REMEMBRANCES of Bessie Leach Carter

REMEMBRANCES

of

Bessie Leach Carter

1905-1987      

          Our Grandfather and Grandmother Leach’s names were Jacob H. Leach and Catherine Williams Leach. Grandfather had one brother, Len Leach. Grandmother Leach also had one brother, Jobe Williams. There was no record as to when Grandfather and Grandmother died, but I remember Dad saying that he was 11 years old when they died. Grandfather Leach had been a captain in the Home Guards, and we still have the sword in our family. Dad’s uncle, Jobe Williams, and his wife, Englane, kept him until he was old enough to go on his own. Dad had twin brothers. Their names were Marion and Clarence. They died at birth, and there are no records for them. Dad’s oldest brother, Samuel Leach, had four sons - Oscar, Clyde, Leslie, and Chester. His brother, H. Scott, had one daughter, Kitty, and a son, Jacob, and by his second marriage, he had one daughter, Clara. 

          John M. Leach, our father, first married Lottie Sorrels. She had one son (from a previous marriage), Norval, who was our stepbrother. She and Dad had one daughter named Kitty Agnes and one son, Leo. Lottie and their daughter died (we don’t have the dates) and Leo died at age two. Our Uncle Sam and his wife, Finis, took care of Leo until he died. Dad’s second marriage was to Eliza C. Grant. 

John M. Leach - May 10, 1858 / March 1, 1941.

Eliza Catherine Leach - October 21, 1880 / November 15, 1941. 

Norval Leach - April 7, 1895 / February 4, 1941. 

Lucy Leach - July 17, 1907 / July 10, 1908. 

          All of Dad’s brothers, his first wife and their two children, and our sister, Lucy, were buried in the Leach Graveyard at Dad’s old home place. Dad’s Uncle Jobe Williams and his wife were buried at Liberty Graveyard. His Uncle Len and his wife were buried in the Arnold Graveyard.

          My husband, Charles Carter, died October 27, 1957, at the age of 53. He was buried in Grand Lawn Graveyard in Detroit, Michigan.

         You have names and ages to all of the sisters and won’t need any dates until we “kick the bucket.” 

          Don’t forget to mention Bald Knob Church. It is 100 years old, and all of us went there. Remember, we never had any place to go but Church. 

          Dad’s Uncle Jobe Williams lost his mind over religion. I can remember him and his wife. At times he was too much for his wife, so they got a man by the name of Joe Taylor to take care of him, and he didn’t like that. Dad said sometimes he would bring Uncle Jobe to Bald Knob Church, and when Jobe would get up to testify, he never knew when to stop. And no matter what song they were singing, he would say, “God Darn the Taylors.” 

          Grandmother Mary Ann Grant’s name before marriage was Mary Ann Combes. She had one brother, John, and a sister named Nancy. There are no dates on death. Her brother, John Combes, made chairs and was a water witch. He found the water vane and dug the well at our old home place. I can remember him. He left home and never came back. Mother and Grandmother never heard from him again. They never knew when he died or whatever happened to him.

         Our Grandmother Grant first married a Mr. Nickelson and had one son. I don’t know the date of death, but remember Grandmother saying that he fell down a stairway and was killed. 

          Our Grandmother Mary Ann’s second marriage was to Robert P. Grant. He died May 8, 1901 at age 57. At that time, they lived in Pleasant Ridge, Kentucky, and he was buried there. By this marriage, they had one child, Eliza C. Grant. She was born October 21, 1880 and died November 15, 1941 at age 61. I remember that our mother had two half sisters, Sally and Janie. I don’t know which husbands were their fathers. Grandmother Grant died November 17, 1925 at the age of 82 years, 17 days. 

          Our Grandfather Grant had been in service and was drawing a government pension. When he died, I remember that Mother went to Hartford to see if Grandmother could get a pension. It was a long time before the papers came back. She didn’t get a pension. Her first husband died seven years after she had married Robert Grant, so she was never legally married to Mr. Grant because she never got a divorce from Mr. Nickelson. When the papers came back, I can remember that Mother was scared crazy. She cried her heart out because she was afraid that they would send Grandmother to prison.

           As I said, Uncle John Combes made chairs. He made a chair for Alebel when she was a baby. I can remember that she didn’t want me to sit in the chair - she was 2 ½ years older than me. I can remember the rest of you kids fighting over the chair. Alebel still has the chair. She left it with Dorothy when she went to Texas. When I was working in the junk store, we got a lot of toys. I got a baby doll, she dressed it, and still has it sitting in the chair.  

          What about the way people just left home years ago and never came back. When I think of it, it drives me nuts. I am glad they keep records of everything now.

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Note: The first marriage of Mary Ann Combs was to John Reynolds, not Mr. Nicholson. Robert P. Grant's first marriage was to Mary Nichloson. 

Courtesy: Dorothy (Crabb) Johnston 

Transcribed: Tracey Johnston