Friday's Faces From the Past ~ Walter Bullard "Bunk" Taliaferro

Walter Bullard "Bunk" Taliaferro

October 15, 1907 - January 31, 1969

Son of

Henry Bullard Taliaferro, Jr. and Carrie Mae Dosher

Brother of 

Mary Elizabeth (Huff), Lucille (Randall) and Lottie Mae (Shamblin)

Husband of

Augusta Krause

Family Recipe Friday ~ Pecan Pie

From the kitchen of Harrisonburg resident, Mrs. W. L. Johnson:

Wednesday's Child ~ Irma Lee Sapp

Irma Lee Sapp

Born on June 20, 1917

Daughter of

Junius Eugene Sapp and Winnie Cochran

Sister of 

Junius, Lillie and Mary Sapp

Died on May 17, 1919

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

a little flower of love

DOB is incorrect

Tuesday's Tune ~ Mairzy Doats

My family and I recently returned from several days of vacation in the mountains of northwest Arkansas near Eureka Springs.  While strolling along the beautiful downtown area of Eureka Springs we came across a children's boutique.

In a earlier Tuesday's Tune post, I wrote about one of the songs my mother sang while rocking my son to sleep.  She continued this tradition with my daughter.

When I saw the children's boutique in Eureka Springs, it reminded me of another of my mother's favorite songs.  A song both of my children remember well.

Mairzy Doats was written in 1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston.  The song was originally recorded by Al Trace then later recorded by The Merry Macs who took the song to number one on the pop charts in March of 1944.

Listen to The Merry Macs singing Mairzy Doats...

Lyrics:

I know a ditty nutty as a fruitcake

Goofy as a goon and silly as a loon

Some call it pretty,

others call it crazy

But they all sing this tune:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats

And liddle lamzy divey

A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats

and liddle lamzy divey

A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

If the words sound queer

And funny to your ear,

A little bit jumbled and jivey

Sing "Mares eat oats

And does eat oats

And little lambs eat ivy"

Oh! Mairzy doats and dozy doats

And liddle lamzy divey

A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

Amanuensis Monday ~ The Stories That Should Be Told, Part 20

The following transcription is from a series of recordings my father made in the early 1990s:

Lake Lovelace (also known as Lake Louie) was named after the first white settlers in this area. They made their homes along the lake.  

Lake Lovelace - 2011

The actual name of the lake was Lovelace.  It ended in a bayou down around the Rocks where it runs into the Ouachita.  The bayou was called Bayou Louie.

The Tensas river used to run into Lake Lovelace.  Lake Lovelace went on down to the Ouachita. Dams were put in down where Lake Lovelace ran into the Ouachita.  I think that's where they ruined the fishing.  The dams raised the water levels.  Bayou Louie used to get so low at times that it wouldn't be more than eight feet across.

Lovelace-Peck home - 2011

One of our favorite swimming places was at the Point. It was a bay out from the Peck home on Lake Lovelace. In low water it would just be a point of sand jutting out into Lake Lovelace.

Bee Bayou runs into Lake Lovelace across the lake from the Peck home.  It was the connection to the Tensas river. The fish could swim in and out of Lake Lovelace from the Tensas and from the Ouachita.  

Once they dammed up one end, the fishing wasn't as good anymore.  The dams could be the same reason why we don't see the huge alligator gar we used to have. We could see them in years past.  They would rise up out of the water and flip their tails through the air.  

Alligator Gar - Moon Lake, MS 1910

Within walking distance from this little village were several lakes.  Twins Lake, Penistons Lake, Browns Lake, Greens Lake, Wells Lake and Tiffees Lake.  There was another lake on the Peck Plantation.  I didn't know about it until I was a grown man.  It was in a hidden away place.  If you started walking from the bay on the Peck place and walked towards town you would come up on it about halfway to town.  It was called Gillis Lake.  I went fishing there one time with Jessie York, Jr.

A person can see where this place must have been like paradise to the Indians.  With all these lakes, wildlife and fish, it must have been wonderful hunting and fishing.  This island itself, starting with the bluff, is a plateau that goes all the way out to the hills for about four miles.  It never goes underwater.  The other side of Lake Lovelace goes underwater but not here on the bluff.

 

Lake Lovelace and Bluff - 2011

Lake Lovelace - 2011

This place really is an island.  You can tell when the backwater comes in.  When the Mississippi flooded years ago you could take a boat from Natchez to Sicily Island.

I've always heard and read that the French and the Spanish explorers used Choctaw Indians as guides.  The name Catahoula is a Choctaw Indian word.  Tensas is a Choctaw Indian word.

I didn't know that there were Indians still living here on the Island in the late 1860s and early 1870s.  A cousin of mine, Mary Smith Rushing, told me that her grandfather, Buck [James William] Smith, told her a story about when he was eight or nine years old.  An Indian woman came to their house wanting to trade something for food.  Buck's mother, Henrietta, sent him to the Indian camp to take the food down there.  Uncle Buck was born in 1862 so that had to have taken place in the late 1860s or early 1870s.

Note:  Parts 1-19 of 'The Stories That Should Be Told' can be found in the Tags List on the right-hand side of this blog.

Military Monday ~ Henry H. Sargent

Henry H Sargent

Born on October 24, 1892

Son of

Thomas Edward Sargent and Mary Elizabeth Disch

Brother of

Edward Joseph, Thomas William, Frances Janette and Marnie Sargent

Died on December 30, 1932

Buried in the Harrisonburg Cemetery

Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Private

United States Army, WWI

Company A, 116 Field Signal Bn, 41st Div

Tombstone photograph taken by FindAGrave member, Karen Klemm Pinckard.

Back in the Day ~ Rich vs. Poor

From the October 5, 1889 edition of The Richland Beacon in Rayville, Louisiana:

Transcription:

It is both amusing and interesting to see with what great interest some people take in others' affairs to the neglect of their own.  If one buys a horse or an article of merchandise it is astonishing to see how many are interested in the transaction.  We are often reminded of the old adage that "people get rich by attending their own business." Some prefer, however, to remain poor.

Some things never change...

Home Movies ~ Methodist Church Scenes, 1970

This movie clip was taken in 1970 outside the Sicily Island Methodist Church.  The quality is poor but hopefully you'll recognize some of the people listed below the clip.

Barnie Lee Cloy Stubbs and Diana Stubbs
DeLeta Furr Peniston
Juanita Bird
Thomas Enright and Barbara Gilbert
Garland and Anna Cloy Furr
John Girault Bird and Girault Bird
Birdie Talbert Krause and Oscar Krause
Lillian and O. G. Wynn, Jr. with Howard Wynn
Patsy Smith Jackson
Walling Chisum
Judy Krause
Lynn Evans
Bro. Hodges
Gerre Wycoff
Mildred Bynum Edmonds with Deborah, Mary, John and David
Buddy and Becky Fairbanks
Olga Knight Seal
Sallie Knight Fairbanks
Maggie Knight
Estelle Woodward Peck
Blair Chisum
Janet, Joey and Jerel Evans
Willie Evans Knight
Mrs. Hodges

Home Movies ~ Homecoming Parade, 1968

The following clip was taken during the last filmed Homecoming Parade in 1968.  You'll even catch a few glimpses of 'Rice the Tiger' who was donated to the school by the parents of Henry and Carolyn Rice.

Some of the many faces you'll see in this clip:

Marguerita Carter Krause
Joy Cotten Ashley
Lynn Evans
Tommie Jean Beatty and Brian
Keith Guice
Raymond and Sue Peace
Aubrey Brooks
Bruce A. Edmonds
Jean Crawford
Carma Polk
Judy Wells Carpenter
Mary Edmonds
Thelma Brooks
Kenny Barron
Carroll Barron
Richard Price
Wayne Coleman
Allen Garrett
Danny Myers
Donald Ashley
Homer Thompson
Robert Price
Steve Jackson

Home Movies ~ Betty Chisum Wedding

This clip was taken outside the Methodist Church before and after Betty Chisum's Wedding.  Betty is the daughter of Edward Walling "Little Walling" Chisum and Alberta Cruse Graham.

Some of the people you'll see in this clip:

Willie Woodward
Olga Knight Seal
Estelle Woodward Peck
Lucille Steele Ogden
Jack Shaffer
Mike Haley
Mrs. Baxter
Don and Elizabeth Baxter
Yelverton "Yelvie" Bondurant
Walling and Cruse Chisum
Aubrey "Buddy", Marjorie Montgomery and Blair Chisum
Bro. L. W. Taylor
Betty Chisum
Marvin "Brother" Nolen
Catherine "Kitty" McNair Nolen
Bob and Evelyn Ogden Rife
Jeanette Saltzman Gremillion
Maurice and Gladys Kendrick Saltzman
J. C. "Sonny" and Barbara Jane Peck Gilbert
Barbara Peck Gilbert 

Home Movies ~ Methodist Church Scenes, Part 5

Another movie clip from the Methodist Church in the late 1960s.

In this clip you'll see the following people:

Joe Raymond Peace, Jr.
Pam Franks
Mary Elizabeth Krause
Bruce Edmonds Family
Willie Evans Knight
Barbara Jane Peck Gilbert
Austin and Steve Minton
Karen Crawford
O. G. and Kate Wynn

Home Movies ~ Birthday Party, late 1960s

The following clip was taken at one of my birthday parties in the late 1960s.  In the background you'll see the old Bennett/Bryan house which was just across the street from where I grew up.

People you'll see in this clip:

Mary L.
Connie H.
Patricia J.
Gloria "Bo" J.
Doris W.
Darryl S.
Dawn S.
Marilyn M.
Douglas M.
Cheryl E.
Mary V.
Renee S.
Kim C.

Back in the Day ~ Catahoula Bigfoot?

The Ohio Democrat in Logan, Ohio reported the following story from the Natchez Democrat.  Publication date was January 28, 1888.

Courtesy of Chronicling America

Transcription:

The Natchez Democrat says that a pair of shoes were built for a man who lives in Catahoula Parish, La., which, if they were to be numbered, would be eighteen.  It required the best part of a calf-skin for each one, and just twice as much of other material as is necessary to make a pair of ordinary shoes.

Family Recipe Friday ~ Caramel Squares

From the kitchen of Vidalia resident, Mrs. Joseph M. Reeves:

Friday's Faces From the Past ~ Friends at the Lake

I recognize two of the faces.  Second from the left is Catherine "Kitty" McNair Nolen.  First from the right is Evelyn Steele Ogden Rife.

Can anyone help identify the other three?  First on the left resembles another McNair sister.

Those Places Thursday ~ The Skating Rink

Sicily Island Skating Rink in 2011

When I was in junior and senior high school, the Skating Rink drew teenagers from surrounding towns in Catahoula, Concordia and Franklin Parishes.  Whether you loved skating or just visiting with friends, it was the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights.

Sicily Island Skating Rink in 2011

History of the Skating Rink:

• In 1957 Edgar Garrison bought land and had the skating rink built.  He later sold the business to Howard Cater
• Howard Cater sold the skating rink to James David "J. D." Weeks, Jr.  
• After the 1968 death of J. D. Weeks, his wife (Lillie) hired Willard Posey to operate the skating rink
• Following the death of Lillie Weeks in 1973, Jerry and Elva Weeks Golmon became the owners of the skating rink and operated it through 1984
• Jerry Golmon's brother, Ray, Jr., purchased the skating rink in 1986 and continues to own and operate it today

Wednesday's Child ~ Ada Jane Lovelace

Ada Jane Lovelace

Born on February 3, 1844

Daughter of

John Henry Lovelace and Julia Patience Kirkland

Sister of

Florence Celeste, Edward, Harriet and Amie

Step-Sister of

Mattie, Anna and Elizabeth "Bettie"

Died on June 24, 1851

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Tuesday's Tune ~ Swamp Witch Hattie

The village of Sicily Island was at one time surrounded by bayous, rivers, lakes and swamps.  From a sketch of the riquets owned by the early settlers you can see the following:

North of Sicily Island:
Deer Creek
Big Bayou

East of Sicily Island:
Fool's River
Devil's Bayou
Falcon's Bayou

Southeast of Sicily Island:
Tensas River
Tiger Bayou
Lake Lovelace
Lee Bayou

South of Sicily Island:                                                                                                           Little Cash Bayou
Big Cash Bayou
Cash Lake
Black Bayou*
Hooter's Bayou

Southwest of Sicily Island:
Bayou Louie

West of Sicily Island:
Ouachita River
Beouf River

Traces of the smaller bayous can still be found today.

We grew up hearing many of the scary tales of the bayous and swamps.  When Jim Stafford wrote and performed 'Swamp Witch' (aka Black Water Hattie) back in 1973, it was only natural that many of us associated the song with our surroundings.

After all, Hattie lived in the Black Bayou*!

I am including two videos.

The first video was created by YouTube member, batlady2.  The artwork alone is quite scary.

The second video was created by YouTube member, JSA1957 and is actually the 'storytelling' of 'Swamp Witch'.  The facial expressions of the child in the video remind me of how enthralled I would become when the song played on the radio.

Military Monday ~ William Sterling Stutson

William Sterling Stutson

Born on February 10, 1839

Son of 

Sullivan Stutson and Margaret Sterling

Husband of

Elizabeth Berton Edwards

Father of

Caroline Estelle, Charles Edward, Almira Pearl, Willie Elizabeth, Zeb York and Mary Katherine

Died on February 8, 1884

Buried in the Harrisonburg Cemetery

Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

1st Lieutenant, Co. B, 31st Reg., LA Infantry

C. S. A.

Enlisted on April 19, 1862

Prisoner of War - Captured on July 4, 1863

Paroled on June 13, 1865

Tombstone photograph taken by FindAGrave member, Dorothy Stutson Tiser, great granddaughter of William Sterling Stutson.

Amanuensis Monday ~ The Stories That Should Be Told, Part 19

The following transcription is from a series of recordings my father made in the early 1990s: 

School Bus Drivers:

Mr. Leo Nelson, Sr. (Leo Jr. took over the route years later)
Mr. Gillespie
Mr. Squyres (Abbott Pearson took over his route)
Mr. Evans
Bernice Wilkinson (Friley Guice drove her bus)
Mr. Dan Sumners (Cecil Sumners took over when Dan died)
Mr. Rogers (B. K. Miller took over his route)
Mr. Otis Moss

I remember when the school buses didn't have glass windows on the sides.  The sides were open and they had long pieces of canvas that ran along the length of the buses.  The canvas was rolled up and tied in the warm weather.  In the winter or when it was raining, the drivers would roll down the canvas to cover the openings.

The only time I rode a school bus was with the band.  We had a little band in the late 1930s and early 1940s.  Harrisonburg, Jonesville and Sicily Island had bands.  We'd ride the bus back and forth to practice with Jonesville and Harrisonburg before going off to band contests. 

One of my father's trumpets

We'd leave Sicily Island in the evening, pick up Harrisonburg on the way to Jonesville for practice.  Sometimes the practices were held in Harrisonburg or Sicily Island.  We had practice about twice a week before going off to contests in Baton Rouge, Alexandria and Monroe.  The three little bands played together and we had a pretty good band.

Note:  Parts 1-18 of 'The Stories That Should Be Told' can be found in the Tags List on the right-hand side of the blog.

Home Movies ~ Snow on the Island, 1960s

A rare snowfall on Sicily Island during Christmas time in the 1960s:

Some of the places you'll see:

Street scenes along the road to the school house
Bait Stand in front of the Carter's house (Bennett house)
American Gas Station
Dry Cleaners
Original Library
Johnny Crawford's Barber Shop
Bruce's Drive-In
Sicily Island State Bank (with its silver Christmas Tree)

Home Movies ~ T. J. and Jessie Peniston 50th Wedding Anniversary

The following movie clip was taken in the 1960s at the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Thomas Jefferson "T. J." Peniston and Jessie Smith Peniston.

Three of their children can also be seen in the clip.

Horace
Inez
Thomas Jefferson, Jr.

Home Movies ~ Wycoff Wedding

The following video clip was taken in the 1960s outside the Sicily Island Methodist Church after the wedding of Anne and Reginald Wycoff.

Others you'll see in the clip:

Judy Krause
Gus Watson, Jr.
Gus Watson, Sr.
Geraldine Cruse Wycoff
Doris Meyers
Joe Raymond Peace
Sue Peace

Home Movies ~ McNair Family and Methodist Church Scenes

Sicily Island Methodist Church scenes in the 1960s

About midway through the clip, the McNair family is shown lined up in front of the church.

(LtoR):
Jack McNair
Catherine "Kitty" McNair Nolen
Dorothy "Bit" McNair Reed Smith
Jessie Chisum McNair
Eva McNair Hair
Thomas Chisum "Son" McNair

Others in the video clip:

Lillian and O. G. Wynn, Jr.
Little Clarendon Peck
Big Clarendon Peck
Mildred Harris Smith
Marvin Nolen, Jr.
Joe Reed

Home Movies ~ O. G. Wynn, Sr. Family and Methodist Church Scenes

The following video clip is from the mid to late 1960s:

Some of the people you'll see in the first half of the clip:

O. G. Wynn, Sr.
Kate Ward Wynn
O. G. Wynn, Jr.
Lillian Young Wynn
Howard Wynn
Hazel Wynn Dosher and family
Winnie Wynn Taylor Smith and family
Coy Wilton Wynn 

In the second half of the clip you'll see:

William Smith on his motor scooter
Cruse Graham Chisum with grandchildren
Kathe and Steve Jackson
Aubrey Chisum, Jr.
Barbara Gilbert
Linda Krause Evans with Joey

Benjamin Franklin McGuffee Family

Benjamin Franklin McGuffee was born in Mississippi on January 20, 1844 to the marriage of William H. McGuffee and Ann Eliza White.

The 1850 U.S. Census shows the family living in Rankin County, Mississippi.

In 1860 the family is shown living in Lawrence County, Mississippi.

On May 28, 1867, Benjamin Franklin McGuffee married Georgia Ann Price in Lawrence County, Mississippi.  Georgia Ann was born in Mississippi on September 2, 1846 to the marriage of William M. Price and Martha Ann Pelt.

The 1880 U.S. Census shows Benjamin, Georgia and children living in Ward 4, Catahoula Parish where they made their home and raised their children. 

Benjamin Franklin McGuffee died on June 6, 1936.  Georgia Ann Price McGuffee died on May 11, 1926.  Both are buried in the Spring Ridge Cemetery in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  Tombstone photograph was taken by FindAGrave member, Tommye Price.

The following children were born to the marriage of Benjamin Franklin McGuffee and Georgia Ann Price:

Dilly A., 1868-?

James Washington, 1870-1930 (m. Minnie Belle Allbritton, 1872-1952); Both are buried in the Spring Ridge Cemetery in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  Tombstone photographs were taken by FindAGrave member, Tommye Price.

 

Record of Death:  James McGuffee

Albert Benjamin, 1875-1961 (m. Margaret E. Allbritton, 1876-1962); Both are buried in the Spring Ridge Cemetery in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  Tombstone photograph was taken by FindAGrave member, Tommye Price.

Robert Franklin, 1878-1956 (m. Sarah Bianca Poole, 1877-1962); Both are buried in the Rosefield Cemetery in Rosefield, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  Tombstone photograph was taken by FindAGrave member, Tommye Price.

L. Suvilla, 1883-1914 (m. Charlie V. Allbritton, 1879-1953); Both are buried in the Spring Ridge Cemetery in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  Tombstone photograph was taken by FindAGrave member, Tommye Price.

Ellis Lee, 1886-1972 (m. Lillie Zeagler, 1886-1972); Both are buried in the Greenwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Pineville, Rapides Parish, Louisiana.  No tombstone photograph is available at this time.

Benjamin Irvin, 1888-1980 (m. Mae Johnson, 1890-1967); Both are buried in the Harrisonburg Cemetery in Harrisonburg, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  Tombstone photograph was taken by FindAGrave member, Eva Merryman.

Friday's Faces From the Past ~ Sicily Island Teachers

Front Row/Seated (LtoR):

Eva McKay Mount

Anita Bondurant Oliphant

Irma Stutson Enright

2nd Row/Seated (LtoR):

Sophie Lee Crawford Haley

Thelma Mitchell Brooks

3rd Row/Standing (LtoR):

Rosemary Wilkinson Crawford

Joseph Raymond Peace

Darris Lottie Chambers

Family Recipe Friday ~ Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

From the kitchen of Sicily Island resident, Birdie Talbert Krause: