Papaw's Beginning

Word count:  1,340

Papaw’s beginning

By Lisa Noe

My Grandpa Stewart came up the hard way, which many did in that day.

He was born in 1908, to Morning and George Marion, she was of French descent where by he was of Scottish descent.  George Marion, my great grand pa, was A coal miner, He died a very young man, as he drank contaminated water, got sick, and died a horrible death.

Now my great grand ma was not one to be alone, she found a man rather quickly, by the last name of Stewart,  I never remembered his first name.

Well he took George and his sisters Margaret, Mary and Edna in to raise as his own.  He was a good father figure to the kids, as they began to grow. He was killed abruptly leaving The 4 children to be raised by Morning, and well that was just not going to happen, as Morning liked the men, she was off looking for husband #3 and she found him right away. It is no wonder as she was a beautiful young woman, very petite and very accomplished at pleasing men.  A fourth marriage there would be at least two more children. This time she married a Hensley.

Which is the name she kept till death at the ripe old age of 93.

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Now After the Stewart man died leaving Morning with four children to raise

Morning could not face up to the chore by herself so she got her mother-n-law to help raise the kids. while she gallivanted around the country in search of a new husband. She quickly found him but he however did not want to take the children of another man to raise, so she got Her mother –n-law to watch the kids.

Granny Stewart as she was to become known as was a colorful lady.  She was of the old school

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I recall my grand father telling me a funny story about when he was a young boy, he had gotten in trouble at school by a male teacher who beat him severely for not having his slate tablet in class.



(NOTE) For the purpose of the truth of the story

My grammar and pronunciation and spelling will be off. 



George got home from school one day and was very sluggish and slow to perform his chores.  Granny Stewart saw this and wanted to know why the young fellow wasn’t doing his best at his chores.  Sorry about that Granny I just feel bad.

Well son we gota git these hure chores done before dark or we won’t have supper on the table. Or milk ta drank.  I’m doing the very best I can Granny.

She watched him as he worked and she noticed he was slow and sluggish especially to one side.  Come over hure boy, let me see ye side.  Do I got to?

He was reluctant because he knew he was badly bruised from the beating he had taken at school at the teacher’s hand.  Granny raised his shirt and saw what was going on with the boy.  Who did this to you? She questioned.  He stuttered around a bit afraid to tell what had happened and why.  When he finally did spit it out, Granny became enraged she went in side, put on her best apron and her bonnet of course.

She had a long ankle length dress on with an apron the same length.  She grabbed the boy by the arm and marched him down to the school and there she found the teacher grading papers in his class room.  What do you mean beatin this hure youngin this -a –way?

The poor lad can’t even do his chores. The Teacher turned to see who was confronting him.

He spoke saying The lad was not prepared to do his lesson as he had no tablet on which to do his work. 

well we are poor and have no income other than the vegetables I sale at the market or set up to sale on the roadside.  This youngin should not be punished because I can’t afford to buy the boy a new tablet.

Well if he is not prepared I must make an example of him for the class.

Well let me tell you something, and about that time Granny Stewart pulls out a gun from under her large apron and she pushes it up against the chest of the teacher and says…

“Don’t you ever lay a hand on my youngin ever again, cause if you do I’ll blow your head off.  Now you let my boy make up the work from the afternoon class.”



It’s said that that very day that teacher up and left Harlan County and Granny Stewart became a legend

In her own right.  Yes she was known of being a high strung individual.

One time she got mad at my papaw while he was a teen-ager and he smarted off to her.  Well let me tell you Granny Stewart is not one you want to mouth off at.  For she picked up what ever she could get her hands on to hit poor Georgie with, and in this case it just happened that she picked up a live chicken. And she started flogging him with the thing. Papaw said he saw nothing but a beak and claws, and he was terribly scratched and pecked when it was over.  Now all these years later papaw is in his 80s

I have a pet rooster, which is just a chick and it has taken up with papaw it gets on his shoe and rides as he walks, and it sits on his arm while he watches television.

These are some of my fondest memories and my funny family stories

There are many adventures in his life and I am blessed to just know a few.

***

One time my grand pa was going to Harlan from the Post office in Mary-Helen he got in the car with a man and road for a piece but he wanted some coffee so he had the car to stop and let him out and go on.

Meanwhile he got his coffee set and visited with the people for a little while. He was able about 30 minutes after getting out of the shop he was able to catch another shop where he took a car to Harlan as they come up the road papaw couldn’t help but notice a car accident on the road. and he knew the car was the car he had gotten out of.  The man was killed and the car wash smashed beyond belief, it was hit by a train.



***

This is the story of my papaw but it doesn’t touch upon the man that he

Was. He was a Coal miner since he was 13 years old, I mean the old fashioned coal miner where they mined the coal with a pick and a shovel. He married an Irish lady Victoria Brannon, who was the love of his life, He worked at the Mary Helen Coal mine and he and his family lived in a company house, walked to work and to the company store also to the doctor. The only thing is that the kids were bussed to school.



George had 6 children of which two died in infancy one with consumption

The other with pneumonia; Both were boys.  They also had 4 girls Helen,

Jackie, Wanda, Phyllis, and they legally adopted their oldest grandchild, Tim to raise as a son.



He thought highly of his children and he loved them well he raised them in the church and  instilled the importance of family into them.  He set forth a good example.  He got cancer and died at 86,

Leaving his family broken hearted and upset.  RIP we love ya pap.



NOTE: this story takes place in the coal mine fields of South East Kentucky

            All of the main characters are real people and are deceased.

            I am the granddaughter to George William Stewart ,Whom the story was about.