Davis Grocery

Several weeks ago, I shared memories of summers at Jackson Lake. In that post, I mentioned Davis Grocery so this week I thought I would share a few more of my childhood memories from growing up on Macon Drive in Atlanta. I’d like to thank my Mama and sisters Jennifer and Bonita for sharing some of their memories as well.

Michael, Vanessa, and Jennifer standing in our front yard. The Davis home/grocery 
store is in the background. If you look carefully, you can see the sign hanging from the front of the store.

The Davis family—Mrs. Davis, her adult daughter Elaine, and adult son Baxter—lived in the house to the right of ours. It wasn’t just a home though. It was also their business—Davis Grocery, a small mom and pop store serving the neighborhood. 

Mrs. Davis will always be “Mrs. Davis” to me. Heck, I didn’t even know what her first name was until I started writing this post and did a little research. It turns out, her name was Lucretia. She was married to John A. Davis who died in 1950 so I never knew him. The grocery store was apparently the family business. Mrs. Davis’ father-in-law was John Assad Daihpess, born 1887 in Beyrouth, Syria and emigrated to the United States in 1906. He changed his last name to Davis during the naturalization process. When John Assad Davis filled out a Declaration of Intention form in Atlanta, he listed his occupation as proprietor, grocery and restaurant. In 1940, his son Ellis listed his employer as J. A. Davis and Son Grocery Store on his World War II registration card. Obviously, father and son were running the family business. At some point after their marriage, John A. and Lucretia Davis moved to 2407 Macon Drive and opened Davis Grocery. When we moved to 2405 Macon Drive in 1957 and became her neighbor. Mrs. Davis, now widowed, was running the store. At the time, it was just Mrs. Davis and Elaine living in the house. Eventually, Baxter moved in and the three of them ran the store together.

Ellis Davis' World War II registration card

I have no real first memory of Mrs. Davis, Elaine, Baxter, or the store. They were just always there. Mrs. Davis was short and stout. She always wore dresses (and I want to say a bibbed apron) and old lady lace up shoes. She was friendly but didn’t want kids hanging around—get what you want and go on home. But she was always kind to us. Mrs. Davis worked the store during the day, Baxter helped in the afternoons and weekends, and Elaine helped out at night and on weekends. Baxter worked for Atlanta Gas Light Company and Elaine worked at a bank in downtown Atlanta. 

Michael, Vanessa, Jennifer, and me. You can see the Davis house in the background.

As you stood in front of the house, you looked at the store—a room with three aisles. Outside a sign hung down that read “Davis Grocery.” One side had a large window in front of the cash register. There was a large ice freezer on the other side, probably with another large window behind it. When you walked inside the store, the cash register sat on a counter to your left. The aisle that was behind the cash register contained cigarettes, penny candy, and canned goods. If you were smart, you would always be on the lookout for bottles along the side of the road to cash in and buy penny candy (that actually cost a penny). I remember how hard it was to decide which candy you wanted. Jennifer said she always loved the Tootsie Rolls. The middle aisle held bread, chips, and snacks. The aisle on the right side of the store contained a big red refrigerated Coca-Cola cooler, filled with drinks in the tall green, returnable bottles. I bought a lot of Cokes from that store over the years. Bonita remembers Cokes were five cents when we first moved to Macon Drive. Later they went up to six cents, then a dime. And you had to return an empty bottle or it cost more. Jennifer remembers the name of the city where the Coke was bottled in was stamped on the bottom of the bottle. Baxter let us guess the city for the bottle we pulled out of the cooler and if we guessed correctly, we didn’t have to pay for the Coke. If I remember correctly, there was a second freezer box filled with individual ice creams beside the Coke cooler. The back wall held the dairy product cooler. 

Elaine Davis

Baxter Davis

They sold deli style lunchmeat but no other meat. I don’t remember it, but both Jennifer and Bonita remember Mrs. Davis having a deli slicer. She sold bologna, the kind wrapped in red plastic, and pickle loaf. You could buy as much or little as you wanted, even as little as 50 cents worth. Mrs. Davis sliced the meat then wrapped it up in paper for you to take home. Bonita said Mama would send her next door to buy bologna, telling her how many slices to buy. Mrs. Davis let Mama run a tab and pay at the end of the week when Daddy gave her grocery money. If you kept going down the aisle that held the candy, you ended up in their kitchen and then their living quarters. You could see and smell Mrs. Davis or Elaine cooking dinner in the kitchen late afternoons. There was a screened in porch on the front of the house, opposite the store. Mama worked retail and on nights she closed the store, she didn’t get home until 9:30 or 10 pm. Those nights, we knocked on the porch door and Mrs. Davis brought us a six pack of Cokes. It didn’t dawn on me until years later that drinking a Coke that late at night was probably why I had trouble falling asleep.

 
Me on the left and Jennifer on the right. The Davis home is in the background.

In March, Mrs. Davis always sold kites. Her house was located at the corner of Macon Drive, Old Hapeville Road, and Meadow Park Lane and had a large flat back yard. They kept Wiggles the dog chained to a dog house in the back yard. The left side of the yard on the Meadow Park Drive side was a hill. We bought our kites and then everyone gathered at the hill to see who could fly their kite the furthest. That hill was also the meeting place to watch the September fireworks. The Lakewood Fairgrounds were just over a mile from our house. Every fall, the Southeastern Fair rolled into town for at least a week, maybe two. They put on a firework show ever night while the fair was there that could be seen from the top of the hill. The entire neighborhood gathered on Meadow Park Drive to watch them every night. That was always a fun time of the year. Bonita remembers that Baxter used to run the Ferris wheel. She remembers one time being there with a friend and Baxter gave them an extra turn on the Ferris wheel. If you saw the Smokey and the Bandit movie, you would have seen the fairgrounds in the opening and closing scenes. In the second Smokey and the Bandit movie they blew up the old wooden roller coaster. 

Elaine and Vanessa at Panama City Beach

It’s funny the random things you remember. Elaine gave Mama a bundt pan and a pair of gloves but not for Christmas or a birthday. She just gave them to her. We sometimes went to their church (Lakewood Baptist) with Mrs. Davis and Elaine on Sunday night. One summer, Elaine went to Panama City Beach, Florida with us. Mama, Jennifer, and Elaine went deep sea fishing and Jennifer and Elaine both got seasick. Jennifer locked herself in the bathroom and wouldn’t let anyone else in. Elaine ended up getting sick over the side of the boat. Elaine was with us when Bonita met her husband on the beach at Lake Spivey. 

Lake Spivey

Me in the inner tube at Lake Spivey

We were always picking up discarded candy wrappers or other pieces trash from our yard. That’s about how long it took people walking home from the store to unwrap their purchase and throw the paper on the ground. Jennifer told me when she got a little older, Mrs. Davis taught her how to run the cash register. Once she learned how, Jennifer helped in the store. It wasn’t a job—she didn’t get paid. She just wanted to do it. Davis Grocery was our “go to” spot after school to get a Coke and a snack if we had any money. We used to wash Daddy’s car or give him a manicure to earn money. I’m sure all of that money was spent at Davis Grocery.

As we got older, we hung out in front of the store with our friends and talked to Baxter. He was a funny guy, a cut up, and very nice. He loved when kids came in. He’d pick on us and always made us laugh. I’m sure Mrs. Davis, Elaine, and Baxter all three kept an eye of all the neighborhood kids and they will always be part of my rocking chair memories.    

References

• Atlanta, Georgia, City Directory, 1957.
• Baxter Davis, Fulton High School, Atlanta, Georgia, 1957, U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999.
• Ellis Davis, U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947.
• John A. Davis obituary, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, October 27, 1950.
• John A. Davis Sr. obituary, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, February 23, 1959.
• John Assed Daihpess, Georgia, Naturalization Records, 1893-1991.
• Lakewood Fairgrounds, Atlanta, Ga., Greg Thomas (photos846), Photobucket.com; https://s487.photobucket.com/user/photos846/media/Lakewood01.jpg.html.
• Lakewood Fairgrounds; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood_Fairgrounds.
• Personal memories of Denise Murphy, Fay Lankford, Jennifer Craine, and Bonita Streetman.
• Sara A. Barry obituary, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, August 5, 1955.
• U.S. Federal Census, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, 1940.

George Washington Tuck

George Washington Tuck, son of Claiborne Tuck and Frances Moore, was born in Walton County, Georgia on September 12, 1837. George came from a large family of at least 12 children—Mary Frances Tuck, James William Tuck, Tabitha Susan Tuck, Benjamin F. Tuck, Sarah Elizabeth “Betty” Tuck, Seaborn Gaines Tuck, George Washington Tuck, Josiah Lewis Tuck, Almira Jane Tuck, John Thomas Tuck, Elizabeth “Eliza” Ann Tuck, and Enoch Callaway Tuck. George is my 2nd great grand uncle. Our nearest common relatives are my 3rd great grandparents, Claiborne Tuck and Frances Moore. His sister Sarah Elizabeth Tuck is my 2nd great grandmother.

On September 24, 1850, the Tuck family lived in Division 88 of Walton County, Georgia. George’s father was a farmer with real estate valued at $600. They had a full house with two adults and 10 children living together. George married Martha Ann Ivey, daughter of Allen Elbert Ivey and Emily Upshaw, in Walton County, Georgia on December 22, 1859.

On June 22, 1860, there is an 18-year-old male named G. W. Tuck, a day laborer, living with the T. Edwards family in Loganville, Walton County, Georgia. If this is George Washington Tuck, there is no sign of wife Martha in the record. At age 18, G. W. Tuck would have been born about 1842, which is five years after George was born. I searched all of Walton County though and don’t find any other males named George or George W. Tuck so it’s very possible this is him. 

America changed on April 12, 1861 with the start of the Civil War. The 11th Georgia Infantry formed that spring, including men from Walton County, Georgia where George lived. The 11th “mustered into service in July 1861” and then traveled by railway to Richmond, Virginia. They trained at the Richmond fairgrounds for a short period until time for their march to Manassas for what would be known as the First Battle of Bull Run. They arrived on July 21, the day after the battle due to a road blockage along the way, so missed the battle. Luck was on their side that day. The 11th spent winter camp in Center Hill, Virginia which is located 218 miles from Manassas. Life in camp was hard during the winter months, many men died from illness and others were discharged from service. The troops were depleted enough that “Lieutenant Henry D. McDaniel returned to Georgia for recruits.” George wasn’t part of the initial April 1861 enlistment but did join Lieutenant McDaniel and the other new recruits, enlisting as a private in Company H at the Orange County Courthouse in Virginia on March 6, 1862. Martha was pregnant when George left home.

Orange County, Virginia Courthouse photo by PlannerGuy / CC BY-SA
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_County,_Virginia_Courthouse.png.

Conditions in camp were poor. When moving, the privates of the 11th Georgia Infantry were told to abandon everything they could not carry. They were exposed to poor weather conditions with no tents or blankets. They had few axes and wood to build fires was scarce. Unsanitary conditions led to disease and it wasn’t long before George contracted typhoid fever. Suffering from diarrhea, George was admitted to Chimborazo Hospital No. 1 in Richmond, Virginia on May 20, 1862. He died there on June 3, 1862. 

Chimborazo Hospital, Confederate Richmond, Va., April. 

Richmond United States Virginia, None. [Photographed 1865, printed between 1880 and 1889] 

Photograph; https://www.loc.gov/item/2012650183/.

Martha gave birth to their only child, James Clayborn Tuck, on November 4, 1860, five months after George’s death. 

A descriptive list and account of pay and clothing form submitted for George after his death tells us that he was a farmer from Walton County. He had blue eyes, dark hair and a dark complexion. George was 5’11” in height.

George’s father Claiborne Tuck had been named the administrator of his estate on October 6, 1861, before he enlisted in the 11th Georgia Infantry. After George’s death, his father hired attorney’s Hill and Norfleet to handle the estate. They filed for settlement of George’s last pay ($32.63) and a clothing allowance ($25) on November 12, 1862. The Quartermaster General of the Confederate States was aware of the filing in December 1862; however, it wasn’t reported to the Comptroller until September 4, 1863. Major John Ambler, Quartermaster C.S. Army, issued Treasury Certificate number 8367 in the amount of $57.63 to Hill and Norfleet on September 21, 1863. 

Treasury Department Record

An administrator’s bond was recorded in Walton County on October 8, 1862. That record shows that Claiborne Tuck and Zachariah Blanchett, husband of George’s sister Tabitha, were “held and firmly bound” to the courts of Walton County on October 6, 1862 in the amount of $1,200 to make an inventory of George’s goods, chattels, lands, rights and credits.

Six of the seven Tuck brothers served the South during the Civil War. Four served together in the 11th Georgia Infantry—Josiah, Seaborn, John, and George. Two didn’t come home—Josiah and George. Josiah was killed in action on August 30, 1862 during the Second Battle of Manassas. George, as we know, died in Richmond on June 3, 1862. Brothers Seaborn and John were both wounded in the Second Battle of Manassas, the same day Josiah was killed, August 30, 1862. John was wounded again in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 16, 1863. He fought till the end and was present at the surrender in Appomattox, Virginia on April 9, 1865. Brothers James and Benjamin both served in Company G of the 42nd Regiment, Georgia Infantry, also known as the Walton Blues. James was taken prisoner of war in Vicksburg, Mississippi and then paroled in 1863. The last Company Muster Roll for James dated December 11, 1863 shows he was home sick in Walton County. James died in 1864. Benjamin enlisted in Monroe, Walton County on March 4, 1862. He died in Acworth, Cobb County, Georgia just a month later, on April 8, 1862. The Tuck family paid a high price for the South.

References

• 11th Georgia Infantry; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11th_Georgia_Infantry.
• Administrator’s Bond Record, George W. Tuck, Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992, Georgia. Court of Ordinary (Walton County); Probate Place: Walton, Georgia.
• Calhoun, William Lowndes, History of the 42nd Regiment, Georgia Volunteers, Confederate States Army, Infantry, Atlanta, Georgia, 1900; https://archive.org/details/fourtysecondreg00calhrich/mode/2up.
• George W. Tuck, Admin and Guardian Bonds, 1857-1891, Walton County, Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992.
• George W. Tuck, Compiled Service Records of Confederate Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Georgia; https://www.fold3.com/image/78633946. 
• John T. Tuck, Georgia, Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960.
• Orange County, Virginia Courthouse photo by PlannerGuy / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0); https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_County,_Virginia_Courthouse.png.
• Roster of the Confederate Soldiers of Georgia 1861-1865, Volume IV, p. 582, compiled for the State of Georgia by Lillian Henderson, 1960.
• U.S. Federal Census, Division 88, Walton County, Georgia, 1850.
• U.S. Federal Census, Loganville, Northern Division, Walton, Georgia, 1860.
• Warren, Kittrell J., History of the Eleventh Georgia Vols., Embracing the Musters Rolls, Together with a Special and Succinct Account of the Marches, Engagements, Casualties, Etc., Richmond, Virginia, Smith, Bailey & Co., Printers, 1863; https://archive.org/details/09186329.3421.emory.edu/page/n5/mode/2up.

John Henry Marston

John Henry Marston, son of James Franklin Marston and Catharine Rhoda Winburn, was born in Morgan County, Georgia sometime during the month of May 1864. There were at least nine other children born to this family—Elizabeth Frances Marston, James David Marston, Catharine V. Marston, Elijah Frank Marston, Thomas Stewart Marston, Horatio Seymour Marston, Carrie A. Marston, Winnie Marston, and Dean Dan Marston. John, born during the Civil War, is my brother-in-law Randy’s great-grandfather.

John Henry Marston (ca. 1942)

On September 23, 1870, John and his family lived in Conyers, Newton County, Georgia. His father, a carpenter, had real estate and a personal estate, both valued at $1000. His mother Catharine, like most women at that time, was keeping house. John’s brother James worked on a farm while his sisters Elizabeth and Catharine both attended school.

On June 19, 1880, John and his family lived on Bryant Street in Conyers, now part of Rockdale County, Georgia. His father still worked as a carpenter and his mother kept house. John and brothers Thomas and Seymour worked as farm laborers. His brother Frank worked as a stone mason. John’s sister Catharine and her husband William Wallis lived with the family on Bryant Street. His brother James, also a carpenter, lived next door with his wife Dora and daughter Edna.

John married Mattie Catherine Powell, daughter of William Powell and Susan A. Cash, in a ceremony performed by R. J. Bigham, M.G., in Fulton County, Georgia on May 1, 1884. Seven children were born to this marriage—Mattie May Marston, Susie Catherine Marston, James Asa Marston, John Henry Marston Jr., Annie Florence Marston, Lilla Lee Marston, and Dottie Frank Marston. 

John Marston and Mattie Powell's marriage certificate

John and Mattie lived at 66 Lee Street in East Atlanta in 1894. Following his father’s footsteps, John worked as a carpenter. They were still living on Lee Street in 1896.

By June 1, 1900, John, Mattie, and their five children had moved to 66 South Delta Place in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. He still supported his family working as a carpenter although work must have been hard to come by at that time. Census records show that he had been unemployed for four months during 1900. His daughters May, Susie, and sons James and John all attended school. May and Susie were able to read and write but James and John, not yet. They had a 20-year-old female boarder named Idella Clay living in the home with them. Three years after the census was taken, John’s father died in Alabama on February 20, 1903. Another sad event occurred on May 29, 1905 when John and Mattie’s eight month old daughter Lilla died at their South Delta Place home. They buried Lilla at Hollywood Cemetery on May 30 although it appears she was later moved to Clay Cemetery, a “family burying ground near Clifton, Ga.” Does that mean that Idella Clay, who lived as a boarder with the Marston’s in 1900, was possibly a family member? John and Mattie’s son Dottie Frank was born on October 26, 1906 and sadly, died at home as well at the age of nine months on July 27, 1907. Dottie was buried at the Clay Cemetery. Perhaps it was at this point that Lilla’s body was moved so they would be together. Clay Cemetery was closer to their home.

On April 30, 1910, John and his family still lived on South Delta Place in Atlanta. He owned his home free and clear. John still worked as a carpenter, houses in particular. Earlier census records showed that John’s father was born in Georgia, but this record noted his birth as Maine. Mattie was enumerated as being the mother of seven children, five of which were living. Of course, we know the two children who had died were their daughter Lilla and son Dottie Frank. At this point, John and Mattie had celebrated 26 years of marriage. Son John Jr., now 18, worked as a dental polisher while son James worked as a grocery store salesman.

John must have been happy with his South Delta Place home because that’s where he still lived on January 9, 1920. Once again, John’s father was noted as having been born in Maine, not Georgia. His work as a carpenter continued as well. All but one of their children had left home. Annie, her husband Theodore Hunnicutt, and children William and Antoinette shared the home as well. Theodore worked as an elevator man in an office building. 

John Marston is the tall man on the left. It's believed Mattie is the woman
standing beside him. It's also believed this is the wedding of one of their children.
Can you help identify anyone?

By April 7, 1930, with all the children moved out of the house, John and Mattie must have downsized and now lived at 348 Richardson Street in Atlanta. He owned the house, valued at $7,000. The census enumerator noted that John and Mattie had a radio. John’s work as a carpenter continued though now on office buildings vs. houses. This was another record that showed John’s father as having been born in Maine. John loved baseball and in a 1939 interview by The Atlanta Constitution, he claimed to “have seen the Crackers play their first Southern league game.” The interview noted that the Atlanta Crackers, a minor league baseball team, had played that game in 1885. 

On April 19, 1940, John and Mattie lived in the same Richardson Street house, and unfortunately, house prices had gone down considerably in the past 10 years. Valued at $7,000 in 1930, John’s house was now valued at $2,000. At least it was paid for. At age 75, John had retired from the carpentry business which he had been involved in most of his life. During his career, he also worked as a master mechanic and before retiring, worked in the maintenance department at the Candler Building on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. The 1940 census enumerator did note that John had a source of other income, although it didn’t state from what. Perhaps that source was something John did for fun. When not working, John played the tuba. It was his passion and he dedicated his life to it. John even had the distinction of twice playing under the baton of John Philip Sousa. About December 1942, an unknown (probably Atlanta) newspaper published an article titled Tuba Player Mourns Passing of ‘Real Bands:’ Atlanta Carpenter Tooted for Sousa In Good Old Days written by Rebecca Franklin highlighting John’s love of tuba tooting:

Like that well-known wolf in “The Three Little Pigs,” 78-year-old John H. Marston, has been huffing and puffing a long, long time—though completely without sinister motive. Mr. Marston is, innocently enough, a tuba player, and has been for approximately 66 years.

During his years of tuba tooting, Mr. Marston has played with almost every important Atlanta concert band, and was twice under the baton of John Philip Sousa, master bandsman, and march composer. Now it saddens him to see the concert band being cast into limbo—along with a lot of good music.

Mr. Marston made his musical debut in Atlanta at the age of 13, when he appeared here with the Conyers Band at the grandly titled World’s Fair and Great International Cotton Exposition in 1881. He also played at the Piedmont Exposition in 1887 and at the Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895.

Bandsman Sousa composed his famous King Cotton March in honor of the last-named exposition.

These were the hey-days for concert bands. Often there were three-month engagements, with [unreadable] of people [unreadable] and hear the [unreadable] gold-braided musicians with their musically-precise leaders. Today, Mr. Marston noted, “bands play rag-time music, not the good music we used to play.”

Mr. Marston played with the Atlanta Zouave Band, the Wedemeyer Band (his favorite), the Fifth Regimental Band, the Elks Band, the Capital City Band, and many others, all now passed from the scene. Such “old-time bands have played out,” he said, “and most of the men I played with are gone.”

A carpenter by trade, Mr. Marston still works every day, and still plays the tuba for church and Sunday school meetings. He’s never tired of his curly-wurly instrument, considers it the strong backbone of band music. 

[The last paragraph that includes family details, is cut off.]

John’s brother Elijah Frank Marston, was a well-known Atlanta musician, teacher, director, and composer. At times, John and Frank played for the same bands including the Atlanta Musical Union band, which had been formed the summer of 1882 and the Atlanta Zouave Band.

Mattie died at home in Atlanta after a short illness on August 30, 1947. She was buried at Westview Cemetery in Atlanta. Mattie was survived by John, their three daughters May, Susie, and Annie; two sons John Jr. and James; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Mattie and John Henry Marston

Eight and a half years after the death of his wife, John died at home in Atlanta on January 8, 1956. His funeral, officiated by Rev. George Wannamaker Jr., was held at Dillon’s Chapel on January 10, followed by burial at Westview Cemetery in Atlanta. His grandsons acted as pallbearers. John was survived by daughters May, Susie, and Annie; sons John Jr. and James; his sister Carrie; and 21 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren. He was 91 years old.

As I finish writing this post, I’m imagining John’s former bandmates standing at the pearly gates, instruments at the ready, waiting on him to enter as he tooted his tuba and found his place in their heavenly band.

References

• Atlanta, Georgia, City Directory, 1894, 1905, 1940.
• “Bolling Greatest Cracker First Baseman: Lady Fan Likes Tobacco-Chewing Players—Raps Uniform Idea,” The Atlanta Constitution, February 19, 1939.
• Dottie Frank Marston obituary, Atlanta Georgian and News, Atlanta, Georgia, July 27, 1907.
• Franklin, Rebecca, Tuba Player Mourns Passing of ‘Real Bands:’ Atlanta Carpenter Tooted for Sousa In Good Old Days, newspaper unknown, December 1942 (estimated).
• Georgia, Atlanta City Census, 1896.
• Grave, site and historical notes (#242 Lila Lee Marston), Clay Cemetery Blog, December 31, 2014; https://claycemetery.org/2014/12/.
• John Henry Marston obituary, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, January 10, 1956.
• John R. [sic] Marston obituary, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, January 10, 1956.
• Lilla Lee Marston obituary, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, May 30, 1905.
• Mr. John H. Marston/Miss Mattie Powell marriage certificate, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828-1978.
• Mrs. J. H. Marston, 82, Dies at Residence, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, August 31, 1947.
• Mrs. John H. (Mattie Catherine) Marston obituary, The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, September 1, 1947.
• Susan Cash/William Powell marriage certificate, Georgia, Marriage Records from Select Counties, 1828-1978.
• U.S. Federal Census, Atlanta Ward 11, Fulton County, Georgia, 1920.
• U.S. Federal Census, Atlanta Ward 3, Fulton County, Georgia, 1900, 1910.
• U.S. Federal Census, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, 1930, 1940.
• U.S. Federal Census, Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia, 1880.
• U.S. Federal Census, Conyers, Subdivision 163, Newton County, Georgia, 1870.
• U.S. Federal Census, Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, 1870.

Summers at Jackson Lake

Summer is quickly coming to an end, so I thought it was a good time to share some of my happy summer childhood memories. But knowing I don’t remember a lot from my childhood and wanting to capture as much as possible, I asked Mama (Fay Lankford), my brother Michael, and sisters Vanessa and Jennifer what they remembered so this post is based on our combined memories. As they talked, they brought back memories for me. A special thank you to Bradley Newcomer for sharing some of his personal family photos from that time in our life.

The cabin at Jackson Lake

I’ve lived in my current house 40 years and am sad to say I only know the family next door. But that wasn’t the case growing up in my old neighborhood on Macon Drive in southeast Atlanta. We knew everybody—the whole neighborhood. The house to the right of us (as you face the street) was the Davis family—Mrs. Davis, her adult daughter Elaine, and adult son Baxter. The front part of their house was Davis Grocery, a small mom and pop grocery store. I bought a lot of Cokes from that store. Mrs. Davis, Elaine, and Baxter lived in the back part of the house, but that’s another story. The house to the left of us belonged to Hazel Morgan. Hazel’s brother Charles B. Morgan (people called him CB) and his wife Thelma (Nanny) lived next door to her. Mr. Morgan’s daughter Alice Newcomer and her husband Buddy lived in the next house. Alice and Buddy originally lived in the smaller house where her parents lived, but they switched at some point. The Morgan’s sons lived across the street—Raymond, Charles, Wayne, and Gene. I can’t talk about my childhood without talking about the Morgan and Newcomer families. We played with their children, I earned spending money cutting grass for Hazel, Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, and, Alice and Buddy, we went on vacations together, and we spent many a summer weekend at Jackson Lake with Alice and her family.

I don’t remember it but Mama tells me the first time we went to Jackson Lake, “one of the oldest reservoirs in Georgia, located 44 miles southeast of Atlanta” according to Wikipedia, was to go fishing. Mama parked the car in the marina parking lot and we walked past the bridge a little way to get past the rocks. Right after we dropped our poles in the water, two boys swimming in the lake saw a snake and yelled “SNAKE.” I wanted no parts of that and started reeling in my hook saying let’s go, let’s go. So, we packed up and left. Mr. Morgan and Nanny had a cabin they named “IT” on the lake so we stopped by for a visit. Mama said Mr. Morgan told her we could come to by anytime we wanted to; the key was under the door mat. Mama said we never went alone but I do remember going back with Alice and Buddy, staying a week at a time. I remember swimming in the lake at IT, riding on a pontoon boat, and lying in bed at night, still feeling the waves lapping on the shore.

Alice on the dock at Jackson Lake

Buddy on one of our Daytona Beach vacations

Eventually, Alice and Buddy and Buddy’s brother Jerry and his wife Judy built their own cabin on the lake. They, along with their mother, Mammy (Evelyn Newcomer), and their children (two for each family) graciously welcomed us to the cabin which sat at the top of a hill, lake front. There were two bedrooms with two beds each, a living room with a sofa bed, screened in porch with a cot, kitchen with a dinette seat and table, and a bathroom. And no air conditioning, just fans. The cabin had a phone with a party line. Mama believes our entire family only spent the night when Jerry and his family didn’t but if we were all there, we would have been sleeping all over the place since there would have been at least 15 people. Mama said Michael slept on the front porch but I remember sleeping there some myself. One Sunday morning, too lazy to get up, I could hear people fishing on the dock as I lay in the cot. Then I started hearing lots of snickering. Turns out Buddy was heading up the hill with a fish he had just caught. He had decided it was time I got up so he planned to surprise me with a fish on my belly. I got up quick!

Mammy and Alice on one of our Daytona Beach vacations.
You can see what fun people they were.

Sometimes my family just went for a Sunday but often, Alice and Buddy loaded all of the kids (and at times a lawn mower and their dog Hush Puppy) up in the back of their El Camino on Friday night and we headed to the lake on I-20. Can you imagine driving a truck on a highway today with a bunch of kids in the back! I don’t think so. The kids rode in the back of the truck because Buddy, Alice, and Mammy sat in the front. Country music played on the radio with Alice singing along all the way to the lake. Michael remembers Mammy always yelled “we’re coming up on Sigman Road” which meant look up because you’d get to see Stone Mountain. Mama worked Saturday nights so she drove to the lake after her store closed at 9:30, arriving about 11 p.m. If we rode with Mama, and once we were old enough, she’d let us drive once we got to the dirt road that led to the cabin. Jennifer remembers when we rode with mama, she always stopped at Potts market/service station and we got a Yoo-hoo drink and candy bar.

Hush Puppy and Michael

Michael

Stacy and Vanessa

Michael, Bradley, Stacy, Vanessa, and
probably some of the lake neighbors

Bradley

We ate lots of corned beef gravy on toast for breakfast. For lunch, we had chili dogs and drank Kool-Aid, a mixture of orange and cherry. Mama said she always asked Alice what she could bring and Alice told her to weenies and buns. We ate butter beans and cornbread too. Vanessa remembers the dinner menu was the same every week—homemade pizza on Friday night and steaks on Saturday night. If there was any steak leftover, we had steak and eggs for breakfast the next day. Vanessa remembers before going to the lake, Mama gave her money and she rode her bike to K-mart to buy steak. I always think of hot dogs and butter beans though when I think of Jackson Lake.

We played in the water all the time. And if that wasn’t enough, we also took our bath in the lake. The Newcomers had a boat so there were always boat rides around the lake. Sometimes we rode to the cabin IT to visit Alice’s parents or went to the marina for gas or to buy something at the store. Some of us learned to water ski while Alice drove the boat. I remember trying to ski once but gave it up after hitting the water harder than I liked. Jennifer said she was too scared to try. Of course, there was lots of fishing from the dock, including night fishing. Buddy rigged up a light to shine onto the water. The light drew the fish close to the dock and then Mama and Bradley caught lots of fish. Mama remembers Buddy cleaned the fish but Vanessa remembers Buddy setting up a table and teaching everyone to clean their own fish. Either way, all the fish went in the freezer after they were cleaned. When there was enough for the crowd, we had a big fish fry. We gathered blackberries on walks. If we gathered enough, Mammy made a cobbler. Michael remembers the guys setting up targets to shoot pistols. Vanessa remembers she and Stacy shooting the pistol too. That target shooting came in handy. We always had to watch out for snakes and if someone saw one, Buddy grabbed his pistol and shot it. And then there was snipe hunting, something I don’t remember but got a laugh out of it as Vanessa talked about it. At dusk, the kids all went outside to hunt snipes. It turns out, there’s no such thing as a snipe. The trick was to run off and leave the ones behind in the woods that didn’t know the secret. I guess I would have been left behind! On Sunday morning, the kids gathered on the front porch to hear Mammy teach Sunday School, tell Bible stories, and sing hymns. The cabin had a television but I don’t remember watching it much. Late Sunday afternoon, the kids were responsible for putting the boat away. Before the boat came out of the water, Buddy took at least one of the kids on a boat ride. When the boat got up to speed, that kid pulled the plug in the back to drain the water. Once the boat was drained, it was attached to a line on the boat driveway (or whatever it’s called) and the kids cranked it out of the water. On the way home, we stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream.

Vanessa

Alice, me, Stacy, Jennifer, Mama, Vanessa, Mammy, and Bradley
on a Daytona Beach vacation

Jennifer commented that Alice and Buddy were the best … they treated us like we were their kids too. I second that. Happy, happy rocking chair memories.

References

Jackson Lake (Georgia); https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Lake_(Georgia).