   y parents were married on April 21, 1915, in Del Rio, Cocke County,
Tennessee. They had six children, but sadly lost two of them in early
childhood. The other four of us are still living. Their descendants also
include 6 grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren, and 13 great-great
grandchildren. The branches of our family have now spread to six states,
(Kentucky, Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois) but we are still a
very close-knit family, and stay in constant touch. In recent times that
contact has become more hi-tech (at least for us oldsters) since we now
correspond primarily via email and a private family web site.   rowing up in the home of a minister had a few disadvantages, but the
advantages far outweighed the disadvantages. The parsonages, in which we
lived, were usually next door to the church, and the door was always open to
everyone, so we had lots of company. I loved the constant flow of people,
the conversation, and being a part of everything. On the other hand, I
remember one of my siblings commenting about how nice it would be if we could
occasionally have a meal with only the family present. That same sibling,
however, probably has more friends and neighbors in and out of the house than
any of the other three of us.  usic was an important part of our home life. We could all sing reasonably
well, and both of my sisters played the piano very well. (My piano skills are
much impaired because I detested practicing; our "player piano" made much
prettier music than I could, so I preferred to put in a "roll" and "pump",
rather than run scales.) In the summer time, when the doors and windows were
open, the neighbors would hear us start to sing, and would come and join us
in singing, or sit on the front porch to listen…it was great fun. This love
of music has continued through the younger generations and we have many
accomplished musicians in the family. The majority of these young
descendants use their talents in performing religious music. Mom and Dad
would be very proud of them and their Christian homes.  ur meals always started with the offering of thanks for our food, and our
day ended with family devotions. When we were young, we got tucked in and
told a Bible story…when we decided we were too old for that, we still always
got an individual good night from both parents at the bedroom door. When we
were old enough to date, one or both were up waiting for us to arrive home
safely.
  e were taught to treat others as we would like to be treated; that if we
couldn't say something good about someone, we should say nothing; that we
should always take responsibility for our actions and should not try to blame
others. Family finances were family knowledge, so we learned, at an early
age, the importance of living within our means. Simple things perhaps, but I
am extremely grateful for parents who had the love, foresight, and wisdom to
teach us how important these simple things are in our life…the memories are
sweet and wonderful.   Content ©1999 Jean Turner Wigglesworth Web Design & Graphics ©1999 vikimouse -All Rights Reserved |