Central Pike

By Robert Joe Martin

This book is about a prominent white family in Mt. Juliet that adopts an African American baby at the beginning of the 1900’s. The child’s mother is a young field hand that under duress got into trouble with a white man that lived on Central Pike. She was afraid of her family finding about this unfortunate incident. She gave birth to the child alone, during a rainstorm, and took the baby to her friend Albert, a worker employed by Perry Quartermain, who lived on Central Pike. The Quartermains, who ran a dairy, and were very prosperous were considered the upper crust of the community. This community was located almost midway between Lebanon on the East, and the Stones River Bridge on the West.
The families in this community were somewhat different from each other, although in some ways they were much alike. They were hard-working, kind, gentle, and church-goers. The Quartermains were pillars of the community, and were looked on with great, warmth and respect.
It was baffling to many families as to why the Quartermains would adopt a black child and raise it as one of their own. Out of respect this kind of talk was always behind closed doors. There were those who said they knew why, but would not say. This story follows the growth of the black child along with the other Quartermain children, as well as the lives of many neighbors, and friends as they lived through the Great Depression, and the Great Wars, while coping with the many problems and mishaps that they encountered in their daily lives.
The glaring question that remains unanswered until the very end, was, “Who was the white man that took advantage of Lucy, a young black woman, and fathered this black baby that was raised as a son by the Quartermains?”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664141872

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

THE BLACK BABY BOY

I remember it well the night they said that Lucy, an African- American from a local farmhand family, showed up with the baby at the Quartermain dairy barn. The rain was heavy, and water was already knee deep in the red clay gullies. Thunder rattled, and the lightning flashed a brilliant grayish white, dancing on the tin roof of the barn like so many ballerinas. The hands (milkers) had almost finished milking the dairy cows when a giant cedar tree crashed across the gate leading to the pasture. Then as quickly as it came, the lightning ceased and the thunder rolled on in the distance. The rainy night clouds resembled gray-black cotton candy as they swirled and floated on by. Hard rain was still coming in from the west. There was a loud thump on the barn door, which startled the usually docile cows. The hands milked thirty cows at the time, and as they had now finished, the cows were anxious to go back outside and graze on the lush pasture that surrounded the barn. Albert, one of the milkers, went to the barn door and opened it very slowly, as it was unusual for any kind of racket to be heard out in the isolated area of the dairy barn.

She stood there shivering before Albert, rain dripping from her bonnet. She looked so small and fragile. He could not see her face very clearly for the sides of her bonnet were dripping wet and came almost together around her face. She did not say a word. She just stood there. She held a bundle lovingly in her arms, and she seemed nervous and afraid.

As Albert stepped into the light from his oil lantern, he asked, Who’s there? The oil lantern cast a yellow glow on the surrounding area, and caused it to look almost surreal.

She hesitated then finally said, It’s Lucy. You know me.

Albert said, What do you want? Albert thought she was going to run away. She seemed so scared and uneasy.

Finally she said, I got this baby, and I know my mammy is going to kill me if she finds out. Lucy was light colored, with long black hair, hidden under the bonnet, and she was extremely thin. She was almost childlike, and now here she stood, holding a newborn child. The two of them just stood there for a few minutes as Albert attempted to understand the situation. Albert could almost tell she was agreeing with him on what he was thinking, even though neither of them said a word. It was not unusual for the farm hands to fool around and get into trouble, and Lucy had her troubles in her arms.

Lucy was one of six daughters of Wade and Missy Willis. They lived in their own log home that was about a half mile from the Quartermain property. The log home was crude, but it contained the necessities to carry on. There was a huge fireplace in one of the three rooms, and it was here that Missy Willis cooked all of the family’s meals. Next to Rachael’s biscuits, Missy’s would come in a close second.

The Willises were a close family, always looking out for one another. The only problem that Wade and Missy had with their daughters was that they all were very pretty. The girls also had a propensity for running around (at times under threat) with white men. Of course, when they did, the white men would always deny being with any of them. The white men’s behavior was disgusting, to say the least. In this respect, Wade and Missy were treated unfairly and taken advantage of because of their race. Because they were black, they had very little standing in the community, like the white folks did. Wade and Missy decided they could not do anything about this lopsided situation, so they just threw up their hands and let it ride. The only thing they did was to pray very fervently every day about this matter. They also prayed very heavily on Sunday when they attended church. They attended Lookout Church located on the road leading into the Suggs Creek community. This was a highly populated black area, and when they were together, they felt at ease and safe. Most of the houses in this area were modest log cabins of one or two rooms. They were comfortable and afforded some consolation and stability, because everyone that lived in a cabin in this area owned their own home. Lookout Church was located smack dab in the middle of the log cabins. Sunday was a big day. Wade and Missy would hitch up their team of mules (a team consisted of two mules, usually a matching pair) to their wagon, pack their food for Sunday lunch (most people called lunch dinner), and head out early on Sunday morning. Upon arrival at the church, everyone would pool their food on long tables set up outside the church. There would be turnip greens, collard greens, hambone, sweet potatoes, butterbeans, canned peaches, chitterlings, macaroni/cheese, biscuits, cornbread, buttermilk, iced tea, cakes, and pies. Preaching began at 9:30 AM and lasted until 11:30 AM. They broke at this time and got the food ready and at 12 noon, everyone would sit down and eat. Of course, there was always a long prayer before anyone dared take a bite. At 1 PM, they all went back into the church and the preaching began anew. This went on until 4 PM, and then everyone went back to their homes. It was quite a day. On the way home, the traces swayed gently as the mules pulled in unison, putting everyone to sleep, except the driver.

He was big for a newborn baby. Lucy said he was a boy, and she held him tightly to her, even though she knew she would not be able to keep him. She said, I want you to take him, for I know my mammy will kill me if she finds out about this.

Albert said, What am I going to do with him?

Take him up to Mr. Quartermain at the big house. He’ll know what to do.

Albert carefully took the baby out of Lucy’s arms. Lucy ran away as fast as she could to get far away from the scene.

Albert stood there with this bundle of newborn life in his arms. Water dripped from both of them as Albert headed up to the big house.

CHAPTER 2

PERRY AND

RACHAEL QUARTERMAIN

Before Albert got halfway to the big house up on the hill, he heard a bell ringing. The bell was ringing urgently, so Albert knew this had to be a bad emergency. Each farm in the area had a huge iron bell mounted on a wooden saddle platform atop a post near the main house. A long rope was attached to the side of the bell and when pulled, the bell would ring. It was used to summon hands to dinner or supper and also in the case of an emergency.

It was pitch dark now. Mr. Quartermain came riding past him on his horse, Prince. He was riding fast and heading to the neighboring farm, the source of the ringing bell. Albert thought to himself, What am I going to do with this baby until he returns. He could be gone ten minutes or all night. The baby began to cry, and Albert tried to comfort him the best he could. He slowed down, walking very slowly and gently rocking the baby. That bell was continuing to ring. It sounded like it was coming from Miss Bella’s place, and Albert could tell by the way the bell was being rung that Bella was doing the ringing. And then the ringing stopped. Help must have arrived.

The glow of oil lamps in the windows of the big house directed Albert to his destination. He walked to the edge of the yard and waited. He hoped that Mr. Quartermain wouldn’t be away much longer.

Miss Bella was a kind middle-aged widow. Her daughter, Melissa Jane, and her husband, Luther Oliphant, lived in the home with Miss Bella. The two had been married for a little over six months.

About a year ago, Luther had just showed up looking for work on the Quartermain farm. In a moment of weakness and because there was work to be done, Mr. Quartermain took him on as a field hand. Luther was a fair hand, but he drank a lot and cursed a lot more. He met Bella’s daughter, Melissa Jane, at a cake walk, and pretty soon there was talk of a wedding.

A cake walk was a very popular event at ice cream suppers. It was one of the few social events in the community at that time. Usually the unmarried young ladies would each make a cake. The unmarried young men would select a young lady and they would walk hand in hand around a tree or a post or some sort of bush. After walking for several minutes, a couple would be selected and the two of them would get to enjoy eating the cake she had made. The cake walk would be continued until all couples had been selected and all the cakes consumed.

Melissa Jane was very pretty, with long blonde hair and skin almost the color of alabaster. Many thought she would marry the flashy cultivator salesman based in Nashville, but she seemed to like the wild side of living and Luther offered her that. Rumors swirled that Melissa Jane and Luther had been sleeping together out in the barn up in the hay loft. And so it was.

The wedding took place down at the creek under a huge cedar tree. It was a simple ceremony with family and close friends. Melissa Jane sure did make a pretty bride and carried a bouquet of flowers from her own flower garden. The menfolk stood around talking about how lucky Luther was, while the women clucked their tongue and said it would not last two weeks.

When Mr. Quartermain arrived at Bella’s house, he found Melissa Jane lying on the ground near the front steps of the porch. Her face was bloodied and would certainly be badly bruised and her dress was torn and covered in mud. She told Mr. Quartermain that she was okay but to please go and help her mother, as Luther was threatening to pull her hair out and throw her in the well. Melissa Jane pointed to the back of the house, and he could hear Bella screaming. Luther was drunk and cursing and threatening anyone who came near him. Soon other men arrived as well as the sheriff. Dan Brewster had been sheriff for as long as anyone could remember. He was tough, but he was fair. He grabbed Luther by the hair and literally pulled him to the front of the house where Melissa Jane was lying on the ground. Bella came to check on her daughter and was greatly relieved that help had arrived quickly. Sheriff Brewster asked Luther to look at what he had done to his wife and mother-in-law. Luther was too drunk to respond with anything but some mumbled words and more cursing. Several men grabbed him and tied him to a gatepost. They then gave him several lashes across his back with a buggy whip. Luther was screaming and cursing the whole time. Melissa Jane and her mother were crying and praying. The sheriff said, Okay, boys, that’s enough. He handcuffed Luther and headed toward the county jail in Lebanon.

Mr. Quartermain comforted Melissa Jane and Bella as best that he could and said he would send help later as well as something for their supper. He then mounted Prince and headed back home. He passed Albert on the way back in and asked what he was holding. The baby was quiet now. Albert told him he would meet him up at the big house. Mr. Quartermain’s wife, Rachael, let Albert in, all while staring at the baby he was holding.

She asked in a high-pitched voice, Where in the world did you get that black baby? By this time, Mr. Quartermain had come into the kitchen.

He said, Albert, what is the meaning of this? With a weak voice, Albert told him how Lucy had brought the baby to him out at the dairy barn.

She told me to bring it to you and you would know what to do. Mr. Quartermain and Rachael looked at one another but said nothing. The room became very quiet for a few minutes.

Finally, Rachael said, Bring the baby over to me. She looked at Albert and said, You can go now, but remember, it would be best if you didn’t mention this to anybody.

Albert had been working for the Quartermains for about two years. He was a good man. He never gave the Quartermains any trouble. Rachael knew that they could trust Albert to keep this quiet, at least for the time being. As Albert was leaving, and believe you me, he was glad to be leaving, he heard Mr. Quartermain talking to Rachael in a low voice, We don’t have a choice in the matter. We will keep him.

Rachael did not agree or disagree, although she did give her husband a menacing look. She went about the business of getting things for the baby. She got a quilt and made a pallet on the floor beside their bed. She then went into the kitchen and found an old baby bottle, filled it with milk, heated it, and gave it to the baby.

She fashioned a diaper out of a pillowcase and said in a soft voice, This is a little baby boy. She wrapped him in a blanket and placed him on the pallet. After taking the bottle, the little baby who had no daddy or mama went to sleep. He looked so peaceful. Rachael said that she would send for Lucy tomorrow and offer her a job helping out in the kitchen. That way she could privately feed the baby breastmilk, which would be the best thing for both the baby and for Lucy. Rachael had always had a soft spot in her heart for the Willis girls and thought Lucy was the prettiest and smartest. She couldn’t imagine what that young girl must have gone through having that baby on her own on a night like this.

Both Rachael and Mr. Quartermain stood back, looking at the baby. Mr. Quartermain said, I think I know who the father is. Rachael thought to herself, I bet you do.

Perry Quartermain had moved to Central Pike in the late 1800s. His family at the time consisted of no one but himself. His mother and father had both died when Perry was in his late teens. They had been a loving family, and Perry had come into quite an inheritance upon their death. Some said that Perry was destined to do great things. After settling his parents’ estate in Mount Juliet, he found a farm for sale on Central Pike and purchased it. Perry had always wanted to sell molasses and operate a dairy. This land looked like it would do quite nicely. The land that he purchased was rolling hills in some places, and in some places it was almost flat. There were not too many trees on the farm, but that suited Perry just fine. He wanted a farm that was open and suitable for cultivation and grazing for his yet-to-be-obtained dairy herd. Later Perry purchased an adjacent piece of land that contained a substantial stand of trees. He needed this wood to fire his molasses cooking.

Perry’s parents, Gordon and May, had started