Neshoba County Roots

Neshoba County Roots

Hillman Clan

My mother and her family are from Neshoba County, Mississippi.  Although my grandmother died when I was in the second grade, I spent many summers and holidays with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  My fondest memories are of the farm and playing with cousins.  My mother, soon to be 86, is the only one of her immediate family left now, as she was the baby of seven children--six girls and one boy surviving to adulthood, spanning 22 years.  My grandparents' old home place is no longer there, but her sister's home is what we call the family place now.  My cousin and her husband live there now.  She has two sisters and their families still gather there often.  We try to get the rest of us together whenever possible as we are dwindling.  What I used to think of as a huge family is really not so large at all.  In all, there are now only 9 first cousins left.  We are scattered across the globe, but our family ties are strong.

In January, 2012, my second cousin, Mark Adcock, wrote Lessons Learned on Papa's Pond.  It is a collection of heartwarming stories about faith and family; seven uplifting lessons that Mark learned from his grandfather, Lodonal Pinter,  back in the 1960's and 70's that impacted his life in an adventurous way leading to a walk of faith in Christ. This book offers tangible ways for grandparents to impact the lives of their grandchildren and to promote a lifetime of faith in addition to offering a great way to be able to talk to your grandchildren about the important things regarding knowing and serving God.   Papa Pinter would be considered by most as a common man. But to Mark, he was a hero. The lessons include: Know the One to Whom You Sing, Christians are Not Perfect, Just Forgiven, Make Time for God, Trust God in Times of Change, Trust God in the Storms of Life, Lessons on Growing Up and Lessons on Death and Dying. These stories will make you laugh and they will make you cry. In the spirit of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, this book will bring out the adventurer in all of us. A great read for all ages!

http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-Pond-Heartwarming-Stories-ebook/dp/B006SR3QZ0#reader_B006SR3QZ0 

Grandson, son and daughter.

At the last family get-together, I took my family up to the country so they could make some memories of their own.

My grandson and his daddy fished down at the pond for the whole afternoon in over 100 degree heat without coming in once to cool off!

It was apparent then that he inherited strong fishing genes from his great-grandfathers, grandfathers, and his dad!  They didn't catch a single thing (don't think they even got a nibble that hot day), but they were not deterred!

 

My mother and her oldest niece.

 

Mama and my two eldest first cousins.

 
My first cousin and her husband have moved to the country and live in the house on the farm.  They are busier now than before they retired.  They keep up a full garden, lots of flower beds, raise horses, and can and put up all the vegetables and fruit that they grow.

Mama and her oldest nephew at his 80th birthday party.

My second cousins.

I have so many wonderful memories of staying with my grandparents on the farm.  I remember that  Grandmother used to let us play outside in the dirt all day long with just a spoon and a pot.  We would be filthy at the end of the day, and we'd take our baths in the galvanized washtub on the front porch behind the wisteria that grew up the front of the porch.  She'd have to boil the water to get it hot for our baths.  Granddaddy would put a fresh watermelon in the spring every afternoon so we could have an ice cold snack.  He'd cut the watermelon on an old table out back under the chinaberry tree.  Then we'd shoot chinaberries through hollow stems.  What great memories!  All we cousins would pile up in the porch swing and go as high as we could!  I do remember it crashing down one day with all of us in it!  No injuries, though!   I can remember the traveling store man coming around with the wagon.  He'd have buttons, thread, and other various and sundry necessities that Grandmother would need.  She'd give us a nickel to walk up the hill to the little store to get a Nehi, Grapette, or Orange Crush and a bag of candy or a moon pie.  That was the biggest treat!  Sunday dinners were awesome.  The whole family would come, we'd stand around the table holding hands while Granddaddy prayed (I remember mumbling), then we'd dive into the smorgasbord of fresh butterbeans, mashed potatoes, rice and gravy, green beans, squash, okra, black-eyed peas, cornbread or home-made biscuits, tomatoes and cucumbers.  The best part was the fresh (and I mean backyard to table--caught in the yard, neck wrung, and plucked) fried chicken.  There were always cakes, pies, and cobblers galore, all washed down with gallons of sweet tea or sweet milk!   Tea cakes were always available for us kids!  After dinner, there were no ziploc bags or tupperware for us.  Just a clean tablecloth thrown over the table full of food just waiting for us to come back to supper.  After the dishes were washed and dried, the dishwater was poured out the screen door into the backyard!  Those were the days, for sure!

I can remember my Aunt Zelle telling me that when she was a little girl (she was born in 1907), Granddaddy would go to Meridian for supplies.  He'd hitch up the mule to the wagon and leave early one morning making it halfway to Meridian the first day.  Then the second day he'd make it to the outskirts of Meridian and spend the night there.  Third day was spent in town shopping for what was needed, then he headed back outside of town to spend the third night.  Halfway home on the fourth day, another night camping, then arriving home on the fifth day.  Can you even imagine taking 5 days to go about 40 miles? 

I'm sure I'm telling my age talking about such primitive ways, but they were really and truly the good old days to me!  This has been a delightful trek down memory lane for me, and I hope you've enjoyed it to.  Maybe it brought back some sweet nostalgia for you.  Happy Hump Day!!