9 June 1900 - 9 December 1981

[The following pages have been transcribed from the original handwritten notes of Grace Walton by her great grandson, Jeffry Walton Gatlin. It should be here noted that Mammaw Walton had very little formal education. The transcriber has chosen to leave the spelling, capitalization, punctuation, underlining, and word usage as it is in the original handwritten document. I have, however, added paragraph divisions (there were none in the original) to help separate the different stories and to provide a better sense of the flow of time. Jeffry W. Gatlin, 30 June 1998, Memphis, Tennessee.]

My Papa was Charles Lafayette Fortner and my mamma was Mary Anna Eckford. they were married Sept. 12, 1895 and their first child was a son. William Clyde Fortner. June 19, 1896, died Mar. 18, 1898. he lived almost two years. He had measles they settles on his bowels he went into convesion [convulsions] and died.

My mother had two brothers (Uncle Joe and Uncle Beck) her parents died when she was 12 and my Papa had six brothers (Henry, Ed, Willie, Sam, Ben, [illegible]). My mothers brothers both married and Uncle Beck’s wife died during childbirth and the little girl lived. Uncle Beck ask Mamma and Papa to take the baby, she lived with my family untill she was old enough to go to school, then she went to live with her Daddy and wife. He had married during these years and Sister (that was what I called my cousin) she went to school and finished high school and married and moved to Ala. [Atlanta? See next sentence]. she lived on Peachtree St. and some years later I got a letter from her and she said she had to have a operation. she died on the table. I never knew what was wrong with her. She had a half sister borned and she ...[illegible] ... then I was borned in Covington on June 9, 1900. The first time I remember about where we live was when we lived next the Crieg Place [?] in Covington. We lived in the house that is known as the Charlie Ralph place. then we movied to Memphis.

My Papa was a barber. We lived on Shelby St. We lived in an apartment rented from my mother’s cousin. her name was Cousin Alviry Lane. she was a dressmaker and her husband was a cigar maker. He made cigars and sold them on Main St. to cigar stores. My mother’s brother work in one of them. Uncle Joe Eckford. one day cousin [illegible] showed me how to make a cigar.

One day I ran away from home. I was on Main St. when mamma found me. she stoped a police man and ask if he had seen a little girl with curlers in her hair. he told her he had seen one and that she had gone to Main St. she soon caught up with me and took me home. she dident whip me but took me into the bath room and washed my mounth with soap: (I never understood why.) but I dident run off any more. a short time later, Brother was borned. Robert Beckton Fortner Sept. 19, 1903.

When we lived in Memphis it was really cold one winter. our back yard had a high board fence. There was railroad ran behind it and then the Mississippi river. that time it was froze over and my Daddy held me up so I could see the people skating on the ice. it was froze over and they was skating from one side to the other. In the next three years or so we moved back to Covington, in the country. We lived in Mr and Mrs Will Walton house. We lived there serval years. My Daddy did farm work and there was another baby born in Aug. to my Mother and Daddy. Joseph Henry His name Aug. 10, 1906. He was never well and they tried different kind of milk and finily got some milk but that was not what he needed. He died in Oct. it was the first time I had seen any one die. but my mother was holding him in her lap. I looked at him and I know there was something wrong. I went behind my mother’s chair and began to ...[illegible]...the baby and knew that he was dieing. I never forget that feeling and the pretty white coffen that he was put into.

Papa Sept. 11 1867

Mamma Jun. 21 1875

Joseph Henry

born Aug 9, 1906 died Oct 5 1906

We always went to church at Oak Grove. the first few years we just had one horse and a spring wagon. that was what we went to church in and my Mother was electred president of the first W.M.U. that Oak Grove ever had. we use to walk to the meetings Mother and I. they had church suppers of different kind. usely ice cream and cake were sold but I remember they had a Valintine supper once. they were home made valintine and they tied them on a cedar tree - they were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen - the men were to be blindfolded and they paid some money to grab a valintine untill they were gone. it was at Annie and Henry Walton...[illegible] we still lived in Mr Will Walton house (you all knew it as Mr Leroy Dawson place). We had a man hired to help Papa. his name was Jodie Sims one day he to me to tell my mother she smelled like a negro - my mother was as clean as anyone could be - she thought I was telling her she smell bad she slapped me for it. Mr Jodie was so sorry for having got me in trouble because what he meant was she smelled through her nose. then my Papa bought a farm and built a house. we moved in early 1910.

we were real happy in our new house and that year during our revival I was saved. I remember having a odd feeling before we went to church and I dont remember who was preaching or what he said but when they began to sing “Just as I am” I could not get down to the frount fast enough. I felt like I had a heavy load on my sholders and it went away when I got down there. I know the Lord saved my soul that night and I have not douted it since. I have done a lot of things that I should not but I knew I was saved. I was baptized in Rocky creek on the land Mead Erwin owns now.

When we went home there was a big hail storm that day and broke out all the windows on the west side of the house and Mamma was taken sick that day with some kind of fever. she was so bad they dident think she would live but got a nurse for her. she was Miss Virginia Vanmeter and got Miss Met Paine to do the cooking and house work. Mother lived through the fever but she had beautiful hair it all came out. it was long - below her waist - but it came back curly and pretty as could be.

My Papa was a farmer and on week end he would work at a barber shop. he would make six or five dollars a day and night (they stayed open untill 12 oclock) he would buy the grocery for the week with the money he made on Sat.

My Mother was afraid to stay home at Sat. night, so we would go to Grandma’s house. We would love to go to Grandma’s she was so good to us and never carried how much we ate because she had plenty of food. she was Mrs Sarah Fortner and lived on the old road right behind the Cooper Bryson house. she always extry cooked on Sat. and she had an old timey kitchen with a fireplace in it and keep a fire in it in winter time. she had a table, two safes that you put food in. she would each week cook two shelves in each safe full apple pies and two shelves full of molasses custard. then in the dineroom she had another safe would cook ginger snaps or teacakes and we could have all we wanted. we would eat on the way to Grandma’s my mother made us eat but would be hungry when we got there. Grandma has an orchird and raised the apples that went in the pies and they also raised sorgum and made their...[illegible]...soap. she made her own soap. they had to burn wood and they had a ash hopper they put ashes into then there was a bucket to catch the lye that would drip through the ashes when it rained. she took the lye and that changes to vinegar. so she had vinegar for cucumber pickle. this was something else in the bounty we enjoy at Grandma’s. then she had a celear in which was peanut, hickernut, popcorn and apples in barrels, each wraped in a peice of newspaper. there was always plenty of walnuts in a box down by the wheat house. she had servel walnut trees in her yard and in this wheta house she had a loom that she made carpets.

she had one on every floor she had except the kitchen and she made carpets for her son’s homes and she had seven son’s. they was not all married at the same time but there was one that had been married and his wife died Uncle Ed and one that when I was a child had never married Uncle Willie. they lived with Grandma and she had a sister that was never married. she was Aunt Can. her name was Candius lived with Grandmother and she had a sister that was married to a man Uncle Will Henning. he died with cancer of the eye. it was taken out but it had gone to his ...[illegible.brain?] ...but we called her Aunt Matt. after Uncle Will died Aunt Matt came to live with Grandma. she was a dear along with Grandma but her old maid sister was a different nature.

My Grandma had one brother so far as I know. Uncle Jim Myrs. He died with heart attice and Aunt Can and Aunt Matt died with cancer. My Grandma died with heart trouble. she was darwing a bucket of water at the well in Aug of 1918.

Going back a few years we were happy in our home after Mother got well. my job was to grind coffee beans in a coffee [illegible]. Brother and me went to school and got to where I notice the boys. the first the date I had was with Robert Smith but never had another one. He was a lot older than I was, so then I had a few dates with Murry Whitson, Luther Flowers, Milton Self and then Varda began dating me. I knew I loved him from the start. this was 1916. We went togatrer untill Dec. 16, 1917 we were married at our pastor’s house. the house was full of people. We had gone togather for over a year. he had ask me to marry him the third time we were have a date. I wouldn’t let him kiss me before we were engaged that was what I was [illegible].

Varda used to some time come to see me, always with clean cloves [clothes] but then they made shirts without a collar and Varda would come without a collar on or of coure a tie. My Papa said if he dident wear one the next time he came. I told him but he came when he wanted to without a collar and tie and Papa never offered him his - ha.

I am really looking back today - but it was a happy time. we had things come up but we always settled them and I did a lot things I shouldent have done but Varda always forgive me and we would start all over again and God forgave me for that I am thankful. I am at peace with the Lord an every one in this world so far as I know.

When we married Varda had bought a farm on Pisgah road with Jim Harmon. we lived there for one year. they had bought Mr and Mrs Spencer Douglas place with every thingas they had walked and left. Pigs, chickens, dishes, canned fruit. He had to go away for his health. Our first child was borned the [illegible]. Then we bought the farm in front of my Papa’s place. it was 25 acres and a house and barn. We bought it from Mr Jim Harmond Walton and He was a brother of Mr Will Walton. Mr Jim Harmond died with a heart attatct. Varda had come into his inheritence and we bought the place with the money.

Dorothy was boned Apr. 19, 1920. We helded her on a pillow. she was so tiny we dident think she would live but she grew off real nice. A few months later I had my first operation. it was repair work that needed to be done. people dident go to the hospital in those days. it was done at home and they scrubbed the walls, the floor and the table I was to be on during the operation. Dr. Lindsey did the work.

I got well and the next few months I got pregident with our last baby. It was a girl Annie Mildred. she was borned Nov. 26, 1923. she had a time. she was sick for some time had colic but got better and grew off real nice.

In the depression we lost our place and moved to [illegible] St. Leno and Dorothy went to city school and Varda worked as a carpenter. we lived there for I dont know how long. but we moved back to the country to the house on Carl’s place. My Papa had lost his place and he worked as barber and finley they had to move into the house with Brother and Family. Papa had cancer over his juggler vain and died while they lived there. My Mother came to live with us. she died in Jan. We moved back to town and into a house in Jim Pleeler lot and lived there untill some years later we moved back to Carl’s and into the house with them. we lived on the west of the house and was very happy. Then we moved to Uncle Ben’s place and lived there several years. We bought a place in 1937, a farm 45 acres and built a house. Varda worked so hard and you children helped him so much.

Leno when he was 21 years old went to the CCC camp. Only the Lord knows how I ...[illegible]...a while. He and Bill Ladd went togather but they dident stay togather long. Leno went to Organ and built watch towers on the mountains where the rangers could watch for fire. He really enjoyed it. He was back home for a short time and was drafted into the army. He was in world war II and went to Europe. he was there when the end of the war came. he came home but had to go to Japan and wasent on boats there when the war was over but had to stay a long time (occapation). He came home and it wasent long untill he and Sarah Smith got married.

The girls had married before this. Dorothy had married first. she married Sanford Gatlin. they was suppose to go to Memphis for a cotton proade but went to get married instead. Sandy brought her home and when he got the paper showing they were married he came for her. then Annie Mildred married Murry Parr Jr. they went to get married but we knew about it. before the war was over both boys had gone into service. Dorothy and her children came to live with us. (illegible. maybe “She had two children”).

Annie Mildred too came home to live untill Murry came home. Their first child was borned here. I never forget. they rushed Annie Mildred to name the baby, so she named her Daphne Dianne Parr. she wrote to tell Murry what she had named her. he wrote back and said Dianne was alright but where did she get the other name. He could not even pronounce it. it happened she named the baby after me. my name is Daphne Grace Fortner Walton. their husbands came back and they made homes of their own.