In Memoriam ~ Ethel Blanton Parrott ~

Craton Rone Blanton & Lemon Crisp Cookies ~

My Great Grandfather ~ Craton Rone Blanton
















My grandmother always had a shadow to pass briefly, over her face,
when she mentioned her father.

You could see it in her eyes.
She still felt that loss.

Craton Rone Blanton
Born ~ July 17, 1875
Died ~ September 25, 1915

He died tragically, and before his time. An accident claimed him while his family was still quite young.

Ethel was almost eleven at the time.
The impact that his passing had, was monumental on her, and her family. Her mother was suddenly alone with two children to raise. Times were hard. Grandma told me of the struggles that Lizzie faced as a young widow. She remarried after at time, to a man that had also been widowed with small children, John Hager. It was more of a marriage of convenience than a love affair.



Mabel Hager, daughter of John Hager. She became close like a sister to my grandmother.

It was not a pleasant life for poor Lizzie.
The family managed to survive through it all. Not the best of choices, but she did what she had to do to get by.

Craton Rone Blanton was riding on the back of a motorcyle driven by his brother, Hero Quitman "Quit" Blanton, five years younger than Craton.

They crashed head-on, onto a car. Craton was thrown over the handlebars of the motorcycle and killed instantly.

Newspaper article about the accident:



Quit Blanton suffered a broken leg. I am sure there was an huge invisible wound as well, one that was much harder to heal from, his heart. He surely felt responsible even if there was no blame to place.






















Hero Quitman Blanton~















Quit married Fannie Victoria Crouch. 'Aunt Fannie' to me.










I would go on Sunday afternoons with my grandparents to visit her. This was long after the passing of Quit. She lived beside a bread bakery in Shelby, N.C. The area always smelled with the wonderful aroma of hot bread baking.

She was a beautiful lady with the smoothest skin. She must have been a real beauty in her day. She made the thinnest, crispy, lemon sugar cookies you have ever seen. They were excellent!

She would come smiling out the back of the house and down the steps with two of those cookies wrapped in a napkin, holding them aloft, like a prize. She was very sweet to me.

Those summer afternoons are very special memories for me.
















I remember her front parlor in the house, full of beautiful pink glass items. Lots of potential for small hands to accidently knock something pretty and nice, over, breaking something. So outside was the best place to play for a kid.

After the visit she would stand at the door and wave goodbye.



I recently "found" Aunt Fannie once again.















Sunset Cemetery, Shelby, North Carolina

She is buried in Shelby. I saw her monument and half ran to it, full of memories of the sweet lady. I touched her stone and thanked her for those warm childhood memories and the sweet taste of those lemony cookies.

No one has etched the stone with her death date. I wondered about that.
Something that needs to be checked in to. She needs her stone to be complete.

Rest in peace, Dear Fannie.
Rest in peace, Great Grandfather.

You are remembered.

Under the Lone Tree ~ Luke Wesson

On the outskirts of Shelby, North Carolina lies the land that once belonged to a man of Irish blood, named Luke Wesson.

Along the side of the highway heading outside of Shelby, there is a lone tree.

At the base of that lone tree lies the remains of my 3rd Great Grandfather.

If you did not know he was there, you would simply pass right past without a second glance.

No hint of a cemetery can be seen from the road.

Only recent attempts at construction on his former property brought the cemetery back from certain devastation. Engineers, working on the property found the cemetery and realized what was about to happen to it.

Their kind hearts have certainly saved our Luke. For that I am grateful.

The lone tree that was described to me, seemed out of place in that cleared field. That was the only thing that was visible from the road. We parked across the road and went over winter grasses that grew in huge clumps. I went over the slight rising of earth, alongside the highway and down into the field, and there he was.



It is not known if Nancy McCurry Wesson is buried beside him in that cemetery or not.
The earth seems to want to reclaim everything, especially stone markers. Once they fall onto the ground, the earth seems intent on swallowing them up. If a marker is there, it has yet to be discovered.

His marker is currently lying on the ground, broken, but not for long.


Rest in peace, Great Grandfather. You will not be forgotten.

******************************************************************

Luke Wesson married his second wife, Nancy McCurry in 1841. Nancy was the daughter of William McCurry and Elizabeth Ledford McCurry. He remarried for a third time, after the death of Nancy McCurry, to the wife mentioned in the will.

Luke and Nancy had a daughter, Nancy M. "Nannie" Wesson in 1844.

Nancy Wesson married Charles Heberton Ellis and together they had eight children. One of these was Elizabeth "Lizzie" Leigh Ellis, my great grandmother.

Lizzie Ellis married Craton Rone Blanton and they had a son named Jesse and a daughter named Ethel. They also had a baby son named Craton, he died in infancy.



Craton Rone Blanton, Lizzie Ellis Blanton, Jesse Blanton.


Ethel married Wilburn Larry Parrott. My Grandparents.




**********************************************************


LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF LUKE WESSON
May the 29th 1882

(Transcribed from the original)

I Luke Wesson of the County of Cleaveland & State of North Carolina being of
sound mind and memory but considering the uncertainty of my earthly existence
do make and declare this my last Will and Testament in manner and form
following: that is to say I here by give to my beloved Daughter Caroline Allen
the lot of land on which I now live being one acre with all improvements and
appurtanances thus unto belonging. I reserve to for my wife Arleavie Wesson
the above described property as a home for Her During Her life or widowhood to be in full force and effect if she continues to reside there otherwise this reserve to be of no effect and void. I further provide that my executors hereinafter named Shall provide one years sustenance for my wife Arleavie Wesson out of my estate. I hereby Name Elbert Allen and his wife Caroline Allen as the executors of this my last will and Testament. I hereby convey to them for collection my notes Mortgages and accounts and after paying my burial and funeral expenses they are to pay to my son James Wesson one hundred dollars (J. 100) The remainder of my entire effects to be equally divided between my three children Caroline Allen, Nancy Ellis, and James Wesson. All of the above is written at my request and signed by me this the 29th day
of May A.D. 1882.
his
Luke X Wesson {Seal}
mark

Signed & sealed and declared by Luke Wesson to be His last Will and Testament
in the presence of us who at His request in His presence and in the presence
of each other do subscribe our names as witnesses hereto.
J.B. Byers