Oral History
This is an interview with my mother about her childhood. It was taken place in the kitchen of my house in Jefferson, Georgia. My mother was cooking dinner and trying to make a grocery list for our Thanksgiving dinner. I went into this interview knowing that much history has been lost throughout the years, but I still hoped to learn more about my family.
Summer: What history do you know of the family?
Patti: I remember as far back as I can we always had a family reunion at Hardenman Baptist Church every year. This church is where I grew up and where my parents were raised also. Every year during the reunion they spoke about the history of the church and the family. That’s where I found out about my origin. As a kid I just assumed that we lived in Georgia all our lives. I had no idea that my great great grandmother came over from Scotland. She came over as a young child to Philadelphia. I can remember my mother speaking of her, but she never got a chance to know her. My thoughts as a child were that I was part leprechaun. I always wanted to be born on March 17, so I could be a leprechaun. When I finally realized that it would never change, I secretly wanted my children to have this birthday. I was very lucky with you. My three girls were all supposed to be around that day. I guess I was just meant to be a leprechaun.
Summer: What do you know about Hannah Louise Baker?
Patti: I know that she was my great great grandmother. I know that she was born in Scotland and moved to Philadelphia as a child with her parents because it was unsafe. I know that they eventually moved to Georgia around the dekalb county area and that they stayed there until she died. I have heard that she attended the Webb reunion at Hardenman church by the elders of the church and that she is buried in the cemetery at Hardenman.
Summer: Why did you get the blue notebooks? Why were they are used?
Patti: The church historian, Tony Sills, was very interested in the church background, so he decided to research the history and found out who established the church and how everyone was related. Once he found out the information, he handwrote a copy of all his findings. He wanted each family to have a copy to keep adding to, so that the information would carry throughout all the families and be kept up when new family members were added. It was suppose to give each family the background of where each family originated from and how we are tied to other families.
Summer: When did chicken casserole start becoming a main dish in your childhood?
Patti: There again, that is a dish that I remember from my childhood. It was handed down from my grandmother and great grandmother. It has been altered very little. It’s a basic casserole that has been a part of special holidays since I can remember. I have continued the tradition of this casserole and will hand down the recipe to my children in hopes that they carry on the tradition. Something tells me that it won’t be a problem seeing that they always ask if I’m cooking it.
Summer: Did Grandma ever mention if her mother cooked chicken casserole or if she grew up with it?
Patti: She grew up eating chicken casserole as a child. Her mother told her that it was one of her favorite dishes that they served at Christmas as she also grew up eating it. I know that its been handed down from generation to generation. It was a dish that everyone looked forward to on special occasions. It was always served at the family reunion, making sure that each family had the recipe to carry on to their children. That’s why it such a special dish, everyone has truly enjoyed making it because it reminds you of your childhood.
Summer: Did Grandma ever speak of her grandma or her great grandma?
Patti: She could only remember certain things about her great grandma, but her and her mother were very close. She told me of stories of her growing up with her brothers and sisters. It reminded me of how similar my childhood was compared to hers. Of course, the finances were a lot different, but the cares and concerns were very alike. I know that my grandmother died from leukemia, but as far as I know she is the only one in our family who had it.
Summer: Are there any other traditions that you remember from the holidays?
Patti: Christmas and Easter were special holidays to my parents. They grew up with parents who thought the same way. Presents were given on Christmas Eve and they always went to Sunrise Service on Easter.
Summer: Are there any heirlooms that were passed down?
Patti: I don’t have very many pictures past my grandmother, but I do have brooches that belonged to my great grandmother that I received after my mother passed away. I’m not sure that it was given to her by her mother or not, but I do plan on handing it down.
The interview with my mother helped me better understand how she and my grandmother grew up. I consider my grandmother as the main woman that passes down traditions. She loved showing us the traditions she grew up with. I now know more about the meanings of traditions for my family. It inspired me to learn more about our traditions and how they are compared to those from the past. Some challenges I faced were the fact that my mother didn’t know much of my grandmother and how it was like growing up. I wish she was still here so i could have interviewed her and learned more about our history. It’s always more interesting when you hear stories from elders than looking up facts. They experienced different things that a book just can’t picture for someone. If I had more time with the interview with my mother, I would have made sure we had more time. If I could have given her more time, I feel like she would have been able to keep giving me stories. I plan to pass down the traditions that my family has. It might not be many but they make the holidays special for me. I want my children and their children to know these things so they know about their past.
