genealogy

21 Sep 2015 – Eva Marie Davis

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Eva Davis

Eva Davis

Eva was born on 19 Sep 1958 in Mobile, AL.  I will always remember Eva’s birthday because we were born a week apart.  Eva and I attended Fermi Elementary School in Chicago, IL.  On those days that Eva made it home before I did, Alice, asked, “Eva, where is your sister?”

Eva hung her head and responded, “The children down the street are fighting Debra, but I had to use the restroom!”  🙂

Our parents had to find other options besides the Chicago Public School system.  They joined the Catholic Church so that we could attend their schools, and St. Laurence Catholic Elementary School was our first.

In 1968, while attending St. Laurence, they selected Eva and I to attend St. Nicholas Middle School in Evanston, IL.  This was a difficult transition for us because the kids on our bus were the only African-American children that attended that school.  The travel time was one hour if traffic was good, but most days it would take up to two hours.   Once we arrived, the students and teachers didn’t really want us there! Continue reading →

19 Sep 2015 – Alice Ruth Coleman

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Alice Ruth Colemand and Her Sister Elouise Parker

Alice Ruth Coleman (left)  and Her Sister Elouise Parker (right)

 

Alice Ruth Coleman, mother of Melzar Williams, was born 20 Feb 1893 in Mobile, AL.  She married Ervin Williams, from Mobile, AL,  in 1909 at the age of 17 yrs old, and Melzar was born in 1912 (at age of 19 yrs old).  They had another child, but he died from pneumonia after only living two months.  According to the 1910 census, Alice Ruth and her husband lived with her parents, and by the 1920 census, they lived with Ervin’s parents.  She was a laundress, and Ervin was a truck driver for the Grain Mill.  Alice Ruth had four sisters and two brothers.   Continue reading →

17 Sep 2015 – Answers to Interview Questions 16-20 (Mother)

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On 19 Aug 2015, I posted 50 Interview Questions.  Following is a summary of answers to questions 16-20 from the interview with my Mom.  Enjoy!

  • Do you remember any fads from your youth?  Popular hairstyles?  Clothes?
    • Paper dolls, roller skates (clamped on your shoes with a key)
    • My dolls hair used to be glued on.  Over time, the manufacturer changed the hair so it looked like it was growing out of the dolls head.  This made all the difference in the world!  I could finally wash my dolls hair without her loosing it!
    • I used to fall asleep with bubble gum in my hair.  My mother was constantly cutting my hair to remove the gum.  Madame C. J. Walker invented the straightening comb and many ladies got her hair pressed.
    • Long skirts were in style.  My favorite skirt is in the following picture:

Continue reading →

14 Sep 2015 – Braciole Rolled Steak in Spaghetti Sauce

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Another awesome recipe from my Sister-in-Law Joanne!
Ingredients:
  • 6 slices of thin sliced round steak cutlets and pound to make them thinner
  • 2 cups Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 egg beaten
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • You may add 1 tsp. basil and 1/2 tsp. oregano (fresh is better)
Directions:
  • Mix bread crumbs, egg, garlic and salt & pepper. If the mixture is to thick add another egg.
  • Spread on the steaks and roll them up, you can secure them with string or toothpicks.
  • Brown in 1 tbsp olive oil. Remove. Pour spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Then cover the steaks with sauce and place in a 350 degree oven and cook until steaks are tender.
Remove and take off string or remove toothpicks and slice in rounds and serve with a side of angel hair spaghetti sprinkled with grated Romano cheese.

9 Sep 2015 – Our Summer Vacations in Quitman, MS

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Eva Jasper took her granddaughters Alice and Marce to Quitman, MS every summer for about two weeks to visit Amanda Jasper (Grandma Mandy), their great-grandmother.  Alice had mixed feelings about the summer visits to Quitman.  I think the girls really enjoyed spending time with their grandmother and great-grandmother, but Quitman was so different from Mobile, AL.  Quitman was truly the country!

Alice remembers riding the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio (GM&O) Railroad to Quitman.  The train was like a greyhound bus that made many stops along the way.  People could bring chickens, goats or sheep on the train and Alice was afraid of anything with feathers.  See the GM&O map below.  When Momma Eva, Alice and Marce arrived in  Quitman, Grandma Mandy came to pick them up in a horse and buggy.

Continue reading →