Tag Archives: East Tennesse

Mandy’s tapestry of the life and love of her family

26 Sep

Tapestry of the life and love of her family

Amanda Emmaline Hall, mother of 14

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Murrel is Mandy’s grandson and my dad.  Frank is Mandy’s grandson and my uncle.  Jimmy is Mandy’s grandson and my uncle who died as a child….

Crazy Quilts explained at Indianapolis Museum of Art Exhibit October 2017

“Encouraged individual expression through freeform stitching,

known as the Kensington stitch”

“takes inspiration from the natural world”

Made with love by Great Grandmother Hall

 

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GREAT Grandparents!

10 Sep
Murrel’s and Frank’s Reflections on the Way Their Grandparent’s Life Used to Be
Hawkins County, Tennessee
Amanda Emmaline Bruner Hall and David Franklin Hall
born September 21, 1877 and August 30, 1875
Parents of fourteen: Ralph Echel, Burley Edgar, Grady Murl, Monnie Pearl,
Kermit Roosevelt, Eula Ethel, Lillie Mae, Dana Harmon, Paul Maxwell,
Wanda Ruth, Carl, Jaunita and Jonita, Dorothy Marie
“Mandy”, “Mom”, “Big Ma-ma” out of affection for her greatness
Energetic, constant motion
Did what needed to be done
Magical cook, even a hand full of beans would turn into a tasty meal
All of the children loved her cooking
Murrel’s favorites were brown gravy, fried potatoes and creamed corn
Grady claimed his talent at a carpenter was a gift from his mother
She made her own rocking chair
She was also known to build a chicken coop
Mom would pound used nails to straighten them to reuse
She took pride and joy in raising chickens
One particular chicken to a special liking to he and followed her all over the yard
Her favorite hymn: “Amazing Grace”
Grandpa was a stone mason by trade
Inventor, liked to find easier ways to do things.
One invention cut corn stalks, another ginned cotton.
Left for California during the Depression (1930s) to earn money.
Came home and set out orchards and grape arbors.
Quilts were a necessity for the beds
The house was cold except around the cooking stove
There was never any indoor plumbing while they lived on the home place.
Cisterns collected water from the barn for animals and garden,
from the house for cooking and cleaning.
The home eventually had an organ and piano.
No electricity until 1947, twelve years after Grady’s family had electricity.
Never owned a car or truck, never drove.
Mules named Dave and Tom.
Mandy’s legacy was discovered in a cedar chest fifty years after her master piece was completed
A quilt…no a tapestry of the life and love of her family.

Made with love by Great Grandmother Hall

I look forward to sharing this treasure with my new-found third-cousin Amy.

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Memories of my grandfather

26 Sep

Elizabeth’s Reflections on the Way Pap-pa’s Life Used to Be

Appalachia, Blue Ridge Mountains

Tennessee, Hawkins County

Saw Mill Holler, 317 Independence Avenue

the house, the saw mill shed, the Hall Lumber Co. office, the workshop

hen-house, tobacco barn and railroad tracks

front porch swing

Overalls with a pocket watch

Pocket knife for whittling nothing in particular

Tough, strong, independent

Republican

Logger, saw mill operation

Skilled craftsman

Built bridges in early years

Built trusses in middle years

Built furniture in later years

Wormy chestnut, antique wood finished with antique labor

Simple, frugal

Black Ford pick up truck 1947-1980

“Read a book Pap-pa.”

Play house with real windows and asphalt shingles

Cedar chest and grandfather clock

Brown mule ice cream in the freezer

Lumber scraps to nail together to float in the creek

Good tobacco crops meant $100 bills at Christmas

Fishing trips to Steam Plant Lake

Attentive care to my aging grandmother

Walking cane and hearing aid

Appreciation for pretty bank tellers, grocery clerks and nurses

Passion for life

Red and white tent for 90th and 91st birthday celebrations

Primary principle of life:  Work ethic

He explained that he did not have a regular job at 94 years of age

in a nursing home bed.

Kissed my hand to say good-bye.

I love you.

Grady Murrel Hall died 20 years ago today.

June 8, 1900-September 26, 1994

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