She was born Lydia Head in South Carolina in 1824 and married James Barker in 1847. Lydia and James worked on their farm in Georgia. Life must have been hard but good for Lydia until something happened to change it all. The Barker family was about to go to church. James was sitting in the […]
Jan 19, 2023
The Way It Was
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The following story is from my mother’s book, Remembering Etta Bend. These are the words of Susie Latty, who, much later, became my mom. The year would have been around 1918. Most of the things we used were homemade and they had to last as long as possible. Papa carved his own handles and wood […]
Dec 22, 2022
Grandfather’s Barn
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“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8) That verse reminds me of my grandpa, Levi Latty. I can picture him going to his barn to milk, morning and evening, […]
Jun 14, 2022
Star Spangled Cat
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In honor of Flag Day, this is a re-run of a recent post. Star Spangled Cat By Blanche Day Manos “What?” I screeched. “Go to sea? Are you crazy?” Every one of my gray and white hairs stood straight up. Reggie laughed. “You look like a bottle brush, old chap,” he said. “You’ll love the […]
Apr 16, 2022
The Easter Egg Tree
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The following story is an excerpt from The Heritage of Etta Bend, a story my mother told me about her childhood in northeast Oklahoma. The “I” is my mother, Susie Latty Day. Mom told me this story and I wrote it to be included in The Heritage of Etta Bend in 1989. It was spring, […]
Feb 28, 2022
In My Mother’s Bible
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In uncertain times, we need an anchor, something unchangeable that we can cling to. It helps to have reminders that people have gone through hard times before now and survived. One of my nieces is interested in learning about family history. In trying to answer her questions, I turned to the place where our family […]
