Edna Bertie Vinson, Granny to me, was born January 22, 1907 just north of Coolidge in Limestone County, Texas. She was the 10th child (out of thirteen) for Granville Lafayette Vinson and Eliza Evaline Ledbetter.

We find her listed as Edna B., age 3, on the 1910 Limestone Co., Texas census. This census was enumerated April 14. At this time, she is living two houses from her grandfather, Meridith Vinson.

On February 10, 1920, she is enumerated with her parents at age 13 in Navarro County, Texas. Right next door is the family of Robert Davis and Handy (Page) who had a son, Benjamin Rozias, age 15.

Photographs

Benjamin Rozias 'Ben' Davis - abt 1918/199 Navarro Co., TX

Edna Bertie Vinson - abt 1922 Limestone Co., TX
(girl on porch is Edna's sister, Tommie Lorena)

Marriage in Limestone Co., Texas - 1926

Not sure exactly when the first crush started, but six years later on November 28, 1926 in Coolidge, Limestone Co., Texas, these two would be wed. At this time, Grandpa was 24 and Granny was 21. Exactly nine months later, my mother was born and twenty-five years later, I would be their first grandchild.

To learn more about the Davis family, click on the link above for Robert and Handy)

Left: My mother, Venetia Davis
Christmas 1927

Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Powell in Navarro Co., Texas. However, the post office at this time was considered Kerens and this is where my mother and her brother are listed as being born.

Right: Venetia and Earl Davis
Taken about 1931

This picutre of my mother and her brother was taken at their 'Papa' and 'Mama' Vinson. This is what they called Granville and Eva Vinson. Every summer they went to stay with them. There was also another time when they lived with their grandparents for a 6 month period.

On the 1930 census enumerated April 12,we find them back in Limestone Co., Texas. As you can see, they were always going back and forth between Coolidge and the Powell/Kerens area of Texas.

At the age of 33 on August 6, 1940 at Mexia, Limestone Co., Texas, Granny would lose her father. Eight months later on April 13, 1941 at Coolidge, Limestone Co., Texas, her mother would also pass away. Then on February 6, 1943, her grandpa Meridith Vinson would die. They were all buried at the Old Armour Cemetery at Coolidge.

Move to the City - 1942

The picture on the right of Granny and Grandpa Ben was taken November 1943 just after they moved to Grand Prairie.

About this time, like so many others, during the war, my grandparents moved from the country or small rural towns to Grand Prairie in Dallas County, Texas. They both attended First Methodist Chruch there - continuing the Methodist tradition of both the Vinson family back in Tennessee and Mississippi and the Davis back at Pisgah Methoidst in DeKalb County, Tennessee. After the move to the city, Grandpa Ben worked for Temco and Chance Vaught.

The picture on the left shows Granny holding my sister, Marian (1952-1977) and I'm sitting next to her. This picture was taken in the spring of 1954 in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The picutre on the right shows Grandpa Ben and Granny just before he got sick. It was taken in Grand Prairie, Dallas Co., Texas.

Grandpa Ben Dies - 1956

I remember only small glimpses of my grandpa Ben as he died in February 1956 and I had just turned 4. He had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed for a while before he died.

After Grandpa died, Granny switched from the Methodist church to Baptist where she would often teach Sunday School. I remember many times as a young girl visiting her and attending her Sunday School class where she would serve cookies and kool-aid. Had some great memories visiting with her every Christmas Eve night. She was one terrific baker and could make the best pineapple pie and German Chocolate cake that I've ever tasted. I've tried many times to duplicate it, but mine never tasted as good. I've been told that she learned how to cook from her mother, Eliza Evaline (Ledbetter).

My Stay with Granny and We move to Grand Prairie - 1963/64

During the summer of 1963, Daddy was in the Veterans hospital in Waco and Mommy was working full time as a telephone operator in Fort Worth. This was just before I turned 12, between grades 5 and 6. My mother sent us to stay with Granny for a while, but we ended up staying for the entire summer. This is when I really got to know her. I will always remember her sending me to the corner store to buy tab or fresca soda pop. Though times were difficult and she received food stamps, she made some meals which I'll always remember. We used to have cornbread with homemade soup. Also during this summer, Grandpa's brother, Uncle Bob, would often times pop over and we would all play dominoes.

Granny was one of the very few in my family at this time who had an air cooler - a huge air conditioner by today's standards. The sides came off and you would water them down with a hose. If you grew up in Texas and had no air conditioner or even a fan, you can appreciate how good this air cooler felt. (We didn't even get a box far until 1970.)

Also watching television with Granny was much different than it had been with Daddy. With Daddy, it was the old westerns. But Granny liked the Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand. Know as a young girl, I really didn't like the Ed Sullivan Show until one day when the Beatles came on.

Anyway when the summer was over, I had made up my mind that I wasn't going back to Fort Worth to be alone most of the time and even found a duplex for rent which was only a block and a half from Grannys. I asked Mommy why we couldn't sell the house in Fort Worth and move to Grand Prairie. After much presistence, I finally convinced her it was the best for all of us. So for most of Grade 6, I would continue to live very near Granny.

One November day while in grade 6, I'll never forget. I had stopped at Grannys to have lunch as I often did. Well the television was on and it flashed that President Kennedy had been shot only a few miles away in Dallas. I did not return to school that day or the next couple. I would watch the funeral possession with Granny.

Granny as I remember her - 1964/1974

In March of 1964, Daddy returned and we bought a house in Grand Prairie - which was 28 city blocks away. Easy to remember as Granny lived on NE 13th and we moved to NW 15th. We would walk that stretch many times. AT that time, though Grand Prairie was a thriving city with a Penneys and a Woolsworth downtown. There was much to stop and see on the way.

Often times my parents would get into a disagreement and my mother and I would pack up and head for Grannys for a couple of days or a couple of weeks - sometimes longer. As a result, I became very close to Granny.

I also remember the long car rides to Coriscana or Coolidge when we would take Granny to visit her siblings and when Aunt Irene would come to visit Granny. Each year would also look forward to the Vinson reunion which was mainly for Granville's descendants.

This picture of Granny and me was taken in 1970 and this is basically how I remembered her. For her 65th birthday in January 1972, I wrote a booklet of poems,

TO GRANNY
now called 'IN MEMORY'

for her as wanted something special to give her that was from my heart. (If you would like to read a few of these poems, click on the link above)

In August 1972, I got married and came to Canada. However, Granny and I would keep in touch. I can remember when I first came to Canada that I couldn't get ice tea, nor could I buy my favorite tea bags - Lipton. So Granny sent me a package in mail. You guessed it - two boxes of Lipton ice tea.

Final Look at her life - Late 1970's

During her life, Granny wasn't a healthy person. As a young woman she had tuberculosis and went out west for a few months when my mother was a child. This is the same disease that had claimed the lives of many of her father's siblings back in McNairy Co., Tennessee. Even my mother suffers from bronchitis. Back in the 1950's and 1960's there was no scans like we have today. I remember that Granny had at least 13 different operations with most of them being exploratory.

The picture on the right was taken in early 1981 for the church directory. This was before she became ill.

Death and Burial

In the late 1970's Granny was forced to sell her home and move into a nursing home. Luckily she was able to move into one about 4-5 blocks from where my mother lived. She died in April 1981, which was only a month and a half after my father had died. This must have been a very difficult time for my mother. Granny was buried next to her husband, Ben, at Moores Cemetery on Randal Mill Road in Arlington, Tarrant Co., Texas. My sister is also buried there as well as a first cousin. Granny also has a sister, Lena and her husband buried in the same location.

• d/o Granville Lafayette Vinson Eliza Evaline LEDBETTER

• gd/o William Meridith Vinson and Caroline WRIGHT
  ----d/o Granville Lafayette Wright and Esther Malinda Donahoo/Dunahoo

• gt gd/o Hiram Calvin Vinson and Martha Anna KENDALL

• gt gt gd/o Jesse R. Vinson and Mahaley LIGGETT.