From Whence We Came: Good Old Days

By Anna R. Coley

This book is a celebration of our history. It serves to honor our loved ones who have gone to glory. Their love will sustain us all through our ups and downs. We must never forget our oral or written history. Please read this book and remember that Aunt Whoever was a great cook or that Uncle Whoever would always slip you a little change. Think about how much you loved your ancestors (maybe some a little more than others) then read about them in this book. As you look in the mirror see whose features you can see in your face, then read about that loved one.
Teach the young ones that we have a proud history and every family is made up of achievers and under achievers but that's okay, we still love them all. We are a family who can trace our roots back to slavery. We now have family members who are (doctors, lawyers, business managers, teachers, politicians almost any profession you can think of.
This book will help us reminisce about our lineage as we optimistically look toward what the future holds for the Pierce/Bond family. So, family be strong and remember our heritage, our forefathers, they were our building blocks. We must make them proud of the structure they established for us.
LET US LOVE ONE ANOTHER, FOR LOVE IS FROM GOD.
1 JOHN 4:7

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462021048

Anna R. Coley

I was born and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee. After graduating from high school, I moved to Washington, DC. After living in the Washington area for forty-five years I decided to retire to Florida and enjoys some of my passions gardening, writing and search my family history. My enthusiasm for writing soon afforded me the opportunity to write weekly articles for our two local newspapers and currently I write monthly articles for our church newsletter. Recently, I realized some of the younger members of our family were not familiar with our wonderful family history. Therefore, they could not appreciate the struggles our ancestors encountered just to survive. They did not know that our great grandfather (Jerome Pierce) was a slave who was born and lived in a log cabin with a dirt floor. Since there are so many more stories that need to be shared I am now satisfying another one of my passions searching and telling my family's history.

Book preview

Contents

Chapter 1 Anna Ruth Pierce

Chapter 2 My Great-grandparents, Jerome and Luvenia

Chapter 3 My Grandparents, Samuel Patton and Rachel Pierce

Chapter 4 Malcolm Kelly (Pete) Dykes

Chapter 5 Nathan Jerome (Son) Pierce

Chapter 6 Elnora Horton -Pierce

Chapter 7 Betty Irene Pierce

Chapter 8 Cecil Leon Pierce

Chapter 9 Barbara Jean Pierce

Chapter 10 Eva Elizabeth Pierce

Chapter 11 Wanda Marie (Peggy) Pierce

Chapter 12 Patsy Elaine Pierce

Chapter 13 Mary Minnie Belle Pierce

Chapter 14 William Henry (Billy) Lyons

Chapter 15 Albert Jerome Pierce

Chapter 16 Jake Pierce

Chapter 17 Fred Pierce

Chapter 18 Alice Jane Pierce

Chapter 19 William Mack Pierce

Chapter 20 James Edward (Ed) Pierce

Chapter 21 Albert (Al) Pierce Jr.

Chapter 22 Jerome Garfield (Rome) Pierce

Chapter 23 Virginia Carletha Pierce

Chapter 24 Thomas H. (T. H.) Pierce

Chapter 25 Eva Mae Pierce

Chapter 26 Jack Pierce

Chapter 27 Matthew (Matt) Pierce

Chapter 28 Virginia Frances Pierce and Alfred Bond

Chapter 29 Luvenia (Venia) Bond and Eldridge Jerome (Bud) Bond

Chapter 30 Theresa Bond

Chapter 31 Oscar Samuel Bond

Chapter 32 Olivia Bond

Chapter 33 Milton Maceo Bond

Chapter 34 Lenora K. Bond

Chapter 35 William Matthew (Matt) Bond

Chapter 36 Orvel D. Bond

Chapter 37 Roselene (Rose) Bond

Chapter 38 John Douglas (J. D. or Doug) Bond

Chapter 39 Betty Jo Bond

Chapter 40 Edward L. (Ed Dert) Pierce

Chapter 41 Eldridge and Sallie Bond

Chapter 42 Argold George and Harless Bond

Chapter 43 James Howard Bond

Chapter 44 Mary Lee Bond

Chapter 45 Thomas Lee (Buddy) Bond

Chapter 46 Iris Ann Flack

Chapter 47 Jennifer Vanita (Jean) and Jacqueline Bond

Chapter 48 Jessica Bond-McGlone

Chapter 49 Cornelia Helen Bond-Ashworth

Chapter 50 John Douglas Ashworth

Chapter 51 Nathan Dykes

Chapter 52 Why My Family Is So Important to Me

Chapter 53 Historical Sites

Chapter 54 Epilogue

"Know from whence

You came

because if you know

from whence you came,

there is no limit

to where you can go."

James Baldwin

Dedication

In loving memory of my cousin Oscar Bond, who was always searching to find more information about the family history and willing to share the information he obtained. As a tribute to his memory, we vowed to continue the family reunions (homecomings). My personal commitment to him is to continue to researching for more family history and to share it with other family members who might be interested.

To Theresa Bond Dykes and Jerome Pierce, who at the time were the older members of each family.

To my mother, Eva Pierce-Gantt, who shared information while she was able to communicate.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to the family members who kindly shared stories from their personal memory banks and donated photographs from their collections for this book.

To my husband, Walter, for all of his love, support, and encouragement.

To my sister Peggy, who I loved dearly and who was always there to give me a gentle (sometimes not too gentle) nudge when I needed it. I thank her for knowing when I needed it and for her love and encouragement.

A special thank you to Sherry Kincheo, who allowed me to use some of the information she had gathered for the Pierce brothers and sister album.

To all the family members who were kind enough to write about their parents: Landa Moss, Joe Comage, Marqui Lyons, and John Ashworth.

To Cecil Pierce for writing about himself.

My sincere appreciation to my good friends Jeanette McCottrey, Pamela Coley, and Peter Lineberry for taking time to review and edit the first draft for this manuscript.

To Theresa Dykes and Jerome Pierce for sharing their memories with me.

To Orvel Bond, who suggested doing a Family Heritage Book.

To Marqui Lyons for inspiring me to write this book so that family members would know to whom and how they were related.

Good Old Days

By Ruth Shook

When we were living those good old days,

they didn’t seem so good.

We read by the light of a kerosene lamp

and heated homes with wood.

We carried water up the hill

to wash with, cook, and scrub.

And we took our baths behind the stove

in a galvanized laundry tub.

I still can smell the lye soap

and feel the sting and hurt

when some of it got in my eyes,

but it really got the dirt.

We slept on corn-husk mattresses,

sometimes three in a bed.

If you were late you got the foot;

the early ones took the head.

We waded snow, ice, and mud

to get to the seat of learning,

with a potbellied stove that froze our backs

while our fronts were nearly burning.

We drank from a cup by a water pail

on a bench where the teacher put it.

And whatever ailment any kid had

the rest were sure to get it.

In the winter you milked in a drafty barn

while the wind whistled through the cracks.

And the swirling snow, while you were inside,

filled up your fresh-made tracks.

A little house at the end of a patch,

half-hidden with brush and weeds,

in summer heat and winter’s cold

served other family needs.

Now you may look with envious eyes

to these times, if you’re twenty.

But I’ve been through those good old days,

and once, my friend is plenty!

Family Prayer

The light of God surrounds us.

The love of God enfolds us.

The power of God protects us.

The presence of God watches over us.

Wherever we are, God is!

Father God, we thank you for all the blessings you have bestowed upon us.

We thank you for the family you have given us to love and cherish.

We pray that you will surround each of us with your tender loving care.

Please teach us to love and serve one another in true affection, and look to you in all our needs.

Keep us close to one another in this life, and direct us at last to our true and heavenly home.

In Jesus’ holy name,

Amen

Preface

I have often contemplated how I will be remembered. Will it be for the way I helped someone in need or gave a kind, comforting word or hug to a lonely or sad person? Or will only my immediate family and friends remember me? I would like to be remembered as a kind, loving person who was willing to offer a helping hand in the time of need.

I don’t have money, jewelry, or land to pass on as an inheritance. What I can leave are some of my favorite childhood memories and some family history that the younger generation may not know. I hope that when I have finished this book our family will know to whom and how they are related. I want the family to know from whence we came, to understand some of the struggles our forebears had to endure so that we could be where we are today.

I grew up in a small, segregated town in Tennessee. Back then we were called Negro or colored, that is, in polite society only. On the lighter side, we had our own private waiting rooms in bus and train stations, schools, drinking fountains, the entire upper level of the movie theater, which was over the seats for whites, and restrooms. Unfortunately, they were always dirty and smelly, and most of the time there was no toilet paper available in the restrooms. I always wondered if the water tasted different at the fountain marked white only, so one day I decided to find out. I crept over to the white only fountain and took a quick drink. There was no difference. We had to enter every establishment through the back door. Even after we paid for our food we were not allowed to sit at the lunch counters and enjoy it.

I realize our younger family members who grew up in different cities are not familiar with some of the family history and struggles. I have always enjoyed being the family historian. I have gathered our history by listening to older family members, posing my questions to everyone I could, and also from my personal memories. I treasure the stories of our family. Some members of the family have asked me whether there is a history of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, or high blood pressure in our family. This is important genetic information that we all should know.

Since I’ve become the family matriarch, I have found it gratifying to talk about our relatives and how they survived some terrible living conditions. Not everyone knows that Grandpa Pierce was born a slave owned by John Pierce, who is also said to be his father, or that Grandpa and his mother lived in a one-room log cabin with a dirt floor.

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why your grandparents treasured a faded photograph, a worn Bible, or that small garden plot in their backyard? Why, year after year, did they continue to turn the rich soil and lovingly prepare the earth for a few tomato plants, some green beans, collards, and maybe a little Bibb lettuce? Why did owning property mean so much to them? Why did they spend so much time deriving satisfactory from their small harvest each fall? Perhaps the answer lies thousands of miles across the ocean and generations before they were born.

We have all wondered about these sorts of things, especially when we were out there in that hot sun working with sweat running down our back and face. For some, that piece of land was all they had to call their own. Some worked and paid for it; others received it from their parents. Or maybe their legacy was, how does the old saying go, forty acres and a mule

As we grow older and become wise and wonderful people, we hope that we will be remembered significantly and meaningfully to those who are close to us. I hope that by recording these family anecdotes, they will become a source of historical reference for current and future generations. I am attempting to chronicle this brief family history from bits and pieces of oral information and memories obtained from family members; some memories are my own. During the interviews I conducted, I found that most people don’t remember or don’t want to see their recollections in print. There are some things that are too painful to remember, and we would just as soon no one else remembered certain incidents. Unfortunately, there is always that one person who does remember. Just remember, don’t judge your ancestors too harshly, because there but for the grace of God could be any one of us.

One thing you should prepare for in your pursuit to learning about your ancestry is that there will be moments when you will be surprised and astonished by what you encounter. There will be heartaches and disappointments but also lots of joy and pride. Don’t be too hasty to form an opinion. Be considerate, and don’t be judgmental. You don’t know their circumstances. People had strengths and weakness, and sometimes they made mistakes. So if everyone you come across on your family tree isn’t perfect, don’t think of it as something bad. Just remember there are all kinds of trees with many kinds of leaves, and not every leaf is perfect. If you don’t see any information about yourself, it is either because I did not receive it on time or did not receive it at all.

Chapter 1

Anna Ruth Pierce

Imagine everyone’s amazement on that Thursday, February 18, 1932, in the rural area of Kingsport, Tennessee, known then as Horse Creek, when I made my entrance into their lives. No one knew I was on the way. The story I have been told is that my mother was playing cards with some friends and cousins. She asked to be excused because of a headache. She was gone so long that everyone became concerned about her; they decided someone should check on her to see if she was all right.

When her cousin Theresa went into the room, she heard a baby crying and rushed in to find that Mother had just had a baby. She cleaned me up the best she could and asked for some clothes to put on the baby. Mother said, Just look in the drawer and get a sheet and make her a diaper. She had no clothes for me; she claimed she didn’t even know she was pregnant because she had never missed her menstrual cycle. Imagine! My mother delivered me all alone, by herself. There was no one in the room to help her; no one to soothe her pain. Even though there was a room full of people in the other room, she did not invite anyone into her solitude.

Since everyone in the house was fairly young—they were all teenagers or young adults—this was overwhelming to them. My grandparents were not home. My grandmother, who of course would have known immediately what to do, was working as a seamstress for J. C. Penney. So, they went to get Aunt Virginia (my grandfather’s sister); she came with her father-in-law who was a midwife or whatever you call men who provide assistance to women during childbirth.

Can you imagine my grandparents’ surprise when they arrived home and found this beautiful little baby girl? There was a lot of discussion about what should be done with this unexpected new member to the family. Aunt Virginia spoke up and said, I’ll take her and raise her. But my grandmother said, No, we will keep her. As you can