.The Store "CandyLady".

My All-Time Favorite Penny "CandyLady" Ms. Mary Thomas

Thomas, Mrs. Mary E., 88 passed away Thursday, April 7th, 2011 at her residence in Midway, Alabama. The HomeGoing celebration will be held Thursday April 14th, 2011 at 12:00 noon from the sanctuary of the Mt. Coney Missionary Baptist Church, Rev. J. N. Robbins, Sr. Pastor. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Mrs. Thomas will lie in repose at the church from 11:00 am until the funeral hour. The family will receive friends at the funeral home, Wednesday evening from 6:00 pm- 7:00 pm. The staff of Carter Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of the late Mrs. Mary E. Thomas.  Montgomery Advertiser.

That store Ms. Mary Thomas ran looked so Big to me as a little Girl, when I went back to my Parents hometown in Midway and got "Grown" it was a small World. In 1998 she still had the old southern red gas pumps, I loved going to the store with a 1$ in my pocket Daddy would give me. I was "Big-Timey", that went a long way back then for  "Penny Candy" in the 70's when I have my fondest memories of going to the store.

Thanks for all the memories, and helping me to get a pickle out of the jar because I was simply too short back then! The 25cents bag of chips. Getting Pop out the machine and taking the top off in the built in remover from the counter. Red Fishes, candy necklaces and candy buttons, bottle caps, Lucky Lights cigarette gum that blew smoke!, FunDip, Bazooka Gum with the cartoons inside, Why did I save those? Necco Candy wafers, they were Dry!, Pixy Stix, Wax Bottle Candy with the juice inside. Fruit Stripe Gum. Oh! Henry candy bar, the vienna sausages, souse meat. All those smiles and smell of dust and dirt road. Those Little Brown Paper Bags! she would put all your Goodies in.

I got to tell Ms. Mary proudly when I was grown up what it meant to walk up there barefoot with my Cousins and get candy. She laughed so!  I can still remember Grandma Queen and being mad with her with my "Red Self" because she would take a piece or two and smelling Poppa's snuff. I can still smell his chewing Tobacco! My Cousins remember that store as well and I hope to hear more of their stories. It was just a daily activity, not so do about nothing kinda way down there. Strolling. Natural. Just easy like a Sunday Morning.

Leave me a "NoTe" or Comment about your favorite candy back in the Day!


Ohh, the Memories! Take time to remember those People in your Childhood, Thank You Ms. Mary!

Me and my Barefooted Cousin Marvin all Grown Up. Our Mother's were Sister's and our Daddy's were 1st Cousins

*BlogTalkRadio for AAGSAR*!

                                        

Hello Family and Friends! and Most of all my Delightful Readers!

Just wanted to share "My True Roots!" with you again to reintroduce myself to the Genealogy Community and why I started!

This was my 1st Post which you can click on the Link to see my 1st start and Tribute.

 Threshold of Blogging! after much hesitation.

 I started it on November 7, 2012 and posted what was the time of Daddy's Death of 2:32.  My Father James Edward Lewis,  passed Saturday Morning in my childhood home in Oberlin Pennsylvania. Dauphin County. November 7, 2009.  With all his Children surrounding him.

Me and Daddy age 9, 1977.

I wanted to keep my Family History and Oral History alive.

Inspiration came from my "Ol'Slave Ike Ivery"!

 This is where you can learn all about my Sankofa for Granddaddy, in my Documentary to Granddaddy "Ike Ivery" all the way to Me!

I was encouraged by many people along the way on other Facebook Groups I had joined.

 Countless Friends and Family. Too many to mention who have been encouraging and cheering me on this Journey. So I'd like to take this time for "Thanking" everyone who has been so positive and uplifting. 

Later I joined AAGSAR!  This is my new HOME now. Please take a look at the work done by Luckie Daniels and all the "New Bloggers" who are pretty much seasoned and I proudly and Boastfully say this was a long time coming and much needed. 

"The Village"

With Luckie Daniels of Our Georgia Roots  supervision no words can express what she started for the African American Genealogy Community 14 years ago and took on the role and challenge of nurturing and getting us started. We can pass this on and take Charge now. "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child"......She has guided us by hand daily on showing us what our Work and Challenges are? Why we need to be a part of the Genealogy Community?

Now she is taking AAGSAR to another Level.....BlogTalkRadio! our 3rd Home and Why We Got Roots Too!

                    
This is where my development and integration of technology for my Work began. Daddy would be Proud of me for being with these Folks on the level we are taking our Work to Honor Our Ancestors Lives in the RadioSphere.

It has been way to long and much anticipated. I hope other's will join in not letting our Slave History get behind any longer.

 That is my Life Work as well.

 To keep reminding EVERYONE that we! My Ancestors! have a place in Ancestry and Beyond! with all the complexities of different nationalities and ethnicity's told within our DNA as well. 

This is part of mine: 23andMe making me U5b1c Maternally.

True's! DNA.

In this Work we call Genealogy and to Continually Tell Their Life Stories for the World so as not to be forgotten integrated with Technology.  My Unborn Readers and my Descendant's Hopefully will carry this body of work I have only begun to touch on.

I expect nothing less from all the GREAT New & Seasoned Genning Friends of  the Genealogy Community to support Me and my People as they become known to you, on my behalf and help them! Receive them! Support them as they come along, long after I have gone. 

So to Celebrate another milestone in my Ancestors lives and my Fellow Bloggers. New and Old. Come Support your Extended Genealogy Family. 



 I EXTEND my Hand and INVITE! and ask that you join us LIVE on Sunday March 2nd, 2014 6pm EST, as we Debut our Live BlogTalkRadio Show! @ BlogTalkRadio for AAGSAR!  And don't forget to CALL IN!  @ 347-838-8307

                                          Upcoming Events!

We have some great line-ups! You'll get to meet AAGSAR Members and Luckie Daniels and Myself and Fellow Bloggers and Experts in Technology, Family Research and Genning from the Larger Community?

Why We Have Roots Too!

AAGSAR African American Genealogy & Slave Ancestry Research

Visit AAGSAR You Got Roots? Yes we Do!



Post: Questions or Comments at the above link and get familiarized with our BlogTalkRadio page leading up to SUNDAY MARCH 2ND, 2014. 6 pm EST!  Pass the WORD around! Google+ "Twitter" Facebook and all the other Technology Engines you use and Groups too! We are so Excited! and We want YOU to be a PART of IT!

Bring your Coffee! and in my case my English Tea! A few snacks. Come TALK and Chat with us, or just Plain out HANG OUT! Join in the Experience and Celebrate with US on what we all so love in Genealogy and Technology. Keeping our Ancestral Work alive. 

                      See you on SUNDAY, MARCH   2ND, @ 6pm                                       Eastern Time in the US!  
                                       Call In: 347-838-8307
                                  for AAGSAR! You Got Roots!? Live Talk Show!
                                                    @ 
                            "BlogTalkRadio Channel"                                                   

See Ya Sunday, and My Best Regards!
True!

Lillian Mary Johnson Sweigard

Hello All!    it's FEBRUARY!  Time for 2# Post for WorldWide ~ A Genealogical Collaboration

It's me; True! again.

I'm going to make this Short and Sweet. I will be traveling to my "Ancestral Home" of Alabama to bury my Mother's Sister. My African American side. So please bear with me. I will add to this later.

It's very challenging when you are grieving and have to keep up your daily responsibilities. I haven't been much in the mood to write as of late. After I get past a few things in the next couple days. My tears will turn to joy and I will get up to task of writing again. I'm just in a lull right now.

I wanted to introduce you all to my Maternal Grandmother!

                                                      "LILLIAN MARY JOHNSON SWEIGARD" 

 Lillian Mary Johnson was born on Tuesday, October 3, 1905, in Newville, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Her  Father was, Joshua William Sharpe Johnson, he was 26. Her Mother, Cora Agnes Rebecca Watson, was 22. 

She was 1 out of 6 children. Her brother William Levi 1904, "Grandma Lillian" 1905, Russell Luther 1907, Dorothy "Aunt Dot" 1910, Rosanna Jane 1914, Viola Catherine 1917. 

She had one child with a man with the last name of  Carpenter in 1925. Geraldine. 

 She then married Harry Clayton Sweigard in 1932. My "Grandpa Harry". They had one child together in 1948.  My "Mother" Sharon. 

Grandma Lillian passed away on November 27, 1971, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, at the age of 66.  I was 3 years old.

Lillian Mary Johnson Sweigard

In 1910, Lillie Johnson was 4 years old and lived in Newville, Pennsylvania with her father, mother, and 2 brothers. They are on LINE 22-26. Grandpa Sharpe was working on the railroad.

1910 Census of Lillian in Newville with Parents and Sibs

Newville is the kind of sleepy town full of Mom and Pop's stores. Where people know people. Mostly a Generational family type of town. Like the Walton's if you please. Grandma Lillian's line goes all the way back to William Watson from what I have researched. Watson's have been there since the Revolutionary War. This is my Irish Line. Her Mother Cora's family has been there as well. 

That line goes back to "My Patriot" Johann Nicholaus Barrick born August 2, 1761 in Cumberland County and died July 20th, 1844 in Cumberland County, Pa. He is my 5th Great Grandfather. 

 I only have his Father's name of Henry Berg/Berk. No Mother's name. He married Anna Maria Lambert/Lambertie.

I've only been told stories about Grandma Lillian. I still have to interview my Mother more while she is still in good health and good memory.

My African American Grandparents would tell me because the 60's were so rocky even in Pennsylvania. They would have to sneak and let Grandma Lillian see me. Grandpa Harry was still leary. My Paternal GrandParents would tell me how they would call her and let her know they were gonna be at Sears that day and what time. Sears was by Grandma Lillian's house. She would go and act as she would normally as to shopping. Then she would slowly come up to my Dad who would be holding me then. Strike a conversation about how Pretty of a baby you have Sir. Daddy said she would hold my little hand and gaze and coo at me and I would just look between her and him. 

I wish I could see her in my big eyes. I wish I could smell Grandma Lillian. No one knew I would only have 3 little years with her off and on. 

Mom would tell me also how she would sneak to call late at night or during the day when she could and ask Mrs. Lewis is there anything TrueAnn needs? No Ms. Sweigard she is doing fine. Don't worry and begin to tell her little things I might of been doing through the week. 

Mom said once she called about about  a white fur coat she wanted me to have and Mom talked her out of it saying I would get so many things on that. Your spoiling the child. They would laugh. I know Grandma Lillian wanted me to have the best. I still have the white lace dress with a pink bow after my Grandparents passed. They still kept dress for me to have as Woman now. Every time I would go home I would ask my Parents. Mom where is the dress Grandma Lillian gave me? "She'd say in the back closet", Go! Look at it. I'm still saving it for you! and her and Daddy did.

White Lace Dress

She was a tough lady with her Irish bit in her, she was sentimental. These are the accounts about her that I wish to talk to my Mom about. 

My other gift is her China punch bowl set in it's original box from Anchor Landing. I'm about to put it in a hutch now that I have a Home of my own now. That was saved for me as well. I love it. 

Also I have my most cherish gift which is my baby Rocking Chair.......Grandma Lillian bought that for my Grandma Lewis to rock me in. I have kept that chair in my baby room and then when I moved from my nursery that was through my Parents room and graduated to my Tween room it went with me down the hall. Well...I have that rocking chair in my Grandbaby's room at my House now. Mom always told me you take care of that chair, it was my job every Saturday to dust it down. Make sure nothing got on it or to break it. 

My baby Rocking Chair

This Spring I plan to meet my DNA cousins who are Grandchildren of Grandma Lillian's siblings. I hope my Mom will show me new pictures and I hope there is one of me and her together. My Aunt is suppose to give me her Bible and I wonder what treasures I'll find in there?

I'm so grateful My Grandparents saved those things for me.

 Grandma Lillian is part of who I am. My Grandparents kept her memory and presence near me. It's those little things that they did that they knew would make a world of a difference to me later in life.... So it has.

They say you can never miss something you never had. Well... I do miss my Grandma Lillian. I love my Grandma Lillian. 

See ya Soon!

Best Regards, 

True!