Grandpa George
Born in 1899, my great-grandfather, Grandpa George, worked the same job from the age of 15 to his death. After finishing the fifth grade, George became an expert in the dangerous job of driving rivets. During the Twenties, that job made good money and sent George from Mississippi to Louisiana, the Carolinas, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Grandpa George even had a hand in constructing the water towers that can be seen whenever I travel back to his hometown of Magnolia, MS. Although he never had a formal education, his children can recall the times that he helped with algebra homework. At one point, George was known as the "only person south of the Mason-Dixon Line who could teach someone to drive rivets." Though his job kept him on the road, Grandpa George is best remembered as always taking time to take his children out for burgers.
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Anna Dawson
My great-grandmother, Anna Dawson, was a loving educator who cared for her family as well as others. She worked as a seamstress for some time before taking up her job as a teacher at Magnolia Elementary in Magnolia, MS. Anna cherished the finer things in life. She encouraged her children to appreciate their blessings by making all of their clothes for them. Her daughter, Marie, can recall complaining about the clothes but later realizing her mother was right when she said they had the best clothes.
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Aunt Ella During the Twenties, many African-Americans fled southern sharecropping to find better lives in the northern cities like Chicago and New York, which contributed to movements such as the Harlem Renaissance. Although life in Mississippi was rough at that time, Aunt Ella and her husband did not leave. They owned about 80 acres of land on the outskirts of Vicksburg and worked it from sun up to sun down, sometimes making no more than $2 a day. They chopped on a local farm during the day and returned home to cultivate their own farm, work in the church, and help her neighbors at night. During that time, cotton was sent to mills and measured by the number of bales that had been collected to determine payment. Despite the low pay and living conditions, Aunt Ella led her life believing that dedication and faith brings great rewards.
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"Daddy" Liddell and "Mama" Minnie Gamble My great-grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Liddell Gamble have been married for over sixty years. Running a farm in rural Mississippi, they have led interesting lives. They managed to raise a family and develop acres of land while he worked on the highways and she stayed at home. Never asking for much, the Gambles are surrounded by grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and caring friends. Not only did they work together during the Twenties, they have continued to show that perseverance will always prove beneficial.
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