Trautman Post August 2010

"Last summer I stumbled on this blog and I posted a link on Granny Lessons. Several times this year I have reread it. It reminds me to be thankful and live responsibly. I cut pasted it here for you."

Trautman Family Farm (stoughton, Wisconsin)
The Grass-Organic Life in Wisconsin!
25 Aug · Wed 2010

An Explaination, A Mission, A Passion and a Question
I have, over the past few days, specifically, made it a point to be grateful. To look around me, and reflect, how beautiful life is, and how many gifts I truly receive each day. A friend of mine, Tim Williams, told me this, he learned it somewhere, that if you start your day by being thankful for five things, you will have a great day. I read quite a bit of Dr. Wayne Dyer, and he is big on gratitude, too. And I have seen, in people I respect, and desire to be more like, that they, too, spend more time in gratitude than 'the norm'. The opposite of gratitude - is complaining - about - everything.

Because the world around us, the culture we've built, is one to bitch about everything. Nothing is right. If an alien - a spaceman - came down and secreted himself amoungst us, it would be easy to see how he might report back, "these people are miserable, what a terrible place this planet earth is". By how we talk - how we talk about the problems, endlessly; I look at it anymore that people actually entertain themselves bitching about the world around them. But somewhere along the way, I moved from being just like that, to desperately wanting to ask, at the end of a good long scather about - oh - healthcare, the economy, the housing market, jobs, Iraq, Afghanistan, pollution, the government - I desperately want to ask - "so what are you DOING about it?". I don't ask - because I know the dumb stare I'll get - and I'm fearful then that I'm making them uncomfortable. No one wants to feel uncomfortable now, do they? So then I'm marked - I won't play nice and join in the fun; bitch about it all, nod my head in agreement, and be confident that the problem lies completely outside present company. We, ourselves, are blameless. "Nothing I could do!". It's the rich. It's the corporations. The government. Not our decisions - the ones we make every day - but someone else, somewhere else, out of reach of us.

Somewhere along the way I accepted in myself that I am changing the world. As I sit here now and breath in and out, I am changing the world. By such a tiny amount - but how do I know - that perhaps I was given gifts - that I have been ignoring the signs, the encouragements of those gifts for a lifetime - that God - has been so gently, so persistently been trying to convince me to use, when instead, I deny them. And I bitch. A significant amount of time in a life. And by accepting that as my culture, our culture, I look at the world in a different way - I fill it with bad, because that's all I talk about, hear, see - I invite it every day through the news, the conversations I have with people. I make - I - Make - the world a little worse place.

Or, I choose to make the world a better place. To reject the idea that the world is a bad place at all. That somehow it fits someone elses agenda - manipulation of me - to buy something, to not do something, to do something - to live in fear, and make stunted ill informed choices - including doing nothing - in fact, that being the most often - doing nothing - feeling slighted if one second of my oh-so-earned leisure time is infringed on - becoming so incredibly self involved in the trinkets, the baubles, the nothing of a lifetime. A new car, a vacation, a new electronic device, a new amusement; advertising tells us daily how we cannot be happy unless we do THIS. Buy THAT. And we are on the treadwheel for life - never quite getting there - to contentment - to satisfaction, because then we lose the will to buy, we might find the energy to do something that helps one another, rather then the one another purchasing a service for that, buying a device for that, supporting a candidate that says he will provide that for free.

Somewhere along the way this beautiful farm of ours changed me, as much as I changed it. Perhaps the faith I had in nurturing it, putting all my good intentions, all my hope into what I absolutely convinced myself could be a better future - and did the same with my children; that I would not accept 'that's how kids are today', that 'the education system has failed us' and on and on and on - I took responsibility, I took consistent action, considerable sacrifice over time, and I have done so long enough to see that it does work, it doesn't have to be 'that' way one tiny bit.
It's so easy to say, I'm just one person. I can't do anything. But now I train myself to think about all that I do - I ask myself this question: "So what if everyone thought that same way, would it be a better or worse world?". I can talk myself into thinking - boy what a monkey's uncle I am - everyone else is 'doing it' - and here I am denying myself that thinking I'm changing the world - and I can convince myself very easily if I let me - that the smart play is to go along, get what I can while I can, it's a dog eat dog world out there, no one's going to look out for me if I don't - but it's not true at all.

As my mind has changed, I have attracted into my life, beautiful, giving people. The rate of change has increased; my appreciation and belief in the wonderment of it all - and the radical humility that I didn't do this - but my creator - God to me, perhaps it's Buddah or Allah or even Nature - just something so powerful beyond yourself that defies explanation.

If I allow myself to be happy then I am; if I insist on being unhappy I am, if I decide there is nothing I can do there isn't, if I do, there is, if I choose to make my life about service to others I will, if I decide that it's all about me and my needs then that is what it will be.

I choose love.

I choose service.

I choose to surround myself with people that want more than anything to make a better world for their children - for your children - for everyone's children, and I will not be convinced otherwise by any one or any thing. I will stumble, I will fall, I will cry more than I ever thought I would, but I will also feel joy I never knew I could. I will give even when I know the receiver will show no gratitude. I will give a thousand times - if only to know the chance exists that it will help - I will be smart - and know that I want to do the most good in this life - and so I've got to learn, adapt, and grow, and be more efficient - choose my words better, feel humility deeper, speak from the heart more often.

I choose love.

"Mr. Trautman if you happen to see this know that I truly appreciate your courage to write and post this last August 25th."

Saint Andrew's Church Prairieville, Alabama

I haven't blogged in over a month. It's sort of hard to get back into it. I have been traveling. The first of August I took a trip to East Texas with an old friend of mine.  We had a good time visiting and seeing the sights along the way. I will post some pictures of some churches and gardens we saw along the way. Our trip started in Madrid and we traveled to Montgomery and went West by way of Selma and Demopolis, also known as the Alabama Canebreak. We stopped in a small settlement called Prairieville where we saw a beautiful old church, Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church. Saint Andrew's is a National Historic Landmark. We visited the adjoining cemetery and saw some beautiful monuments marking the grave sites of the early settlers of Prairieville.

Saint Andrew's Church was built in 1853 in "Carpenter Gothic style". In Carpenter Gothic style features of gothic architecture are reproduced in wood instead of stone, for example the wooden  buttresses shown below in the pictures of Saint Andrew's Church.

The following is Wikipedia's definition of the Canebreak:

The Canebrake refers to a historical region of west-central Alabama that was once dominated by thickets of Arundinaria, a type of bamboo, or cane, native to North America.^[1] It was centered on the junction of the Tombigbee and Black Warrior rivers, near Demopolis, and extended eastward to include large parts of Hale, Marengo, and Perry counties.^[2] Portions of Greene and Sumter were also often included.^[1][3]
Cane thickets once covered hundreds of thousands of acres in Alabama, but this area, lying within the Black Belt, had the most extensive stands and was known as "The Canebrake."^[4] It was noted by naturalist William Bartram as he traveled along the Tombigbee River in 1775. He described cane that was "thick as a man's arm, or three or four inches in diameter; I suppose one joint of some of them would contain above a quart of water."^[1]
The cane began to disappear with the large-scale arrival of white settlers following the Creek Wars. The settler's introduced crops that replaced the native cane and their suppression of fire allowed the cane in other areas to be overtaken by species that would have naturally been kept in check by fire. However, as late as 1845 Scottish geologist Charles Lyell noted the height and density of the canebrakes along the Black Warrior River.^[1]

I once read "Cease Not to Think of Me" the Steele Family Letters,  a wonderful book that is now out of print. The book was composed of the letters that were sent home from one of the Steele Family sons who traveled from Huntsville to Demopolis, Mobile and New Orleans buying and selling cotton. I found some members of the Steele family buried in Saint Andrews Cemetery. If you ever run across a copy of this book do not pass it up. I am sure there is a copy in the Huntsville, Al. public library if you are in Huntsville.

Hope you are all doing well and enjoy the coming fall season. I will be sharing a Seafood Chowder recipe next from Granny's box of newspaper clipped recipes This one looks old maybe from the 50's. Wade is the guinea pig tonight! He likes spicy soup so I may turn up the seasonings a knotch for him.





Allie B. English Sims

Left standing Allie B. English oldest living child of Jesse and Lula Anderson English
Jesse English seated holding Effie Mae English, Next standing Alma Viola English, Seated Lula English holding Anderson English, Right standing Ruby English. (click on the picture to enlarge)

Allie B. was my paternal great grandmother. Prior to Allie B.'s birth Jesse and Lula had twin girls Laura and Lee Anna born in November of 1900 and died February, 1901. Allie B. was born in April of 1902. Lula passed away from complications of child birth in 1919. Not shown in this picture is Rosa Lee English who was not born at the time of this photograph. The baby in this picture, Anderson, was born in October, 1912 and he appears to be about 6 months old so we can guess that this picture was taken in the early spring of 1913. With that established we know that Allie B. born in 1902 was 11 years old in this picture.

The house in the picture was in the Eleanor Community west of Graceville Florida. Although you may not think it a fine house by todays standards it actually was a very nice house for the time. If you look closely you will see it was of the typical "Southern Dog Trot Style," built on piers, usually boulders cleared from fields on the property. The main characteristic of the Dog Trot Style house was a central hallway open to the elements on each end with doors leading to the living quarters on either side off of the central hallway. Usually a porch stretched across the front and the back of the house. Alot of the household work was done on and around the porch. Between the house and the kitchen there was usually a hand pump with cedar or cypress wooden tubs used in preparing and preserving vegtables and meats.

During the late 1800's and early 1900's cattle and hogs could roam free. So you may wake up to your neighbors hogs in your garden or even sleeping on your porch if you didn't have a fence around your house to keep them out. The typical livestock for any homestead consisted of a milk cow, for milk and butter, and chickens to provide eggs, along with hogs that rendered cooking oil and provided several months supply of cured cuts of meat, like bacon and ham.

Ideally your house was near a creek or stream and you used the cold waters to help preserve things that needed to stay cool, unless you had the modern convience of an ice box. Before the electric refrigerator if you were lucky enough to live in a populated area a wagon came by with blocks of ice, which you bought to fill your box and keep your food cool. I doubt the English family in Eleanor had one. But they might have eventually had that luxury. Cousin Joe Watford said he remembers a general store there.

The kitchen was usually located behind the main house in a seperate building. It was one room with a fireplace or in more modern kitchens of the early 1900's the kitchen usually had a wood burning stove, with an oven. Cast iron pans and pots were used to cook and bake in.

You will notice two fireplace chinmeys in the picture of the English home. The living areas on one side of the dog trot hallway usually had a large room for the family to gather around to do their inside chores, entertain themselves, and dine. The other side of the dog trot contained the areas where the family slept. Sometimes a loft was floored and a rail or knee wall built in the upper portion of the rafters. Sleeping porches with screens and shutters were common also for large famalies.

The laundry was usually done on the back porch or in the yard close to the porch where there was a big black cast iron kettle to heat water and boil the clothes for cleaning. After the clothes boiled in hot water they were scrubbed on a wood and metal ribbed board that was placed in a wooden tub filled with clean water. The clothes were then rinsed in clean water again and hung on a line to dry. Or if there was a stream close by the laundry would be taken to the stream where a fire was built for boiling the water.

Most clothes were made in the home along with bedding and quilts and pillows. The indigo plant was grown for the blue dye they produced and walnut trees were sought out for the brown dye that could be derived from boiling the shells. Feathers from chickens and ducks were saved to stuff mattress ticking and to make bed pillows.

Most clothing was blue and brown and the natural whites cotton and linens produce. A few sheep were raised for wool that was carded, spun and then woven into cloth. Woolen fabric was usually reserved for top coats. The woolen yarn was knitted into socks and sweaters and gloves also. Worsted wool was made into hats and heavy top coats. The mild climate here in the south didn't call for too many wool coats. But I am sure in the winter a warm wrap or coat made of wool was welcome.

As the benefits of the industrial revolution spread, fabrics and other household goods were more readily available through dry good stores. Spinning wheels and fiber cards and hand ticked mattresses were a thing of the past. Granny used to tell us about mattresses stuffed with corn husk. I can't imagine sleeping on a mattress filled with corn shucks. Allergy sufferers like my self and nephew Colton, would have had a really hard time. I made that comment to Granny once and she said, "Oh people didn't get sick back then like they do now. They worked too hard and ate good food so they didn't get sick. All there was to eat was what you could grow or kill. Sugar was a luxury. Honey or molasses was used most of the time as a sweetener." Unknown to everyone then, honey probably sustained good health for them, along with fresh vegtables, fruits and nuts and the gloriously good citrus that was plentiful.



Allie B. English Sims, Anderson English, Rosa Lee English Childree back and front right Alma Viola English Watford. This picture was taken while Anderson was in the Army during WWII.  Judging from other photos obviously taken the same day as this one I am guessing that the year of this picture is around 1943.



Allie B. and youngest daughter Betty Jean Sims...... Niki can you help me identify age of your mom here? ........I think She looks like her son Mark Hollister here. Cute as pie!!!.....:)



This picture is the only picture I have found of Allie B. and her husband Henry Sims with some of their children.
Left to right back row: Luvern Sims Holland, Eunice Sims Watford, and Louise Sims Seay. Front row, Henry Sims, Betty Jean Sims, and Allie B. Sims English. Based on other photos taken the same day I think the date of this picture would be around 1948 or 49. The mising children are daughter Bonnie Sims Riley and Eddie Lee Sims, their only son.

This picture is of Allie B. with her grandchildren, Doyle Holland left, Faye Bell Seay, and Bob Holland on the car. This picture appears to have been taken the same day as the previous photo. I am guessing that my dad, Doyle is about 10 years old and he was born in 1939 so this is around 1949.

The back of this photo has written on it, "Our little doll house! Ha Ha."

This is Allie B and Luvern, my grandmother. Allie B. probably wouldn't like this one with the toothpick in her mouth! But I like it. It appears that the whole family was at Allie B. and Henry's house and again based on my Dad's age in one of the pictures I think this is around 1950-53. I love her apron. She probably wore one constantly.

This is my favorite picture of Allie B. I am guessing again this was in the early 50's late 40's. Her hair has turned white in this picture. All of her children ended their lives with beautiful thick curly white hair. Louise is the only child living today and she has a head full of beautiful curly white hair.

This picture was tucked away in a book and I don't remember ever seeing it before.

Back row Hubert Holland, Eddie Lee Sims, Elmire Holland holding nephew Doyle Holland.

Front row: Luvern Sims Holland, Bonnie Sims, Eunice Sims, Louise Sims, Annie Sims Blackmon Moss, sister in law to, Allie B. English Sims shown right standing. Betty Jean Sims is the little girl holding the doll in front.

This is Henry Isaac Sims, my great grandfather, with his pigs. The little ones are cute! But don't ever try to pick one up with the mother close by.......that's another story for later!




Henry Sims with Kieth Holland in front on the pony, Steve Holland in the middle and then Greg Holland on the back.

 

This picture of Great Grandaddy Sims and the boys was taken around 1969 in Ruskin, Florida. Henry and Allie B. seperated and eventually divorced in the early 50's and he moved to Ruskin.  His brother Houston Sims was farming vegtables there. Henry was a big drinker and I think his drinking finally drove a huge wedge in the relationship. Granny told me that her mother expected much more from her father than he was willing to give. Allie B. passed away in 1955 from a heart attack while she was visiting with Aunt Louise in Marianna, Fl., she was 53 years old.

Thanksgiving break 1969, Daddy drove us all down to visit with Henry and his wife Rosa Bell. Daddy loved being with Henry. Henry lived in Ruskin Florida, not far from his brother Houston's farm. Henry and Rosa Bell, his new wife, lived in an old airstream mobile home in the middle of several acres with out buildings where he collected old cars and sold the parts. He raised minature ponies that he sold to the carnival companies to use for pony rides at state fairs. He also raised chickens and roosters and pigs until he became too old to handle the work. I don't remember any cows I don't think he had the pasture. I really don't remember too much about where his home was except being there the fall of 69.  I always liked to listen to Great Grandaddy's stories but I didn't care to go to his house that much. The water was sulfur water. It made me think of rotten eggs. Oh how I do hate that smell. I didn't get to know Rosa Bell, very well and have very few memories of  her. The boys, my brothers, were in heaven at Henry's house though. We all loved the ponies and feeding the chickens. We wanted to explore each and every car and barn on the place. Daddy held us back though afraid we would get hurt or find a snake. Snake was all he had to say to keep me from doing something!

That's all of the pictures I have of Allie B. right now. Cousin Jesse English, may have some more pictures of her that he shares with us soon. I plan to post pictures of all of Allie B.'s siblings and children and relate as much information as I can about each one. Just to record the family history......

I don't know if I will ever be able to really capture the true essence of the love that was shared in this family and that has been passed down generation to generation. All of the memories are not good but then people are not always good. Sometimes we all fall short of what is expected of us. But the very truth of life is that love never fails.

Love bears all things, believes all things, and hopes all things and endures all things. With love and commitment, and devotion to each other and the belief that family is the greatest gift and privilege we are given in life, famalies stay together. Together we endure the tests of time that seem to always come to each and every one of us.

Have a great week.

Did I Tell You?

Jesse and Lula Anderson English with children in Eleanor, Florida around 1915.

I have always heard "it takes a village to raise a child." This past week I made contact with and met cousins I have never known. I know my paternal great grandmother Allie B. English Sims through the stories I heard my grandmother and great aunts tell. Allie B. passed away from a stroke in 1955 at the age of 54. She was the oldest living child of Jesse and Lula Anderson English. Twin daughters were born to Jesse and Lula in 1900 and passed away in February 1901. Allie B. was born April 8, 1902. The family lived in the Eleanor community of Northwest Florida. Eleanor is about 3 miles west of Graceville Florida on Highway 2.

My cousin Joe Watford, his wife Pat and cousin Jesse English and his sister Sue English Ramseyer, along with me and my Mom Patricia, my niece Brooke and nephew Colton, cousin Fran Willeford and her daughter Linda Willeford, all went to the Eleanor community, which is really just a cross roads, and looked around for any sight of the old home place. No sign of the old English home place. But there are large groups of trees where homes may have stood, and hidden under brush and overgrown bushes are heaps of debris from old houses and barns. There are two or three famalies, unkown to us, living in the area once known as Eleanor. Cousin Joe Watford recalls a general store and other buisnesses there at one time.

We also visited the cemetary of Bethel Church, where, my great grandfather Jesse's father, Rev. Eli English was the pastor, and the English family burial plots are located there. I understand from Joe Watford, son of Alma Viola English Watford that great grandfather Jesse's brother George has family living in the Noma community now. Noma neighbors the Eleanor community where Jesse and Lula lived with their girls, Allie B., Effie Mae, Ruby, Alma Viola known as A.V. and Anderson their only son, and baby Rosa Lee born in 1915. Lula passed away in 1919 due to complications of child birth.

In the years following Lula's death, Jesse, remarried and shortly after seperated because he didn't like the way his new wife was treating his children. During the years between Lula's death in 1919 and his own death in 1926, Jesse moved in with his oldest daugter Allie B. and her husband, Henry Sims and their 3 children, Luvern, my grandmother, Eddie and Louise. While living with Henry and Allie B.my great grandfather Jesse died when he was hit by a car walking home from work on the Rehobeth Highway. Cousin Joe Watford knew that it was a case of Driving under the influence of Alcohol. The person driving was never charged with anything as far as we know. Allie B. and Henry and Alma and Joseph Watford cared for Anderson and Rosa Lee until they were grown.

Effie Mae the second child of Jesse and Lula was born in 1904 and died in 1924. I understand from her grandaughter that it was due to Yellow fever. Effie Mae married Andrew Ransom Foxworth and in the early 20's they had twin daughters Mary and Martha, also known as Annie Lou and Fannie Lou and a son named Hubert. Several years after Effie Mae died, Andrew moved to Texas with the children to be near his family. The 1935 census has him in Holmes County and the twins are 14 and Hubert is 10. A grandaughter reports Andrew would not talk about Effie Mae with his children and grandchildren, and was never much of a family man after her death. According to family he did remarry several times after moving to Texas. Andrew and Effie's grandaughters are curious about their life in Northwest Florida. We know that Andrew served in the first World War. The dates for that war was 1915-1919.

I recently found a copy of an old book Momma gave me before I graduated from High School. Did I tell you?, by Elizabeth Knapp.  It was in a box of pictures and keepsakes, completely forgotten about years ago. The book is still available from the Author's website http://www.elizabethknapp.com/. It's a very special little book first printed in 1974. This copy was purchased in Callaway Gardens per the store tag on the back, long before the internet made things so easy to access. According to the website Elizabeth Knapp, the author, was sitting with a group of friends talking about their children about to graduate and they all started wondering if their kids understood the values and mind sets necessary to be a responsible adult citizen. Elizabeth also sketched the flowers and herbs that grew in her garden where her children grew up. I love my copy, it's just a small little paperback, but very special.
Did I tell you?  has been an inspiration for me and I wanted to share it with you.  Click on the link http://www.elizabethknapp.com/, to order a copy.

My niece Syndi with my brother and sister in law Greg and Kim Holland. Congratulations Syndi, we love you! Syndi will be starting college in a few weeks at Troy University. Good Luck we will miss having you at home.

This is a picture of my niece Gracie with her horse Ella. So sweet! Congratulations Gracie, Ella and Donya on your recent awards in Nationals. We are very proud of you!

Fields of Sunflowers Lochapoka, Alabama

Fields of Sunflowers in Lochapoka, Al. Saturday July 9, 2011. Made me smile, hope you have a great week!

Lime Cake

Family of Jesse and Loula Anderson English
Eleanor Community between Graceville and Bonifay, Florida

I hope you all had a safe 4th of July holiday. I made a cake for the 4th that everyone wants the recipe for. It's delicious. Even better the 2nd and 3rd day so if you want to make it for a special occasion plan ahead and keep it in a dry cool location. Let me know if you like it.

Tomorrow I will finally meet some of my English family cousins I have never met. Can't wait! We are going to visit the church where my great grandmother Allie B. English Sims is buried along with her parents and grandparents. We are also going to visit where her childhood home was located. Shown in the picture above. It's been gone for a long time. I am hoping that cousins Joe and Fran can show us the exact location. They are the oldest living cousins, son and daughter of Alma Viola English Watford.

Lime Cake

1 3 oz. box lime flavored gelatin

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

5 large eggs slightly beaten

1 ½ cups vegetable oil

½ cup fresh orange juice

¼ cup bottled or canned pineapple juice

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup lime juice bottled or juice from about 4 fresh limes

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large mixing bowl combine sifted flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda, and gelatin. Use a wire whisk stir until well combined.

To dry ingredients add eggs, oil, and orange, pineapple and lemon juice with 1 teaspoon of grated lemon rind and vanilla mix until well blended.

Pour into 3 well greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 for about 35 min. Test with toothpick for doneness.  Cool the layers on racks. While still warm mix ½ cup lime juice and ½ cup confectioners’ sugar. Pierce the layers with a fork and pour glaze on cake layers let stand until cool. Frost cake with following icing.

Butter Cream Icing

1 stick of butter room temperature

1 8 oz. block cream cheese room temperature

1 lb. box confectioners’ sugar

Mix all together until smooth. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Time to go Fishing! Carabelle and Destin

Nephew Justin Smith and his Mom Monica's catch last week. Carabelle I think.....

This is the FFA group from Ashford, Al. Memorial Day weekend returning to Destin Harbor on the Anastasia with Captain Tony Davis. Wow you guys were busy! Good job Captain Tony!



Tiny Shells



Love this Idea! Vacation Memory Jars. Good big kid project.

English Family Photos 2

Hello English Family,
I am trying to identify some of these photos. If you see someone you know or think you recognize let me know. Just click the comment button and leave a comment or find me on facebook.
Thanks,
Kaye Everett

Unidentified Young Men

unidentified Man 

English Baby Girl?

Anderson English?

Unidentified English Baby

Unidentified

Luvern Sims Holland left back Betty Jean Sims front, daughters of Allie B. English. Man right back unidentified and little girl front right unidentified. Wondering if this could be Fran and Joe Watford Sr. daughter and husband of Alma Viola English Watford?

Anderson English WWII

Anderson English

Anderson and Gladys Hardy English

Unidentified girls may be twins....about 12- 14 years old and guessing picture is from late 20's early 30's.

Unidentified Young Woman

Quilts of Gee's Bend, Alabama

This is a painting I like by Artist Wolf Kahn, called Blue Puddle.   http://www.amy-nyc.com/gallery/ He is represented by Ameringer Gallery in New York.


  The next two photos are from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Rothstein 

1930's Photogropher of The Great Depression in the South

This is an interesting new website that my youngest daughter Lee Ann told me about,
http://www.quiltsofgeesbend.com/

And the local history of Gee's Bend, Alabama, a rural area southwest of Selma, Alabama  http://www.prairiebluff.com/blackbelt/geesbend.html

History of Gee's Bend Plantation
 http://www2.arkansas.net/~mgee/articles.html
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Woman_on_the_Gees_Bend_Plantation.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pettway_Plantation_Gees_Bend_Alabama.jpg