Ice Cream, Anyone

I read in the Commercial Appeal that the Mid South Fair is moving to Tunica. Carole worked at the Fair, no she wasn't the fat lady, in publicity the year we dated and the first year we were married.

This picture was taken just before the fair opened in 1967, I am guessing.

The Columns

Even though I spent over twenty years in this building, I'm not certain whether this is the front or the back entrance.

Office Fire

As one of the hurricanes approached, one blogger asked if you knew your house was about to be destroyed what items would you save.

That reminded me that while I never experienced what my mother-in-law suffered in the 1936 tornado or what the folks on the coast and in New Orleans endured from Katrina, my office was destroyed in a fire in March of 1998.

On the Friday of spring break in 1998, term papers in my class were due in by 2 p.m.; one of my students arrived right at the hour, but by the time he put the paper in a folder and asked me numerous questions, I realized I was late for a three o'clock appointment off campus, so for one of the first times in my thirty year teaching career, I took nothing home, not a paper nor a book nor my briefcase, planning to return to the office on Monday or Tuesday during the break to pick up what I needed.

On Saturday night, with the campus deserted except for one campus policemen, lightening struck the west end of Cain Hall which housed a fairly large auditorium. My office was on the second floor on the east end.

On Sunday morning, rising at my usual time, around six, I walked outside and picked up the paper; a large headline caught my attention: Historical Building Burns on Hinds Campus. I woke Carole up and we drove the six miles to the campus, hoping to save something. Nothing was left but four walls and the elevator shaft which burned for several days as did the large white columns on the front and on the rear.

Unfortunately, I had that year moved into an office which adjoined what had been the reading department, leaving me with lots of space for books and other items. I had taken my father's old typewriter, a sofa and over a thousand books.

Everything was lost. The only thing salvaged from Cain Hall was the frame of one of my colleague's bike and she had to bribe the workers to search for it.

If I could have saved one thing from my office, it would have been my father’s old typewriter. If I could save a second thing, it would have been the rare edition of one of Shakespeare's plays.

Old House

I read the story in the Journal about Steve Parker moving an old house that belonged to the Baptist Church; I'm assuming that the house in question is the house Earl and Pearl Kelly lived in. Was this house originally built by the Biggers family?

Joe Grant's Geneology Site

I may have posted this information before, but if not, many of you will find Joe Grant's geneology site of interest. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~joeandjerry/GEN/p3.htm#i193

Uncle Mike and Daughters

Michael "Uncle Mike" Kelly was my grandfather, John Green Kelly's brother. Pictured with him are his daughter, Sarchie Lou, on his right in light colored dress and Fannie on his left in darker dress.

Sarchie Lou Kelly Helms was the mother of Aaron and Marion.

From Mary Estes:
"I believe this is a picture of Dan C. Kelly, who was Sarchie Lou's father. Michael (or Mike) was married to Dell Suggs & they didn't have any children Dan was married to Lenora "Lee"Estes. "

The information I provided comes from the back of the picture; however, the writing is not in Aunt Johnnie's handwriting, but was added by someone else who may have written down the wrong name. I'll do further research. This could be Uncle Mike and his nieces rather than his daughters.

Thanks Sherrilyn for your comments and clarifying which lady is your grandmother. If you get a chance, send me an e-mail so I can put you in my address book.

Sunday Drive

That's Morris Kelly in front and Johnnie Kelly driving; the two other ladies are Nannie Rogers and Pearl Kelly and that is Earl Kelly wearing the hat.

I would date the picture in the early 1920s; I know it is before 1925.

Eleanor Ann Partlow Howard

I may have posted this picture a year or so ago, can't remember, but I'm fairly certain this is a picture of Eleanor Ann Partlow Howard.

Eleanor Ann was our neighbor to the east; until I was six or seven our houses were separated by a field and then the building housing two stores was built.

I don't know how long Eleanor and her parents lived there but her grandfather had lived there before them and Mr. and Mrs. Mingee (not sure of the spelling) lived there afterwards.

I mentioned before that one of my earliest memories is of being waken in the middle of the night so I could witness the barn on the Partlow place burning.

When they left Plantersville, I think Eleanor and her parents moved to West Point. And after her marriage she lived for a long time in Jackson, but she and her husband now reside in Mooreville.

Eleanor and Butch are the two people, other than my family and Doris's, who I remember first being around.

Concert Tour

Found this clipping in some of Aunt Johnnie's stuff; help identify the members of this musical group and what year was this picture taken?

Relaxing

Relaxing in my grandparent's side yard are from the left: L. B. Morris, my grandmother's brother, C. L. Deaton, and John Dewey Birmingham.

Uncle Bee, as he was called, lived with us for a while, I'm not certain how long. His grandson is Bill Morris, former sheriff and mayor of Shelby County for whom a road in Memphis is named.

From left in the picture are Doris Nyles, Ernest Kelly, and Willena Nabors. Since Uncle Ernest is in uniform, I'm guessing this picture was taken some time during World War I. Aunt Willena married Uncle Morris; I'm not certain whether they were married or not when this picture was taken.

Can anyone tell me anything about Doris Nyles; was she from Plantersville?

Before Marriage 1925

This picture of Aunt Johnnie and Uncle Fielden was taken in 1925 just before their marriage.

The picture was taken, I'm fairly certain, on my grandparent's front yard. It appears that the driveway to the house was on the east side of the house while in my earliest memory, it was on the west side.

I wonder if that is Mr. Monts or Mr. Mitchell's store in the distance. Does anyone know the dates when those stores were built, and what year did Mr. Mitchell move his?

I have been exchanging e-mails with Gwen McFarling Daniel about this picture and she has stirred the recesses of my consciousness; I am fairly certain that the fence with the tree next to the road is our property line. I used to sit on that tree before the stores were built and wait for a car to pass which some time seemed to take forever.

I am guessing that the driveway to our house was on the east then because on the west was our garden; in our pasture between our house and the Price/Coggin house was part of a foundation of a garage or filling station or shop of some kind. No one has ever been able to give me any information on this structure, but I clearly remember the foundation. I'm assuming that it belong to the Repults who my grandparents bought the house from.

Mother's Marker

Steve Holland or someone in his office sent me a picture of Mother's marker recently installed at the cemetery.

Can someone inform me which Sunday in October is the activity at the cemetery.

September 11

Yesterday was a day fraught with memories; however, because I was in the process of moving my computer operation from one room to another, I was off line most of the day, hence will record my thoughts a day late.

Nine years ago yesterday on a beautiful Saturday in September my daughter, Cam, married Tim Chennault here in Clinton. Then on their second anniversary, Carole was going to rent a van for her company and attend a convention on the coast, while I planned to travel to Plantersville to take my mother to the doctor.

I awoke at my usually time and turned on the computer; a news flash on my home page reported a plane had struck one of the World Trade Towers in New York; I turned on CNN just in time for us to see the second plane hit. Still in shock, I took Carole to the rental place to pick up the van, and while I waited in the car listening to the radio as Carole was inside filling out paper work, the Pentagon was struck. We filled up the van and my car with gas, but canceled both our trips sitting in front of the television all day and night. Cam called saying they had reservations at one of the finest restaurants in Jackson and should they go; you have to eat, I said, and sitting at home watching the towers fall over and over won't bring them back. The road between their house and the restaurant normally heavily traveled was eerily void of traffic. There were only six or eight others in the restaurant, all out- of-towners stranded when the airport shut down.

Carole's convention did not meet, but I drove to Plantersville the next day. Mother and I ate at Estes that night where we saw Billy and Louzelle Francis and a couple they had known from the service who were visiting. Louzelle died only about a month later and Billy, too, has died.

How much has changed in seven years.

Last night, Carole stayed with Carly while the kids went out to eat.

Bop Bop's Little Roll Maker

Carole and I fix Sunday lunch for the kids; my major contribution is making homemade rolls with the help of the bread machine in the background. Recently I had a helper (she wouldn't like the adjective little,  "I'm not little," she tells me, "or big, I'm sort of medium"). Actually,  Carly made the rolls; I just read her the recipe.

They were the best rolls ever. Doris would have been proud.

Gustav Time For You to Go

Gustav apparently likes our area, has been pounding us yesterday and today and may stay around for a couple more though I hope not. Wind and rain, but no other damage so far.

Cam is working at a Red Cross shelter at her church; they have one hundred folks which is the maximum they can serve.

I hope the weather is better wherever you are and hope none of you suffered any major damage from the hurricane.

Happy 40th Birthday

Cameron Kelly Chennault, here pictured with her mom, celebrates her 40th birthday today. She was born in Starkville while I was in graduate school at Mississippi State on the Sunday before Labor Day in 1968.