Wednesday's Child ~ Muriel Louise Tullos

Muriel Louise Tullos

Daughter of

Mr. and Mrs. O. C. Tullos

Born on April 16, 1930

Died on December 28, 1932

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Tuesday's Tune ~ Swinging On A Star

The story is told that songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen was at Bing Crosby's house one evening for dinner and to discuss a song for the movie 'Going My Way.'  During the meal one of Bing's children began complaining about how he didn't want to go to school the next day.  It is reported that Bing Crosby turned to his son and said, "If you don't go to school, you might grow up to be a mule."

Van Heusen believed the clever rebuke would make a good song for the movie.  After collaborating with his lyricist, Johnny Burke, they wrote the song.


Bing Crosby recorded and sang 'Swinging On A Star' in the 1944 film 'Going My Way' and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Many singers have recorded the song since 1944.  Some of the more well known singers were Burl Ives, Frank Sinatra, Maureen McGovern, Rosemary Clooney and Tony Bennett.

However, my favorite performance was always by my mother who sang this song while rocking her first grandchild, my son, to sleep.


Sweet, sweet memories.





Below is Bing Crosby singing Swinging On A Star.

 Lyrics:

Would you like to swing on a star

carry moonbeams home in a jar

and be better off than you are

or would you rather be a mule

A mule is an animal with long funny ears

he kicks up at anything he hears

His back is brawny but his brain is weak

he's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak

and by the way if you hate to go to school

You may grow up to be a mule

Or would you like to swing on a star

carry moonbeams home in a jar

and be better off than you are

or would you rather be a pig

A pig is an animal with dirt on this face

his shoes are a terrible disgrace

He has no manners when he eats his food

He's fat and lazy and extremely rude

But if you don't care a feather or a fig

you may grow up to be a pig

 

Or would you like to swing on a star

carry moonbeams home in a jar

and be better off than you are

or would you rather be a fish

A fish won't do anything but swim in a brook

he can't write his name or read a book

to fool the people is his only thought

and though he's slippery he still gets caught

but then if that sort of the life is what you wish

you may grow up to be a fish

A new kind of jumped up slippery fish

And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo

every day you meet quite a few

so you see it's all up to you,

you can be better than you are

you could be swinging on a star

Amanuensis Monday ~ The Stories That Should Be Told, Part 14

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

Thinking about some more of the old folks I've known.

There was one old colored man; all I ever knew him by was Uncle Parrot.  He lived around the Penistons.  He had been a slave.  Good Lord, if Uncle Parrot was still living, it's no telling how old he'd be now.  I know he'd be at least 150 years old, probably older.

Bruce and Alf

One old friend of mine who would be over 100 years old if he was living today [1991] was Alf Jones.  Alf was young compared to Uncle Parrot.  Uncle Parrot was probably forty or fifty years older than Alf.

I spent a lot of time with Alf Jones and his wife, Lula.  I'd go over to their house.  They lived over in what everyone called the "Vill" where all the colored folks lived.  The old house is still standing today.  I spent many hours sitting over there visiting with Alf and Lula.

Alf Jones, 1979

After they had to put Lula in the nursing home, Alf lived there by himself for four or five years.  I'd go over there at night and sit there and visit with Alf.  Many nights we'd sit out on his front porch.  Sit there in the moonlight and talk a couple of hours.  I miss that old man.

Cassie Sessions.  If she was living today she'd be about 120 years old or older.  Aunt Frances Wright, Sam Coggins, Uncle Grant Cobbins...just so many of them I remember.  Uncle Grant Cobbins was the father of Scott Cobbins.

Julia Rogers and Scott Cobbins

If Scott was living today, he'd be over eighty years old.  Scott helped my mother for years.  He'd help her with her garden.  He was a good carpenter.  Scott, like a lot of the rest of us, had a drinking problem.  He got to where he couldn't hold a carpenter job so he just kind of piddled around.

Scott Cobbins, 1979

Scott worked for my mother almost every day in the last ten years that she lived.  If he wasn't working in her garden, they were planting trees together, repairing fences, or building shelves for inside the house.

The very day after my mother died, Scott showed up in my kitchen.  He continued to show up every morning for years until he got old. His visits were then only two or three times a week.  Old Scott.  I sure do miss him! 

I remember Johnny and Turner Saulsberry.  They were brothers and had an old pressing shop here for years and years.  They had an old steam presser.  People would take their dresses and suits there to get them cleaned, dry cleaned.  

Old Press Shop

Rent receipt signed by Mrs. W.S. Peck

When I was a little boy, I used to go sit at that shop for hours on end listening to Johnny and his customers and friends talk and tell stories.  Johnny was there every day in the pressing shop.  Turner helped him but he was a preacher on the side so he wasn't there every day.  I guess Johnny Saulsberry ran that pressing shop for twenty years or more.  

Turner Saulsberry had a good many children.  One of them was named Maisey.  Maisey married Richard Harbor.  That Maisey was something else!  She worked for us a couple of different times down through the years.  I spent a lot of time talking to Maisey.

Maisey Saulsberry Harbor

She once told me about another colored woman in town that wanted to teach all the children how to play the piano and charge them $2 a month.  Maisey said she wouldn't mind giving the woman the $2 but the woman couldn't even play the piano.  She showed me how the woman would just beat up and down on the piano keys.  She said, "She don't know what she's doing.  I don't mind giving her the $2 and letting Junior go but she let Junior think he knew how to play.  He'd go way off somewhere like Ferriday and think he could play the piano and make a fool out of himself!"

Maisey died a couple of years ago.  She was about 70 years old.  She got ill and stayed sick for about two months before she died.  I liked old Maisey.

Back in the early 1930s there was a big family of Saulsberrys on Sicily Island.  They're gone now.  I believe Maisey's youngest son still lives on the Island.  If he does, he's the only Saulsberry left here on Sicily Island.

 


Note:  Parts 1-13 of 'The Stories That Should Be Told' can be found in the Tags List on the right-hand side of the blog.

Military Monday ~ Richard Iverson Harris

Richard Iverson Harris

Son of 

Richard Hines Harris, Jr. and Laura Archer Scott

Born on February 19, 1905

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Died on November 15, 1986

Buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery

Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana

Private

United States Army

World War II

Enlisted on December 16, 1942

Honorably Discharged on March 22, 1943

John Silas Blaney Family

John Silas Blaney was born ca. 1863.  On July 3, 1879, he married Armettie Levina Dear in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. 

Blaney-Dear marriage license, courtesy of Kippy Blaney

John's date of death is undocumented but is believed to be ca. 1887.  Armettie (also known as Arminthia) remarried after John's death to Jacob Henry Meyers in 1891.  She is buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

The following children were born to the marriage of John Silas Blaney and Armettie Dear:

1.  Ida Mae, 1880-1953 (m. 1. William H. Punchard, 1869-1907; 2. Martin Southern Squyres, 1863-1941) All are buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.

Children born to the marriage of Ida Mae Blaney and W. H. Punchard:
George W. Felcher, 1901-1950
William, 1903-1955
James Leon "Lee", 1904-1968
Ada, 1905-1982
Johny B., 1907-1908

Children born to the marriage of Ida Mae Blaney and Martin Southern Squyres:
Martin "Bud", 1909-1975
Ida L., 1911-?
Hansford, 1912-1913
Herbert, 1914-1971
Milford, 1915-1995
Isabelle, 1919-?
Maggie, 1922-?
Calvert, 1923-1990

2.  William Sidney, Sr., 1884-1966 (m. 1. Florence Viola Jones, 1888-1916; 2. Lillie Ernestine Price, 1886-1930; 3. Julia Lucas, 1906-2006)  Florence Jones Blaney is buried in the Taylor's Chapel Cemetery in Summerville, LaSalle Parish, Louisiana.  Lillie Price Blaney is buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery in Sicily Island, Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.  These two tombstone photographs were taken by FindAGrave contributor Tommye Price.  William Sidney and Julia Lucas Blaney are also buried in the Old Pine Hill Cemetery.

Children born to the marriage of William Sidney Blaney and Florence Viola Jones:
John Silas, 1907-1933
William Sidney, Jr., 1909-2000
Wesley Charles, 1911-1954
Rosalie, 1915-?

Children born to the marriage of William Sidney Blaney and Lillie Ernestine Price:
Dewey Arthur, 1919-1986
Ira Marie, 1921-2005
James Martin, 1927-2002

3.  Oliver Dee, 1885-1965 (m. C. Evalee Smith, 1887-1943)  Oliver Dee Blaney is buried in the Belah Cemetery in Trout, LaSalle Parish, Louisiana.  Evalee Smith Blaney is buried in the Pentecost Cemetery in Jena, LaSalle Parish, Louisiana.  Both tombstone photographs were taken by FindAGrave contributor Tommye Price.

Children born to the marriage of Oliver Dee Blaney and Evalee Smith:
Walter Arthur, 1916-1973
Iona, 1918-1988