Todays Flashback Friday is about my grandpa, JC. He was born in 1927 in Sherwood, Tennessee.
Where the heck is Sherwood?
Sherwood is a tiny unincorporated community in Franklin County, just north of the Alabama state line. Population is less than 600.
Back in the 30’s during the community’s heyday there were about 1300 residents, many working for the Gager Lime Quarry. When the quarry shut down in 1949 many residents left.
My grandfathers family remained in Sherwood, and there are still residents there today that claim kinship.
Their official address on the US census: East side of the mountain.
All about J.C.
JC was born with the name J.C. 2 letters, nothing else.
When he was baptized at the Epiphany episcopal Mission church there in Sherwood, they told my great grandparents , “His name can’t be JC. You cant have a name with just 2 letters, they need to mean something”…
So they baptized him with a “good Christian name”. Although his name is J.C., according to the church his name is John Cyril.
JC only made it through the 5th grade, but later in life he went to the local High School and took GED classes.
JC had a hunting accident as a teenager and had to have his arm amputated a few inches above the elbow. Because of this, in every picture he would always stand behind people or try and disguise his left side . JC was handsome, and I am sure this was kind of a bruise to his ego.
Musician
He was a fairly accomplished Spoons player, and despite the loss of his left arm he still played!
He had a group of guys he hung out with and even recorded a song or two with them, some good old fashioned Appalachian music! My Aunt had a copy of the recording made. They were pretty good!
Becoming a family man
JC and my grandmother met in Chattanooga, and they got married in 1945.
They moved to Michigan around 1947 to go to work for Harwill Aerocraft, a boat company founded by a family member. He was a welder.
They had 5 children. 3 girls and 2 boys. Their oldest son died when he was about 2 months old, due to complications from Spina Bifida.
The Dark Side
Life wasn’t sunshine and roses for my moms family.
JC had a temper and a drinking problem, and it was fairly dysfunctional. He could be quite abusive at times, especially after spending the evening at the bar. From what I understand, he liked things a particular way, and “the belt” would come off if anything was out of place.
He smoked like a chimney, had since he was a kid. I remember him telling me that he was 9 when he started
I never knew this side of my grandpa, but heard the stories from my mom and her siblings. It took quite a while for my mom to find the peace of forgiveness in her heart for the abuses against her growing up. In the end I do believe she finally forgave him and they started to rebuild their relationship.
I am mot sure if the same can be said for all the kids.
Finding Jesus
I dont know the exact time that things started to turn around. My grandmother was the Baptist Church pianist for many many years and she finally dragged JC there.
He was able to find Jesus, recommit and become the person that I grew up knowing him to be.
In his later years he would sing gospel music, and I remember one of his favorite songs was “What a friend we have in Jesus”.
What I remember
He called his stomach his “bread basket”.
He would roll up his sleeve and had a drawer full of rubber bands to secure his sleeve to his small stump from his arm.
I remember a few of the silly songs he would sing me.
“nyahk nyahk nyahk, you and me little brown jug don’t I love thee…”
“Took my girl to church last night, what do ya think she did? Got right up in the preachers face , started chewin’ her chewin’ gum! Chewin’ Chawin’, Chawin’ Chewin’, chewin’ bubble yum. What fun, what fun it’s real fun just a chewin’ bubble gum.”
He wasnt an avid reader, and regular crossword puzzles were hard for him. There was a drawer that had his pencil and his word search booklet and the crossword fill in the blanks. He had a rocking la-z-boy recliner that he would sit in. I still remember the feel of the fabric and I can see the wood paneling and mirror over the couch like it was yesterday.
I remember he had to have heart surgery and was in the hospital . They used staples to close him up and he told me it was his zipper.
He was REALLY mad about the new diet he had to follow.
Death
50 plus years of smoking caught up to him, and he was diagnosed with Lung Cancer.
He died when I was in the 7th grade. He was only 61 years old.
I remember we were living in California at the time. We had to fly back to Michigan for the funeral.
That was my first real experience with death, and I remember feeling gutted.
It has been 32 years since JC died. Some days I look back and it seems like I hardly knew him at all,.
Other days I look back and I am flooded with memories.
SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE
Post a photo of one of your relatives and write some memories you have of them. tag it #preserveyourtree and #preserveyourtreechallenge
Happy Hunting!
