School Days (#52ancestors Week 15)

 #52Ancestors

Week 15 -- School Days

For this post, I'm going to let my great-uncle, Dick Williams, tell the story (copied from his autobiography, courtesy of Marr Temples)

Photo of Uncle Tyne (1856-1947)

Father and Uncle Tyne's Education Ends Abruptly

Uncle Tyne (Constantine) was a person who could say more curse words a minute than most people could all words in two minutes. He may not have used as many curse words while in school, but he was not past using a few.

His family was determined to make him a polished gentleman, so they sent him off to Bell Buckle, Tennessee, to attend the famous Soney Webb School. Their polisher must have fallen apart when they reached him.

As the story goes, the cafeteria kept serving some butter that had long passed its peak of freshness; in other words, it was very rank. All the boys kept wondering how they were going to get rid of the butter, since it was too rank to eat. Uncle Tyne, as usual, had a solution. As they were leaving the cafeteria he rolled the butter into a napkin and as he left the building he turned and slung the butter from the napkin, splattering it all over the door.

It appeared that they knew who did it, because they brought all the boys in and put them in a circle. Starting with the boy next to Uncle Tyne, they asked each if they had put the butter on the door. They continued this until they reached Uncle Tyne, who told them they had better ask the damn butter as it's old enough to answer for itself, thus ending his formal education.

My grandparents did not want to give up on having a well polished gentleman as a son. So when my father reached the age to send off to school they sent him to Bell Buckle, also. His experience at Webb School wasn't much better. As he relates it, while running in a race, he passed a boy standing along the track. The boy stuck his leg out and tripped him. Father may not have used the same kind of language as his brother, but he was known to have a sharp temper. He was also known as a good wrestler in his youth. I remember his remark when he saw his first football game. "I wish they had played this game when I was younger."

With these facts in mind, you can guess his reaction when he was tripped. After completely clobbering the boy, his formal education was also ended.

Favorite Recipe (#52Ancestors Week 14)

 

Week 14 -- Favorite Recipe

Since I’m trying to play catch-up after being out of town, this post will be fairly brief.

Recipe #1 is from my grandmother, Lillian Williams, based on what she told me when I (as a newly-wed) asked her for her chili recipe.  Recipe #2 is from my great-grandmother, Minnie Loftis Williams, via my grandmother.  Recipe #3 is also from my grandmother.

Grandmother’s Chili

First you cook your beans (any kind you want, as many as you need).

Cook your meat (amount depends on how many beans you cooked).

Season it until it tastes right, and that’s all there is to it!

Grandma’s Chess Pie

Barely beat 4 whole eggs and add 2 cups sugar, 1 stick butter (not margarine), 4 Tbsp. cream or milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, pinch salt.  Pour into pie shell, bake at 400 or 375 for 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

Grandmother's Rolls
1 cup Crisco
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup lukewarm water
1 egg, beaten
6 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1 yeast cake or pkg.

Mix Crisco, sugar, salt, and boiling water, dissolve and cool.
Put yeast in lukewarm water and dissolve.
When first mixture is cool, add egg and yeast. Stir well and add flour all at once. Place in large greased bowl for a few hours. Knead, then roll as desired (at least 1/2" thick). Let rise till double (about 2 hours). Brush tops with melted butter, then bake at 400 for 5-6 minutes till brown.