Memories of My Parents Mildred Belle Tindell and Eugene Alexander Sharp (and a Few Other Folks) Compiled by Wayne Sharp Owners of the Homestead Owners from 1887 - Present Van Dela Cheek and Thomas Jefferson Tindell Family and Heirs Owners from 1839 - 1887 The Eliza B. Carr and John Jones Williamson Family Owners from 1818 - 1839 The Mary Hanby and Nathaniel Smith Family Owners from 1810 - 1818 Daniel Thomas Family Owners from 1788 - 1810 Thomas Polk (1788 Land Grant of 5,000 acres for services rendered during the Revolution) Deaths/Funerals known to have occurred in the home: David Williamson May 5 1777 – Feb 25 1870 John Jones Williamson Feb 11 1809 – May 2 1882 Elizabeth (Betsy) Rhyan Cheek (Mother of Van Della Cheek Tindell) 29 Mar 1816 - 22 May 1905 Thomas Jefferson Tindell May 2 1845 – April 16 1932 Van Della Cheek Tindell Oct 17 1852 – Dec 28 1935 ii Our Maury County Tennessee 1840s Farmhouse. iii iv Contents Page Homestead Previous Owners ii 1841 Homestead iii Homestead Construction Details iv Mildred Belle Tindell and Eugene Alexander Sharp 1 Bessie Pearl Thompson Davis 7 As I Remember (Stories and Tales of my Family while growing up) 15 Karen Michelle Sharp 37 Forward (As I was attempting to come up with a forward, this fell into my hands. Although she did not know it at the time, a great lady who worked with me at TSAC provided the material for this forward. I sent my "memories" musings to her and this was her response. Thank you Juanita Fann). Wayne, What? No Souse with crackers? No pickled pig feet? My father-in-law, Robert Hooper and I would sit down at the kitchen table and PIG out! Yum! (Pun definitely intended.) Liver? Tried that at the insistence of my mother-in-law; Never, again!!! Lard biscuits can't be beat; just add some milk gravy and sop it up! Butter Milk cornbread minus cracklings is the favorite bread for son Tony. Whenever I make it, Dottie, who lives with us, always takes some to her brother Tony and his wife Donna. Wayne, I really enjoy walking down memory lane with you. Your memories bring mine to mind. I experienced like ones at my grandparents' farms. The timing, names and counties are just different. I'm thankful for the memories for soon, there will not be a place called country. At one time, every family in Ashland City was my kin. It was much like Mayberry. I was told by Harold Bradley the story about my Uncle Robert, driving up to his place, "three sheets in the wind". Harold tried to get him to come into the house but he refused. So, he called his brother, Sheriff Bruce Bradley and asked if he had a cell where Robert could "sleep it off"? "Sure, bring him on over!” Bruce told him. Bruce never carried a gun. Said he did not want to shoot "nobody" as was told in a memorial story in the Ashland City Times. One more tale, another uncle was sentenced to jail for something or the other. Apparently, he was allowed to work off some of the time, because you could see him out sweeping the Court House walk. At meal times he was told to go on over to the Klondike, which was across the street from the C H. He'd eat and wander on back to the jail; no, supervision. Then, one day, Bruce told him to go on home. He'd done enough of his time! The above stories were from Mother's side. I thought they were funny. Of course, there were some Aunt Beas', Opies' and probably Barneys mixed in there somewhere. Oh, one more that might interest you. Uncle Harvey Pace was a recognized genius! (How about that, huh?) Anyway, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force and is buried at Arlington. I remember him telling me that the more wings on his plane, the better he liked it! Thank you for the wonderful stories. Juanita Mildred Belle Tindell and Eugene Alexander Sharp Daddy, Eugene Alexander Sharp, was one of seven children of Mary Elizabeth Rummage and John Robards Sharp. Mama, Mildred Belle Tindell, was one of two children of Annie Mae Hendrix and Wilburn Thomas Tindell. My parents were polar opposites. Mama, small, shy and quite, spoke when spoken to but otherwise just smiled or laughed at what others were saying. She was not a socializer. She did have a temper; Daddy called it the “Tindell” temper and said she was just like “cuddin squealer”, which is what he called his father-in-law, Wilburn Thomas Tindell Sr., at least to his back. When she was angered she let it all hang out with little thought to the - 1 - consequences. Daddy, 200 pounds, over 6 foot tall, outgoing, always singing or humming, hard to anger, always there to help, made friends easily, respected by everyone who knew him. Mama was the homebody, Daddy the out in the world type. Mama was the excellent home maker and cook and Daddy the quintessential farmer who was one of the first to have his crops in the field, and the first to have them out. He was the person everyone in the neighborhood called on for help when their ox was in the ditch. He was the local plumber, electrician, mechanic, carpenter who built three or four homes, numerous barn sheds and even a few barns, he even tried his hand in television and radio repair at one time when tubes were in fashion. There is a story that Mama was actually named Mildred Madeline Tindell at birth but when she became older she simply changed her middle - 2 - name to “Belle”. That was done because her favorite aunt was Fannie Belle Hendrix Cheek. This caused some problems later when she was old enough to begin drawing Social Security payments. She had no birth certificate and there was no record of a Mildred “Belle” Tindell on the census records of her family. This required getting affidavits from people who were around at her birth attesting that “Mildred Belle Tindell” and “Mildred Madeline Tindell” as was recorded on the census records, were the same person. Of my two parents, I probably understand my Mama the best. She was not a people person and by her actions it is now obvious (Left to right: Daddy and Mama) to - 3 - me she recognized that fact. I always wondered why she did not socialize the way Daddy did. I now understand for I inherited her inability as a people person. Daddy’s Brothers and Sisters Mama and Her Brother, Wilburn Thomas (Jake) Tindell, Jr. - 4 - ◄──────────────────────────────► Porch Sitting The picture on the first page showing Mama, Daddy and Sis sitting on the front porch is just how it was growing up. My Papa, Wilburn Thomas Tindell Sr., (at left) would sit on the wooden bench, where Mama is shown sitting, and smoke. He always used Country Gentlemen tobacco in both his “roll your own cigarettes” and his pipe. He would sit and watch the world go by. He was there come rain or shine. There was a large post by the gate into the front yard and it was riddled with 45 caliber bullets. Apparently he liked to sit on the porch and shoot at the post; maybe it had offended him at some point. I remember one Sunday upon coming home from the Bethlehem Cumberland Presbyterian Church there was this extremely large rattlesnake in the yard, Papa had shot it with his shotgun as it crawled out from under the porch steps, a not uncommon occurrence in those days. The fact is when visitors arrived, again not an uncommon occurrence in those days, in the spring, summer, or fall, the front porch was often as far as they got. It was not unusual for them to spend the entire visitation on the porch for that is where the socializing took place more often as not. - 5 - There were two chairs on the porch, Daddy always sat in the one to the left as you went up the porch steps and Mama always sat in the one on the right. It was the one next to where her Daddy always sat. We kids were left to our own devices. Every Sunday morning Daddy would sit out on the porch and study the Sunday School lesson he would be teaching that day at the Bethlehem Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Daddy was the Church Treasurer, Adult Sunday School Teacher, an Elder, and general all around flunky for the church as well as being a Trustee for the Bethlehem Cemetery. There is a story later that tells of his leaving his Bible in the chair and when he returned it was gone, seems our dog was a dedicated Christian also. For years after Daddy and Mama’s deaths when I drove down the main road toward the “Big House” two chairs were still sitting in their spots and sometimes I could almost swear I saw them sitting there. - 6 - Bessie Pearl Thompson Davis (This article was written by Granddaughter Michelle Sharp- Stiteler and appeared in the Lewisburg Tribune as a tribute to Mrs. Davis celebrating One Hundred years of life.) Bessie was born on March 9, 1911 on her parent’s farm on the Verona/Caney Road. She was the seventh of nine children born to Andrew West Thompson and Mattie Ida Osborne. She attended Hardison School through the 7th grade here in Lewisburg. She enjoyed sitting on the rock wall with her friends at school.