B100. Remembering Ellie Nance Vestal 1914-1999

My grandma, Ellie Nance Vestal, was born 100 years ago today, on July 4, 1914. This post is dedicated to her memory, and everyone who knew her is welcome to contribute. If you have a memory you would like to share, just send it to me via e-mail, Facebook, or any other way you can reach me (between 3 and 200 words, can also include a photo).


Alicia Bobbitt
One of my favorite memories . . . I would go and take Devin and Krista to see grandma at least once every 2 weeks. If we were there during lunch grandma would go to the fridge and take whatever she had and fix something very good. One day she fixed the worst mashed potatoes I had ever had. It was the first thing she ever fixed that I just could not eat. When we cleaned up the kitchen she asked if I wanted to take some of the cooked turnips home and I said so that's what that was. We laughed and laughed!!!


Fairy Bray Brast
So many people told me as I was growing up that I looked like my Aunt Ellie.  One of my favorite memories is when Dorry and I would spend the night with Frances and Margie.  Margie and I had to sleep at the foot of the bed. What fun and all the talking and giggling. then aunt Ellie would bring us fresh made caramel corn. I loved my Aunt Ellie and she knew it. What a reunion we will have one bright day.


Amanda Brewer
Grandma let me eat straight out of the sugar bowl as long as momma and daddy weren't around. I loved taking walks with her. We would always go to the edge of the golf course and look for balls. I was always thrilled to find a few. There was always a bird's nest in the potted plant on her porch. We would watch the eggs until they hatched and then the baby birds until they left. She loved birds. (Daddy and I do, as well. Perhaps that came from her.)

After she had been in the hospital and came home, she wanted me to stay with her at night. It was during the month of December. I was in 5th or 6th grade, I think. I would sleep at her house and then mom or dad would pick me up to come home and get ready for school. Every evening, Grandma and I would watch the Christmas specials on television, and she would make us "eggnog."  :)



Joann Dudley
Aunt Ellie was my Dad's Thurman Nance baby sister. We enjoyed eating Sunday lunch at each others houses. Aunt Ellie would come and pick blackberries at our house every year. Good memories.


Lora Gardner
She loved my sister and I so much. She let us help her make Country Time Lemonade, let us play in the attic and didn't fuss when we discovered the creek and that crossing it led to the first green at Boonville Golf Course.


Carla Lawson
Son Rise each morning for her faith continues to work in us all! An unwavering faith that carried her through regardless of the circumstances. Strength and joy in God that has been passed down to every generation in her bloodline. Our Vestal family to my knowledge have ALL accepted Jesus as our Savior, TY Grandma for being a Christian! Flower, birds, trees, family dinners and get-togethers, a radiant smile always, plants and the prettiest farmhouse in the country. Crossword puzzles, her treasures that she cherished, laughter, pride, sunshine, fun times and a family truly praying together that still has stayed together! Happy 100th Birthday, Grandma Ellie Vestal. Maybe I just need to write a book.

My most precious memory: Grandma was the one who told me I had beautiful eyes and when I wore blue colors my eyes turned as blue as the sky! I will never forget this!  Photo: inscription inside the Bride's Book of Ideas Grandma gave to me when I got married. It meant so much to me.


Melanie Lawson-Robinson
My fondest memories of Grandma was going to her house and sitting on the porch. She told the most funniest stories and her laugh always made me laugh. I remember she always said if she went bald she wanted a red wig, because she wanted pretty red hair! I miss her terribly but I kept a part of her in my family. Reagan's middle name is combined with Grandma's name Ellie and my middle name Denise to make Ellise. So Reagan Ellise Robinson is named after her. I hate she never got to meet her, but the memory will always be there.


Bertha Lewis
She was one sweet lady!


Margie Priddy
One outstanding thing I remember about Mama is her wisdom! My second yr. of nursing school half my class was quitting due to stress. Dad and mom took me back to school and I did not want to stay crying to go back home. She said later she wanted to pack my things and take me but she talked about how I wanted to a nurse and if I still wanted to come home the next day to call Uncle Henry and she and dad would come and get me. I did not call the next day.


Becky Speas
About Mama . . . she loved me unconditionally for 44 years but it went by much too fast!  :(


Cheryl Stewart-Perryman
Grandma showed me that prayer really works. I had been playing with a crowd of neighbors and was running in a yard with holes and my heel went into a hole. I fell flat on my back, knocking all the air out of me. When I tried to get up, I could not move. Eventually someone came out and carried me inside to mom's bed. I was out of school for about a week or more. I do not remember how long but I ended up having to stay most of that time with Grandma Vestal. I would lay on her couch in the living room and she would bring me food and whatever I needed. I was essentially paralyzed. Finally one day Grandma took me by the hand and closed her eyes. She just sat there quietly for a long time holding my hand with her eyes closed. Then she opened her eyes and said, "Cheryl, stand up and walk." - and I did. I didn't question her, I just stood up and walked knowing that something godly had just taken place. My grandma and I had just witnessed an answer to prayer!!! I was in the second grade and I was too scared to tell others about it.


Betty Stokes
I have so many memories of Aunt Ellie and all of them are good. I remember when I would spend the night with Margie. Aunt Ellie would have such good meals prepared. One night she decided right at the last minute to stir up a cake and it was delicious. Wish there were more people like my Aunt Ellie. What a wonderful world this would be!!


Kathy Vestal
I stayed with Grandma during the day until I was about 3 1/2 years old. She knew how to entertain me for hours. I would sit on the floor with hundreds of pop bottle caps and organize them into all kinds of groups, or other times I would do the same with hundreds of buttons - by color, by size, by preference . . . In this photo, when I was 3, my new baby cousin Randy came to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and Grandma says I was not so happy about this new baby taking her attention.

                                      

Lisa Wagoner
I cannot just speak to one memory . . . I remember many special times on Grandma's porch . . . Throughout teen years and college years I cherished my visits with Grandma. We would swing. I would talk. Grandma would listen and love me unconditionally . . . There is not a time I ride by Grandma's house that I don't think about her and thank God for her!



*Entries are alphabetized



Related posts:
B10: Grandma's Childhood Memories
B11.  Grandma's Childhood World
B12. Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family
B13. Grandma's Birth and Ancestry
B14.  Grandma's Special Memories and Favorite Pastimes
B15.  Grandma Meets Grandpa
B16.  Grandma's Kitchen
B17.  Grandma: Children, Grandchildren, and Random Musings
B96.  Grandma Remembers Corn Harvest and Corn Shuckings
B97. Grandma Remembers Her School Days
B98. Grandma Remembers Tent Circuses and Open Airplanes

B98. Grandma Remembers Tent Circuses and Open Airplanes

My Grandma Vestal was born July 4, 1914, exactly 100 years ago this week. In 1994, at the age of 80, five years prior to her death, she wrote a series of stories for the local newspaper about her childhood near Boonville, NC.  I don't know how many articles she wrote, but I have copies of three and would love for any family members who have others to share them with me.  Leading up to her 100th birthday, this is the third in a series of these stories, published Oct. 26, 1994.  Grandma said:

I must have been 7 or 8 years old when we went to Elkin in our first car, a Chevrolet, to see my first circus. The thing I remember most about the circus is the elephants. They were so big and smelly.

Back then, the animals were transported from each place by trains, then taken to the tent by trucks and wagons. Elephants being so large were simply walked to the tent by their trainers.

Nearing town, we passed the elephants. The road was very narrow, and we were moving slowly so as not to excite the animals, I suppose. I was already scared stiff just seeing such beasts when one big old fellow swung that old big trunk of his toward us and almost reached into the car. As you know all cars were open back then, no windows to roll up! I was simply terrified. My daddy was holding me and telling me everything was alright, but everything looked all wrong to me just then!

The other big attraction that day was an airplane. I can't remember much about that but do recall hearing people afterward talking about the wonder of anything that size being able to just take off and fly!

Years later, when I was a freshman in high school, my daddy and I took our first ride in one. My brother had recently returned from service in the Air Force and finally talked Daddy into taking a flight in one. It was during our annual community fair in the high school gym and a private owner of a plane was taking people for rides from an open field nearby.  I think each trip was five dollars. The pilot helped us up into the plane after fitting us for a helmet and goggles, He then strapped us into our seats. There were two single seats, behind the pilot's seat. I was in the seat directly behind the pilot and my daddy was in the back one.

Of course the first planes had open cockpits and no top over them. The roar of the motor and the force of the wind was so strong. I tried to say something to my daddy and couldn't even hear my own voice! I looked back at him and he was as white as a sheet. He was as terrified as I was over the elephant. I pointed for him to look down, but I don't think he ever did. I was enjoying myself because everything down on the ground was so interesting. Fields and woods were in checkerboard shapes to me, and people walking around at the fair reminded me of ants. They looked so small. My daddy never would talk about that ride to anyone. I often wonder what he would think of our big jets of today.




Related posts:
B10: Grandma's Childhood Memories
B11.  Grandma's Childhood World
B12. Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family
B13. Grandma's Birth and Ancestry
B14.  Grandma's Special Memories and Favorite Pastimes
B15.  Grandma Meets Grandpa
B16.  Grandma's Kitchen
B17.  Grandma: Children, Grandchildren, and Random Musings
B96.  Grandma Remembers Corn Harvest and Corn Shuckings
B97. Grandma Remembers Her School Days

B97. Grandma Remembers Her School Days

My Grandma Vestal was born July 4, 1914, exactly 100 years ago this week. In 1994, at the age of 80, five years prior to her transition, she wrote a column of  memories for the local newspaper about her childhood near Boonville, NC.  I don't know how many articles she wrote, but I have copies of three and would love for any family members who have others to share them with me.  Leading up to her 100th birthday, this is the second in a series of these stories.  Grandma said:


It was probably three-quarters of a mile from my home to the school I attended through seventh grade. My older brothers an sister had to walk much farther when they were in school.  Our schools were one-room buildings with one teacher for all seven grades.  There were a few two-room schools, but they were scarce. Schools were heated by a wood stove that stood in the center of the room. Teachers always had a long bench by the stove where they held classes. While the teacher had warm feet, most of us pupils only warmed ours during lesson times.

Teachers worked out schedules as they saw fit, then we went to the long bench to have our lesson.  Teachers had to be dedicated and tough to teach an average of about 30 students in all seven grades. At that time, high school grades were 8-11.

Most teachers were very conscientious, though, and we learned many things that weren't in books which helped us through life. Parents were strict also, and very few pupils broke rules because if we had to be punished at school we would also be punished at home.

Our entertainment was our recess, of course. Sometimes on a Friday afternoon the teacher would let us have spelling bees. We formed two rows on either side of the room and were graded by head marks. We sat on two long benches and as each correct word was spelled we crossed over for a head mark. We would move up a space. The side with the most head marks at the end of the match was, of course, the winner for that week.  I really enjoyed this because spelling was one of my favorite subjects and when we were chosen I would be one of the first picked.

Sometimes we had a community spelling at night, and the adults and some parents took part in our bees. This was a lot of fun because some would spell words the way they sounded which didn't always work.

We always had a Christmas program and tree and at the end of school a commencement program. I remember wondering why we called it a commencement when it was at the end of school. At both times every child had a part in the play, saying a recitation or, for the very bashful ones, songs for all to sing. We would be so nervous knowing our parents and other family members were going to be out there to hear us,  But the very worst thing for me, my daddy would have me stand up at home to practice my part before the family.

One of my very special memories was at Christmas. My daddy and youngest brother put two boxes under the tree for me at school.  Daddy's gift was a small basket made of siver wire, and my brother's was my very first compact with powder and puff. I was about 12 years old then, but that made me feel grown up.

Back then, we wore warm clothing because of the long walks to and from school.  We wore long underwear tucked inside long, dark-colored stockings. On wet and muddy days, rubber overshoes covered our high top shoes. We usually wore the same outfits all week. When we arrived home from school, we changed into other clothes to do our chores, keeping our school clothes clean. We always wore overcoats and toboggans. No one ever went bareheaded as they do now, not even in the summertime. Then they wore bonnets or straw hats.



Photo: Grandma's family - She's the baby.

Related posts:
B10: Grandma's Childhood Memories
B11.  Grandma's Childhood World
B12. Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family
B13. Grandma's Birth and Ancestry
B14.  Grandma's Special Memories and Favorite Pastimes
B15.  Grandma Meets Grandpa
B16.  Grandma's Kitchen
B17.  Grandma: Children, Grandchildren, and Random Musings
B96.  Grandma Remembers Corn Harvest and Corn Shuckings

B96. Grandma Remembers Corn Harvest and Corn Shuckings

My Grandma Vestal was born July 4, 1914, exactly 100 years ago this week. In 1994, at the age of 80, five years prior to her transition, she wrote a column of  memories for the local newspaper about her childhood near Boonville, NC.  I don't know how many articles she wrote, but I have copies of three and would love for any family members who have others to share them with me.  Leading up to her 100th birthday, I will post a series of these stories, beginning with this one, published Sept. 21, 1994.  Grandma said:


On a small acreage farm - maybe less than 10 acres in corn - picking the crop in fall was another family job.  Daddy would hitch up the mules to our wagon which he drove to the field.  He had sideboards he fitted to the wagon bed for hauling large loads.  When corn-picking time came, both boards could be used on one side of the wagon.  Pickers worked on the lower side so the ears of corn could be thrown against the high sides instead of going "overboard" to land on the ground.

Pickers wore long sleeves and gloves because the dried stalks and shucks on the corn were very rough and scratchy.  This was hard work and sometimes cold weather would catch us still in the field.

There was some fun too.  Being the youngest and not weighing a lot, I was allowed to ride to the barn on top of the corn! Then it was exciting to see the corn sliding out the back of the wagon as my dad and brother shoveled it out in a long large pile in the barnyard where a corn shucking would soon take place.

Corn husking, or as it is commonly called, shucking, was another community thing usually held at night, but if cold weather caught us too late, afternoons were better.  Men would swap work at this time.  Once in a while women would also help.  Around their hand, every worker wore a leather strap with a steel hook in the center of the palm.  when raked across the ear of corn it would tear the tough shuck and make removing it easy and very fast work.

Sometimes farmers would ask teen-agers to help, both boys and girls. The seed corn used back then would once in a while produce some ears of red corn.  The attraction at these times was a rule that any boy finding a red ear of corn could kiss the prettiest girl present.  I always wished Daddy would have a corn "party," but he never did.

What we did, and most farmers had, was a pie supper after the work was done.  Women of the family would spend the entire day baking pies.  Pumpkin, apple, and sweet potato were the favorites but sometimes there were fancy ones with meringue on top.

I have a niece only six months younger than I, and it was our job to fill a big wash tub about half full of warm water and put out plenty of soap and towels for the men to wash up before coming in to eat. I can remember seeing our long dining table completely covered in pies with more in the kitchen.  About 20 hungry men could soon take care of them.

Another fun thing about these workings, especially if they were at night, several mothers would come and bring the little ones to visit while the men worked.  Older children would play outside and sometimes Mama's bed would be filled with sleeping little ones.  I have fond memories of this.

The next morning after the corn shucking, what a pretty sight! On one side of the empty space where the men worked was a great pile of white corn. On the other side, a huge pile of fresh clean shucks.  Now another busy day was waiting.  Not only at the barn, but also at the house, for today a full meal must be ready for another work day.

This work was done by the men in the family and maybe a neighbor or two who were swapping work so as to have help with their own work. As Daddy was a sharecropper, every bushel of corn had to be measured.  Owners were able to just shovel it into the crib.

Usually two men carried a big washtub full of corn to a nearby crib, and at every third one a mark was made on the crib door for rent. Daddy always bought this third from the landowner when he settled up. There was also a shuck pen nearby, and the shucks were stored for feeding the livestock on the farm.  There was no rent for this. This was fun.

Everyone, even the children, could carry a big armful into the shed. Sometimes baby kittens were found here. Also hens would steal nests inside to lay their eggs when they found a corner nearby empty.





Photo: Grandma 1984, age 70


Related posts:
B10: Grandma's Childhood Memories
B11.  Grandma's Childhood World
B12. Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family
B13. Grandma's Birth and Ancestry
B14.  Grandma's Special Memories and Favorite Pastimes
B15.  Grandma Meets Grandpa
B16.  Grandma's Kitchen
B17.  Grandma: Children, Grandchildren, and Random Musings

B17. Grandma: Children, Grandchildren, and Random Musings

(part 8 of 8 of a series written in memory of my grandma, Ellie Irene Nance Vestal, born on the 4^th of July, 1914, near Boonville, NC)

In 1986, when Grandma was 72 and I was 24 I gave her a birthday gift that I thought might help her fill her days.  It was a memories book filled with prompts for her to write about her life.  She had lived alone since Grandpa’s death in 1977, and she enjoyed writing.  I forgot about the gift, but months later she gave me a far greater gift, which has become one of my most treasured possessions, the same book, completely filled in with her memories. 

In her honor, and to share this precious gift with others who love her, I conclude here, on the date of what would have been her and Grandpa's 78th wedding anniversary, a blog series of her own memoirs in her own words: 

Grandma and Grandpa stand, surrounded by all 6 of their children.

Some important events I remember:  our first car; the first airplane to come to Elkin about 1924; the first circus also at Elkin.  They led the elephants along the road from the train to the circus area; my first airplane ride in 1928 in an open cockpit.  We wore helmets, and the noise and wind were so loud you couldn’t hear yourself talking even if you were shouting.

The event that occurred outside the family that most affected us:  Viet Nam War

Some innovations and gadgets I remember seeing for the first time:  electric lights, washers, electric irons were almost too good to be true, our first radio about 1929 when we could hear voices so far away, new roads were made of cement.  Then in 1933 Rte. 67 was paved all the way from Elkin to Winston-Salem.

Some famous and not so famous people who influenced my thinking:  my parents, older brothers and sister, school teachers, church leaders, older people in our community, my husband, his family, each of our children, grandchildren, and many friends, the life of Jesus

I have lived:  in only four houses that I remember, all in the area of Boonville.  I lived in the state of Iowa for one year when I was 2 years old.  I saw that house in 1980 when I visited my brother.  I like my house.  We built it in 1938, and I am still here.  (1986)

My favorite place to live:  Boonville, North Carolina
Because:  probably because it has always been my home, but also here we are near church, school, places to shop, not too far from the ocean and the mountains, people are nice and most are easy to get along with.

Things I would go back and change if I could:  I wish I had spent more time enjoying my family and less time worrying about other people’s opinions of my housekeeping and other things that were none of their business.

My plans for the future are:  just simple ones now.  Live as long as possible, try to be a good example to others, keep teaching Sunday School lessons to children and loving them

I have visited:  I have traveled through several states getting to places I visited.  I have been as far west as Omaha, Nebraska, east to Morehead City on the Atlantic Coast, North to Washington DC, and South to Florida.  Trips to Florida, Washington DC, and 3 trips to Iowa were very special.

I would like to go to:  the state capital at Raleigh
Because:  I was there many years ago but didn’t get to see many things for lack of enough time.  A few years ago I was back there but it was a Monday and most of the buildings were closed.

An early story I recall:  When I was little, children were told tales about where babies came from.  Some said out of the cabbage patch, some out of a hollow log.  I was told the Dr. brought them and always kept the prettiest ones for himself.  I disagree with the tales that the Dr. always kept the prettiest ones.  I know now that they were brought to our house and to our children’s houses!!  Your grandpa said we had the finest babies of anybody.  When we visited school or church we always thought ours were the best looking ones in the class.  Of course other parents thought the same thing about theirs too.

I’ll never forget:  the first time I saw each of my children and grandchildren.  To me they were so beautiful and so sweet and will always be special to me.

My children*:  Fred (1934), Frances (1936), Lowell (1939), Margie (1941), Thomas C. Jr. (1947), Becky (1955)

My grandchildren**:  Sharon (1957), Carla (1959), Cheryl (1960), Kathy (1961),  Randy (1963), Lisa (1965), Alicia (1965),  Deborah (1969), Timothy (1970), Daniel (1971), Amanda (1978), Andrew  (1980)

How I feel about being a grandmother:  After being a mother, being a grandmother is the next best thing.  I suppose we get a lot of blame for spoiling the little ones, and I guess we are guilty, for there is more time to do it in by this time.

My wish for all my grandchildren is:  that each will live a full life as a good Christian.  Always be happy in the life you choose, whether it be having a family or a career – or probably both.

*Note:  Although Grandma listed full names and birth dates, I abbreviated them here for on-line protection.
**Grandma also had 2 step-grandchildren whom she loved: Debby and Connie.

Grandma and Grandpa with 5 children, before Becky was born

Grandma in center, surrounded by all 6 adult children

Grandma surrounded by nine of her grandchildren and three of her great-grandchildren



Did you catch the other 7 posts of this series? If not, here's a link to #7, which will include links to all the others: Grandma's Kitchen

B16. Grandma's Kitchen

(part 7 of 8 of a series written in memory of my grandma, Ellie Irene Nance Vestal, born on the 4^th of July, 1914, near Boonville, NC)

In 1986, when Grandma was 72 and I was 24 I gave her a birthday gift that I thought might help her fill her days.  It was a memories book filled with prompts for her to write about her life.  She had lived alone since Grandpa’s death in 1977, and she enjoyed writing.  I forgot about the gift, but months later she gave me a far greater gift, which has become one of my most treasured possessions, the same book, completely filled in with her memories. 

In her honor, and to share this precious gift with others who love her, I continue here a blog series of her own memoirs in her own words: 

A favorite family dinner:  green beans, creamed corn, potato salad, fried chicken with gravy, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, biscuits, coffee and lemonade, cake for dessert

Recipe for Self-rising Biscuits:
2 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons shortening
¾ cup milk
Cut shortening into flour.  Add milk a little at a time, stirring dough with fork.  Turn dough onto floured surface, and roll or pat out to 1/3 inch thick.  Cut and place in shallow pan, and bake in a 475 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Recipe for Creamed Corn:
4-5 ears fresh corn
1 cup milk and 1 cup water
1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp shortening
1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp flour
½ tsp sugar
Cut corn from cob, and put everything in pot but milk and flour.  Bring to boil for 5 minutes.  Mix milk and flour until smooth.  Put into corn mixture and boil for a bit.  Stir often until thickened.

How I learned to cook:  from my mother, sister, mother-in-law, by trial and error as a bride, and using all kinds of recipe books through the years

Kitchen smells that bring back memories:  homemade bread, cookies, pumpkin pies, sausage, frying, hot chocolate, popcorn, vinegar pickles

Favorite foods I remember most :  my mother’s scratch cakes, strawberry pies, baked apples and fried pies;  my sister’s sugar and huckleberry pies; sweet potatoes roasted in the fireplace by my dad, all ready to eat when I got home from school

Some things I really enjoy making:  I think I’d rather cook vegetables and fruit pies than any other things, for these foods were the things my mother made best when I was growing up.  She always surprised us with the first strawberry pie before we were aware they were ripe.

Helpful hints:  As I think back, the thing that bothered me most was having everything to come out together.  Some still would be cooking and others getting cold.  It just takes practice!!

My funniest kitchen story:  One time when I was in bed sick your aunt Frances was having to do the cooking for the family.  She cooked potatoes in the pressure cooker.  Her daddy and the boys came in early from the fields, and she was so nervous trying to hurry up her meal that she forgot to keep an eye on the cooker, so it blew up.  Most of her potatoes landed on the ceiling.  Everyone thought it was so funny, all but poor Frances of course.

This really happened:  I decided to make some homemade “light” bread after we moved out on our own.  My mother-in-law was an expert when it came to cooking, especially her rolls.  Well, mine didn’t turn out that way.  Your grandpa said mine was more like “heavy” bread than light bread.  I dumped them into the slop bucket for him to feed to the pigs.  He came back and said the pigs dropped them out on the ground and wouldn’t try to eat them.  I never did know whether that was truth or fiction.

See also:

Grandma's Childhood Memories  first in this series

Grandma's Childhood World  second in this series

Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family  third in this series

Grandma's Birth and Ancestry  fourth in this series

Grandma's Special Memories and Favorite Pastimes  fifth in this series

Grandma Meets Grandpa  sixth in this series

Coming soon:  Grandma becomes Mama, Grandma becomes Grandma

 

B15. Grandma Meets Grandpa

(part 6 of 8 of a series written in memory of my grandma, Ellie Irene Nance Vestal, born on the 4^th of July, 1914, near Boonville, NC)

In 1986, when Grandma was 72 and I was 24 I gave her a birthday gift that I thought might help her fill her days.  It was a memories book filled with prompts for her to write about her life.  She had lived alone since Grandpa’s death in 1977, and she enjoyed writing.  I forgot about the gift, but months later she gave me a far greater gift, which has become one of my most treasured possessions, the same book, completely filled in with her memories. 

In her honor, and to share this precious gift with others who love her, I continue here a blog series of her own memoirs in her own words: 

 Thomas Carl Vestal and Ellie Irene Nance Vestal

We were married on:  July 8, 1933
at:  Hillsville, VA
by:  Rev. R.H. Showalter
I was 19 years old; Grandpa was 22.

The wedding ceremony:  During the depression it was the thing to go out of state for a wedding.  Some went to S.C., others to Virginia.  Our ceremony was a ring ceremony and his brother and his wife stood up with us and acted as witnesses.  (Your) grandpa was so nervous.  I never thought he could remember a word of his vows.

I met him:  while he was dating other girls in our community.  One of them wouldn’t speak to me after I started to date him.

I remember:  feeling proud to date him for he was nice, dressed well, and had the use of his family’s car.  We went to church together every Sunday night.

Some special people who shared our day:  Most of my family was at my home for supper that Saturday night.  Then the next day (we) went to his home and most of his family was there.  We went to Charity Church and to his home for lunch and to live there 1 ½ years.

In the years that followed:  We moved out on our own in a small house that his family owned when Fred was a tiny babe.  Then we moved in our new house in 1939.

Grandpa’s mother:  Minnie Isabell Angell
She was born in:  Yadkin County, East Bend, NC
She was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed about 160 pounds.  She had brown hair and blue eyes.
He called her:  Mama.
Some of her favorite things to do:  crocheting, cooking, sewing, raising flowers, visiting, making a happy home for her family
A memory Grandpa shared with me about her:  One time while he was dating, his car got stuck in a mud hole, and he got in at 2 AM.  She was still sitting up and crying when he finally came in.

Grandpa's father:  Charlie Montgomery Vestal
He was born in:  Yadkin County, Boonville, NC
He was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed about 165 pounds.  He had brown hair and blue eyes.
He called him:  Dad.
Some of his favorite things to do:  working in his fields raising corn, wheat, and some tobacco, attending church regularly and court when it was in session
A memory Grandpa shared with me about him:  He drove his new car through the back of the car shed, so he put (your) grandpa driving the car when he was only twelve years old.  He had to look through the steering wheel.

See also:

Grandma's Childhood Memories  first in this series

Grandma's Childhood World  second in this series

Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family  third in this series

Grandma's Birth and Ancestry  fourth in this series 

Grandma's Special Memories and Favorite Pastimes  fifth in this series

coming soon:  Grandma's Kitchen, Grandma becomes Mama, Grandma becomes Grandma

B14. Grandma's Special Memories and Favorite Pastimes

(part 5 of 8 of a series written in memory of my grandma, Ellie Irene Nance Vestal, born on the 4^th of July, 1914, near Boonville, NC)

In 1986, when Grandma was 72 and I was 24 I gave her a birthday gift that I thought might help her fill her days.  It was a memories book filled with prompts for her to write about her life.  She had lived alone since Grandpa’s death in 1977, and she enjoyed writing.  I forgot about the gift, but months later she gave me a far greater gift, which has become one of my most treasured possessions, the same book, completely filled in with her memories. 

In her honor, and to share this precious gift with others who love her, I continue here a blog series of her own memoirs in her own words: 

Some of my happiest moments:  Walking to school and church with friends while growing up; playing croquet and hopscotch in the yard; taking trips on my birthday with my family;  going chestnut and chinquapin* hunting in the mountains in the autumn and seeing all the beautiful leaves; later double dating with friends and finally dating (your grandpa).  I quit double dating then!

One dress I’ll always remember:  That has to be my wedding dress.  It was white chiffon.

My most unforgettable friend:  A girl named Maude who lived nearby.  We were together a lot walking to church and visiting each other on Sunday.  We would go home with each other from Sunday School and stay until service at night.  I met (your grandpa) at her house.

Songs that bring back memories:  Patriotic songs at school, hymns at church, records played on the old wind-up phonograph we had at home, fun songs sung together around the old pump organ

A vacation I’ll never forget:  I went to Virginia to visit my oldest brother and his family.  I spent two weeks.  I had never been that far away from (home) or ever stayed away that long in my life before.  I enjoyed my visit very much and made a lot of new friends, but I was very glad to get back home and thought I would never leave again!

A gift I’ll always remember:  The first gift given to me by (your grandpa) was a pair of black kid gloves.  The cuffs were trimmed in little diamond shaped figures of white kid leather.

My favorite pastimes:  A lot of my pastimes were spent with the nieces and nephews I have mentioned so often (in this book), as some of them were always around.  We played usual outdoor games and lots of board and guessing games inside.  But I have always been a bookworm, and some of my most contented days were rainy days in summer when I didn’t have to work on the farm and I could just curl up somewhere and read for hours.

When I was a little girl:  Life was so different then.  One of my first memories is riding in a buggy.  Being small, I was put in front at my parents’ feet.  I liked that better than our first car because I would always get car sick when we rode in it.  We walked nearly a mile to school down a very muddy road.  We wore long underwear which we tucked down into long black stockings.  Our shoes had high tops, and over them we wore rubber overshoes.  There was one room and one teacher for grades one through seven.  Boys sat on one side, girls on the other.  Boys chopped wood and kept the fire going in a heater in the middle of the room.  Girls swept the floor and kept the room neat.  We did learn things and never felt a loss, because that was the way things were back then.

When I was a teenager:  I was a teenager in the worst of the depression.  Money was hard to come by.  But lots of families had a radio, and the ones who didn’t would visit ones who did, so people were closer knit by such programs as “Amos and Andy” and the “Grand Ol’ Opry.”  Visitors would stay ‘til midnight on Saturday.  A lot of Rook was played also.  The boys who had cars or the use of the family car (like your grandpa had) really had their pick of the girls.

Note:  *Chinquapins are a type of chestnut.  Grandma pronounced them "chinky-pins."

See also:

Grandma's Childhood Memories  (first of series)

Grandma's Childhood World  (second of series)

Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family  (third of series)

Grandma's Birth and Ancestry  (fourth of series)

coming soon:  Grandma marries Grandpa, Grandma becomes Mama, Grandma becomes Grandma

B13. Grandma's Birth and Ancestry

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

(part 4 of 8 of a series written in memory of my grandma, Ellie Irene Nance Vestal, born on the 4^th of July, 1914, near Boonville, NC)

In 1986, when Grandma was 72 and I was 24 I gave her a birthday gift that I thought might help her fill her days.  It was a memories book filled with prompts for her to write about her life.  She had lived alone since Grandpa’s death in 1977, and she enjoyed writing.  I forgot about the gift, but months later she gave me a far greater gift, which has become one of my most treasured possessions, the same book, completely filled in with her memories. 

In her honor, and to share this precious gift with others who love her, I continue here a blog series of her own memoirs in her own words: 

I was born on:  July 4, 1914, 4:00 PM
at:  near Boonville, NC, Yadkin County

I weighed:  4 ½ lbs. and was 18” long.

I had dark brown hair and brown eyes.

My given name was:  Ellie Irene

I was named that because:  I was named for a relative of my mother.

My name means:  My name is a diminutive of Eleanor.

Nicknames:  When very small they always put Little before my name which I grew to hate as I got older.  My sister called me “Bug” and sometimes other objects.

The rest of my family included:  father, mother, Earl, Luther, Jerry, Thurman, Mattie, Vernice

Special names I called them:  Thurman was 13 when I was born.  When I started talking I couldn’t say his name.  I called him Pudlum.  That was his nickname for a long time.

Other relatives who lived in town or nearby:  uncles, aunts, numerous cousins

My parents:  Richard H. Nance, Mary Frances Michael
My mother’s parents:  Rush Michael, Jerusha Stanley
My father’s parents:  Clemuel Nance, Susan Swaim

(Husband):  Thomas Carl Vestal
(Husband's) parents:  Charlie M. Vestal, Minnie I. Angel
(Husband's) mother’s parents:  James Angel, (Luretta Willard)
(Husband's) father’s parents:  Joel Vestal, (Elizabeth Vestal)

The earliest ancestor I know of on my mother’s side of the family was:  my grandfather
The earliest ancestor I know of on my father’s side of the family was:  grandparents
My surname comes from:  France or Germany
It used to be spelled:  Nantz
Family traditions that came from national and/or religious origins:  Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter get-togethers, birthday celebrations, family  reunions and church homecomings

I lived in:  the country west of Boonville, RfD 1,Boonville, NC, from 1920 to 1933; 1 mile east of Boonville, Rte. 1, Boonville, NC, from 1933 to (present)
I went to school at:  Reece Free School, 4 ½ miles west of Boonville, NC, grades 1-8; Boonville High School, Boonville, NC, grades 8-10 ½

What I remember most about my mother:  She was pretty, gentle, kind, a very loving mother and grandmother; was also my very best friend who understood my joys and sorrows.

What I remember most about my father:  He was loving, strict, honest, loved all children and always wanted them to “amount to something” as he used to say it.  Was proud of us.

My mother’s full name:  Mary Frances (Michael)
I called her:  Mama
She was born in:  Surry Co., NC  4/21/1875
When I was a child she was:  5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed about 118 pounds.  She had black hair and brown eyes.

My father’s full name:  Richard Henderson (Nance)
I called him:  Daddy
He was born in:  Surry Co., NC  4/7/1872
When I was a child he was:  5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed about 170 pounds.  He had brown hair and blue eyes.

See also:

Grandma's Childhood Memories  (first of this series)

Grandma's Childhood World  (second of this series)

Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family  (third of this series)

coming soon:  Grandma meets Grandpa, Grandma becomes Mama, Grandma becomes Grandma

B12. Grandma's Childhood: Memories of Family

(part 3 of 8 of a series written in memory of my grandma, Ellie Irene Nance Vestal, born on the 4^th of July, 1914, near Boonville, NC)

In 1986, when Grandma was 72 and I was 24 I gave her a birthday gift that I thought might help her fill her days.  It was a memories book filled with prompts for her to write about her life.  She had lived alone since Grandpa’s death in 1977, and she enjoyed writing.  I forgot about the gift, but months later she gave me a far greater gift, which has become one of my most treasured possessions, the same book, completely filled in with her memories. 

In her honor, and to share this precious gift with others who love her, I continue here a blog series of her own memoirs in her own words: 

Special Family Gatherings:  Christmases at home and school.  Thanksgivings and Easters.  Eggs being colored for Easter was always a fun time, and then hiding them for the many nieces and nephews to find. 
When my brother and his family came from Iowa* to visit, family and friends would come to be with them.  We would sleep piled together in bed or on pallets Mama made on the floor.
We had huge cherry trees, and relatives and friends would come to pick some cherries to take home with them.  Most of the time they ate dinner with us and visited a while after that.  My daddy would pull the wagon under the trees, put a big board across, so women and children could reach lower limbs.  The boys and men would take their buckets and climb way up in the trees.

A birthday I remember:  The year I was seventeen, one of my brothers came from another state and brought me a beautiful new dress.  I put it on and was so excited when I started into the dining room to set the table I dropped six plates and broke five of them.

A sad time:  the death of my little sister when I was eight years old.  I missed her so much.

Some relatives’ names and nicknames:  Uncle Charlie, Aunt “Sissy,” Uncle Henry, Aunt “Duck,” Uncle “Lum,” Aunt “Sal,” Uncle John, Aunt Mary, Uncle Henry, Aunt Whitney

A special Christmas:  One year for the school Christmas program my daddy and Thurman went to Elkin and bought presents to put on the Christmas tree for me.  Daddy’s gift was a small basket made of silver wire.  (I wish I had kept it.)  Thurman’s was my very first compact with mirror and powder.

A Thanksgiving memory:  One year my daddy had his corn shucking on Thanksgiving Day.  We had neighbors and some city visitors (an aunt and some cousins) and all our family.  Such a big dinner we had.  All the visitors and all the workers ate lunch.  A lot of dishes were washed that day!

Our most talked about relative:  Probably a cousin who married three times and was a city cousin who wore the latest fashions and hair styles and very beautiful shoes.  I wanted to grow up and dress like that. . .

One “black sheep”:  I suppose that would be an uncle who liked to tell tall tales and to drink too much, so when he put the two things together the sky was the limit!

Our funniest relative:  I guess that was one of my brothers who liked to make funny faces and tell tales to all the children.


Note:  *Grandma and her siblings pronounced Iowa "I-way."

See also:
Grandma's Childhood Memories  first of this series

Grandma's Childhood World  second of this series

coming soon:  Grandma meets Grandpa, Grandma becomes Mama, Grandma becomes Grandma . . .

Age 70 in 1984

B11. Grandma's Childhood World

(part 2 of a series written in memory of my grandma, Ellie Irene Nance Vestal, born on the 4^th of July, 1914, near Boonville, NC)

In 1986, when Grandma was 72 and I was 24 I gave her a birthday gift that I thought might help her fill her days.  It was a memories book filled with prompts for her to write about her life.  She had lived alone since Grandpa’s death in 1977, and she enjoyed writing.  I forgot about the gift, but months later she gave me a far greater gift, which has become one of my most treasured possessions, the same book, completely filled in with her memories. 

In her honor, and to share this precious gift with others who love her, I coninue here a blog series of her own memoirs in her own words: 

Some of my most memorable (childhood) days:  Starting to school, Birthday trips, Christmas Eves, Thanksgiving Days, Easter egg hunts, Family dinners, Commencement exercises, Playing in the snow, When my brother returned from military service, Visits from another brother who lived far away, Sixteenth birthday

Costs way back then:  licorice 1c, ice cream 5c, candy 1c, bread 18c, sugar 5 lbs. 20c, milk 10c gal., bicycles 12.50, comics 5c, soda pop 5c, stamps 1c, movies 10c, bus rides 7c, newspapers 5c, gasoline 10c gal., new cars $600.

The dances they were dancing:  waltzes, the Charleston, blackbottom*

The music they were playing:  Singing in the Rain, Yes Sir She’s My Baby, Yes We Have No Bananas, Happy Days Are Here Again, Let Me Call You Sweetheart, Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The books they were reading:  Pilgrim’s Progress, John Halifax, Jane Eyre, The Bible

The people who were famous:  Bible characters, Political leaders, Tom Mix, Mary Pickford, John Barrymore, Rodolph Valentino, Al Jolson, Charles Lindbergh, Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Lottie Moon, Amelia Earhart

What people were talking about:  the first World War, women voting, short skirts, politics

The movies we were watching:  The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, Tom Mix westerns, Al Jolson in the very first talking movies, “My Mammy” and “Sonny Boy”**

The fads that were popular:  bobbed hair, the flapper era, rumble seats, skeeters***, double dating

What I wanted to be when I grew up:  So many things!!  Store clerk, famous writer, speaker, teacher, nurse, actress, missionary, wife, mother, grandmother (I actually did some of them)

See Also: Grandma's Childhood Memories  (the first post of this series)

Notes:
*The blackbottom was a 1920s dance of the flapper era: Blackbottom video
**When I looked for "My Mammy" and "Sonny Boy," I found them as Al Jolson songs, both available on youtube, but not as movies.  It's possible Grandma meant to list them under music rather than movies, or it's possible there were also movies, and I just didn't find them.
*** Skeeters were scooters, made of aluminum because all steel was being used in war production.  I didn't find evidence of their existence before the 1940s, so Grandma might have been remembering them from her children's era, or, again, they might have been around before and I just didn't find them.



Grandma as a baby with her family