A Life Cut Short ~ Nona Hurston

Hassie and Nona (age 9)

My maternal grandmother Nona Lee Turner was born on September 9, 1912 in LaGrange, Troup County, Georgia to Blake Turner (a sharecropper) and Hassie Williams (farm laborer).  She had eight siblings:  Conia (b.1891), John L. (b.1898), Rebecca (b.1899), Blake Jr. (1903), Elmer (b. 1905), Odessa (b. 1907), Alvena (b.1910) and Dorsey (b.1924).  The family settled in Hickory Flat, Alabama in 1900. 

The Turner family moved from Precinct 10 (now Roanoke), Randolph County, to Standing Rock, Chambers County, Alabama.  In the 1920 census, a 7 year old Nona is living with her parents and 5 siblings.  By the time 1930 census was taken, Nona, now 17 was living in Standing Rock, with her parents and brother and sister.  

Nona 

                                                                                                                                                     







Nona met and married Leroy Hurston , a resident of Standing Rock when she was 19 years old.  In 1933, the Hurstons welcomed a boy, they named Clarence.  Two years later in 1935, Rosalind was born.

Like so many African Americans living in the South in the late 30’s who went north to find better jobs, my grandparents migrated to Detroit, Michigan.  My grandfather went first, taking the bus all the way.  The entire Hurston family was living in Detroit by April 1, 1940.  They lived with Nona’s sister Rebecca and her husband on 963 Eliot Street (1940 census).    

Nona, Leroy, Rosalind, and Gloria taken at Belle Isle Park

Nona gave birth to their third child Gloria on December 7, 1941.  Gloria passed away on July 9, 1942.  She was laid to rest in Standing Rock, Alabama at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery.

Nona at Belle Isle Park

       

                                                                                               


In early 1942, Nona was infected with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB).  Although exposed, the infection was latent (inactive) so she was not contagious.  On April 23, 1943 the infection became active and a five months pregnant Nona was admitted to the TB ward at Herman Kiefer Hospital (on Detroit's west side).

 

Nona on her balcony at Norman Keifer Hospital

Nona (left) and friend at Herman Keifer Hospital

  

                                                   

                                                    

Nona gave birth to Ella Mae in August who she named after Leroy's mother (Ella Mae Trammel).

In less than five months after giving birth to my mom and nine months after being admitted to Herman Kiefer, Nona died from pulmonary tuberculosis complicated by tuberculosis enteritis.  She left behind a grieving husband and three small children Clarence (11), Rosalind (8) and my mom Ella (4 ½ months).   All three children stayed with Rebecca who raised them while Leroy worked to support them.

My mom only knows her mother through pictures and stories told to her by family members.  Everyone tells her that her mother was really beautiful.  They also tell her how kind and quiet she was, everyone loved her.  My mom has no personal memories of her.  I don’t remember when she first told me about her or the words she used, but I do remember the pain in her voice and the sadness in her eyes.  I know that my mom would give anything to have just one memory of her mother.  The one story she tells over and over is the last thing her mother said to the family before she died.  She told them no matter what happens to take care of her baby.  

To realize that your mother’s last words were of you must give my mom some comfort but I know it doesn't lessen her sorrow.  Even though she was surrounded by so much love growing up, she still mourned her mother.  Her grief has been painful and lasting.  I believe the emptiness that my mom feels and continues to feel shaped her relationship with me.   She became the mother to me that she always wanted.   I think my grandma Nona would have been so proud of the woman my mother became. I know I am.  Rest in peace Grandma Nona.  I know you will be there to welcome my mother into the Kingdom.  Just like you welcomed Clarence, Rosalind and many others from our family.  We love you and will never forget you.

Nona was laid to rest in Standing Rock, Alabama along side her daughter Gloria at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery.  

My mother (age 3), Nona, Rosalind and Clarence
Clockwise starting from the upper left

The pictures of my grandmother's grave, the cemetery and the "standing rock" were taken by a very kind find a grave volunteer, Kathy Brown.  I am so grateful to her for going out more than once to look for and photograph my grandmother's grave.  Thank you Kathy.  She also took pictures around town so I could see what Standing Rock, Alabama looked like.  I plan on taking a trip there soon.  

                                         

                                                       Nona and Gloria's final resting place ~Bethlehem Cemetery

                                                       

                                                                    Nona's headstone

This rock was left by Native Americans when they were removed from Alabama in the 1830s (part of the Trail of Tears).  They left a curse on anyone who tries to remove it.

         

                                   This song is dedicated to my grandmothers who are no longer with us and to my mom. I love you all so very much.

                                          "We're all ghosts.  We all carry, inside us, people who came before us". ~ Liam Callanan 

  

Sources:
Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 
2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch

Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. 1930 T626, 2,667 rolls.

Ancestry.com 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry. com Operation, Inc., 2012. 
Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T7=627, 4,643 rolls.

Daniels, Cory (2011, July 7).  The Spinners - Sadie. Retrieved January 1, 2014 from http://youtu.be/AXFY6pe-oXo  

Thank you Dianne Armstrong for sharing your words about the Kingdom.  

In Unity There Is Strength!

My plan was to write about my father's mother when the other women in my family stepped forward and suggested that I write about all of them.  So today is a special shout out to them.  I lift my hands in praise and thanks to the wonderful women in my life.  I admire their passion, strength, faith and devotion to our family.  I am proud to say I come from and have been influenced by these phenomenal women.

              Rebecca "Nanny" Montgomery (grandmother)

            

            Hassie Turner (great-grandmother)

    

    Nona Hurston (grandmother) ]]

          

         Rosalind McGee (aunt)


                       

                         Donnie Tate (grandmother in love)     

                     

                  Ella Allen (mom)

                     

                           

                                    Edna Deer (grandmother)

               

          

    grandma Rebecca, mom, dad, grandma Edna

                                         
     

                           Rose "Mama Rose" Franklin (grandmother in love)

"It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally."
-Maya Angelou, Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women

Where Do I Start?

The first thoughts I have as I write my "debut” post, is where I start?  What do I say?  Will I have enough to write as time passes?  Should I write something profound, funny, and serious or should I do a brief introduction?  All questions that I should have probably asked before I started writing.   Writing a blog was never my intention but after some encouragement (AAGSAR Facebook), I wanted to be the “voice” of my ancestors.  

This probably sounds crazy but for the last few months, I have been dreaming about my ancestors.  My grandmothers have appeared in my dreams and when I woke up; I wanted to learn more about their lives.  Now I wonder if my dreams were their way of giving me a gentle nudge in the "blog" direction to tell their story.  I don't know but it did push me to get started.  My dreams are the reason why the title of this blog is "Voices Inside My Head".   

I have been tracing my family history off and on for a while but I never really dedicated myself until recently.  I am almost embarrassed to say how long it took me to buckle down and do the research.  My first attempts were successful.  Words cannot describe how exciting it was not hitting any road blocks.  Every little find, I wanted to share with my family (more on that later).  My mom, dad and son listened ever so patiently to my almost daily ramblings.   I thought my passion for genealogy would spill over to everyone.  Then I realized that you cannot force your passion onto others.  That is why I feel so blessed to come from such a wonderful, loving and supportive family.  After all in my head, how they could not be as excited as I was to discover new "facts" about our ancestors?   I think they were, just not three to four times a day.  

My parents were my first call to gather as much information as I could about my ancestors.  They sent me pictures, obituaries, death certificates, family reunion charts and notes of their family.  I asked and continue to ask them about our family.  I love hearing their stories; I could listen to them for hours.   I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I pour over the photos.  I feel as each and every one of them speaks to me.  I am proud of my family and my ancestors who came before all of us.  I plan on documenting their story and stories from my family.  I also share this blog with my family so they can add their thoughts and stories.   This blog isn't about me or for me.  It is about my family, my ancestors and the family we will leave behind.  

     

My maternal grandmother Nona, grandfather Leroy aka "Daddy Roy", my aunt Rosalind aka"Sister" and the baby is my aunt Gloria.  This picture was taken in 1942.