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Shivers Family Legends Website © A Family History of Religious Migration |
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Eugene Edward Shivers
B. Mar 25 1929 - Memphis, Shelby County, Tn M. Sep 28 1951 
Taken from Eugene Shivers Memoirs I was born at St Joseph Hospital on 3/25/1929 to Harry & Katy Shivers.My earliest memory is carried home from the O'Neill Homeplace by my dad. My parents had been down the street to play cards with P.J. and the Scruggs. My parents loved to play rummy,casino and poker (20chips for 5c). I remember sitting at the table beside my mother in my high chair and stacking her chips. I learned to play cards before i was old enough to go to school. Mr Bavere also played cards at our house with dad,P.J. and Dillon. I remember our kitchen table was an old dice table which had been cut down with large round legs. Our home was heated by wood & coal stoves. One pot belly stove in my parents bedroom. One pot belly stove in the living room and a wood cook stove. Water circulated thru the wood stove and to a tank. When i was about 7yrs old we got gas for a gas cooking stove to heat water and for 3 chill chasers. One in the front B.R. , one in the middle B.R.(Boys) and one in the bathroom. I really loved these and remember holding my underwear over the B.R. chill chaser to warm them on cold mornings. When i was about 10yrs old dad bought an oil burning stove for the living room. This was not used very often since this room (LR & DR) was closed off to save heat. When i was young mother worked and had a maid to take care of us. Her name was Mary and later her daughter Heifer tool her place. While i was still in my high chair one morning Heifer stumbled and poured a pot of hot coffee on my right shoulder and arm. Mother nursed me and i was lucky to never have a scar from this. Our B/R was very cold at night after the fires went down and I remember sleeping under 5 or 6 blankets. My brother,cousins and the Boveris all went to Little Flower Grade School which was about 4 miles from our house. Weather permitting we walked to and from school on bad days we rode the street cars which ran down Jackson on rails. The only time they stopped was during the 1937 flood. My dad was a carpenter as his father had been. Our home on Jackson was originally built on Pearce St and before I was born was moved to Jackson Ave. Dad always had scrap wood for burning in the stoves. This was supplemented by coal which was delivered by Hefferron Coal Co. The coal gave good heat but smoked a lot, especially when during bad weather it was covered with ice and snow. We had a small front yard with very little grass to cut. The back yard had no grass due to the chickens and ducks which we always had. My brother Raymond always looked after me but the thing I disliked the most was the way he held me and that was by the back of my collar. As kids we played with rubber guns a lot, made from scrap wood and old inner tubes. We also played a lot of soccer on skates using broom sticks and tin cans. Another game we played a lot was kick the can. At the O'Neill homestead there was a empty lot next to the house where we played a lot of softball. Sometimes on Sunday the adults played with us. Dad put up some lights in the back yard and we played a lot of horseshoes at night with the adults. There was a blacksmith shop down on Hasting street where we got old horseshoes, not the kind we use today. Bob Fachine was my closest friend and we played a lot of cork ball at his house on Ayers. Bob had a older sister named Gloria. At Bobs house we also played a lot of cards, mainly put and take. There was a jewish family that lived on Faxon with three children Max, Hugh and Shirley. Hugh and Shirley also played put and take with us. Another friend was Shirley Freeman who lived next door to us. I had a crush on her when i was little but could never admit it because of the teasing i got. Our front porch had a large swing and the kids gathered there a lot at night we would all take long walks all around the area without any worry of being molested. Even tho we had a lot of blacks in our area, we never had any problems with them. We often had cork ball games with them. The lot where we played ball was also excellent for flying kites. Our back porch was screened and I loved to sleep out there on a cot during hot weather since we had no air conditioning. I remember my first day of school at Little Flower. The 1st grade was in a small room in the back above the other rooms. It was like a small attic. My first communion was a big event. I got new clothes, all white with a red tie. To be continued when he finishes and i make corrections, additions. Additional Notes of Eugene Edward Shivers |
Children John Eugene Shivers Janet Marie Shivers James Edward Shivers Julie Ann Shivers Parents Harry Franklin Shivers Catherine Anna O'Neill Marriages Mary Katherine Stricklin Documents/Photos Birth Certificate on File Christian Brothers College Report Card 44-45 Christian Brothers College Report Card 44-45 1930 Census Shelby County Tn Sons of Confederate Veterans Certificate Southern Law Graduating Class Picture Military Air Force 516th Troop Carrier Wing Navy Reserves |
