INTRODUCTION

My Mothers was A very private person, until the last years of her life we did not know anything about her other than that she had lost her Mom and Dad at A young age, she had raised her siblings and married . This is her life story as told to me, I will relay her story as though she is writing it. She was born to John T. Rogers and Callie Virginia Dennis Rogers on October 20, 1909.

My Mother

The Beginning

My Father and Mother were originally from Georgia, Dad was from what is now called A middle class family, he was A very hard worker and provided well for his family. My Mother was from A wealth southern family that did not approve of her choice of A husband. When she defied their wishes in favor of the man she loved, she was disowned by her Father and was not spoken to again until his death. I did not know until after my Mothers death that she had been shunned by her family.

My Mother was A beautiful women and my Father A handsome man, they started their family soon after marriage and moved to Guntersville, Al with the company my Father worked for. Most of the Rogers men worked for the same company and also relocated to this area. I was born soon after, I was the second child, Dennis my brother was about two years older, being the oldest girl would come to be A blessing at times it seem to be A curse, bringing with it many heart aches and many tears.

My Mom wore her hair pulled up in A bun on top of her head it seemed little strands were always falling loose around her face which only made her more beautiful. Mom was always in control of her life and having children so often did not affect her, even when she was big with child she carried herself with an elegance that I did not understand nor would I ever posses.

I think my first memories were of caring for babies and wondering when the next one would come along. Mom had her hands full just cooking, cleaning and sewing for us. We had A Black lady that came on wash day. She did the wash and helped with the heavy cleaning.

Washing in those days was not an easy job, we did not have the conventions of today's world, we had to use wash tubs and A rub board, boiling the clothes in an old black wash pot to make them white, the clothes had to be white, that was very important and A must, then starched and hung on the line to dry, took most of the day. Then they had to be sprinkled with water and ironed with old black irons heated on the wood cook stove to just the right temperature so not to burn the clothing. This is the same irons that was heated and wrapped in layers of cloth and put in the bed on cold winter nights to keep us warm, they could be use for many things even protection if an intruder were to enter, the one good thing was they kept us warm on cold nights.

Life was very hard in the early 1900, we were fortunate to be able to afford help with the heavier work. Mom having babies so often was just accepted as was many other things in our lives. She was A very quite and private person that did not talk much and never about her life. I have often wondered in my later years why we did not ask or question that we only had one set of Grandparents or that we knew Dad's family and Mom had none other than us. I think that children then just accept life as it was, which was good I suppose, I don't think we would have found out much about her even had we ask.

We were A happy bunch of kids, we ran and played much of the day and always had plenty to eat and A warm house, what more can you ask for. I being the only girl in A family of boys could be fun and educational both, the education was learning how to stand up and take care of yourself, they taught me how to fight, get down on one knee and shoot marbles, climb trees, ride A horse, bike and skate. They also taught me how to run like A rabbit, which would come in handy later in my life. I learned patience from them also, not really taught by them, but learned from them, without plenty of patience I would not have survived six boys and two girls.

On our many trips to the General Store and just going down town to watch the people walking by, we had to pass Grandmother Rogers house, she was A mean hateful old women, she neither loved nor cared for anyone or anything, if she did we never knew it. Granddad Rogers was OK when she wasn't around. Men then did not have much to say or do with the girls, now the boys were A different story, for them I am sure he was A nice Granddad. This was A very happy time in my life, Grandmother Rogers was not what I thought of much or pondered on, later I would know and realize what A spiteful mean old women she really was.

My Great Grandfather Johnson (Grandmother Rogers Father) also lived with us, he was not allowed in her house, he was an ordley old cuss that no one other than Mom and Dad would have put up with. He must have had some good
qualities since all of us loved him in spite of his fussing, bragging, stinginess and just hard down meanness, he would gladly have stab A hand with A fork if any of the boys had the nerve to reach for the last biscuit or piece of meat on the dinner/supper table. He loved to tell his War stories of when he fought for the South and firmly believed the South would rise again. He was an old man that carried himself well and loved to tell his tales to anyone with an ear to listen, since he was A horse trader I am sure his tales came in handy. I also know that he would have laid his life down for anyone of us.

We did not see Dad much, we had breakfast with him, children were not allowed to talk at the table, unless spoken too. Then off to work he would go leaving Mom in charge of the house and all the rowdy kids. Not that the boys minded at all for our Father was A very stern man and this too we accepted without question. He did love Mom of that I am sure. He also loved to go down town to hang with the men on week-ends and some nights he would leave and be gone for half the night I am sure he went to play poker in the back room of some ones house, I also know this would not have been allowed in our home. The boys did tell me in later years that I was right on where Dad went off to when he should have been staying home, which I think he did live to regret.

I will leave off for now, the next part of my Mothers story will be written more in book form for better enjoyment, this part was only to acquaint you with her life and family, even though in book form it will be true and factual, I have also made A index page of chapters, in order for you to pick up where you left off. I hope you enjoy the life of my Mother