The way I heard it was that my Father’s mother was with some
others working with some of the older children the field over on the other side of the hill. Working fields in the hills and hollers of
the Kentucky mountains was mean work.
The Sun was hot and she pause, and looked up from her work to wipe the
sweat from her brow, to see where the sun lay in the sky to gauge time, to take
a deep breath and gather strength so she could go on working, but instead of
accomplishing any of these things she saw smoke, dark thick smoke rising up
from the other side of the hill, rising up from . . HER HOUSE. Her heart caught in her throat and she grabbed the mule, Old Hamp, as she cried, "Lord, have mercy, it's the house." She jumped on the mule and took off toward the house
On the other side of the hill a two year old boy was in that
house with his older sister, Millie, and his elder brother Cecil. The smoke was getting thick and the two year old just cried, what else is a two year old to do, so the brother grabbed him up under his arm and grabbed Millie by the arm attempting to lead her out of the house. Millie pulled away and ran back to the bed to get her doll out from underneath it, as she scrambled under to grab the doll Cecil grabbed her by the foot. Cecil emerged from the burning house with his baby brother under his arm like a foot ball and dragging little Millie out by her foot, saving both of their lives.
The fire burned that house to the ground leaving nothing but ash and cinder, but not one of her children died that day. But now she had a house full of children but no house. My father was two when the house burned down and grandma gathered the family up and took them to the city.
The fire burned that house to the ground leaving nothing but ash and cinder, but not one of her children died that day. But now she had a house full of children but no house. My father was two when the house burned down and grandma gathered the family up and took them to the city.
