I grew up knowing one grandparent -- my maternal grandmother, Lucy Washington Brown. Granny was born November 1, 1904 in Lexington, Holmes County, Mississippi. Unfortunately she never spoke about her growing up years and she never took her children to Mississippi, so I have no "down home" stories to draw from.
As an inquisitive teen I would ask my mother, Evelyn Brown Williams (aka Mommy), about Granny but as the youngest child my mother wasn't told much -- I've told her more than she ever knew as I make strides with my genealogy searches.
But Mommy did know that Granny got married in Erie, Pennsylvania -- about five years ago my daughter and I took a day trip to Erie for Granny's marriage license. So much information! But the big question for me is why did Granny and her husband, Noah Brown, come from Mississippi to Ashtabula,Ohio but got married in Erie PA and end up in Buffalo, New York?
Granny was beautiful -- both physically and spiritually. I remember her long silky, unprocessed white hair and her soft, even brown complexion that was dotted with freckles on her high cheekbones. She always smelled just clean -- the only products she used was Ivory soap and Ponds cream, no perfumes or sprays; no make-up. Wonderfully clean & fresh & simply beautiful!
Granny had a way of asking who I was dating and when was I going to get married (no pressure but after all that's the circle of life). I got married January 6, 1996 at the age of 42. Granny made transition on April 10, 1996. I cannot remember anything that happened in my life for the rest of that year. There have been times that I've wondered since then, if I didn't get married would Granny have lived longer. Crazy, I know.
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