Sanders Family History & Genealogy

My famiIy is 4 Centuries deep in Pike County Kentucky. My 3X Gr8 Grandparents were Elizabeth McBrayer & Thomas Jefferson Sanders b:1800 . Who else out there has the same blood running thru their veins ? [contact link]

I remember my grandmother, Thelma Ioma (Ragland) Sanders, as a cheerful, happy soul. She was foremost a lady whos golden rule for my mother, her only child, was "Ladies must never sweat in public".

"MommaThelma", would happily dance around the room in small, shuffling steps, hands held shoulder-high, with her middle finger nearly touching her thumb, as if ready to snap her fingers at any time. Her tiny feet and femininity made her look fairy-like, at least. It didn't matter what type the music was; she even danced in my teen years to rock and roll. The sweet smile on her face was infectious, as was her tiny giggle.

She came to live with us when my Grandfather passed on, and would often ask me if her hands were ugly. I always told her no, although her beautiful, flawless skin had given way to aged wrinkling and thinning.

When I was a young child, she would daily slather on her Jergens Lotion, (in the black and white pump bottle), which sat near the kitchen sink. I loved that smell, it meant MommaThelma had come to see us, or we had gone to see her. She continued her daily ritual when she came to live with us, and nothing smelled better than to come into the house after school to the aroma of Jergens.

That memory will never leave me, and even today when I smell, (or think I smell), Jergens Lotion, I immediately think of my Grandmother and the wonderful memories she left for me.

Jacque Schwenke

Ancient faces - fill my mind,
old old stories singing to me.


Pictures from the old ones dwell
Safe in my heart, safe in my heart.


Faded words - in pen and ink,
ribbons from my mother's hair.



Things like this are not forgotten,
Safe in my heart, safe in my heart.



Safe in my heart, safe in my heart.



Searching for those long lost faces,
looking for enchanted places,



Finding all our creeds and races,
How they lived; their social graces.


Ancient faces- fill my mind,
old, old, stories singing to me


Things like this are- not forgotten,
Safe in my heart, safe in my heart.


Safe in my heart, safe in my heart.


I can hear them calling, calling,
"Can you find me?"


Eyes look out and bid me to them,
"Come and find me."


Ancient faces- fill my mind,
old, old, stories singing to me.


Things like this are not forgotten,
Safe in my heart, safe in my heart.


Safe in my heart, Safe in my heart.


~J. J. Schwenke
copyright 2001

My daugher Beth had written to my mother, (Georgene Jackson (Sanders) Birchett), and asked if it was "okay" to write to soldiers stationed overseas. This is the reply from my Mother to Beth.
****************
It isn’t like it used to be, when we were not afraid to give information about ourselves. We used to stand on the platform at the train station and watch the troop trains go by. The GIs always had the windows open, leaning out, waving and yelling. They threw paper wads at us, and we would pick them up and read the notes they would write. It was always just an address to write to them. I would write to a few. It was something to do.

We lived in the little town called Atwood, (Oklahoma), with not a thing to do. The song "They're Either Too Young Or Too Old" sure did hit the nail on the head for us. Most of the boys had joined the Navy, (as soon as they turned 17, they'd do it if they could get their parents to sign for them), and the young men who didn’t do that got drafted or they'd go ahead and join in order to avoid getting drafted, where there was no choice about which branch they were put in.

So, writing letters became sort of 2nd nature to me. After a while, and an exchange of a few letters, the boys would stop writing. No telling what had happened to them. Sent overseas, or they had a new girl friend, or were lost, or killed. It was such a bitter-sweet time. So very sad in so many ways.

I always wrote letters to my cousins who were in the service. There was Tom Johnson, in the Army, and the Bruce brothers: Boyce, Noel, Glenn, and Ray. Boyce was in the Army; he came up through Italy from north Africa. Noel was also in the Army and was in the Battle of the Bulge. Glenn, who was in the Air Corps, was stationed in England as part of ground crew taking care of the B-17s. The youngest, Ray was in the Army, but he never went overseas. The war was over before he had to go fight. My Cousins G.W. and Bill James were from Pampa, Texas. G.W. was in the Air Corps and Bill in the Navy. I had a Seabee cousin; Benny Clement and a Coast Guard cousin Thomas Sparks. Aunt Leona Pattillo had a stepson; Byron Pattillo who was lost when his ship went down in the Pacific. I had some other more distant cousins and they all were in uniform: Byron Lingo, who was in the Army, and J. Jarvis, who was in the Air Corps, and flew the hump.

My Navy boy friend from Holdenville (Oklahoma); Gail Secrest was killed aboard ship. My boyfriend from Detroit, (Alvin Duvall), was with the 5th Marines fighting all over the Pacific and actually made it home alive. (He was in a platoon of 30 men, stationed for training on the west coast, when all 30 of them wrote to me. All on the same day, and in separate envelopes. They all got to our little post office on the same day, ) Needless to say. our Post Master, Sam Irwin was really put out of joint, and it got all over town. Aunt Leona, (Pattillo), was just scandalized, and Moma, (Thelma Ioma Sanders), wasn’t too happy, but at least she could see the joke in it.

Actually, all we had was the mail. And then, the overseas mail was censored. I didn’t meet your Grandpa, (Raymond George Birchett; Holdenville, OK), until he was home from the fighting. It's a wonder he wasn’t killed. He sure was in a good position for it.

I intend to find that poem, Christmas of '44. It is good. I'll send you a copy.

Well, I'll bet you're sorry you asked me. So, I say, just go ahead and send cards, and write saying who you are, and what you do and where you live and how it is for Christmas where you are. Some lonesome person may get a real kick out of it, and perhaps write you back. If you don't like what you get, you don't need to continue writing. But be forewarned, sometimes, lonesome guys will get serious real quick. You have to learn to "Let 'em down easy," so to speak. That comes under the same heading of " Always leave 'em laughing." Well kiddo, its time for bed, so I guess I will go.

Write soon, Love, Grandma

See SPECIAL>SCHOOL photo section for pictures related to this story.

There was a Leach family that lived
near the bridge that crossed the South Canadian River that we used to go by
to get from Atwood to Holdenville. I don't remember going to school with
anyone named Leach. We did have a lady teacher by that name for a while.

Imogene West and I started 1st grade together and graduated 12th grade together. There were just a few of us that went all 12 grades at Atwood: Eva Gene Cotton, Jack Nelson Shepherd, Imogene Josephine
West, Freeland Green Wilkerson, and Dorothy Fay Taylor.

I have a photo of my Senior Class at Atwood. I always thought there were 12 of us, but I count 17 in this picture.

~Georgene Jackson (Sanders) Birchett

As told to me by my Mother, Georgene (Sanders) Birchett, originally from Atwood, Oklahoma.

"Cookin’ out the lard" means that when the hog was butchered, and cut up, that the fat was trimmed off, and usually put into a big iron wash boiler. It was always used outside. Build a fire under it and cook the trimmed fat meat until all the grease has been rendered out. The fat meat would be crisp and browned. That is "Cracklins". You can buy them in bags in the grocery now.

Moma would use a metal colander and dip out the done cracklins and lay out onto clean white dishtowels which she had spread out on the wooden washbench that was fairly near to where the wash boiler stood. The sizzling hot cracklins finished draining any fat that remained, and when they cooled, we could eat them. That was so good.

My Moma would have to wait until the fire under the wash boiler died down, and the rendered fat cooled some, and then she would dip out the liquid fat and put into a clean, dry metal can. It was big. Must have held 10 gallons. Then, Daddy would carry it to the screened in back porch, and put it under a wide shelf that was about cabinet top high, and Moma would have that lard to cook with. The pie crusts made with it were just wonderful. And when butter was scarce, She would even bake cakes with it.

~Georgene (Sanders) Birchett

I found this recipe in my Grandmother Sanders recipe file, and so named them accordingly. They are called "Lunchbox Brownies" in the actual recipe, taken from a Detroit newspaper clipping. It looks to be from the 40's. This is the best brownie recipe I have ever found. If you want these to taste right, you must use real butter and real vanilla.

1 Cup Butter
3/4 Cup Cocoa
2 Cups Granulated Sugar
4 Eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt (omit if butter
is salted)
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

Melt BUTTER in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the COCOA and SUGAR. Mix well. In a seperate bowl, beat the EGGS with a fork, until yolks are broken and whites are mixed in fairly well. Check the temp of the BUTTER/COCOA/SUGAR mixture. If it is cooled to warm, beat in the eggs with a spoon or fork. Mixture should be throughly mixed together. Now add the BAKING POWDER, and SALT. Mix well and add the NUTS, if you wish. Add the VANILLA and stir well. Add the FLOUR last, and stir well. Pour into
prepared pan and bake. (see below)

Grease a 13X9X2 pan, (glass is best), and pour mixture in. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 mintues, or until edges are done, and middle is firm, but still looks wet. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

These are delicious with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and whipped cream on top.

This story fits in with the Vosses, Mitchells, and Pennington's of Lawrence Cty, TN.

Franklin Pierce Voss married Mary Adeline Ellis...whose mother was Amanda Carline Sanders Ellis...daughter to Mary Ann Pollyann Hogan Sanders and John L Sanders.

As I mentioned before I thought that Mary Adeline carried alot of native characterisitics...so I set out to find the source. In doing so I met up with another family researcher who felt that John L Sanders...Mary Ann's husband was John Walkingstick of the Cherokee. I have not been able to find documetation that verifies this.

However, when you look at this picture...after already seeing Mary Adelines you can see where the looks came from.

I also have a picture of Amanda Carline Sanders(Mary Adeline's mom)and James Henry Ellis. I'll post those separately.

Grand Pa J.W. Sanders always said that we were not kin to any of the Sanders that lived around Atwood. I guess he knew about where they all came from. I don't know.

I knew J.C. Ritter and all of his children. His daughter Maude was married to Velta Sparks who was some kin to Harrison Sparks, Daddys sister Martha's husband. They may have been brothers, or maybe cousins. Velta and Maude had several children. Teddy was the oldest, and just a little younger than me.

J.C.Sparks and my cousin Arthur Pattillo were good friends. When we moved to town from the first house that we lived in at Atwood, our next door neighbors were Sam and
Ruby Irwin. Ruby and Maude were sisters. I have always wondered what ever happened to Eva Gene Cotton who was a cousin to Imogene Leach.

~Georgene Jackson (Sanders) Birchett

My great grandfather Carroll M. Sanders was born in 1862 in Calcasieu Parish, La. I searched for his parents for years before I found out on the census of 1870 that he was an orphan, at least by the age of 8, living in the household of a William & Minerva Perkins in Calcasieu Parish, La. by 1870. His brother, Thomas, age 20 was working for another Perkins family, and two others siblings, Mary, age 12, and Joseph were living in the household with him. His parents, Celia Morgan and William Sanders, of Washington Parish, La. were in the census of 1840 and 1850 in Washington Parish but by the census of 1860 were in Calcasieu Parish. They obviously died between 1860 and 1862. What happened to his parents and older siblings has always remained a mystery since the Courthouse burned in Calcasieu Parish. Carroll was happily married to Judith Alice Cagle, but she died at the age of 34 yrs., 7 months, and a poignant epitaph on her tombstone at the Sugartown Baptist Church Cemetery in Sugartown, La. gives evidence of his love and feeling of loss for her. Carroll's three daughters, Avis Annette Sanders O'Quinn, Janie S. Shaw, and Verda S. Malone all moved to Texas when they were young adults. Grandfather Carroll Sanders was left with one son, Walter, to rely upon in his old age. He had such a tragic life.

This anecdote was told to me by my mother, who grew up in Atwood, Oklahoma. See related pictures under MYSTERY, FAMILY, SPECIAL> SCHOOL, and more stories or anecdotes, all under SANDERS.

I believe the reason that people get heat exhaustion so easily now
days, is that we have air conditioning in our homes. Before that, we were
acclimatized to the heat.

I can remember, when we went to summer school, in July and August that perhaps we had all of 2 or 3 people who fainted because of the heat. All of them were girls. I never even came close. Of
course, I was little and skinny, and that may have made a difference.

People would wear hats, and drink a lot of water. I never saw a soul carry an
umbrella in the sun. You just tried to make it from one shady spot to the
next one as fast as possible. The grown ups worked outside in the early and late hours, and kept still during the midday.

My Uncle Charlie Thompson worked nights in the oil fields, and he would have to try to sleep in the heat if the day.
Aunt Ruth would keep wet towels hung over the windows where the breeze was
coming in, so he could sleep. If anyone had an electric fan it was unusual. In the first place, you needed to have been wired for electricity, and most folks in Atwood were not. When we did get it, having a fan was not a
priority.

The funeral homes gave out hand held fans but we always saved them for
church. They tore up so easily!

If we started the year without air conditioning, and never experienced
it as the heat got worse, we would just be able to bear up under it better.

~Georgene Jackson (Sanders) Birchett

Note: This story goes with the picture found in the FAMILY section under SANDERS, titled: "Birthday in Atwood, Oklahoma".

MaryRose's father was the local M.D.
and she had two little sisters. They lived across a corn field from us.

Billie Jean lived just about 2 blocks from our lane, and Norma Lee lived a little further away. Norma Lee and I were in the same Sunday School Class at the Church of Christ. We could go home with each other some times from Church, and then when our folks went back for the evening services, we got taken home.

Mary Rose and her little sisters went to the Orphan Home run by the Church of
Christ, because after her father died, her mother became destitute, and
couldn't take care of them. Cal and Effie Edmonds gave a going away party
and everyone brought gifts and the whole community was there. That was the first time I ever saw dry Ice. They had it to keep the ice cream cold.

The Sallings moved away soon after that photo was taken.

Norma Lee was my best friend. Her Dad was a brother to one of our close neighbors.

Georgene Jackson (Sanders) Birchett