both sides, almost without exception, in politics think they are doing the right thing. We may disagree with them, but attributing conspiratorial motives or simply calling them names is wrong. I pray every day that I won't fall pray to this again.
What prompted this rant?
This morning I awoke to find a wonderful Facebook message shared by one of my Facebook friends from one of her Facebook friends. This was the message:
"Before you talk about some one...THINK! T-Is it true? H-Is it helpful? I-Is it inspiring? N-Is it necessary? K-Is it kind?"
What a great idea!! Now for the kicker to me.
The person that made that post, was formerly a Facebook friend of mine. I had to delete that person because almost every day they bombarded my Facebook page with "Obama is a Muslim", "Obama hates America", "Pelosi is an idiot", "Democraps hate this country", "Demo-rats are trying to destroy this country."
Would that we all follow that simple warning before we talk or speak -- even on our Facebook pages.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Another One Bites the Dust
Sunday night I learned of another sad event for local historic preservation in Minden. Around 1870, four new homes were built in Minden. The Chaffe home on South Broadway, the Spann home on Pennsylvania Avenue, the Vance home on North Broadway and the Watkins home on College Street. These homes were very similar in style, in fact two of them – the Chaffe and Vance homes -- were almost identical. The Chaffe home was later purchased by the Wiley family. That house stood on the site of today’s Regions Bank in downtown. The home was first pulled back behind the “new” Minden Bank building constructed in the mid 1950s and then later was demolished by the bank. The Watkins home was severely damaged by an explosion and fire in the early 1940s and had to be torn down. Today the Minden Church of Christ is located on that property. The Vance home passed through marriage to the Sugg family and then suffered through years of neglect and vacancy until it was restored by the Christy family. The fourth house, the Sumpter Spann home, went through several owners including the Huckaby family before being owned by the Dickinson family, who still own it today.
So, of those four “post-war” houses, two remain standing. However, soon only one will remain. The First Baptist Church is in the process of purchasing, with plans to demolish, the Dickinson home at 315 Pennsylvania. I am sorry to learn this is happening, to be frank, having gone to First Baptist for almost all my 52 years and having been a member for 43 years, I am sad we are once again going to put the wrecking ball to part of Minden’s history. However, no one even raised a question when the topic was presented at the Church Conference Sunday night, and there’s no point in fighting against the powers that be. I understand the church’s need for room to grow and I also recognize that the house has structural problems that make it a liability risk so long as it stands. The church doesn’t need the house; they need the land and the space. In addition, I probably vacated the moral high ground on this issue when I supported the proposal to sell the property at 100 Homer Road for the site of a Walgreen’s.
Just to explain my “hypocrisy” by supporting that change and opposing this development, I need to explain my reasoning. In the case of the property at 100 Homer Road, the true historical significance of that site was not the current home on the land. That house was built in the first years of the 20th Century, about 40 years after the end of the Civil War. The true historical significance of the land was that it served as the campground for the 61st United States Colored Troops when they occupied Minden from May through December 1865. As part of the proposal of the sale to Walgreen’s, a historic park would have been created on a portion of the land to tell the story of that occupation. So, from a historic standpoint, the gain would have been greater than the loss of the house, since there are quite a few homes from the same period standing in Minden. In the case of the Spann/Dickinson home, the house and the role of Sumpter Spann in local education and politics made the dwelling the most significant history on the site. Even though the house has had substantial alteration over the years, it remains the dwelling of a man who influenced generations of local boys as a teacher at the Minden Male Academy and played a role in some of the most colorful and contentious politics of the Reconstruction and Redemption era in Minden. At times like these I truly wish I had money, or power, or influence to change things. But, I don’t , and progress is necessary, so another old home will disappear from the Minden landscape.
So, of those four “post-war” houses, two remain standing. However, soon only one will remain. The First Baptist Church is in the process of purchasing, with plans to demolish, the Dickinson home at 315 Pennsylvania. I am sorry to learn this is happening, to be frank, having gone to First Baptist for almost all my 52 years and having been a member for 43 years, I am sad we are once again going to put the wrecking ball to part of Minden’s history. However, no one even raised a question when the topic was presented at the Church Conference Sunday night, and there’s no point in fighting against the powers that be. I understand the church’s need for room to grow and I also recognize that the house has structural problems that make it a liability risk so long as it stands. The church doesn’t need the house; they need the land and the space. In addition, I probably vacated the moral high ground on this issue when I supported the proposal to sell the property at 100 Homer Road for the site of a Walgreen’s.
Just to explain my “hypocrisy” by supporting that change and opposing this development, I need to explain my reasoning. In the case of the property at 100 Homer Road, the true historical significance of that site was not the current home on the land. That house was built in the first years of the 20th Century, about 40 years after the end of the Civil War. The true historical significance of the land was that it served as the campground for the 61st United States Colored Troops when they occupied Minden from May through December 1865. As part of the proposal of the sale to Walgreen’s, a historic park would have been created on a portion of the land to tell the story of that occupation. So, from a historic standpoint, the gain would have been greater than the loss of the house, since there are quite a few homes from the same period standing in Minden. In the case of the Spann/Dickinson home, the house and the role of Sumpter Spann in local education and politics made the dwelling the most significant history on the site. Even though the house has had substantial alteration over the years, it remains the dwelling of a man who influenced generations of local boys as a teacher at the Minden Male Academy and played a role in some of the most colorful and contentious politics of the Reconstruction and Redemption era in Minden. At times like these I truly wish I had money, or power, or influence to change things. But, I don’t , and progress is necessary, so another old home will disappear from the Minden landscape.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Back from Commercial Break With Requests
Okay, now that I've gotten my ad for my book out of the way, I want to talk a little bit about a project I'm working on and see if anyone that reads this might have some helpful information. In conjunction with a local artist -- I didn't get permission to use this person's name or talk about the project so I'll be somewhat vague -- I've been researching the construction of the old Community House that stood in Victory Park. Saturday I went to Baton Rouge and completed my newspaper research about the story and will be publishing an upcoming Echo about that building by the first part of September.
In this process I've had several of the usual twists that come in doing research. The first was realizing how I lose track of changes, even though I'm conciously aware of when they take place. When I was first asked about writing this article for a brief moment I had forgotten that the old building was gone. Then, after bringing myself back to reality, it took me a few days to realize just how long it had been gone. At the 80th birthday reception for Blanchard Youngblood I had the chance so speak to an old friend, Blanchard's son Wayne, for the first time in nearly 30 years. Wayne mentioned that when he heard his Dad's reception was being held in the Community House he immediately thought of the old building. He then asked me how long it had been gone. I was stunned when I realized I chaperoned a high school dance at the "new" building over 17 years ago, and the building was not "brand new" at that time. So, it was a little startling to realize not only was the old Community House "gone" but it is "long gone."
That building was the site of so many civic events and particularly dances for teenagers over the years. Many great musicians played at that venue, starting with Joe Stampley and including many others. In researching I also discovered at least two new pieces of information.
First, for years I had repeated a story I had been told by a "reliable" source that the plans for the building had been drawn by Minden's mayor at the time, David Thomas. Mr. Thomas was an amazing man, a lawyer, journalism professor, poet and Bible scholar. But apparently he did not draw up the plans, all contemporary sources give credit to two other people, one of them a local lady.
The second new revelation involved the actual construction of the building. I had always known that the building was partially funded by the NYA (National Youth Administration) of the New Deal. I did not know until the last few days that the construction workers hired on the job were unemployed local teenagers following the New Deal Keynesian strategy of putting the unemployed to work building needed infrastructure projects for the country.
So, for those of you that read this blog, I've got two questions I hope some of you will be able or willing to answer.
The first is I would like to hear any "Community House" memories you have -- particularly memorable bands that played there. I was a "non-dancing" Baptist, who was too shy to date, so I only went to one dance there, but I know many of you had great times you might want to share.
The second is more of a longshot, but it's worth a try. If any of you know of anyone who actually worked on building the project, please let me know. The building was constructed in 1937-38, so the youngest possible workers would be around 86 or 87 years old, most probably older. So, if you know of someone that's told stories about this project, I'd appreciate learning about their experiences.
If you have some input, you can add it in the comments section of the blog or e-mail them to me directly at jaagan@bellsouth.net
Thanks in advance.
In this process I've had several of the usual twists that come in doing research. The first was realizing how I lose track of changes, even though I'm conciously aware of when they take place. When I was first asked about writing this article for a brief moment I had forgotten that the old building was gone. Then, after bringing myself back to reality, it took me a few days to realize just how long it had been gone. At the 80th birthday reception for Blanchard Youngblood I had the chance so speak to an old friend, Blanchard's son Wayne, for the first time in nearly 30 years. Wayne mentioned that when he heard his Dad's reception was being held in the Community House he immediately thought of the old building. He then asked me how long it had been gone. I was stunned when I realized I chaperoned a high school dance at the "new" building over 17 years ago, and the building was not "brand new" at that time. So, it was a little startling to realize not only was the old Community House "gone" but it is "long gone."
That building was the site of so many civic events and particularly dances for teenagers over the years. Many great musicians played at that venue, starting with Joe Stampley and including many others. In researching I also discovered at least two new pieces of information.
First, for years I had repeated a story I had been told by a "reliable" source that the plans for the building had been drawn by Minden's mayor at the time, David Thomas. Mr. Thomas was an amazing man, a lawyer, journalism professor, poet and Bible scholar. But apparently he did not draw up the plans, all contemporary sources give credit to two other people, one of them a local lady.
The second new revelation involved the actual construction of the building. I had always known that the building was partially funded by the NYA (National Youth Administration) of the New Deal. I did not know until the last few days that the construction workers hired on the job were unemployed local teenagers following the New Deal Keynesian strategy of putting the unemployed to work building needed infrastructure projects for the country.
So, for those of you that read this blog, I've got two questions I hope some of you will be able or willing to answer.
The first is I would like to hear any "Community House" memories you have -- particularly memorable bands that played there. I was a "non-dancing" Baptist, who was too shy to date, so I only went to one dance there, but I know many of you had great times you might want to share.
The second is more of a longshot, but it's worth a try. If any of you know of anyone who actually worked on building the project, please let me know. The building was constructed in 1937-38, so the youngest possible workers would be around 86 or 87 years old, most probably older. So, if you know of someone that's told stories about this project, I'd appreciate learning about their experiences.
If you have some input, you can add it in the comments section of the blog or e-mail them to me directly at jaagan@bellsouth.net
Thanks in advance.
Shameless Self-Promotion
Well, my new book is now available for sale on Lulu.com and I will have copies in hand within the next few days. I also will hopefully be setting up some local outlets for sales. I need to add a special thank-you to my nephew, David Jameson. David happened to be in Minden this summer. He just finished three years teaching in Indonesia and is now enrolling to seek a Master's Degree in Counseling at Liberty University in Virginia. Luckily, he hadn't left Minden yet when it came time to design the book cover. Art is definitely not one of my skills, but two of my nephews are amazingly talented. David came up with the cover design and I really appreciate his efforts.
Here's the link to my page on Lulu.
My Author's Spotlight on Lulu
Here's the link to my page on Lulu.
My Author's Spotlight on Lulu
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
New Book
Next week my newest book should be available for purchase through lulu.com, copies will be available locally soon after. This book is a compilation of 24 of my Echoes of the Past columns that deal with the Civil War era in Minden. It's titled: Echoes of Our Past - The Civil War Years in Minden.
The Civil War was the event that hooked me on history. Some of you may be familiar with the story my mother liked to tell about me teaching myself to read. The time I was learning was the early 1960s as the Civil War Centennial was at its peak. For all the reasons that war stories are exciting to little boys, I was hooked by the Civil War. When the folks from the School Board called me into the office to prove I could read as I started 2nd grade. They made a big mistake, for some reason the "reading test" they gave me was to read the caption to the painting -- "Lee and His Generals". I did read the content, but they didn't realize I knew those generals already and could have "faked it."
As I grew older, my interest in the Civil War waned to some degree. I tell my students that I knew more about the Civil War at age eight than I know today. It's probably true. Even though I am still very interested in the war, it is not my passion. However, it does remain a passion for so many folks in our area. I probably get more questions about the Civil War than any other topic. For that reason, I decided my first experiment in self-publishing would put all my published writings on the Civil War into a single volume. I think it will be a good thing locally because after my columns are long forgotten, a copy of this book will contain some of the information I have been able to compile in a more permanent form.
I need to give a big thanks to my talented nephew, David Jameson. He happened to be in Minden this summer in transit from his teaching job in Indonesia en route to graduate school in Virginia this fall. I have no talent for art -- the dirty little secret to the "reading at three" story that Momma loved to tell is that even though I could read at three, I couldn't get my library card until I was five because I found it impossible to write my name, some, after reading my scratching say I still can't write my name -- so me doing any art work was out of the question. David was willing to help me out and created the cover image that makes the book attractive and memorable.
Hope some of you decide to check out this latest work.
The Civil War was the event that hooked me on history. Some of you may be familiar with the story my mother liked to tell about me teaching myself to read. The time I was learning was the early 1960s as the Civil War Centennial was at its peak. For all the reasons that war stories are exciting to little boys, I was hooked by the Civil War. When the folks from the School Board called me into the office to prove I could read as I started 2nd grade. They made a big mistake, for some reason the "reading test" they gave me was to read the caption to the painting -- "Lee and His Generals". I did read the content, but they didn't realize I knew those generals already and could have "faked it."
As I grew older, my interest in the Civil War waned to some degree. I tell my students that I knew more about the Civil War at age eight than I know today. It's probably true. Even though I am still very interested in the war, it is not my passion. However, it does remain a passion for so many folks in our area. I probably get more questions about the Civil War than any other topic. For that reason, I decided my first experiment in self-publishing would put all my published writings on the Civil War into a single volume. I think it will be a good thing locally because after my columns are long forgotten, a copy of this book will contain some of the information I have been able to compile in a more permanent form.
I need to give a big thanks to my talented nephew, David Jameson. He happened to be in Minden this summer in transit from his teaching job in Indonesia en route to graduate school in Virginia this fall. I have no talent for art -- the dirty little secret to the "reading at three" story that Momma loved to tell is that even though I could read at three, I couldn't get my library card until I was five because I found it impossible to write my name, some, after reading my scratching say I still can't write my name -- so me doing any art work was out of the question. David was willing to help me out and created the cover image that makes the book attractive and memorable.
Hope some of you decide to check out this latest work.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
This and That
Been a while since I've made a blog post, so I guess it's time to add something. Yesterday was one of those days when I'm reminded of something I observed years ago while working for the Sears catalog store in college. The same or similar idea seems to hit people's minds at the same time. We would sit for long periods without a customer entering the store and then suddenly, three cars would pull up at the same time. On weekdays you expect this during lunch or during the school year just after school dismissed, but the pattern persisted even during the Summer and on Saturdays. Well, yesterday I had one of those historical inquiry "rushes." It had been a couple of weeks since anyone had gotten in touch with me for historical information, then, in the space of a little over 12 hours, I received five different inquiries.
The first came late Monday night from a gentleman in Shreveport interested in having a historical marker erected regarding some Confederate army movements after the Battle of Mansfield. Then yesterday morning I received two e-mail requests -- one trying to find out the first name of a professor at the Minden Female College and is wife, and another from a descendant seeking information about a divorce in her family years ago. Finally, Schelley Brown from the Dorcheat Museum contacted me with two inquires she had received: one seeking information about a couple that operated a boarding house here in Minden from 1903 - 1939 and another from members of the Monzingo family from Texas who were visiting the Dorcheat Museum. So, it's always interesting how these things seem to come in groups.
I guess the real reason for this post is to promote a book. Thad Andress' When I Was a Little Girl and after, too -- Memoirs of My Life and Family. Now, before some of you are surprised to find that Thad was a little girl, he is actually the editor of these memories written and collected by his mother, Treeby Miller Andress. The book is the story Mrs. Andress wrote down of her memories and the memories of her mother, Treeby Chaffe Miller, of life in Minden from about 1838 on through 1938. The book is available from the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum here in Minden for $15. The proceeds from sales of the book go to the Association.
The first came late Monday night from a gentleman in Shreveport interested in having a historical marker erected regarding some Confederate army movements after the Battle of Mansfield. Then yesterday morning I received two e-mail requests -- one trying to find out the first name of a professor at the Minden Female College and is wife, and another from a descendant seeking information about a divorce in her family years ago. Finally, Schelley Brown from the Dorcheat Museum contacted me with two inquires she had received: one seeking information about a couple that operated a boarding house here in Minden from 1903 - 1939 and another from members of the Monzingo family from Texas who were visiting the Dorcheat Museum. So, it's always interesting how these things seem to come in groups.
I guess the real reason for this post is to promote a book. Thad Andress' When I Was a Little Girl and after, too -- Memoirs of My Life and Family. Now, before some of you are surprised to find that Thad was a little girl, he is actually the editor of these memories written and collected by his mother, Treeby Miller Andress. The book is the story Mrs. Andress wrote down of her memories and the memories of her mother, Treeby Chaffe Miller, of life in Minden from about 1838 on through 1938. The book is available from the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum here in Minden for $15. The proceeds from sales of the book go to the Association.
Now in the sake of full disclosure, I need to explain that my family and the Andress family have had very close ties over the years. My father went to work for Thad's father, Harry Andress, at Andress Motors Company in Minden at age 18 in 1936 and worked for the company for the next 29 years until the dealership was sold. Even more significant was the fact that my mother went to work at Andress in 1941 at age 17 and became, in addition to her bookkeeping duties, sort of a personal secretary for Mr. Andress. Momma had lost her father at age 3, so Mr. Andress in many ways filled the role of a father for her, even giving her away at her wedding to Daddy in 1948. So, over the years, Momma and I were aware of the wonderful memories Mrs. Andress' had preserved. On rare occasions, we were able to pry some of those deeply held memories free from Thad to publish them. The best story I ever used was the "Mayberry moment" when locals celebrating the Armistice at the end of World War I overloaded a Civil War cannon and caused it to explode when fired in honor of peace. But Thad always had plans to publish these stories, so he was really careful that sneaky folks with newspaper columns like Momma and me didn't steal the "good stuff."
The book is now published -- so I can steal anything I want, so long as I give proper credit -- and is a wonderful read for anyone who wants to learn about "Old Minden." Stories of how life was in those days from the games children played to liveried servants carrying death notices door-to-door, this is a delightful account of how one of the "first families" of Minden lived in those years. For me, as a local historian, it is the personal stories that are priceless. Individuals such as R. H. Miller (Thad's grandfather), Aunt Jack Taylor, Captain Alfred Goodwill (Gov. Mike Foster's grandfather) and others were just names I wrote about. All I had as a basis for my writing were cold newspapers articles. Thad's book fleshes out these people giving glimpses of their personalities I might never had know such as Mr. Miller's scholarly background and his love of learning, Aunt Jack's story telling ability and quick wit, and Captain Goodwill's intimidating presence. All in all, even if this book weren't benefiting the museum, I would recommend it to anyone who wants to gain a glimpse of life in "Old Minden."
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Enduring Faith
I think of my six regular readers, about half read this for local history. For y'all, this post is more about faith and family than history, so you are forewarned.
I took a drive this morning to "visit" with my great-grandparents -- Green Berry and Mahala Davis Agan -- at the Buckner Cemetery in Lafayette County, Arkansas. I hadn't been there in over 30 years and it felt like a good time. I didn't know God had a purpose for me in mind.
Green Berry was a Hardshell Baptist Preacher/pulpwooder. He married many of the couples who later moved to Minden when the L & A Railroad came in 1923 and also his share of formerly underage couples from Louisiana who found themselves suddenly of age across the state line in Arkansas. Since he died before my father was born I never knew him. (Sobering dose of personal mortality this morning I realized that of my four great-grandfathers the longest surviving made it to 58, not good news for a 52-year-old.) He survives for me mainly in two sets of circumstances.
The first is his picture. We inherited an image of Green Berry taken about 1900. It is an oval image of a stern-looking man with an impressive handlebar mustache. The picture is stored in a closet and it so frightened one of my nephews that he refused to even sleep in the room where it was stored. Somehow I think that might make the hyper-Calvinist in Green Berry happy.
The second is my mother's story about the "preacher's chair." Today, I have inherited that chair and it sits in my living room. It seems it was a prized possession of Green Berry's that I guess he used in his churches. Any way, the first family occasion my mother visited as the fiance of my daddy led to a funny story. I think it was a Christmas celebration, but I'm not certain. Any way, Momma came into the living room at my grandparents house and the entire room was filled with relatives. No one -- not even Daddy -- made a move to give her a place to sit. She spied an empty chair and quickly walked over and sat down. The expressions of all in the room let her know she had made some awful violation of protocol, as she looked from face to face, someone finally said, "that's the preacher's chair." Momma replied, "oh, when he comes back I'll let him sit here." The answer came back, "He died in 1915" (This would have been in 1947). Momma said: "Oh, then I guess he's not coming." I can't help but think of that every time some one sits in the chair or particularly when one of my cats climbs up there for a nap.
This has been a week to test my faith and frankly, I'm still looking for answers, but God had a way of sending me a message through that old Hardshell preacher.
Here is a picture I snapped of the front of Green Berry's tombstone. (Excuse the iPhone quality of the pictures.
As you can tell, the inscription is barely readable, even in person. However, here is the reverse side of the same stone.
While it's tough to read in the iPhone image, the inscription is of the "I have fought the good fight" passage from 2 Timothy 4.
Well, what was God's message for me, delivered through the tombstone. The front side, giving Green Berry's life details, the earthly things have almost disappeared less than a century after his death. However, his faith, described by the inscription, endures and is still strong and visible.
Now, the logical side of me knows that the stones in the cemetery are on an incline and the fronts face to the north. Thus exposing the front side to the brunt of the weather for the past 95 years and its eroding effects. But somewhere inside I do believe that God intended that message for Green Berry's great-grandchild today, at a time he needed to be reminded of the power of faith.
To end on a lighter note. I also motored over to Magnolia and snapped an image of my grandmother Agan's parents in the City Cemetery. Here's that shot:
What's funny you may ask? Well, this stone is for David Green Emerson and his wife. It never hit me until today with TWO great-grandfathers having Green as a given name, perhaps I'd better start considering the possibility of some Jewish heritage.
I took a drive this morning to "visit" with my great-grandparents -- Green Berry and Mahala Davis Agan -- at the Buckner Cemetery in Lafayette County, Arkansas. I hadn't been there in over 30 years and it felt like a good time. I didn't know God had a purpose for me in mind.
Green Berry was a Hardshell Baptist Preacher/pulpwooder. He married many of the couples who later moved to Minden when the L & A Railroad came in 1923 and also his share of formerly underage couples from Louisiana who found themselves suddenly of age across the state line in Arkansas. Since he died before my father was born I never knew him. (Sobering dose of personal mortality this morning I realized that of my four great-grandfathers the longest surviving made it to 58, not good news for a 52-year-old.) He survives for me mainly in two sets of circumstances.
The first is his picture. We inherited an image of Green Berry taken about 1900. It is an oval image of a stern-looking man with an impressive handlebar mustache. The picture is stored in a closet and it so frightened one of my nephews that he refused to even sleep in the room where it was stored. Somehow I think that might make the hyper-Calvinist in Green Berry happy.
The second is my mother's story about the "preacher's chair." Today, I have inherited that chair and it sits in my living room. It seems it was a prized possession of Green Berry's that I guess he used in his churches. Any way, the first family occasion my mother visited as the fiance of my daddy led to a funny story. I think it was a Christmas celebration, but I'm not certain. Any way, Momma came into the living room at my grandparents house and the entire room was filled with relatives. No one -- not even Daddy -- made a move to give her a place to sit. She spied an empty chair and quickly walked over and sat down. The expressions of all in the room let her know she had made some awful violation of protocol, as she looked from face to face, someone finally said, "that's the preacher's chair." Momma replied, "oh, when he comes back I'll let him sit here." The answer came back, "He died in 1915" (This would have been in 1947). Momma said: "Oh, then I guess he's not coming." I can't help but think of that every time some one sits in the chair or particularly when one of my cats climbs up there for a nap.
This has been a week to test my faith and frankly, I'm still looking for answers, but God had a way of sending me a message through that old Hardshell preacher.
Here is a picture I snapped of the front of Green Berry's tombstone. (Excuse the iPhone quality of the pictures.
As you can tell, the inscription is barely readable, even in person. However, here is the reverse side of the same stone.
While it's tough to read in the iPhone image, the inscription is of the "I have fought the good fight" passage from 2 Timothy 4.
Well, what was God's message for me, delivered through the tombstone. The front side, giving Green Berry's life details, the earthly things have almost disappeared less than a century after his death. However, his faith, described by the inscription, endures and is still strong and visible.
Now, the logical side of me knows that the stones in the cemetery are on an incline and the fronts face to the north. Thus exposing the front side to the brunt of the weather for the past 95 years and its eroding effects. But somewhere inside I do believe that God intended that message for Green Berry's great-grandchild today, at a time he needed to be reminded of the power of faith.
To end on a lighter note. I also motored over to Magnolia and snapped an image of my grandmother Agan's parents in the City Cemetery. Here's that shot:
What's funny you may ask? Well, this stone is for David Green Emerson and his wife. It never hit me until today with TWO great-grandfathers having Green as a given name, perhaps I'd better start considering the possibility of some Jewish heritage.
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