Southern families in rural provincial areas always have a few members of the family who know how "so and so" is kin to "so and so."
Years ago, a lady from up north came to teach at a school in Columbia County, where I was employed at the time. One day, we were conversing in the hall as classes were changing, and she said, "Mr. Bullard, I understand you come from an old, established family in this area. Any advice for a newcomer like me?"
"Yes," I responded. "Until you KNOW the lay of the land regarding family connections, it's better to say nothing than to make what could be perceived as an unpleasant statement about kinfolks of someone and, in your case, it would be a sin of omission and not commission, but the South is a unique place in regard to family. We can talk about our own among family members all we please, but outsiders don't need to wade in that water unless they know how to swim."
Expressing those with large family connections, White Springs lost a pillar of our community recently with the passing of Lovely M. Williams. Descended from an old, established African American family, her family has been in our area for over a century and a half. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She had a welcoming and warm smile and a friendly greeting. She was a hard worker and was employed many years at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. She was a faithful and active member of New Bethel AME Church and could be counted on for many years to sing with the community choir at the annual Easter Sunrise Service in White Springs. Hers was a life superbly lived. Our prayers are for the many members of the family.
So many people have no idea who their great-grandparents were or anything about their family. In my life, God has bestowed many blessings upon me, but one I am so very thankful for is my loving, wonderful family, and I am blessed that, for now, I know how the family trees of a lot of Southern Hamilton. The people of my home, "Way down upon the Suwannee River," continue to bless my life in ways too numerous to mention, and I am blessed and humbled to be part of such a community.
There was a lot we didn't have growing up where we did. There wasn't a lot of wealth, industry, bright lights, etc., but what we did have was a tightly-knit community that depended on each other, truly knew each other, and there was a lot of love and care. Really, now that I think of it, we had it ALL.
From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, wishing you a blessed week.
