Memories of my Grandparents – William James and Mary Hulda Purvis

Memories.
    My grandmother [Mary] Hulda Purvis was a good cook. I remember when I was around twelve years old [1924] I would skip school about once a week to go to Grandma’s house and eat some of her homemade cakes. Her pound cakes and her coconut cakes were especially good. I would start down the road to school and when I reached the place where the road branches off I had to make a decision.One road lead to school the other road leads to Grandma’s. Four days a week I went to school. One day a week my feet or my stomach lead me to Grandma’s. My Ma [Sarah Frances Purvis Lang] was a good cook also. She cooked good corn, peas, fried chicken and a delicious egg custard, but she just couldn’t bake a cake as good as grandma’s.
    Grandpa and Grandma Purvis owned hogs, chickens and a cow just like most everybody else. The one thing they raised different were pigeons. Grandpa raised pigeons in the barn. He had bunches of pigeons. Grandpa kept them watered and fed but he still had problem with the pigeons getting in the well water. He had to keep a cover over the well to keep the pigeons out of the well and the water. Another thing that I remember about my Grandma was that she was always so neat and clean.
    Every year at Christmas time we went to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for breakfast. It was a family tradition. Grandma would cook breakfast for her children, grandchildren and anyone else who wanted to come and eat. We would have bacon, spareribs, sausage, grits, eggs, homemade preserves and jellies.
As told by Carrie Belle Lang Haigler, age 84, (July 1996)

Keep your memories close; they will sustain you forever. 

Mary Hulda Previtte Purvis, the grandmother of Carrie Belle Lang, is my Great Grandmother. Carrie Belle Lang is my 1st cousin once removed.