Mami T-- Part 8

Can any of you imagine being left as she was in the mid 1800’s? Think about it, she was left a widow in the wilderness with three small children, no education, no job, no money, no welfare assistance, no Medicaid, and no food stamps; she was left with absolutely nothing except her children, her home and her land.

I am sure that she mourned the loss of her husband just as most any woman would, and I am certain she spent many long and lonely nights longing for the comfort of his arms holding her in the night seasons. As long as she knew that he was alive there was hope that he would return. But as soon as she received word of his death; that hope was gone!

Suddenly she was forced by circumstances far beyond her control to become the head of her household. She did not have much of a choice, she either had to give in to the circumstances, and she and her children would slowly starve to death. Or bite the bullet and become a survivor.

She had a warrior spirit, and did not wallow in self pity; she chose to deal with the hand that had been dealt to her by life, with grit, guts and fierce determination, and a tremendous amount of back breaking work!

She chose to do what she already knew how to do, and that was to farm her land herself with only her small children to help. A gigantic undertaking! Her father was a farmer, and she had grown up working in the fields, and so had her husband been a farmer and she had worked with him for many years.  She raised her children alone on her farm.

I am sure that her family helped as much as possible, but they had their own farms to work. Having been raised on a farm I can relate somewhat with the job she had on her hands, it is hard physical labor, and it is a job that is never finished.

One of the stories Daddy told about her was that she had to walk into the settlement to get supplies every so often. I think the settlement that she walked to back then; in time eventually became Graceville, Florida.

There were no baby sitters available in those days, and she could not take her children with her. The distance which was five to eight or ten miles was much too far, and she had to ford one or two creeks on the way to and from.

A Florida Black Bear

Mating Eastern Diamondback
Rattlesnakes

There were also the wild animals she had to consider that might be encountered along the way; black bear, alligator, panther, wild cats, wild hogs, diamond-back rattle snakes, etc. all were plentiful in the Panhandle in those days, and in order to make the trip she had to devise another plan to deal with this situation.

A Florida Panther

I hesitated for a bit about writing this story because there are some today who might consider the way she solved her situation to be child abuse. 

No matter what others think; I consider what she did to have been great wisdom on her part; in order for her and her children to survive in this raw harsh land and time; she did what she had to do!

And for those who might criticize; just remember this was light years (150 years ago), away; from the instant world that you live in today.

When she and William had built their house they had also dug a root cellar underneath the kitchen, and walled it in with logs; to store fruits and vegetables in, and it was quite spacious and had center posts to support the kitchen floor above. There was a trap door and steps from the kitchen down into the root cellar.

She would leave the children in the root cellar with plenty of food and water, and a thunder mug for nature calls.  Rody being the oldest was in charge till Mami T returned.

After she closed the trap door she rolled a big rock that was kept in the kitchen for this purpose over the door as an added measure of protection for her children; in case wild animals came to raid for food while she was gone.

I figure it took her quite possibly seven to eight or 10 hours at the very least to make the trip there and back.

She had made a knap sack with a shoulder strap that she wore crossed over one shoulder and around her neck to carry her supplies in.