Open Arms: The Life and Legacy of Ernestine Wells Slade

By Melissa Burkley

This is a story of a strong God fearing, woman who raised her children, helped to raise her grandchildren and was a foster mom to 63. In her nineties she continues to be the matriarch of her family and a strong pillar of the community.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728333953

Melissa Burkley

Ernestine Wells Slade was born in Rushmere, Virginia on February 1,1928 and is the eldest daughter of P.D. Wells, Sr. and Sarah Bradby Wells. On September 5, 1948 Ernestine married Clifton Samuel Slade and they went on to have four children raising them on their 495-acre farm where they grew peanuts, corn, soybeans and sweet potatoes. In 1975, Clifton and Ernestine along with a close family friend opened Slade’s Park where performers came from all over the country to entertain. Slade’s Park has now become one of the states most visited trail bike riding parks. In 1981, the Slade’s began opening their arms as Foster Parents to children who needed a home. They never imagined that they would become the Foster Parents to sixty-three children. In 1990, Ernestine was honored with the prestigious recognition of National Foster Parent of The Year,” in Orlando, Florida and was later recognized by Virginia’s Governor Robert F. McDonald for her continued commitment to the Foster Care program. She is a proud and devoted member of First Gravel Hill Baptist Church in Rushmere, Virginia and continues to reside in Surry, Virginia on their family farm. Ernestine would like to thank her granddaughter, Melissa Burkley, and all who contributed towards making this book possible. This book was written by Alanda Robinson and Edythe George in the words of Ernestine Wells Slade.

Book preview

© 2019 Melissa Burkley. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  10/29/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-3397-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-3396-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-3395-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019917551

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

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.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 Genealogy - Before Ernestine

Paternal Great Grandparents Moses & Octavia Wells

Paternal Grandparents: Jim & Josephine Wells

James Jim William and Josephine Hill Wells

History of the Wells Family

The Bradby Ancestry

My Parents: P.D. Wells Sr. & Sarah Brady Wells

DADDY

MAMA

Chapter 2 The Hand of a Friend

Chapter 3 Beans on a Biscuit

Bag of Bloomers

Minute

Murdered in the Cornfield

Chapter 4 The Neighborhood

The Church: The Odd Fellows and the Household of Ruth & Lilac Tent

Chapter 5 Many uses

Chapter 6 Repass for Santa Claus

MY Spunky Sister Rebecca

Chapter 7 Blood is Thicker Than Water

Chapter 8 Meeting Clifton

Chapter 9 Working up North

Returning Home from New York

First fight

Old Fashioned Watermelon Rind Pickle

A Promise

Chapter 10 Marrying Clifton

Chapter 11 Dances, Parties and Tyler’s Beach

Chapter 12 Happiness is Worth More Than Land

Those Damn Cabinets!

Chapter 13 Our Family Grows

I Thank God for Ms. Cornelius Wilson.

Christmas and Holiday Family Gatherings

Holiday Gatherings moves to Our Home in Surry

Lebanon Elementary School Cafeteria

Chapter 14 Death of a King

Chapter 15 First Gravel Hill Baptist Church

Chapter 16 On the Way to Graduation - The Accident 1971

Chapter 17 Slade’s Park

Chapter 18 Open Arms

Bunked Beds, Dressers and Children

It Takes a Village

My Dear Clifton

Honored to Carry Out my Mother’s Work

Chapter 19 My 80th is Just the Beginning!

Family Honor

Chapter 20 Many more Chapters

About The Author

Introduction

Ernestine Wells Slade was born in Rushmere, Virginia on February 1,1928 and is the eldest daughter of P.D. Wells, Sr. and Sarah Bradby Wells. On September 5, 1948 Ernestine married Clifton Samuel Slade and they went on to have four children raising them on their 495-acre farm where they grew peanuts, corn, soybeans and sweet potatoes. In 1975, Clifton and Ernestine along with a close family friend opened Slade’s Park where performers came from all over the country to entertain. Slade’s Park has now become one of the states most visited trail bike riding parks. In 1981, the Slade’s began opening their arms as Foster Parents to children who needed a home. They never imagined that they would become the Foster Parents to sixty-three children. In 1990, Ernestine was honored with the prestigious recognition of National Foster Parent of The Year," in Orlando, Florida and was later recognized by Virginia’s Governor Robert F. McDonald for her continued commitment to the Foster Care program. She is a proud and devoted member of First Gravel Hill Baptist Church in Rushmere, Virginia and continues to reside in Surry, Virginia on their family farm. Ernestine would like to thank her granddaughter, Melissa Burkley, and all who contributed towards making this book possible. This book was written by Alanda Robinson and Edythe George in the words of Ernestine Wells Slade.

Preface

July 2019

Ninety-one years and counting, and I am still living here on our family farm in Surry County, Virginia. I am so thankful for all the years God has blessed me to remain here. They have been good years, fruitful years. There is a peace and calm when you look back over your life and you know that you did your very best when it comes to the things that really matter. Clifton, my dear husband, and I started our lives together and our life of farming over 70 years ago. Sadly, Clifton is no longer with us (He tipped his hat and walked away as he would say), but I am certain that he is content knowing that his family is still enjoying the fruits of our labor. I think of him every day, but since his passing I have continued to have a full life with my children, grandchildren, family & friends and that is what he would have wanted- of this I am sure. I remember just how much Clifton loved our farm and working for himself. Farming is all he knew. He grew up in Surry County working on his family’s farm with his father and brothers and later realizing his dream as the owner of his own farm. He knew that farming was hard work, but Clifton took care of the farm and the farm took care of us. I was not as enthusiastic about farm life as he was, but once we married, his dream became my dream. My life has been good but growing up I would never have imagined that I would be the wife of a farmer, mother to four beautiful children of my own, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, foster mother to over 63, owner of a 495 acre farm and blessed to live 91 beautiful years of life.

I was born in Rushmere, a small southeastern Virginia fishing and farming community in Isle of Wight County or at least it was in 1928 when I was born and for the most part, it remains the same today. The community of Rushmere is adjacent to the James River. The James forms in northern Virginia at the Appalachian Mountains on the border between Alleghany and Botetourt counties and flows south through Richmond merging with the Chesapeake Bay at the Newport News Shipyard. This is where my story begins.

Open Arms

Chapter 1

Genealogy - Before Ernestine

I can trace our family lineage back to around the 1830’s. My paternal great-grandparents were Moses and Octavia Wells. There wasn’t a whole lot said about Great Grandpa Moses, but I have a vague connection with him from the stories I was told by my father and my grandfather and along with the research we’ve done. However, I also knew some of his other descendants well (my aunts and uncles) and spent a lot of time with them. The stories they shared let me know that he would have had to have been a very intelligent, strong and hardworking man. He also would have been a survivor to live life in the mid 1800’s with all the hardships that came with that day and time. What we do know is that he taught his children skills to survive comfortably but only if they were smart enough to follow his instructions. Grandpa Moses would have had to understand the land he lived on and how to work it because that was a skill passed down the line from one generation to the next and it is apparent that he made that happen. That is why I say to young people today— you must, honor and obey your parents.

Paternal Great Grandparents Moses & Octavia Wells

1st Generation

2nd%20Generation.jpg

(History Note: No known Pictures available. The camera was pioneered in America by George Eastman in 1885. His first camera was called the Kodak and was first offered for sale in 1888.)

Paternal Grandparents: Jim & Josephine Wells

2nd Generation

My grandfather was James Jim Wells and my grandmother was Josephine Hill Wells. They were born in the 1870’s, about five years after the end of slavery in 1865.

43075.jpg

The records show that Grandpa Jim Wells purchased land as far back as 1894 during a time when only people of privilege were able to do so. He was a proud upright man and determined to be a success. I believe God was with our ancestors but that didn’t mean they did not encounter plenty hardships along the way. Oh yes, I knew my grandparents very well. We lived right next door to them, and we were in and out of their house all the time. Grandpa had a very distinguished look; he was tall and handsome, brown skinned with a beard and mustache, he kept a neat haircut and spoke clear and firm with good diction. Grandpa Wells appreciated every moment of his life. He would rise well before the sun came up so that he would not miss a minute of daylight work.

Jim Wells farmed the land as his father Moses had taught him along with working the river for a living. Back then, men who worked the river were called watermen and he was one of the best around. He taught many of the young men in our community how to work what he considered his river. Certain times of the year, Grandpa and his sons along with all the other local commercial watermen fished for crab, rockfish, oysters, catfish, shad, sturgeon, butterfish, flounder, croakers, spots and the like. They even caught an occasional eel fish which were rare but delicious. Although he worked hard in the field and on the river, he prided himself on being well dressed and well-groomed the rest of the time. It must have been a part of his plan for success and before Grandpa James passed away, he made sure that each of his children had their own homes and a piece of land, both his girls and his boys.

Grandpa Jim was stingy too or at least I thought he was. I say that because when I was a child, he owned a general merchandise store and he kept plenty candy in his store in the show case, but he never gave it away freely! He must have known how much his grandchildren’s mouths watered for all the different types of candies and cakes displayed there. However, I must say, sometimes when we helped Grandma around the house or did a small chore for him, he would reward us by allowing us to pick out a treat from the case. Thinking about it now, he was probably training us even back then that with work comes reward.

Grandpa Jim had a horse named Charlie and four mules named Martha, Lucy, Kate and Mary. He had a black buggy that was kept in the large shed along with his animals, feed, tools and other supplies. He and my daddy and his brothers took care of those animals like they were human beings. They took the time to fed them and brushed them daily because Charlie and the mules were an important means of transportation at that time; like owning a nice truck today. Horses and mules were also important for farming; pulling the plows and other farm equipment. We used to peek through the door to look at Charlie and the mules and their big brown eyes would stare right back but no one was ever allowed near them. They took Daddy and Grandpa to Smithfield, every other week, which was about twenty miles round trip, to buy things for the store. The trip would take almost a full day and when they returned home both Mama and Grandma would be holding a smile on their face. I think they were just happy they made it home without any trouble. A lot could happen to two negro men traveling with a load of supplies in those days. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if in their smile, there held a prayer for every time they left, and every time they returned home safe.

Grandpa James Wells was one of the few Negro men in the area that owned property back then and owning property was the best way to acquire wealth. He was born with a sense of responsibility for himself, his family and community and used his status for good. He gave what and when he could but more importantly, he taught people how to do well for themselves. Grandpa Jim was instrumental in the groundbreaking of the original First Gravel Hill Baptist Church back when it was a Bush Harbor. Many of our relatives attended the church, and most are buried right there. He also started men’s social clubs which raised money for those in need. He never got a formal education; but he was born to be a businessman. Along with the general store he had a wood cutting business and earned additional money selling ice. Grandpa worked hard and made every penny count because he wanted to make sure that each of his eight children had homes of their own; and that, he did!

Grandpa Jim built his house right off the main highway Route 10, and later he and Daddy built our home right next door to him. Our house was small with a jump. A jump is a small room upstairs with three walls very similar to what we call a loft today. Sitting conveniently between our house, grandpa’s house and the store was a bullfrog pond adjacent to where his icehouse was located. While we all benefited from his icehouse, the ice was needed more for the store and for those in the neighborhood who had an icebox (refrigerator). Typically, an icebox was a wood cabinet with a catch all at the bottom. The catch all held a large block