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| Grandma Elizabeth "Lizzie" Jordan Daniel |
~"Yo' Soul flies away and visits with the Ancestors while you Sleep"~
She was born in May of 1847 possibly as early as 1843. She was 6ft 2inches of pure survival. This is where our Oldest Known L1c1d comes from in our DNA tested line. On 1880 Census in Bullock County it's stated that she was born in Alabama and she was 35. She doesn't state where her Parents where born. Grandma Lizzie is on my Paternal Mother's side. She is living with her husband George Daniel, he was 38, her Mother in Law Mother Maria A born 1811. Mary Willis is living with them with her son Charles age 21 and a nephew Joshua age 8. I'm not sure of the relationship of Mary Willis? Was she sister to Maria A. George's Mother or just a boarder? I'm researching and looking through my DNA matches.
If you remember my Grandma Berta Hatcher which is on my Paternal Father's side. Grandma Berta's brother Charles Hatcher was living next to them with Grandma Berta's Grandmother Airy.
Two of their 8 children were born by 1880. My Aunt's Chaney and Aunt Viola. Eventually she would have Mary, Isaiah, Hattie Mae, Georgia and "Queen" whom I belong to. Robert.
By 1900 she states she was married in 1865! She's had 11 children and 7 are Living. Aunt Velma told me last night two of her Daughters died within days of each due to some flu epidemic that came through Midway. Her and George are still living in Midway, Alabama.
In 1910 the Census from Bullock County, Midway, Alabama says she is 60. So some dates are off. Grandma Queen and Robert are at home still living. Queen is 18. She got married in 1911 and had her first child in 1912.
My Granddaddy Ike Ivery is on page 23 of that census. So he is living nearby. George and Lizzie's Granddaughter, my Momma Tinnie eventually would marry the Grandson of Ike Ivery, James Lewis. So the Ivery's knew the Daniel's!
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| 1910 Census of Lizzie and George Daniel |
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| Grandaddy George Daniel Death Certificate |
At some point she moves to Springfield County, Akron Ohio with her Daughter Hattie Mae (pictured below), She is my Grandma Queen's sister. Aunt Hattie Mae married Thomas Smart Sr. 5 of her children are in the household with them. If you all knew my Grandma Queen they favored so much.
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| Aunt Hattie Mae Daniel Smart |
They say when Grandma Lizzie came from Birmingham to visit them in Akron Ohio on Bina Avenue, she would smell fresh of homemade sachets. Rose and Lily's. She wore long ankled length skirts, starched petticoats. Her 2 piece black suit was handmade, she was to tall she had to have her clothes custom made.
She went to St.Paul's Baptist, but she was a staunch Methodist. When they would leave church going past Summit Lake, she would say, "them Baptist Think God all Mighty is deaf" because of all the whooping and hollerin'.
She was so big and strong and 90 sumpin' years old. She was strong as any man, and no one would mess with her.
She made the girls sit with their dresses over their knees: "No one wants to see your Possible".
She went to St.Paul's Baptist, but she was a staunch Methodist. When they would leave church going past Summit Lake, she would say, "them Baptist Think God all Mighty is deaf" because of all the whooping and hollerin'.
She was so big and strong and 90 sumpin' years old. She was strong as any man, and no one would mess with her.
She made the girls sit with their dresses over their knees: "No one wants to see your Possible".
My Mom Tinnie was jittery around her Grandmother, she couldn't understand how her Mother was the Sweetest thing on earth could have such a STERN Momma. I don't know if I'll know all of Grandma Lizzie's ills with the World? I can only go by what her Granddaughters have relayed to me. I think it had a lot to do with Slavery.
Out of all of this, her Daughter Queen raised some STRONG children. None were weak. I know by her ways and means Mom learned lessons from her also.
Mom said Grandma Lizzie "Smoked" all day. She had a trunk that she didn't want none of them "Chillren" to mess with. Mom said she never did find out what was all in it that she was so protective over? She said once, when she was with Grandma Queen, she hollered at her Daughta'! Keep them kids from my trunk Queen! Momma they ain't meaning no harm, they's just running and playing. They ain't thinking about that trunk.
Mom left me clues to further my research. Mom called her a "Devilish Ol'Lady". Mom told the truth. She said they would call her a "Pistol Witch" behind her back. They was scared and didn't act up around Grandma Lizzie.
Eventually I would do a search on her on Google. Just to see what would come up? That is when I ran into my Cousin Jeanne Cheatham. She is a famous Jazz Singer. She is the Granddaughter of Hattie Mae Daniel Smart.
Her book titled "Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On" My Life in Music. It's also her signature song, the book included a CD with her work of music on it. This is where I found a lot of info on Grandma Lizzie we had heard so much about. I never thought I would see a picture of her but there it was!
She told of things Grandma Lizzie would say or do: About her Shotgun, she would pull it out even when her Daughter Queen snuck out the window and ran off to marry Poppa Sam Miles.
Or her saying some African Tribes would have the females run up and sniff the armpits of their intended. If she survived the test, she could survive anything. Gotta find out what Tribe that is? Might be a clue as to what kind of African is in me! She smoked a pipeful of homegrown "yarbs"(herbs) they kept her eyes clear and prevented asthma.
On page 27 she would talk about how they hid in the root cellar from the Yankees during the Civil War. "A rascally bunch"! When ol'Masta died, his drunken sons somehow left the deed to all their land to Grandma Lizzie and her kin. Supposedly this was the source of her income. I also wonder if the rumors of her being with the "Irishman" is true? Till this day the blue-gray eyes are passed on from this side of my family. Mom also told me her and her son Isaiah, who is "Uncle Bud" got into about the land Grandma Lizzie had on his death bed. So there is some unresolved issues about that I would like to explore. I do know where the land is? I just need to find out what the connection was? What was it that he wanted to tell Grandma Queen? but she was kept from him by Aunt Missy. It was said he was mad, when Grandma Lizzie went back to Ohio before coming back to Alabama she sold everything piece by piece. Mules and all.
One evening she went to Aunt Munch, Aunt Hattie had put her on the train back to Alabama, that's where Grandma Lizzie layed down and died quietly in her sleep. The book says 107! Still in search of her Death Certificate.
She was born a Slave but didn't die a Slave. Her mind was made up and her heart was set. Also she mentioned that Grandma Lizzie which I need to follow up on, made Quilts! She was asked to exhibit them in a department store where you exhibit your paintings. She won 1st Prize! Jeanne says they put her name and picture in the paper in the Akron Beacon Journal. When she went to pick her prize up the quilts were GONE! Where? No one knows. No one ever did find out who took the quilts out the window. She says it made her heartless all over again over white people for making her a Slave and now for stealing her life work. I have no idea what year this was?
Cousin Jeanne has woven her life story in a array of wonderful words and pictures and all that she has accomplished playing all over the United States and World with some of the Greatest!
Jeanne has played with Grover Mitchell,Buddy Collette, Illinois Jacquet,Count Basie, Big Mama Thornton. She was awarded the LA Jazz Society's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. So much......
Her book titled "Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On" My Life in Music. It's also her signature song, the book included a CD with her work of music on it. This is where I found a lot of info on Grandma Lizzie we had heard so much about. I never thought I would see a picture of her but there it was!
She told of things Grandma Lizzie would say or do: About her Shotgun, she would pull it out even when her Daughter Queen snuck out the window and ran off to marry Poppa Sam Miles.
Or her saying some African Tribes would have the females run up and sniff the armpits of their intended. If she survived the test, she could survive anything. Gotta find out what Tribe that is? Might be a clue as to what kind of African is in me! She smoked a pipeful of homegrown "yarbs"(herbs) they kept her eyes clear and prevented asthma.
On page 27 she would talk about how they hid in the root cellar from the Yankees during the Civil War. "A rascally bunch"! When ol'Masta died, his drunken sons somehow left the deed to all their land to Grandma Lizzie and her kin. Supposedly this was the source of her income. I also wonder if the rumors of her being with the "Irishman" is true? Till this day the blue-gray eyes are passed on from this side of my family. Mom also told me her and her son Isaiah, who is "Uncle Bud" got into about the land Grandma Lizzie had on his death bed. So there is some unresolved issues about that I would like to explore. I do know where the land is? I just need to find out what the connection was? What was it that he wanted to tell Grandma Queen? but she was kept from him by Aunt Missy. It was said he was mad, when Grandma Lizzie went back to Ohio before coming back to Alabama she sold everything piece by piece. Mules and all.
One evening she went to Aunt Munch, Aunt Hattie had put her on the train back to Alabama, that's where Grandma Lizzie layed down and died quietly in her sleep. The book says 107! Still in search of her Death Certificate.
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| Grandma Lizzie living with her Daughter Hattie Mae in Akron Ohio 1930 |
She was born a Slave but didn't die a Slave. Her mind was made up and her heart was set. Also she mentioned that Grandma Lizzie which I need to follow up on, made Quilts! She was asked to exhibit them in a department store where you exhibit your paintings. She won 1st Prize! Jeanne says they put her name and picture in the paper in the Akron Beacon Journal. When she went to pick her prize up the quilts were GONE! Where? No one knows. No one ever did find out who took the quilts out the window. She says it made her heartless all over again over white people for making her a Slave and now for stealing her life work. I have no idea what year this was?
Cousin Jeanne has woven her life story in a array of wonderful words and pictures and all that she has accomplished playing all over the United States and World with some of the Greatest!
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| Cab Calloway and Cousin Jeanne on piano |
Jeanne has played with Grover Mitchell,Buddy Collette, Illinois Jacquet,Count Basie, Big Mama Thornton. She was awarded the LA Jazz Society's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. So much......
I did have the opportunity to talk to Jeanne once, she was 78 in the early part of the year when I last spoke to her. She lives in California. I hope my cousins read this and contact me so we can share more.
I'm so glad she wrote this book and shared a piece of our History in her story. She has 3 Cousins who are Grandchildren to Grandma Lizzie, my Aunt Bunny, Aunt Velma and Aunt Nettie still living.
It was one of those initial conversations when you first start up a "Oral History Interview".
I love that on page 376 she says "We went from Slavery all the way to the White House". This family has! and other's in my family who I'll get the opportunity to talk about in other blogs.
WoW Grandma Lizzie! The Legacy you left behind.
A friend of Jeanne's asked her, How on God's green earth do you get all those men to follow you all over the world--all these years---playing that crazy song, "Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On"?
That's for me to know and you to find out!
For more info on Cousin Jeanne << click.
Well Good Folks, it's for ME to Find Out and Let you Know!
Meet Me with your Black Drawer's On! till next time..........
I'm so glad she wrote this book and shared a piece of our History in her story. She has 3 Cousins who are Grandchildren to Grandma Lizzie, my Aunt Bunny, Aunt Velma and Aunt Nettie still living.
It was one of those initial conversations when you first start up a "Oral History Interview".
I love that on page 376 she says "We went from Slavery all the way to the White House". This family has! and other's in my family who I'll get the opportunity to talk about in other blogs.
WoW Grandma Lizzie! The Legacy you left behind.
A friend of Jeanne's asked her, How on God's green earth do you get all those men to follow you all over the world--all these years---playing that crazy song, "Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On"?
That's for me to know and you to find out!
For more info on Cousin Jeanne << click.
Well Good Folks, it's for ME to Find Out and Let you Know!
Meet Me with your Black Drawer's On! till next time..........
I enjoyed reading about you ancestor Lizzie..I think many of us have a female ancestor like that who was stern & didn't take mess from anyone.
ReplyDeleteThank You TA! I love every inch of her! I got some "Pistol" in ME too!
DeleteThat is a great line, "She was 6ft 2 inches of survival." Loved reading about Lizzie :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Andrea! it was a bit long but I had to get all of it OUT! She was a Mighty Woman!
DeleteGirl u "Poppin" like PopCorn keep this flowing luv the connections u have made. Bev
ReplyDeleteThanks Beverly! Better to have this out and find more family!
DeleteLove your blog. I have the book but I still haven't read it. Just looked over it a bit to try to see what she said about the family. Amazing how much I missed according to your blog.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many notes that I have that I want to compare to all you wrote. I may have to make a lot of changes to my tree.
DeleteFor example, in addition to the 3 cousins that you mentioned, there is also Aunt Parch (Ruby Mickles), Uncle Jack (Isaiah Daniel, Jr.) and Aunt Adell (Adell Penick) that are still living. These are the children of Aunt Queen's brother, Isaiah Daniel, Sr.
DeleteAlso, I have a "Roland Daniel" as the eighth child of George and Lizzie instead of Robert. Robert (my father) is actually a grandchild of Lizzie. Of course, I do realize that there could have been a child of Lizzie named Robert as well that I'm not aware of.
DeleteI'll be back here soon with more questions. Realizing that my dad was probably around 13 years old before Lizzie or George died, I can't believe I missed such a great opportunity to capture so much information. Little did I know as a kid how interesting this information would be.
DeleteThat's the beauty of Telling your Ancestors Stories Cousin Bob. Just from me doing a Google search hopefully more family will find us. I can only go by what my Aunties told me and Mom. I would love to be able to interview Aunt Adell and Uncle Jack. I know Parch's situation. But they know what they look like, they could possibly verify information. Tell us names. The nicknames are getting me in the research, I can't tell who belongs to who. Aunt Velma has been amazing getting these people identified. We have obits and pictures in our Family homes that need to be shared. Other family members from all sides have connected with me through this BLOG. I can't do Names and Dates. I need to know what was going on with their LIVES. between the Names and Dates. We got to get to the DASH ~ what was inbetween. They want their stories told. That's what I'm trying to do. Thank you so MUch, Stop by anytime and let me know what you find and I'll try to get more info on it. I'll look for Roland.It could of been the Enumerator error. If Roland is younger than Grandma Queen, they could of mispelled. Love you Much! I have barely anything on "DANIEL" that is what I'm looking for!
DeleteI love this True. Sounds like some of the stories I've heard about my maternal ancestors. Girl you have been on a roll keep it up, loving it!
ReplyDelete