Wednesday Wanderings ~ Bessie and Nannie Parrott

This is Nannie Barber Parrott (on right) with daughter, Bessie Maude Parrott.

Robert Samuel Parrott was Nannie's husband.

I recently came across this photo that I have never seen before.

Nannie is my great grandmother.

They are seated on the front steps of Nannie's home that was once located on New Hope Road in Gastonia, N.C.  The land was sold and now a church stands in it's approximate location.

I remember there was a field to the left of the house that was full of flowers, irises, I think.

The flowers on Nannie's lap were most likely gathered from the field.

I imagine that Uncle Ed was the source of all the flowers, he loved to garden and could grow the most beautiful flowers.

New Hope road once came directly by Nannie's home. It came though the trees, near the drive of my grandparent's house,  and up the hill to her house, and at the entrance to what was her drive, was a massive milling stone.  I do not know the origin of the mill stone but I imagine it has history in my family.

To the right of the main house was what was called the "garage apartment".  Edward Parrott lived there in his later years. Ethel and Wilburn lived there early on in their marriage. The apartment was struck by lightning and burned after the death of Edward.

Bessie lived with her mother until her death. She never married.

Thoughtful Thursday~ Blanton - Ellis Reunion 1930

This is a photo from the 1930 Shelby, N.C.  reunion of the George Washington Blanton family. The man on the back row, right hand side in the bowtie is my Grandfather, Wilburn L. Parrott, beside him, my Grandmother, Ethel Blanton Parrott. Right in front of Wilburn, is Fannie Crouch Blanton, wife of my Great grandfather, Craton Rone's brother, Hero 'Quit'  Blanton.
Hero Quitman was a brother to Craton Rone Blanton (my Greatgrand), who died in a motorcyle accident early in life. Opposite end in the dark coat with fur collar is my Great grandmother, Lizzie Ellis Blanton Hager. 

Seated in the middle of the clan, is George Washington Blanton, my 2nd great grandfather.

Interestingly, there is an unknown face in the window to the right of my grandpa..peering out.

Sentimental Saturday ~ Hero Quitman "Quit" Blanton

Quit was a brother to Craton Rone. He was five years younger than Craton.

Craton, my 2ggreat grandfather was killed while a passenger on Quit's motorcycle.

I often wonder how Quit lived with the remorse of that accident. He was injured and hospitalized, but lived through it. My heart goes out to him.

He owned and operated an electric company in Shelby, NC.

He married Fannie Victoria Crouch.

He passed away at age 92, from congestive heart failure and a fractured hip.

1880 ~ 1973

Hero Quitman Blanton

Here is  a page from the Shelby City Directory, 1937-38. Near the bottom of the page listed H.Q. Blanton and wife, Fannie.

Parrot Bible Birth Page ~

This was folded and kept among my grandmother's things.

Listed are the children born to Robert Samuel Parrott and first wife, Amanda Curry.

Also listed are the children born to Robert Samuel Parrott and second wife, Nannie Barber Parrott.

R.S. Parrott and Nannie Parrott's birth dates are listed at the bottom of list.

Charles Heberton Ellis ~ 3rd Great Grand Uncle

Charles Heberton Ellis and his wife, Nancy Turner Ellis are buried not very far from the area in which they lived their lives.


They are buried at Buffalo Baptist Cemetery in Cherokee County, South Carolina.



Charles’ marker has succumbed to the ravages of time and lies in silent testament to the man that it once identified.

Sadly, this happens and markers are lost. I see that other such markers in this cemetery have been dutifully replaced when they became no longer legible. For this, I am glad. Preservation and documentation is so very important, or we will eventually lose the knowledge of where our ancestor’s lie.



That is my personal quest, to document all that I can , for future seekers. Hopefully they will still search long after I am but a name, in a cemetery somewhere. Ashes to ashes and a name etched on stone.



Nancy’s marker still stands and gives us comfort that Charles rests beside her. Nancy's parents were Elijah Turner, Sr. and Edith "Edy" Jane Sarratt, buried at Ellis/Turner Cemetery, Spartanburg County, S.C.
Nancy was a sister to Sarah A. "Sally" Turner, who married David Ross Ellis. David and Sarah Turner Ellis were my 3rd Great grandparents. So two brothers, married two sisters.

There are old markers here and old graves really speak to me. It is like touching the past and being a small part of it all.  I love being in the midst of all that time passage.



I was proud to walk among them and whisper my hello.



What tales they could tell us and what stories we would hear?



With rustling sounds in the wind, I fancied that I really did hear a few whispers, standing in the bright sunshine, among my family.