Well my dears I would like to begin tonight with a tribute to my parents. 52 years ago today they were married in a little justice of the peace office in York, SC. Although, my mama has since passed on and Daddy has remarried, I for one have not forgotten how important this special day was to the two of them.
The oddest thing happened to me today. I went searching for a book I had put away in a drawer and of course I can't find it! But what I did find were my grandparents love letters to each other. These belonged to my Grandfather James LeRoy Walker I and his wife Carrie Lee Tolbert Walker.
My grandfather was born in June 1902 to a recently widowed young woman in Mooresville, NC. She really had very little but a roof over her head and a job. My great grandfather had died in March 1902 of the siege of pneumonia in the early 1900's. The story goes Great Grandpa was dying in the back room and Great Grandma was sick with the same in the front room. When Great Grandpa died they had to carry him out the back window to keep her from seeing his body. They were afraid she would lose hope and die too. But she survived and lived to play with her own grandchildren. A few years after Great Grandpa died she remarried but it didn't work out. She remained a Walker til her death. Times were tough a hundred years ago and things were different then. Back in those days you could put your children in an orphanage for a while til you got back on your feet if you needed. That's where my grandpa lived when my great grandma had to work 6 days a week 10 and 12 hours a day in the mill. Of course as soon as she could she got him out! Where he lived during that time was a place called Barium Springs, NC. Now Barium Springs is nothing like what it used to be. It used to be a wonderful place but that has all changed now. My grandpa Walker only made it to the 3rd grade before he too had to work in the mill. It's the way life was in those days.....
My Grandma Walker was the youngest daughter of a boarding house owner in Schoolfield, Va. Her father had died when she was 9 years old. As soon as she was old enough she too went to work in a cotton mill. My Great Grandma Tolbert would sew, take in boarders and take in wash. She would do whatever it took to keep a roof over her 5 children and food in there stomachs. Times were tough all over but they didn't know. I have that sewing machine in my spare bedroom today and you can see the worn places where generations of my family have sewn countless dresses on that machine. Why my Aunt Connie sewed her wedding dress on it!
So dear reader by the time my Grandpa reach a reasonable age he and his cousin Arthur decide now was the time to join the Navy! So off the two boys went in search of their good fortune. As fate may have it the happened across my Grandma and her mother's boarding house. When morning dawned and it was time to leave Grandpa asked my Great Grandmother if he may write to one of her daughters. My Grandma said she would be happy to correspond with him. And so their letter writing began.
He wrote her every day, sometimes twice a day. He was crazy in love with her and yet their love was a long distance love for the most part. While working in the mill she injured her knees and had to spend some time in a wheelchair. The doctors told her she would never walk again. She didn't want him to see her that way and would hide from him. She almost succeeded! Finally after having exhausted every excuse for not seeing him, he showed up at the boarding house! When she heard he was outside, coming up the steps, onto the porch, she stood up and walk away from the wheel chair..... She never used a wheel chair again.
I asked my mama once how long did they write each other and she said they wrote for a very long time. But Grandma didn't start keeping them til she knew she was in love. I have had the pleasure of reading some of them. They are almost a hundred years old now and very fragile. I try not to open them too often.
Grandpa Walker died in 1953, he was 51 years old. My Grandma never remarried. She said once you've had the best, nothing else can compare. She died in 1965 at the age of 60.
I so happy I found those letters today. They are now safe in my purse. With Irene looming on our horizon there are certain things I need to make sure go with me should I need to "bug out" for this storm. Those love letters were on that list. Of course I would love to take all this depression glass and my mama's china too but thanks to ebay and china replacements I can buy every piece of it as if it were never lost. What I can never replace are the pictures, these love letters, my loved ones, myself and of course my wonderful Hubs!
Recently, my Aunt Connie received a box in the mail. It was from my cousin. And in it was another love letter! It was in remarkable condition considering most of these letters nearly 100 years old! It was pressed neatly inside the bible our grandpa carried all those years ago while in the Navy.
I hope to take these letters and copy them for all to read and know this is where we come from, this is the love of two people that created us. Without their love we would not be here today.
Earlier today I found myself at my favorite shop in the world! Yes I went to the Dress Barn in Wilmington! The ladies there are soooo nice. Sending hugs to salesperson for being such a big help this afternoon and although I didn't catch her name, thanks for the hug! You know who you are! If you haven't shopped there lately, go by and check it out! Great sale going on! Woo Hoo I got the perfect outfit for my job interview tomorrow! Yes folks someone actually wants me to interview for a job! Imagine that! lol
Well with that I will bid you all a good night..... Good night to you too Betty!
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