Chicago Negro Tells of Her Experiences

Civil Rights March
Alabama
1965

While going through old family papers, I came upon this little bizarre piece of history.  It appeared in the summer of 1963.  Click the link.

At first, I thought it couldn't have been written by a Black person, but upon doing a Google search, I did find Sallie Mae Lewis and the article.

I don't usually post controversial topics on my blog but this was just so unusual, I felt I had to share.  If anyone knows more about this article and story, feel free to comment.  Please note, however, that all comments will be moderated.

New Municipal Building of Natchez, Mississippi 1903 - 1924

I've been going through boxes of family photos and documents, and came across this little gem, which is known today as Natchez City Hall.  Two of my relatives are listed herein:  C.F. Patterson, my great uncle, who was a judge, and lived right across the street from where I live now.  We knew him as Judge Charlie Patterson.  Also W.H. Pritchartt, who was my great grandfather and was an alderman.  I've included a photo of him as a young man, taken in 1852 at the Strauss Photo Studio, 1818 Franklin Avenue, St. Louis, MO.

Natchez Rifles Group

Natchez Rifles Group
John Davis, Kirby Grafton, P.D. Whitney, (illegible)
Sponsors
Miss Bessie Rose
(Mrs. C.V. Patterson)
Maids of Honor
Miss Jennie Raworth
Miss Estelle Schwartz
(Mrs. Tom Carson)

I've written the identities of these folks exactly as written on the back.  If anyone can help me with further identification as well as a date, and the history of the group, I would greatly appreciate it.

Long Gone

In the pictures
we seldom smiled.

Stubborn children
forced to pause
and pose before the hearth
in the cabin
in the woods
in the childhood
in the life
he'd built
in the
happy time.

He pulls the tattered box
From under the bed,
studies each fading moment
for clues.
The lamp sheds no new light
On the mystery of us.

The smell of dust,
the screen door’s slam,
the island in the pond
saddles in the shed,
the boat, the chill,
the sweat, the water,
the shadow and the light
the silence of a Sunday
night waiting
while he locked the gate.

Turned the key
On another memory.

The sandbar,
Alligator gar and
Busch beer in a pull-tab can.
Dinosaurs, all gone
like the sound of a horn on a barge,
first large then drifting away.

He puts the pictures back,
Hopes the phone won’t ring,
bringing something new
to grieve.
Lying back, he sighs,
Closes his eyes and waits.

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Civil War Journal of my great, great grandfather, Henry Elias Munger

Last night I dreamt I was out at Daddy's. He and I had gone through the attic and the barn and the basement and pulled out all this old family-related stuff. My grandmother had a brother named Joseph Niebert Carpenter who died when he was two. I dreamed we found his baby shoes and his first efforts at writing and drawing. Silver with his initials on it.

There were paintings of people and places I'd never seen. There was a diary written by someone named Miller from the 1800s. World War I and II guns and photos and letters.

I was just asking Daddy to put stickum notes on everything explaining who these people were and how we were connected to them when Tommy came in to wake me up. It was such a sweet dream, visiting with Daddy and talking about old family stories. I didn't want to wake up. Ever.

I've lost my parents and several of my friends' parents in the past few years.  If you can, try to sit and listen to the family stories.  Record them with your phone and write them down.  Go through the old family albums and identify the people, places and times they were taken.

It is a gift that will reward you and your descendants for years to come.

Book Signing at Turning Pages in Natchez, MS

On Monday, May 18, Turning Pages Bookstore is hosting a book signing by author Gayle Harper, whose book, Roadtrip with a Raindrop, is currently a finalist for Book of the Year in the Travel category of Foreword Reviews annual INDIEFAB competition.

Turning Pages Bookstore is located at 509 Franklin Street, Natchez, Mississippi 39120.  It is across the street from Natchez Coffee Company.

5:30 p.m. - Book Signing
6:00 p.m. - Multimedia Presentation
7:00 p.m. - Book Signing & Visiting

Gayle will be on Book Tour throughout 2015, and this is the only scheduled visit open to the general public in Natchez.

It's a beautiful book.  I've seen it.  Y'all come!

For more information, call Mary at Turning Pages Bookstore.  601-442-2299