I just don’t remember much about my other Grandparents, I was either too young or they lived too far from us. But I would love to tell you a few things about China Turner Partin.
There was a foot path that went across the field to Abijah Partin’s, This was the oldest son of China, and she lived just across the road from him. The road is now known as Watch Road. My Grandmother's and her house is long gone, but the memories are still with me.. Good memories !
I walked or perhaps ran most always to see my Grandmother many times. I would nearly always find in the warmer of her old cook stove a good sweet potato, baked as though it was just for me! And she had the best butter, firm and yellow to go with it. And sometimes I would have a lucky day and find corn bread and spread it with butter. She had her own cow and churned the butter.
I think of the time I spent with her, she was the one that taught me to make a Jacob's ladder from a string about 2 ft long tied together at the ends. That has been, perhaps seventy five to eighty years. I can still do it ! I also remember with my small fingers I would pinch up the skin on the back of her hand and I could not understand why it was so different from mine for my skin would just fly back in place hers would stay pinched up. She said it was because she was old . But now I understand better for you know, mine is just like Grandmothers was then. I remember other things about her too, she had a bad temper. One day me and another boy took some boards off her toilet. She got plum mean! Took a switch after us and ran us behind a evaporator that was leaning up against a building. We stayed there until she cooled off a bit.
One day I told her that when I got big I would bring her a truck load of money. She said, "Son just a little lard bucket full would do me." I just didn't have time to deliver it to her for she had a stroke and was not well after that. She was not home very long after that and had to go live with her children.
One September night she was at out home, her son Clint (my Dad) had left a oil lamp burning in her room. He awoke to find the light was not burning and found that she and the light was gone. Searching for her, she was found behind the old smoke house. The lamp was broken and her clothing was still smoldering. They wrapped her in a quilt and carried her in and lay her on the bed. I can see her now as she was breathing hard and a little blood came from her mouth.
I was told to run to Lenvil Partin’s. I told him while he was dressing. I was running to tell Abijah her son and I forgot that they put a barbed wire fence across my path. It was dark so I ran into it. Not much damage done, so I continued on my mission. Lenvil came on and he borrowed a 1936 Chevrolet form Joel Burgin and Lenvil and I took off for Gray, Ky to get a doctor and to tell Siler, (her youngest son). Siler was staying in the depot then. He was a dispatcher there. He was driving very fast, sixty miles per hour! He said "A mile a minute". We got Siler and Doctor Jones and went back. She was still breathing but Dr Jones just looked at her and shook his head. I lost My Grandmother that night September 11, 1936. Why she got the lamp and went outside is not really known. The toilet was in that direction, also her old home place was that way too. Or was it possible the lamp caught on fire and she was trying to get it out of the house? I have always wondered why, Some time I will talk to her about that night.
John Ray Partin
