MY AUNTS, MY UNCLE, & MY DAD

Uncle Grady and my Dad, Cecil were surrounded by female siblings.  Because Lou Etta was the oldest, she was called "Sis" by all.  She was much like a second mother to all of her brothers and sisters.   She was a very good mother, too. 

During one of our visits to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Sis gave the Cecil Kilgore family a beautiful Samoyed puppy.  We named the dog, Snowball because it looked like a snowball--white, round, and soft.  The dog grew into a beautiful animal and enriched our lives.  We were heart-broken when Snowball was killed as a result of chasing a car down the road in front of Granny Kilgore's house.  Sis's generosity and the love of a dog,  gave us many playful and precious childhood experiences that I will never forget.

Aunt Dolly was always a gracious host and a wonderful cook.  Not long after my wife, Pat and I married, we met up with Mother, Daddy, Ricky and Rebecca at Aunt Dolly's house.  Pat and I had just come from a big dinner and were not very hungry at all.  Dolly was insistent that she prepare some food for the family, and of course, us too.  She fixed hotdogs with all the trimmings. I forced one hotdog down.  My wife being resourceful took the hotdogs, wrapped them in a napkin, and placed them in her purse. Aunt Dolly didn't know and we thought it quite humorous.

Aunt Ruby lived in the big city which I wrote about in a previous blog post.   There was a time when Uncle Johnny and Aunt Ruby decided to move.  They moved to Crestwood in another part of Birmingham, but further from the city center.  I can recall Aunt Ruby telling us about the swimming pool in her backyard.  Not ever seeing the pool, the backyard, nor the house itself, I imagined a "Hollywood pool" setting.  At some later point, we did visit their new home and to my surprise, there was the swimming pool--a Walmart wading pool for little kids.

Aunt Lois was a home body who made her home warm and inviting.  I can recall the day that her home burned to the ground, and nothing was savaged except a big family Bible which came out of the ashes.

It was a sad day, but the Bible was a sign of God's providence.  Friends and neighbors assisted, and the home was built back bigger and better. I can recall all the animals around that "bigger and better house,"  especially the guinea hens and the tame turkeys freely roaming the backyard around the old well.  There was always something going on around Aunt Lois' house, and most of the time it involved her kitchen stove and sitting around the big dinner table.

Aunt Ruth loved to laugh.  She always had a joke to tell because she enjoyed the funny things in life. I can recall when Aunt Ruth and Ted first moved to Guntersville, Alabama they lived in a house located on a high cliff overlooking the road that went to the Guntersville State Park.  There was no yard, just a dropoff.  It was safer in the house than outside.  Ruth cooked us a wonderful dinner during the visit.  There was one catch to the menu--She and mother attempted to tell us children that the meat was country fried steak smoldered in gravy.  I took one bite and spit it out.  It was liver!

Aunt Lorene was the baby of the family.  She lived in Birmingham during my teenage years and then she and the family moved to Miami, Florida.  My dad let me visit Aunt Lorene's home in Eastlake for an entire week one summer. I experienced a real "Hollywood" swimming pool--the Cascade Plunge. That was the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen.  It was like something you only saw in the movies.  There were people everywhere.  The experience was definitely different from swimming in creeks and water holes of Winston County.

My "one moment memories" of the Kilgore sisters move on now to the two boys--Grady and my dad, Cecil.  Grady was a working man.  My dad was a working man.  Both men, the oldest and the youngest, had very similar traits.  The one exception is that Grady also knew how to relax.  My dad's relaxation was working.  

My "one moment memory" of Grady is his staying away from home to work on the railroad and when he got home there were cores to do around the house.  I recall his plowing the field with his old mule.  He liked to share the chocolate cakes that his wife, Nettie made for the family.

My Dad's memory is quite different than what you would know and expect of him.  There was a time when we did not go to church on Sunday nights. One Sunday night, my brother, Mike, and I begged Daddy to take us to church, but to no avail.  I had a little pedal car at the time, so we told our parents that we would just go to church any way and we would go in the pedal car.  It didn't matter to us that it was nighttime and it was very dark outside.  We were probably 5 and 7 years old at the time.

Daddy told us to go ahead, and so we did!  I would pedal a while and Mike would be behind the little car pushing.  Then Mike would pedal while I pushed.  As we were approaching Granny Kilgore's house, Mike and I saw a faint figure down the road ahead of us.  We could not make the figure out, but it was making some scary sounds.  Instead of running away, we pressed on down the road, pushing and pedaling.  We soon saw the figure clearly--a ghost, white sheet and all.  We just pedaled faster and pushed harder, hoping to quickly pass the ghost so we could get to church.  The ghost, seeing that we were not changing course, took the white sheet off, and said, "Come on, boys!  Let's go back home."   It was Daddy. We turned the little car around and headed home, relieved that the ghost was friendly, but disappointed that we had not been able to get to church!

In summary, our life has been enriched through the visits and the meals shared around the tables of the John and Sarah Kilgore children--my aunts, my uncle, and my dad.  I have been blessed to have such a family.  

  

A Tree

There is a well known poem written by Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) entitled TREES.
The poem goes like this.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.


A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;


A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;


A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;


Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.


Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.


Many of us recall the stately and majestic trees on Papa and Granny Kilgore's old home place.  The enormous old oak trees that graced the landscape around the old house were beautiful.  They also served as shade through the years and even recreation as we swung from a rope in a rubber tire hanging from one of the large branches.  Just as we have gotten older with our aches and pains, so likewise, the trees of our childhood have resulted in signs of old age.

Over two years ago the worst happened when the large tree closest to the old house split open and a hugh part of it landed on the tin roof of the back portion of the house where the old kitchen was originally .  The structure was not damaged, but the roof sure was.  When I heard the news, I was heart-broken.  At first, my Dad mentioned burning the house down, but after some discussion and persuasion, he agreed to have someone cut the tree up and then repair the tin roof.

You can see the evidence of that great tree because the base remains next to the house.  Though the tree had looked strong, it was truly weak.  The tree was infested with carpenter ants and had a hollow inside core.  This can also be true with people's lives.  Just know that only God can make a tree.  Certainly it is God who can only make our hollow lives, full and complete.  Trees are a part of God's creation and do point to Him.  But even more so, our family is also God's creation and I pray we all will point to Him.  I leave you with that thought.

CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF VISITING THE BIG CITY

One of the greatest comedians of all time, Bob Hope would end his TV shows with the song, "Thanks for the Memories."  Memories hold images of our past, both good and bad. They are also more than just images.  They are our "back to the future."

I have asked on our recently established "Kilgore Cousins Facebook Group Site" to reflect on  the past at Granny and Papa Kilgore's old home place.  Some cousins have written about their thoughts around Uncle Grady, Granny and Papa Kilgore, and the farm (in Winston County) on what was Route 3, Nauvoo, Alabama during my growing up years, but reassigned as  Winston County Road 21 in recent years.   Different addresses; same location.   Today, County Road 21 becomes Poplar Springs Road when crossing the  Winston-Walker county line.  Same road, different designations.   We as people traveling down the same road have different memories which project on our mental movie screens.  The old gospel song, "Precious Memories" speaks of how they linger and flood our soul.

I share with you one such memory as a young boy from the country visiting the big city. Being from Nauvoo and never going anywhere far from home, it was always a special treat to go to the big city of Birmingham to visit relatives. Birmingham was a different world from my simple life in the country.

Old Birmingham Highway, US 78 was a two lane road filled with curves and extremely different from our present age of interstates and straight four lane roads.  To a young boy, it seemed to take all day to get to the big city.  When the family got there,  it was evident that life was different.   My eyes took it all in.   So many cars, all traveling so fast --  the electric street cars in the middle of the streets filled with passengers going to work or going shopping --  the sky reflecting a flaming red color on the night sky,  filled with smoke both day and night.

My sight was not the only sense actively taking it all in.  My nose took in the smell of  the city as well.  The scent of gas exhaust from all the cars -- the smell of factories producing pig iron -- and in contrast, the sweet fragrance of fresh bread being baked down the street.

All the differences, except the fresh bread (there was a store down the street with fresh bread), went away when we arrived at 16th St., North Birmingham to visit Uncle Johnny, a big city policeman and my Aunt Ruby, one of daddy's sisters.  This was the home of my cousins, Billy, Betty, Barbara, and Nelda. Whether right or wrong, I looked up to them because they were my big city cousins.

The Chadwick home was beautiful.  It was a multi-level dwelling.  The top level, flush with the front street,  was home to renters which supplemented the family income.  The renter's entrance was in the front of the house at street level where the side walk was.  The middle level was partially under ground with its entrance on the side. There were windows above ground on this level to let the natural light in. The steps to this entrance had four or five descending steps with a retaining wall on each side.  This middle level is where Uncle Johnny, Aunt Ruby, and my cousins lived.  Then the bottom level was a basement which you could not see from the front or the side, but was completely above ground from the the back of the house. When Billy was older the basement became his bedroom and living area.  It was like a "man cave."  Basements were foreign to me, and it was as though I was going deep underground into a cave as I descended down the circular stairs into a large space where Billy lived.

As you can tell, my Aunt and Uncle's home was so different from the small one level farm house I lived in. One eye-catching difference was the side yard with its beautiful flowers and shrubs.  A landscaped yard was something we didn't have in the country.  But the main feature catching the eye was the fish pond filled with goldfish and  green lacy water plants.  Another difference from my small house was the actual size of  Aunt Ruby and Uncle Johnny's living space.  I recall the living room with its nice furniture.  It was a room we only passed through to get to the rest of the house.  There was the wall-to-wall built in china cabinet and high ceiling of the formal dining room.  The family gathering place was in the kitchen area and a small room off from it. I don't recall much about these spaces.  I do remember that for one of our meals Aunt Ruby fed us the tastiest hot dogs with frozen orange juice concentrate, water added and mixed to drink.  It was the first time I ever had frozen orange juice.

As I grew older, my world enlarged and my view of things expanded.  I discovered even with the differences we experience, life is made richer because of our differences and the different places we live.  I now live in the big city of Birmingham.  The home in which I live has a basement that is totally underground.  What was new and big has now become common place.  But there is one thing that bridges the gap between childhood and present day -- country and city  -- MEMORIES.

Johnny Kilgore, contributor

KILGORE OLD HOME PLACE MEMORIES

This past week I have actively been involved in the Kilgore Cousins Group on facebook.  Since the site was set up, we have doubled the number of relatives in the group.  But in viewing the activity, the posts and comments have been active for just a few in the group.  That certainly doesn't diminish the importance of these posts and the involvement of those participating.  My desire is that we truly see "kilgore cousins" group involvement from the 3rd and 4th generations of John Wesley Virgil Kilgore.  Those generations have no ties to the Kilgore old home place in Nauvoo, Alabama but they are our future and they have been left a great legacy.

How many people in this world can return to the house and the land where their great grandmother or great grandfather was raised?  My wife, Pat who is an Albertville, Alabama native cannot even return  to the houses where her own mother and father were raised.  We are fortunate that we can return to the actually house build in the early 1900's by our own Grandpa.  A very large and special family was raised in that house.  That is why the house, barns, and land are sacred to us all.

The Kilgore old home place evokes memories in the minds of all the first cousins.  Many of us stayed overnight with Granny when she was left a widow.  Papa Kilgore died in December 1949.  We each had our season in the role of providing nightly companionship for Granny.   But at first, one of her children and their spouse moved in with Granny so she would not be along. I do not recall the order of the children's stay because I was only five years old at the time.  At some point, the grandchildren took over fulfilling that role and it was a memorable one. But as I got older at some point Carolyn McKeever and I stayed with Granny every night.

The house had only one heated room which served as the both the seating area and the bedroom.  The room's furnishings were simple and functional.  There was a sewing machine on the corner wall,  rocking chairs around the fireplace or later on, the stove, and there were two beds. The bathroom was a "pee pot" under Granny's bed which was emptied every morning after a night's stay. The beds  had iron bedsteads and mattresses that would sink in the middle.

We all slept in the same room; Granny in one bed and Carolyn and I in the other bed.  This would be unheard in today's world. That arrangement was stopped by our parents when I reached puberty.  Never could understand that at my naive age.  Following Carolyn and me, my brother, Mike and my cousin, Jim too over.  They became the official nighttime companions for Granny.

What memories of those days!  Granny would tell us all kinds of stories as we lay in the bed.  Most I've forgotten, but some I do recall.  One centered around the death of Uncle Johnnie who was killed in motor cycle wreck coming home from Birmingham in 1939.  Granny was good at telling "ghost stories."  I regret that many memories have gotten suppressed over the years.  Let's dig into our memory banks and see if we can relive those days through the memories recalled.  I look forward to hearing from you all.www.facebook.com/groups/kilgorecousins/

Johnny Kilgore

Our Ancestry

I was doing a google search on my grandparents to see what I could find on the web.  Surprisingly,  I did find some information from the site http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com  This is the fourth or fifth time, to post this information because I would either type a wrong date, a wrong name or the site would have the wrong birth date.  The following is the corrected information.

My grandpa's father was William Malcolm Kilgore, born April 10, 1852 and his mother was Cordelia Townley Kilgore, born May, 1853. Grandpa's full name was John Wesley Virgil Kilgore, better known as "Virge" to his friends.  Grandpa Kilgore was born February 28, 1880.   Granny Kilgore's parents were Thomas Louis Noles, born October 6, 1844 in Georgia and Martha Jane King, born December 31, 1852 in Walker County, Alabama.   Granny had a very long name--Sarah Louiza Martha Tabitha Noles.  To her friends she was "Sarah".  Granny and papa were married March 30, 1902 at the Noles' Home in Walker County around Nauvoo, Alabama.  Papa was 22 years old and Granny was 20 years old when they "tied the knot."  Ten children were born to John and Sarah Kilgore.  The first child was born premature and did not live.  As was customary in that day, the child was not given a name, nor listed because of being stillborn. The remaining nine children are William Grady Kilgore, born June 26, 1904; Lou Etta "Sis" Kilgore, born October 31, 1906; Dollie Edna Kilgore, born February 6, 1909; Ruby Cora Kilgore, born October 17, 1911; Johnie Thomas Kilgore, born December 12, 1913; Lois Jane Kilgore, born July 14, 1916; Ruth Mae Kilgore, born June 23, 1918; Cecil Warren Kilgore, born March 24, 1921; and Lorene Kilgore, born December 29, 1923.  Papa Kilgore died on Christmas day, 1949, and is buried in Bennett Cemetery on Lamon Chapel Road in Walker County.  Granny Kilgore died February 2, 1963 and was buried beside Papa Kilgore and her son, my Uncle Johnie, who died at the young age of 25 on the 29th of March 1939.

We have been well blessed to have such an ancestry.  Regrettably,  John Wesley and Sarah have only two children living as of this writing--my dad, Cecil Kilgore who is 90 years old and Aunt Lois who is 95.  If I counted correctly, Grandpa and Granny Kilgore had 30 grandchildren.  Those 30 make up the Kilgore Cousins. The family has grown through the years as the cousins have had children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  The Kilgore family and extended family are scattered throughout the US reflecting the mobile society we live in today.  We do not know each other as we did growing up in the 40's and 50's.  I trust this blog and the "kilgorecousins" facebook group page will  help us to reconnect.  Love to hear your comments.

Happy New Year 2012

Today is a new beginning.  It begins 2012.  How appropriate that I  begin this blog as a new beginning to aid in the process of communicating with relatives and friends.  My cousins are scattered throughout the US.  In May we will gather in Nauvoo, Alabama for our Kilgore cousins reunion.  This gathering occurs every other year on Memorial Day weekend.   It is always during an even year--thus, 2012.  The purpose of this blog is  to reconnect in new ways.  We will not have to wait until this May to rediscover each other.   I trust we will use this as a new avenue for networking with those we only see once in a while.  I wish you all a very happy, New Year.  Since  this New Year fell on Sunday, I have to go now to get ready for church.  It is the Lord's Day and the best way to start this New Year is to be in His house.

Johnny Kilgore
Kilgore Cousins Reunion Chairman