Category Archives: family

Saturday Snippet – Okatibbee Creek

Posted on by Lori Crane

okatibbee_cover frontIt’s been a while since I posted a snippet. The following is from my book Okatibbee Creek. The heroine of the story is my 3rd great grandmother. She barely survived the Civil War and typhoid running rampant through her family. In this scene, the war is over and disease has passed, she is older and having a discussion with the slave who raised her.

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I look up and see Bertie slowly walking up the road toward daddy’s house. She’s wearing a dark blue dress and a floppy straw hat covering her eyes.

“Hi, Miss Bertie,” I yell to her as I wipe away my tears and put a smile on my face.

“Hi, baby girl.” She waves back.

“What brings you out on this lovely morning?” I ask when she finally reaches the porch and plops down on the step. She takes off her hat and reveals her gray hair tied in a bun. She sets her hat next to her and wipes beads of sweat off her forehead with her handkerchief.

“I was just on my way to your house to see the babies and to see how you are doing,” she says as she tucks her handkerchief back into her sleeve.

I can tell by her demeanor that there is something more on her mind, but I figure she will tell me when she is ready.

“Well, it’s nice to see you. We are all doing fine at home,” I reply.

“That’s good to hear, baby girl.”

“Bertie, I’m forty-one years old. How long are you going to call me baby girl?” I tease her.

She laughs. “You have been my baby girl since I came to your daddy’s house when you were six years old. You will always be my baby girl.”

“Aw, you know I love you, Miss Bertie.” I reach over and pat her bony hand.

“And I love you, too, baby girl. You know, you have always been the smartest and most beautiful of your momma’s children. And with everything you have been through, you have become the strongest and most courageous woman I have ever known.”

She pauses and looks out across the yard as her mind wanders to another time and place. After a moment she adds, “Your momma and daddy would be very proud of you, but it was a blessing they were not around to witness all the pain and loss we went through.” She pauses again and looks out across the yard. “You’re also a wonderful mother.”

I can tell she’s leading up to something.

“I don’t know what I would have done without you, Bertie. You helped me through so much.”

“I know what you went through, baby girl. I witnessed it all. I have seen you stand strong in the face of disaster and death and sickness and hunger. You have faced every adversity with courage and every defeat with dignity and grace. I’m very proud of you, more than you’ll ever know.”

My eyes well up with tears as I feel a mixture of being touched by her kind words, and trepidation that she is going somewhere awful with this talk.

“Bertie, your love has been one of the reasons I have been able to be strong and steadfast. Together, we have laughed and cried through so much,” I say as I stare straight ahead at the field.

Memories come flooding back, along with the sadness and the happiness. Rice, Daddy, Momma, Monroe Franklin. I shake the memories off and look back at Bertie.

“I have the feeling you weren’t headed all the way to my house just to tell me you’re proud of me.” I stop and wait for her to speak.

“Well, baby girl, like I said, you have always been the smartest of your momma’s children.” She takes a deep breath and exhales. I wait patiently as I watch her build up her courage. “Well, I have not been feeling very well lately and I saw the doctor. He said he can’t do much for me and I may not be around much longer. You know I have raised Tony as my own since his parents died of the fever. He’s only thirteen and not quite ready to face the world on his own just yet.” She looks away. I can tell she is trying to get through this speech without crying. Finally, she turns to me and looks me straight in the eye. “I want to ask you to take care of Tony when my time comes. I can rest easy if I know you will do that for me.”

“What? Bertie, of course I will take care of Tony. But I don’t want to hear anything about you being gone. We’ve been through too much together and everything finally seems to be turning around for the better.” I pause, wondering if that is really true. Is everything going to be all right?

I continue, “We’ve walked straight through the midst of hell and we are just now starting to find our way back.”

“I hope you’re right, baby girl, but we can’t control what the good Lord wants to do. We just have to handle it the best we can when it comes.”

I nod and quietly say, “Bertie, I will do whatever you need me to do.”

“I know you will, baby girl. I just thought it would be nice to ask.” She winks at me.

Using both arms to lift herself, Bertie slowly rises from the step. I stand up, too, and she gives me a long hug. She puts her hat on and carefully steps away from the porch, heading toward the dirt road. I yell “goodbye” to her and she waves her hand behind her head without turning around. She walks very, very slowly, favoring one leg more than the other, and I watch her until she shuffles out of sight.

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Lori Crane Books at Amazon and on audiobook at Audible.

Happy 143rd Birthday, Aunt Dora!

Posted on by Lori Crane

culpepper mary eudora culpepper saterfiel familyMary Eudora Culpepper Saterfiel Watson was born March 31, 1871.

She is pictured here in the center with her husband WB Saterfiel to the left, her father JB Culpepper to the right, and her children from left to right in front Dewey Oliver Saterfiel and baby Alma. In the back row, left to right, Evie Mae Saterfiel Hodges, Indeola “Necie” Saterfiel Byrd, Willie Carlos Saterfiel, Adie Joseph Saterfiel.

Side note: I ordered my grandparent’s marriage license and the witness was D.O. Saterfiel, the little guy. He was my grandpa’s cousin. I sometimes forget these people knew each other. 🙂

She was my grandpa’s aunt Dora. She was born to Joel B Culpepper and Mary E “Mollie” McFarland in Sumter County, Alabama, as the only girl with five brothers. There was another girl born to the union, but she died at birth. Aunt Dora was the eldest of the children, so I imagine she was the caregiver to her little brothers. At some point when the children were little, the family moved to Kemper County, MS. After her mother’s death in 1908, her father moved in with her for a short time. That’s when this photo was taken. Shortly after this, he was placed in a soldier’s home in Biloxi, MS, where he died less than a year later, on Nov. 11, 1911. Dora was 40.

culpepper Mary Eudora Culpepper SaterfielWhen she was about 19, she married William Bartley Saterfiel around 1890 and had six children. Three of her children married into the Hodges family. Mr. Hodges married three times, and with each union came more children. The three Saterfiel children married a Hodges child from each of the three wives. The Hodges/Saterfiel family reunion must be confusing.

She lost her youngest child in 1912. Baby Alma was only five years old when she died, not very long after the top photo was taken.

Following her husband’s death in 1925, she married GW Watson in 1929. Though she was married to Mr. Watson for 21 years, her headstone reads Eudora Saterfiel and her obit says nothing of Mr. Watson’s children. She died at the age of 78. Her obit is as follows:

culpepper, mary eudora culpepper saterfiel watsonFriday, January 6, 1950

Mrs. G. W. Watson

Mrs. G. W. Watson of Collinsville died Friday at St. Joseph Hospital, following a heart attack. Funeral will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. from the Union Funeral Home. The Rev. Edward McKeithen officiating. Interment will be in Union. Survivors include three sons: A. J. and D. O., Collinsville, and W. C. Saterfiel, Causeyville: Two daughters, Mesdames Joe Byrd and George Hodges, Collinsville: several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  

Her father, husband, and baby Alma are buried at Zion Cemetery, Kemper Co, MS. She and her other children are buried at Pine Grove Cemetery in Lauderdale Co, MS. Mr. Watson and his first wife are buried at Memorial Park in Newton Co, MS.

My Grandmah – the Doctah

Posted on by Lori Crane

In the early 1900s, my great grandmother, Nancy Didama Spencer Burke (Grandma Damie) was a doctor. She rode around the back hills of Newton County, Mississippi, taking care of the sick. She didn’t ride in a car. She rode side-saddle, and a woman doctor was a rare thing.

Many moons ago, women were the caretakers and caregivers, but at some point the medical power was given over to men. Gaining that power back was a hard door to open.

T909228_08It was opened by Elizabeth Blackwell (pictured left) in the mid-1800s. Miss Blackwell was born in England, but raised in America. A dying female friend told her she would have suffered far less if her physician had been a woman. This statement encouraged Elizabeth to pursue a career in medicine. She was told she would never become a doctor, because there was no schooling available for a woman, but that didn’t stop her from applying to every medical school in the country. Finally, as a joke, she was voted into Geneva Medical College in New York. I can only imagine the ridicule she received at the all-male school. But she showed them. She graduated first in her class in 1849 and later studied surgery, midwifery, and obstetrics. One can imagine she had very few patients and no camaraderie, but she persevered. Keep in mind this was 100 years before women even got the right to vote. She was a strong and intelligent woman.

She paved the path for many women in the field of medicine – even Grandma Damie.

186 years doesn’t make any difference

Posted on by Lori Crane

186 years doesn’t make any difference

March 17th is my 3rd great grandmother’s birthday. She was born in 1828. Her name was Mary Ann. In 1862/63 during the Civil War, she lost her husband and three brothers to war, both her parents and her 1-year-old son to typhoid, and a host of other family members to one or the other. The total death count in the family over a one-year period was seventeen. She was 35.

In 1923, my great grandmother, Eula, lost her baby girl to pneumonia. That was the same year she lost her father and her sister, and the same year her husband was sent to prison for shooting down a man in a gunfight over a moonshine still. She was 25.

February 24, 2014, after a four-year battle, my daughter lost her fiancé to cancer. She’s 28.

Driving back and forth to the hospital, we spoke about Mary Ann and Eula and their ages during those horrific times, and she said it must be some kind of curse on the women of our family.

I don’t think so.

As her fiancé took his last breath, it was only she, I, and his mother at his bedside. As usual, it was the women who held the dying and kept the rest of the world from caving in. When Mary Ann’s brother died of typhoid, it was she who took in his children and raised them. She was a women who remained steadfast in the face of despair. When Eula’s husband was sent to prison, it was she who raised the other children and took care of the farm. She was a woman who stood strong in the eye of the storm and saw the family through.

I think the women of our family are the rocks. We are the ones who carry the weight for everyone else. There is no curse. There are only miracles, and we are the ones who perform them.

Happy birthday to our grandma Mary Ann. Thank you for teaching us to be strong.

Strength-of-character-isn’t-always-about

Reflection

Posted on by Lori Crane

I’m taking a moment to reflect upon our current and tragic family events.

FoDog2 smlA couple years ago, my daughter brought home a boy. She described him as, “He’s Chinese and he’s wearing a Detroit Lion’s jersey.” I fell in love with him the moment I met him, and him being Chinese with a lion on his chest, I immediately adopted him as my Foo Dog. Foo Dogs have traditionally stood guard as the protectors of palaces and tombs. They are powerful and fearless. This boy carried those traits. I knew my daughter was in very good hands, and I could tell by her face, this boy was The One.

A few months later, she called with troubling news. The Foo Dog had before suffered from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and was in remission. The words no thirty-year-old should hear once, much less twice – the cancer had returned. I would like to say my daughter did some deep soul searching before deciding to continue the relationship, but there was no choice, they loved each other and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, whether that time be 3 months, 3 years, or 30 years.

They were engaged April 2013 and planned a November wedding, but in September his health began to deteriorate dramatically. The treatments were doing as much harm as good, and cancer is a cold and calloused bitch. Reluctantly, the wedding was cancelled only a few weeks before it was to occur. Thanksgiving and Christmas were spent with him suffering through yet more treatments and pain and drugs. January crawled with trips to the hospital for treatments to ward off the side effects of the initial treatments. We didn’t know if his rapid decline was due to the disease or the treatment or a combination of the two, but in the last few months, she took care of him twenty-four hours a day, hoping for a good day, praying for some good news, wishing for anything positive. I am awed and humbled by her strength and love for him. These two young people deserved so much more than what they received from the universe.

On February 8th, he was admitted to the hospital with dangerous, life-threatening numbers, and a week later, he was admitted into hospice. We stood vigil at his bedside night and day and were with him as he took his last breath at 10:30 p.m. on February 24th.

He was without a doubt the bravest man I’ve ever met. He faced the disease without a blink of fear, every setback without complaint, every failed treatment with “We’ll find another way.” He was intelligent and handsome and kind, but more than that he was powerful and fearless. He was my Foo Dog. Godspeed my dear one.

Trien Duong 

June 15, 1981 – February 24, 2014

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Happy Birthday to ME!

Posted on by Lori Crane

downloadWell, another year has flown by. They seem to move faster now that the kids are grown and gone. We used to measure time by what the kids were doing: She was in seventh grade; He played baseball that summer. But now, there is no measurement. Days just slip by and another year is gone. How strange.

As I grow older, I have mixed feelings of both peace and sadness. Peace that I don’t have to impress, climb the ladder, drive the perfect car, live in the perfect neighborhood. Sadness that so many things are now out of my control. When you’re young, anything is possible. All you have to do is decide where you want to go, how you want to live, who you want to hang out with, and it can happen. When you age, you don’t have as many choices. I will never run for president, join the military, or become Miss America. Not that I was going to do any of those things anyway, but it’s sad to have the choices involuntarily taken from me.

As you age, it seems life both contracts and expands at the same time. It contracts due to the lack of options but expands due to the growing number of family, friends, hobbies. In my case, the lack of options for the future has been replaced with an obsessive determination to get everything done. Now. I think I’m running out of time and there are not enough hours in the days.

My mother, father, and grandmother all died in their fifties, and I always thought I would too. Well, if that’s true, I’d better get busy doing all the things I want to do, because I’m quickly moving closer and closer toward the end. It’s not really a morose thought, just a simple fact like, “Hey, better run to the store and get toilet paper.”

m_445588_yJlS9RjSt5chAging is a very strange thing. This ring was once put on the finger of a beautiful young woman with the world at her feet and the dreams of being a wife and mother shining in the distance. Though the skin has wrinkled and the dreams have, over the decades, become reality, that young heart is still beating inside. The things that were once important – getting that promotion, cutting the grass, holiday shopping – have been replaced with the simple act of spending time with the ones you love. Period. Some family and friends are younger, some are older, some are your lifelong companions. You never know which ones will still be here on your next birthday. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. That’s the most interesting thing about aging – the finality of it all.

Love everybody and tell them so today.

ELLY HAYS book tour – Last Stops: Reviews and Twitter Chat!

Posted on by Lori Crane

elly cover_webThe last stops of the ELLY HAYS book tour are for reviews.

One is on the other side of the pond at author Christoph Fischer’s and the other is right here in the U.S. at author PC Zick’s. They are both amazing and talented authors, and I’m thrilled they both liked Elly. I respect their opinions greatly and feel a huge sense of humility and thankfulness for their kind reviews. Pop over and tell them both Hi. Check out their books while you’re there.

 

 

 

 

 

twitter-chat-tree-11The very last stop of the tour will be tomorrow (Saturday, Nov 16, 4-5pm Eastern) for a LIVE Twitter chat. If you’ve ever thought about putting your own stories out into the world, come chat with us and we’ll be happy to point you in the direction. I’ll be joined by authors PC Zick, Anna Belfrage, Pat Fitzhugh, Beem Weeks, and book cover designer/formatting genius/video trailer producer/swag guru Rob Hess from Elite Book Design. Come asks us questions and hang out.

Join us through www.Tweetchat.com and use hashtag #ellyhays. If you’re not familiar with Tweetchat, it is a live, single-conversation Twitter feed, so you don’t have to surf through other Tweets. Also, you only have to put in the hashtag to join the conversation and don’t have to add it with every Tweet – Tweetchat will automatically do it for you. Gotta love technology!

See you tomorrow!!! ♥

 

ELLY is in Ireland!

Posted on by Lori Crane

elly cover_webThe ELLY HAYS book tour has taken a detour to the beautiful Isle of Green. Today, we stop by Ireland at “History with a Twist” to visit with author David Lawlor. Stop over there and check it out. You can comment and win an eBook, but you’ll have to scroll down to the bottom of the page, passing amazing authors and their GREAT books. Don’t get lost. 🙂 Click HERE to visit!

While you’re checking out great books today, go to Amazon HERE and check out David’s books, “The Golden Grave” and “Tan.”

ELLY HAYS book tour – at Sandi Layne’s today!

Posted on by Lori Crane

elly cover_webToday’s stop on the ELLY HAYS book tour is at author Sandi Layne’s blog. Sandi asked me why I wrote ELLY HAYS, and that’s what the blog is about. Elly isn’t just another story — it is the story of my 5th great grandmother. I am honored and proud to share her life with you, TWO HUNDRED YEARS later. You can read the article right HERE!  Also, don’t forget to comment over there to win a free eBook.

 

While you’re at it, check out Sandi’s award-winning books on Amazon right HERE. She is a fabulous and prolific writer! I hope to have that many books out someday. 🙂

ELLY HAYS Book Tour – Interview with Elly

Posted on by Lori Crane

elly book tourHi everyone! Thanks for stopping by the book tour today. We’re in the middle of the ELLY HAYS book tour which will wrap up on Saturday with a Twitter chat. Please check http://www.LoriCraneAuthor.com for a list of events, also, check the bottom of this page for a giveaway!

Today, we have with us the heroine of ELLY HAYS…the one and only… Elly Hays!

Lori: So, Elly, since you’re my 5th great grandmother, I know quite a bit about you, but please tell our readers a little about yourself.

Elly: Sure. I was born in 1774, just before the Revolutionary War, in North Carolina, right on the border of Tennessee. We actually lived in Tennessee. The varying records from both states make my descendants crazy when they try to look up the family.

Lori: Tell me about it. (I need a sarcasm font.)

Elly: My dad’s name was Samuel Hays and my mom was Elizabeth Priscilla Brawford.

Lori: Where were your parents from?

Elly: Dad was from Tennessee, mom was from Virginia.

Lori: Is Tennessee where you met your husband?

Elly: Yes, James Rodgers was born in Tennessee. We married there when I was only 16 years old–just a child.

Lori: Yes, by today’s standards, you were just a child. Did you make your home in Tennessee?

Elly: We lived there for a long time. After having 11 children, we finally moved in 1812.

Lori: What happened in 1812?

Elly: Well, the first thing that happened was a massive earthquake in December 1811 the shook the Ohio River Valley to its core. That was followed by two more earthquakes in January and February of 1812. Crevasses opened up in the earth, homes were destroyed. I even heard the Mississippi River was flowing backwards in spots. Our home was ruined.

Lori: So, what did you do?

Elly: At the same time, the War of 1812 was just beginning in the north, so James wanted to move further south to keep the children out of harm’s way. He convinced me to move.

Lori: To the Mississippi Territory?

Elly: Yes. Well, I believe you modern people now call it Alabama.

Lori: Yes, Alabama is a state now.

Elly: It was back then too, but not until 1819. We had already left that god-forsaken hell-hole by then.

Lori: Why? What happened?

Elly: What didn’t happen? We didn’t know when we moved there, the Creek Indians who occupied the land were in the middle of a civil war.

Lori: A civil war? That must have been terrifying.

Elly: That wasn’t the worst part. They also didn’t want us settlers living there, so they tortured my family for years. Every day was something else. One day, they slaughtered all my farm animals. The next day, they destroyed my crops.

Lori: Oh my! What did you do?

Elly: I fought back the best way I could. My number one priority was to keep my children safe, but in the end, I couldn’t even do that.

Lori: So, what happened?

Elly: Well, the final straw was when they burned down our house and everything in it.

Lori: What did you do then?

Elly: Well, you’ll have to read the book and find out, won’t you?

Lori: Well, you heard her. Get your copy of ELLY HAYS! You can pick it up HERE.

Grandma Elly, thank you for coming by the blog today. We loved meeting you.

Elly: It was my pleasure. I hope everyone enjoys the story.

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GIVEAWAYS

1. EBOOK!  Every comment on this post during the book tour (Nov 4-16) will be entered to win an ebook of the 1st or 2nd book in the Okatibbee Creek series, OKATIBBEE CREEK or AN ORPHAN’S HEART. Your choice of Kindle or Nook. One winner will be chosen. Prize will be delivered by email. Winner will be posted here in the comments on November 17, 2013. Visit each stop of the tour to increase your chances. An ebook will be given away at each stop. Tour schedule is posted below.

2. $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD! If you sign up for Lori’s newsletter by November 16th, you will be entered into the drawing for a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. One winner will be chosen. Prize will be delivered by email. Winner will be announced in the newsletter on November 18, 2013. Sign up at www.LoriCraneAuthor.com.

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elly cover_webNov 4-16, 2013 – ELLY HAYS Book Tour. Meet the Author. Win Prizes. Get the Book.