Save Pinckney Colony!

Mary Powell suggested that we tell amusing stories of past years in Pinckney Colony. This suggestion prompted me to wonder why there was so much fun and nonsense between family members--was it because of the closeness of family, that we could share and enjoy each other and understand our deeper relationships? I think so.

Living in The Colony during the early nineteen hundreds were the brothers Willie, Cotie, Joe and Dessie, and also Willie's son, Bill, and Joe's son, Ollie. I have never witnessed such closeness as these men had and continued to have all of their lives. They felt comfortable with their fun.

Scarcely a week passed by that my dad, Dessie, would saddle up old Grey to ride over to see one or more of his brothers, unless of course that they came to Calhoun. Talk was mostly of crops--corn or pigs. Living was sharing; if one family butchered hogs or beef, the meat was shared. If one of them caught a "mess of fish", they were shared. Cane grinding was an annual event at each farm, a big social affair.

The brothers, nephews and wives gave of themselves in other ways. When Cotie and Cynthia's house burned down, the family was there to help re-build and share furniture and other possessions. Again when Willie and Ella's house burned, all were there, again to help. I remember that they and their family, about 10 people, including Nonie, Bessie, Kitty, Dot and baby Henry lived with us while the new house was being built. What fun! We kids slept on the screened porch, a regular dormitory of cots.

My parents, Dess and Olive, gave of themselves almost continuously, as did the other families. Although I was an only child, I never felt alone. There were cousins who spent the night, weekends, or even summer vacations. During the Great Depression, at a time before the government became our keepers, our home was a haven to family members who had come to unfortunate times. I remember Kathleen, Alfred and John Mew being with us for two years, then Pat and Helen Keating with Pat Jr., Clare and Yvonne stayed for three years. And a Mr. James who wandered in after losing his job when the stock marked fell and stayed for a "spell" minding my Dad's cows in the woods, when cattle were allowed free range. The other Pinckney families in the Colony also shared home, food and above all love and faith.

That's what made all the fun, the jokes--that's what living in Pinckney Colony was all about. That's their secret--but it really wasn't a secret! May we continue this sharing of family traditions through these family re-unions.