My Mother

by
Fred McCaleb

Some Things my Mother Eza Etta Hallmark Told me before she Died 1981

Grandpa Samuel Winn Hallmark never had a corn planter until after Eza married.
She had to drop most of the corn that he planted. The other girls did something
else at the house.

Grandpa Hallmark gave each of his girl children except Emma a cow when they got
married.

Momma said she never did like beef even before her pet calf. Said she didn’t
like the smell.

Momma bought the old wardrobe for $5 from Jim Killingsworth who ran a saw mill.
Her dad cut the logs from which it was made. Jim fashioned the old wardrobe
from the lumber sawed from S.W. Hallmark’s logs.

S.W. Hallmark gave each of the girls a little cotton patch and the girls did
what they wanted to with the money. A trunk apiece was one of the going things
they bought and in the trunk they stored their valuable home made quilts and
clothes.

Said her grandma Elizabeth Woodard and grandpa Moses Eason got sick and unable
to take care of themselves in old age. The S.W. Hallmark family took care of
them. Eva, Ethel, and Eza took turns staying all night with them and doing the
cooking and cleaning up. Moses Eason homesteaded the farm there. He used mules
or oxen as power to pull the plows. Cleared small patches of ground. Ground
was very poor and not very farmable. Cooked on fireplace. Momma’s grandpa
Eason said after daughter Mary Roxie Hallmark bought a wooden cook stove that
cornbread wasn’t good cooked on one of these new fangled iron cook stoves.

Jim McCollum was a Baptist preacher. He was a half brother of momma’s grandma
Sudie McCollum Hallmark. In momma’s youth he preached a revival at New River
(Killingsworth) Baptist Church and stayed with the S.W. Hallmark family .
Jim’s wife was Susan Eason McCollum, a sister of Mary Roxie Eason Hallmark.
Kin in several directions.

Grandma and grandpa S.W. Hallmark allowed no back talk from their children.

Frank Hallmark, oldest of Hopwood Hallmark kids, Married aunt Mary Berry. Their
children were John, Sudie, Sid and Lela. Son John married Grandma Regina
Cartherine Holllingsworth’s sister Elizabeth (Bess). John and Bess drank
liquor.

Hopwood’s boy Jim—momma didn’t know about him

His daughter sis married Alec Tidwell. Martha Tidwell Manasco was the baby of
this family. Married Joe Manasco and lived on Dad’s uncle George’s rental
house in Miss. Their Children were Rayford, Ressie, Reba and Sherman.
Daughter Dora Tidwell had no offspring. Married a Baccus.
Andrew Tidwell—good farmer near Wiley Perry place.
Ras Tidwell
Cal Tidwell Tidwells didn’t get much education.

Hopwood’s son Andrew (Drew) Jackson Hallmark married Moses daughter Della
Eason. Their children were Gus, Victor and Annie. Double first cousins of momma
and all gone now. 1978.

Hopwood’s son W. H. (Will Hallmark) married Grace Hartney. Grace’s mother
died with dropsy. The children of Will and Grace were Fent Hallmark who
married Ida Woodard, daughter of George. Their children were Boyd, James, Josie
and Clair.
Son Felix married a Perry girl. Ada married Bill Hollingsworth. Ida married
Hubbert. Ed married Aute Tucker’s girl Sula, and Ector.

Momma’s grandpa Eason fell and broke leg at aunt Sudie McCollums.

I, Fred McCaleb, was born where Walker McCaleb lived. Hubert was born on Barn
Creek, Clancy on Boxes Creek, Raburn where Roland Roby lives, Jean in Miss. And
Leroy near Bluff, Al. Ollie Tucker was midwife for Fred and Hubert, aunt
Margaret Hollingsworth at Clancy’s birth, Raburn & Jean had doctors. Dr.
Cowden of Shannon Ms. At Jean’s and Dr. Barnes of Winfield for Raburn. Mrs.
Mag Hush, midwife, at Leroy’s birth. Told to me by my mother. According to
momma all her children were good. All her grandchildren were also good. Ha!

Hopwood Hallmark had another daughter named Mary. She married Wesley Fowler.
S.W. Hallmark’s stepmother, Elizabeth Jeffries, got his farm in the Tenn.
Valley. I found from the census that S.W. stayed with the Fowlers at least one
period of time. He also stayed with his grandma Sarah Tipton some of the time.
Grandpa was sort of a boy without a home during his growing up years. Didn’t
seem to like his stepmother. Momma said grandpa rode a horse or mule one of
the times he went to see folks in North Alabama. Had to stay all night on the
way. Weather was very cold. Got between mattresses and still nearly froze.
Traveling was a tough deal back then unless you could catch a train going to
where you wanted to go.

Momma said she dreamed of going off to school. Paid her way to go somewhere and
didn’t get able to go and didn’t know if they would give the money back.

McCollums on momma’s grandma Hallmark side owned slaves. John Wade came to
Church at Killingsworth.

Grandpa S.W. Hallmark changed from Primitive to Missionary Baptist because he
didn’t like footwashing. Momma had been to footwashing at Old Brand. Had
towel tied around waist to dry feet after washing. Had big crowds at washings.
Old man Gillian lived close and raised a big family of girls. Daddy went to a
few to see what went on.

Momma made us wash feet every night, or she couldn’t rest. Washed hands, face
and combed hair when we came in from work at lunch or night. Had a washpan to
dip water into that set on a special table. Talked of people getting 7 year
itch that didn’t clean up.

Her brother Arthur Hallmark met a bear one time on the bluff in the back field.
He let the bear go his way and he went his own way as fast and easy as he
could.

Momma said Eva named me Fred. Hubert named after McCalebs or Whiteheads. Clancy
was named after Clancy Johnson Campbell. Her and momma baptized same big
meeting .This lady came to see momma in the nursing home. Preacher Spann
baptized them. This was befor momma married. They were baptized in Boxes creek.
Didn’t tell me who named Raburn. We named Clara Jean from something we had in
school. I think Hubert and I named Leroy. Myrtle Erving said I was named for
Fred Ervin that died of too thin blood. Fred Ervin was one of dads playmates.

Said grandpa S.W. Hallmark hooked up wagon and carried Easons to church. Grandma
Eason died first. Grandpa Eason stayed around with children, but when at grandpa
Hallmarks he would go home and sit on porch.

Following is Mommas story on Hopwood Hallmark, her grandpa. She didn’t know
about him very well and knew nothing of her great grandpa George Hallmark.
Grandpa Hopwood Hallmark married second time ( a Jeffries.) Her dad, S.W.
didn’t like step mother and stayed with older brothers. Drew was youngest and
her dad the next oldest. Momma didn’t know if he moved back to Tenn. Valley
with 2nd wife. Stayed with John and Frank and finally built a house and married
Roxie Eason. (She didn’t know about her dad being a hired hand of Moses Eason
before marrying one of his girls.) The following seems a little false. There
was a place near Pleasant Grove named Jeffersfield. Jeffries were kin to Andy
Studdard. S.W. used to stop and see her sometimes. I know the following
sentence is false. Diddn’t take second wife to valley. Her dad S.W. rode to
valley one time. Had to beg place to stay all night. Nearly froze with feather
bed over him.

Hopwood didn’t go to civil war.Hid out. Might have been hung. ( wasn’t, it
was his dad George that got shot by home guards.) Hopwood’s little house
used to be on creek below Henry and Clyde Killingsworths. Two Hallmark girls
got killed. May have been aunts of her dad S.W. They were sisters of Hopwood.
S.W. had an aunt and uncle that came to see him. I didn’t find out who they
were. (The aunt might have been Wesley Fowler’s wife Mary Hallmark before
they moved to Arkansas. They died there. ) Hopwood died before his 2nd wife.
Then the wife moved back near Carbon Hill. (According to descds in north Al.
she didn’t.) May have been around Tuscumbia. She got sick and S.W. stopped to
see her on way to Carbon Hill. Second wife had children Jack and Joe Hallmark
and stayed in Valley.

Susan was a Hallmark (dau of Hopwood’s parents George and Sarah Tipton) that
married James Monroe (Jimmy, called Jimmeroo) parents of Jerry Killingsworth
(sons Carlos and “Jim Dandy”) Momma didn’t know too much about her
Hallmark ancesters

There was a Tobias Woodard—brother of grandma Elizabeth Eason, Moses Eason
wife. Jim, Melton, John, steve and Liza Woodard were cousins of Elizabeth.
(Melton was Steve’s son.) George Woodard ( diabetic and lost legs) married
twice. His wife Julie Woodard committed suicide when I was a little boy. Momma
said her grandma Elizabeth Woodard used to go to Ga. ever summer to visit with
her brother Tobias. She would catch the train at Eldridge.

There were many more postoffices in momma’s day. They were at someone’s
home. The Dry Creek postoffice was at home of Bill Killingsworth. This office
was South of her. There was no rural free delivery. The Dublin postoffice was
up the road about 2 miles north of the S.W. Hallmark place. Andy Tidwell was
postmaster and gave momma circulars. After RFD was passed a postoffice was
established at Eldridge, Al. about 1906. Momma was about 14 years old. The
first few times of Rural Free Delivery the mail carrier didn’t know anybody
and would bring the mail in the house and empty the pack and you pick out your
own mail.

Momma was still going to school at Killingsworth Church when the mail carrier
bought an automobile. The teacher let them go outside to see the mail carrier
pass by in his new fangled traveling machine. One of her teachers was Hass
Sherer, one of her best ones she said. Miss Arie Sherer also taught momma. The
daughter of Arie Sherer and wife ,Alma Shirer Kizzire, taught me, Fred McCaleb,
when I started to school at one teacher school Skimming Ridge. She was one of
Momma’s best friends, but I didn’t like her. She made an example of
punishment out of me and her son Albert. Momma said Alma Sherer was her second
cousin. Don’t know if that is right or not.

Daddy met momma at a singing school at Killingsworth Baptist Church. Jack Tucker
and Bill Alldridge taught one. Daddy had some Woodard cousins that lived near
the church and were record keepers. Martha Hollingsworth, Grandma McCalebs
sister married Melton Woodard. Melt’s daughter, Alma Woodard Tucker, was
momma’s best friend in school. So I guess they naturally got thrown together.
Alma lived to be close to 100 years old. She said her and momma were the two
smartest in class and the teacher told them they should take exam to teach
school. Neither one took the exam.

Momma said she never knew her grandpa Moses Eason’s folks. She did know about
the Moses Eason children. The Jim McCollum and aunt Susan (Sudie ) eason
children were Lewis, Travis, Doris, Etta married Howard, Zora married Chambers
(undertaker), and Vera married Dr. Sparks. Momma knew that Moses picked up the
dead during the Civil War.

Dr. Galliger was the country doctor from Eldridge when I was a young boy. Momma
said there was also a Dr. Ashmore. You didn’t go to a doctor at that time.
The Dr. came to see you. Visits cost $3-5.

The Killingsworth Baptist Church preacher was a fellow by the name of Trimm when
momma was young. He came in a buggy from around Winfield, Al.

Momma’s brother Arthur Hallmark was in WW1 about 6 months. Never went
overseas. Drew a veterans pension in his old age. Took care of his mother, Mary
Roxie Eason Hallmark, until she died in 1938, and then married Nannie Lee
Harkins. They had no children.

Momma said her grandma and grandpa Moses Eason had a little boy that died young
and was buried in Wade Cemetery. His name was Joseph. No marker at Wade.
Grandpa Hallmark bought a two horse buggy while part of the children were home
(Ethel gone) and used small mules to pull it. Grandpa McCaleb had a one seated
buggy when I was a small boy and I got a ride or two in that one.