The Bottom Place: Stories of Life on a Rural Mississippi Farm in the 1920S

By Jean G. Sauls

The stories in this book take place in the 1920s, during the childhood of the eldest five of the nine siblings as they remembered them and then retold to the grandchildren as the author remembers them. Some were softened as the aunts and uncles related the tales, and occasionally they became somewhat different for the younger generation. Nonetheless, the stories are a part of Jean Saulss history. This is a book for people who also remember that time and for children who never knew such a history existed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512700473

Jean G. Sauls

The author graduated high school from Lumberton, Mississippi; finished a BS degree in education at Mississippi College; and earned a MS from the University of Southern Mississippi with an emphasis in reading. Jean has two grown children, Jeffrey and Daphne, and one granddaughter, Presley. The author taught school for thirty-five years in Louisiana, Georgia, Minnesota, Illinois, and Mississippi, the last for the past nineteen years. For the past twenty-five years, Jean has lived in Columbia, Mississippi, with her husband, Bobby. She is the pianist for East Columbia Baptist Church, teaches an adult ladies’ Sunday school class, and plays in the handbell choir.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 Jean G. Sauls.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-0046-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-0047-3 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/30/2016

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Darbun, MS

Harvesting Plums

New Kittens

Tea Cakes

The Mailman

Cane Playing

Soda-Pop Sharing

Mule Training

Muscadine Vines

The City

Tub Washing

Gander

Our Daily Bread

Playmates

Tea

Picture Time

Sunday Church

The Candy Egg

The Kid Wagon

Early School

The Red Buttons

New Fangled Thangs

Dog Bread

The Poet

Persimmons

Cotton Patch Conversations

Cotton

Storms Never Last

Feeling The Fire

Wee-Gurl

Ginning

Ginning Prediction

Memories of Grandpaw

My Grandmother

Cousins

Ellzeys

Epilogue

Tea Cakes

Making Butter

Questions for Discussions

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Dedicated

to

the memory of my grandparents,

Lizzie Eliza Bracey Ellzey

and

John Lealon Ellzey

and

their children

who made these stories

possible.

Foreword

None of us should forget the difficult, dark days of the depression in our country. Looking back and remembering these times helps us to appreciate all we have and experience today.

This book contains stories of a dirt farmer and his family and relates their survival. In the end, the parents lived to see their children prosper and become individuals who made a positive impact on others because of their strong family unit.

The author has told the stories from her perspective as she heard them from the Ellzey siblings who also related them to her from their individual perspectives.

Jean’s zest for life, her caring, loving and giving ways are appreciated by those who know her. These stories are a gift from her to those who have never experienced these times and a remembrance to those who did. She inspires us all with this memorial to the John Lealon Ellzey family.

Dr. June Hornsby, Ed.D.

Professor of Education

Director of Student Teaching

William Carey University

Introduction

The Ellzey family lived during a time when life was difficult for everyone in the farmland countryside of Mississippi. Many of the modern conveniences, the medical cures, and the technology that we know today only existed in science fiction. They never missed these things because they had never had them.

Perhaps the two children who died very young could have survived with medicines we have now. However, life was hard and cures were unknown. The parents did their very best in the times and the circumstances in which they lived.

The intelligence of the children, the determination that ‘out there in the world there has to be a better life’, along with the moral and character training given, helped these children develop a drive to succeed. Through the experience of hard work, the values that were instilled, and the stern discipline of their father, they all grew up to hold responsible jobs and meet set goals to become positive contributing adults in society.

The stories in this book take place on a rural Mississippi farm of 95 acres during the childhood of the eldest 5 of the 9 siblings in the 1920’s. Many of their days were spent working on the hillside, the bottom land, the middle, or furtherest patches of the Darbun place in cotton, corn, sugar cane or whatever Papa grew. Sometimes, they worked near Darbun Creek which ran through the farm. There were some differences in the stories as they were remembered and then re-told over and over to the grandchildren as I remember them. Some of the incidents were softened as they related the tales and became somewhat different for the younger generation. Nonetheless, the stories are a part of my memory and my history. This is a book for people who also remember that time and for children who never knew such a life existed.

B.jpeg.halfpageEllzeyfamily7people.jpg

The Ellzey family: from left to right, Lorene, Howard, Grayson, Papa, Mama holding Nellison, and Madge.

Darbun, MS

The name

we’re told

(by local folklore)

comes from

somewhere

long ago.

Native Americans

while passing

through

spotted

piles of sun-bleached

bones in dew.

In shock

surprise,

they pointed

excitedly and

exclaimed

Dar-a-bone!

Hence the community

had a name.

Settlers stayed.

Generations grew.

Folks changed,

but not the name.

Darbun!

Harvesting Plums

Grayson had gotten up very early while the fog was still thick, hovering near the ground before the sun was up, to hurry down to the plum trees at the edge of the Bottom Place. It wasn’t what he had to do. It was what he wanted to do.

He wanted to be the first one there because whoever was first got to eat all the juicy apricot plums right off the tree. The green ones would surely make your stomach ache, and Mama always kept caster oil for that purpose. Sometimes, green ones were the only ones left after all the other younguns helped themselves. Only Lady likes to eat them that way with salt, or so she said. That’s why he was up so early. No one had been down there in three days, he knew, ‘cause Papa had kept them busy in the fields.

Being afraid of the dark had hampered his going somewhat, but now he sneaked toward the trees with his straw hat in his hand ready to fill it to the brim. Just as he neared the grove he could hear a chomping sound. That made his heart beat faster, but he soon realized that someone must have beaten him to the tree. Drats! Somebody had gotten up earlier than he had! But which one could it have been? He went nearer so he could surely get some of the plums that were left. Who should be enjoying the fruit but Wee-Gurl herself!

Grayson watched her as she backed her rump up next to the tree and gave it three hard bumps. Plums fell everywhere. She calmly proceeded to march around the base of the tree, picking up the delectable fruit with her snout and chomping down on her favorite treat.

She grunted twice and twitched her tail as she saw Grayson nearing the trees as if to say, Come and join me!

You, pig! Grayson shouted as he ran toward the family pet. He lost his madness when he saw the fruit all spread out on the ground. It was hard to be angry with Wee-Gurl for very long. She almost had a smile as she looked at him while chewing, letting the juice flow from the corners of her mouth. She was more willing to share than Grayson would have been, it seemed.

Grayson couldn’t tarry. He ate all he could hold, and then held all he could in his hat to carry with him. Getting up early had been worth all the trouble this time. What is it they say- ‘the early bird gets the worm’? Or should we say ‘plum’? Yeah, how sweet it is.

Before long he was