Happy Birthday to Mary Polly Spurlock Brown

Mary Polly Spurlock Brown

born 1 January 1800

in Oglethorpe, Georgia

Died 12 January 1888

in Osyka, Pike, MS

Married to

Edward Stewart Brown, 1806 - 1856

Children:

Allen Moses Brown

Martha M. Brown

Mary Magdelene Brown

Adeline Julia Brown

James Pascal Brown

Mary was my 3rd great grandmother. I wish I knew more about her. She is the only Spurlock I have any information about and the information I have is limited. I'd love to know about her parents, siblings, etc. 

If you have any information on the Spurlock family please contact me.

Let's celebrate Mary's birthday together. 

Merry Christmas

May all the joys of Christmas be with you & your family this Christmas & 

all through the year.

Colleen

Related Posts:

• Christmas 2016
• Christmas 2015

Family Memories: Santa

Alberta Joy (Gardner) Brown, 1969

My mother was the best Santa ever. She did not dress in red or jingle any bells. She did not call any attention to herself. Quietly, secretly, she made sure my brothers and I found our most wanted Christmas gifts beneath our tree on Christmas morning. Our mom put away money all year for this shopping. She drove from one store to another to find the toy or clothes or radio or watch we wanted. She hid her finds in her bedroom, tossing a blanket over things till she had time to wrap them.

One year I wanted a gold cameo ring more than anything else. I thought it was beautiful. On Christmas Eve my mother & I took a quick trip to Hudson, NY [the ‘big’ city near us] for a couple last minute errands. On the way home in the car my mother told me that I would not be getting the ring. She had sent away for it but it had not arrived and now that it was Christmas Eve deliveries were finished till after the holiday. She had been watching for it every day but now it looked like it was not going to arrive in time to go under the tree. I was deeply disappointed but said it did not matter. I just thanked her for the ring and all her efforts to get it on time. I knew she felt terrible that she could not do this for me. We arrived at home and carried our packages up to our door. There, sitting on our front porch, was the box with the ring! I still have that ring and remember my mom whenever I wear it.

I have followed my mother’s example and done my best to make Christmas special for our children and now our oldest daughter is doing the same with her sons. 

Family traditions are made with love.

Be Santa. Pass on the love.

Cousins, do you have a Christmas memory you'd like to share? Let me know. 

I can add it to my blog or the next family book. 

Related Posts:

• Santa Claus

Family Memories: The Christmas Tree

Here is a Christmas Tree Memory from my paternal grandmother,

Ivy R. (Mark) Brown,

 1908 OH – 2003 NY,

daughter of Thomas K. & N. Regina (Gruissy) Mark.

In 1994 she talked to me about Christmas in Ohio when she was a little girl.

Some years it was kind of spare. Some years we had a tree and we had candles, wax candles. The night before we took the tree down Dad would get a couple buckets of water and put it by his chair and light all the candles. We would all sit around and sing Christmas Carols and look and watch the candles burn, Dad keeping a sharp eye on the tree.

Here I am, many years ago, in a new blue dress, in front of the Christmas tree.

Here is a Christmas Tree Memory of my own about my brothers and our mother, 

Alberta Joy (Gardner) Brown,

 1928 – 1992,

daughter of Nathaniel & Helen (Coyle) Gardner.

Our mother made Christmas a magical time for us. The tree, the presents, the candles in the windows, the cookies. Our mother did it all. The  tree. We’d usually buy a tree from a local farm. My brothers would slide it in back of the station wagon and we’d take it home to decorate. One year, my oldest brother, Lance, had a friend who told him about a place where we could cut down our own tree. It was south of us, in Rock City.  We decided to try it. We bundled up in warm clothes, my brothers got the saw and we piled into the big old station wagon. The tree nursery was on the side of a steep hill, covered in snow, ice and pine trees. Lance’s friend assured our mother it was safe to drive up the hill on the rustic ‘road’ which was nothing but a dirt path. She did. As we were selecting a tree, it began to snow, adding a new, thick layer to the snow already on the ground. My brothers, Lance and Del, laid in the snow and carefully cut down the tree. Our youngest brother, Mark, helped them to load it in the car. It was time to leave when we realized there was no place for Mom to turn the car around. Lance’s friend admitted that his parents had walked up the hill. He had never seen anyone drive up. Very slowly and cautiously Mom backed down that hill.  By then it seemed more like a mountain to all of us. The snow was coming down heavily. The tree blocked Mom’s rear view. She rolled down her window and put her head out to see where she was going. We children were all very quiet so she could concentrate. On the way down she backed over more than one small pine tree, which helped to slow our decent. When we were safely down we were all very happy!

I hope you make many new family memories this Christmas! 

Related Posts:

• Surname Christmas Tree
• Christmas Memories = Traditions = Games

William Dorten Smith in MS

William Dorten Smith

1818 - 1906

Son of: George N. Smith, Sr. & Clarissa Clara Dillon
[George N. Smith = my 4th great grand uncle]

Husband of: Lucretia Dykes 

I found these details about William's family from this Bible.

The William D. Smith Bible

WD Smith & Lucretta Dikes m 14 Nov 1839

WD Smith b 14 Jan 1818 – d 16 Oct 1906

Lucretta Dikes b 10 May 1825

Children:

George           b 6 Dec 1840

Clara Ann       b 11 Jan 1843

William L        b 6 Apr 1845

Henry J          b 24 May 1847

Jaratt R          b 2 June 1849

Newey            b 21 June 1852 – d 9 Aug 1854

Isaac F           b 30 May 1854

Cinderilla       b 12 July 1856

Jasper D        b 17 Dec 1858

Nancy C         b 5 Sept 1860

Lucretta          b 18 Feb 1863 – d 7 Nov 1896

Murray           b 3 May 1866

Wright            b 1 Nov 1871 – d 18 Mar 1873

           

Source: Mississippi Genealogical Society, Mississippi Cemetery and Bible Records, Vol. 7 (Jackson, MS, 1960) digital image, Genealogy Gophers (gengophers.com: accessed November 2017) 85.