Article 5 Volume 12 Mother's Day May 8, 2022
Dedication: This history story is dedicated to my family members who may have a lot of questions in the future about their heritage
Subject: My mother's joy in life was working for the well-being of others
My mother was born in Hobbsville, NC in the early 20th Century. She was the youngest of eight children of Mary Emma Green Eure. The eight children were: Henry; Isaac; Mable; Irma Lou; Novella; Gladys; Estelle and Roxie Eula.
Grandma Emma was a 100 percent Chowan Indian. Her father was Isaac Lee Eure an advocate for Indian rights. The family was farmers. There is no recorded history of slavery in the family. So, all indications are that my mother was a Chowan Indian girl, the daughter of a farming family.
When she was 12 years old she was given the task of caring for her older sister's seven children. This task limited her ability to attend school but somehow, she managed to get an education in reading, writing, and math. The level of her formal education is unknown.
In the late '30s, she met, fell in love, and married James Felmer Bryant, a farmer, who spent much of his early life helping care for his 9 younger siblings
My father and mother were the parents of seven children. They moved 5 times, in and around the Saratoga section of Suffolk before they finally were able to buy a house in the Pleasant Hills community of Suffolk in 1947. It was really a blessed day when we moved into that little house at 206 Baker Street.
The youngest child Elton ("Bow Bow") Ray was born in that house in 1949. His older siblings were Dallas Kaywood; Grady Eure; James ("Jeff"), Jr; Shirley Jean; Audrey Marie, and Albert "Pete" Lawrence: who passed away in August 2019. (All the children's last name is Bryant)
I am going to start tracking my mother's daily tasks in 1955. That school year she was tracking 7 children in 4 education facilities. High school, a 2-mile walk; elementary school, a 2 1/4 mile walk; neighborhood elementary school, 3 blocks, and a preschool somewhere in the community.
My mother's task was to see that all seven children were approximately dressed and went to their education facility.
Also, she had to make sure that all of them ate breakfast before they left home. Thus, she had to prepare breakfast. Before she prepared breakfast for the children, she had already prepared breakfast for my father and packed his lunch before he went to work at the sawmill.
My dear mother had accomplished all of the above before 9 a.m. Now, she can take a short break before going on to her next daily tasks.
(to be continued before May 31, 2022)
Part 2 Posted May 31, 2022
After a short break REB (Roxie Eula Bryant) begins preparing the wash load for the week. The children pumped 3 wash tubs full of water before they went to school. The water in thefirst tub is is heated with a portable electric water heater. (You put it in the tbub for about 20 minutes), the 2nd tub is rinse water #1, and the 2nd is rinse water #2.
She washes clothes twice a week for the whole family.
Piece by piece the clothes are washed and scrubbed on a scrubbing board and then rinsed in the two tubs with the rinse water by hands. Then the clothes are squeezed to remove the water.
Afterward, the clothes are hung on the clothes line, weather permitting.
After this task my mother takes another break. It is now noon time and REB has to start preparing supper for the nine member family. The supper will be ready at 6:30 p.m.
(to be continued)
Copyright 2022 Grady E. Bryant Sr. All Rights Reserved.
