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ram.111 J9und,1U0n•, rorbAftl, aa4 ln,o,,,aai •
!ho11&1 labJ, rq ta,her, vaa born ta lrelu4. I:tta hoae there wae tn
Oount7 Galway ln the ooutr,tlde .aear Portuama. Be cue to ‘hl• cout17 a
fev 7ear1 at,er ,he Ol’ril *”• la tlle late 18601 1 I tblu, an4 came to
lo••• Georcla, hh h.lure ho••• 1a 1873. MT mo\hei- w.s ‘bora la Beme in
1860. Mether and father were urrled. \here in 1880.
NJ fa\her bad an appl’attoeahlp 11n llnena• ta Xnlaacl. YUh lhl 1
prelblina17 4lreoUon. to hi• Ute h• ‘beoue a cl17ped1 .. rohaal ln 1h11
countq. Soon after hl• amY&l la lev Toric he ad.e the aoqualntance of u
o14er bi1h ce11,1emn naa-4 &111. .l\ Mr. Glll 1 • ncce•Uea, a, I uler­
atood, rq falhtr wen\ \• Mobile, .U..bua, where he vonced 1a a ,ton for a
7ar or ao. !hen he wen.I vi th a alallar ‘but perbap1 ‘better know eetabli ah-
• uni, the White S’4,re, ln J.upeta, Georgia. Mier ane-ral ,ear, in Aucu••
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he teleoted Jome •• tu plaoe he withed to 1\ar, hi• own buuiness He
llke4 the appearance of the eouat17 aroud lo••• am telcl •• later la Ute
U rea1n4ed hl• of’• cou’IJ7aU.e vb.ere he llTe4 •• a bo7. Ne 7e1.r
(1953), the store he fGllJldel, whlch lt aUll ao\ln an4 owaecl b7 the faai17,
la celebratizac 1,e eigh\le’lh azmlTeraa17.
the •tovah alld 0odana11la BTera co11Terce a, \be f•ol of 11’0&4 Sine\
la Joae \o ton the Oooaa1 vhioh tlow1 eTentull7 into the Ala’bau. It.Tar
u4 thence lo the G\llt of Me:doo. There wa, cond4erable water traffic b7
ateaaboa\ when. l vae grovlnc -, in lo•• but 1’1.&11.\a ‘beoa•• the tillroe.4
outer ot aorlhern Geo:rata.
Jather ••t ha.Te 4oae ta1l”l7 well fl’Om ,he beclJ.udnc ‘becauee the ‘buel-
•••• grev, oonlid.erlnc the alH of the collllWd.\7. lo•• ,.. a small towa,
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am nea uv baa a population of •?? about \h1J’\1′ ol’ \hlrt7-fl•• tboueancl.
ra,!ler atqed la the onglnal le•Uon for abov.\ tweat,- year•.. In 1893 he
lnall\ a ,, ,tore a few ct.on .,., vh10,h •• nmalne4 tu aite of tu
bualn••• v1,h the &dcU.\lon. b1 realal 1A 110re reoeal J’e&1’• of prelli••• aexl
4oor. the atore va• extendvel7 remo4-1e4 and. ao4el’DiH4 1n 1962.
ln 1886, a new etock: of good• boqht ln lev Totic wae almo9′ u.tirel7
rm.ne4 ‘b7 a nood. J’a\he:r had aoqtdrecl good c:redlt and. 10 wa• able \o reatoolc.
there were 0U1er pertot• of tiffloul \7, 1uolt aa \he IO-called Panto
of 1893. I reaeaber per•ual.17 \he aone7 ahorlac• of 1907 vhea I ,, vol’k­
l»c at \be atore. Ju\ on tile whole, u4 a1…,, wl\lt the llea-,, espeue of a
large. cnwtac faallJ’, the •Ion kep\ \he full7 cot.a.c. wl\h al ttaea llelp
troa aotur, who 1ahe:rUe4 •o•• lo•• real ••’-‘- fro• her ao\>Ml”.
J’ather •• no\ ‘Nrf e.zpreHlve about h11 41ff10\1l.U••· Be took thea
Hrleui, but qaS.eU7. I naeaber- ‘belnc fcuaeotna ot flaaaclal pnbleu at
U•••• kl no\ because he ,a.U:e4 &bOlll \hem. .b.4 0TH’ a perlo4 ot eigh\7
1•r• – 117 ta,ui- 41e4 1• 191f – the t\ore ba• M’t’er ta11e4 or ,oa•
,much norcam.u.tioa OJ’ bukrap\07.
Jly molur•• ta\llel” an4 Mlher … lo loae fn• lerllQT. J1J •••nal
cnn4fa\her, wllo•• …. ,., lo••• ,., aoooapanle4 \e •• l beliffe \7 ,,,.
lt1″0’11er1, tu of vboa 1’ecue a Coate4e:ra\e eolcllet’. Jeoa••• of Ihle -,
•ther la 1.a,er 7ean va■ a Da,achler of \he Ooate4eno,-, PreeU.enl of \he
looal ohllpter who l va1 a 7napler.
Mo\her )ecame a COATe:ri lo Oatllolloiea vhea a rcnmc girl a’bou.l etple•
or ataetNa 7ear• ol4 ‘before lier ,.ria«e ar»l, at l -•nleo4. 1n4epeateal
ot the oev.nahip. ‘f:b.e do17 •• 11 aaae 4own to u, ta that •h• at\eade4 a
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mh•ion given in ltoatt by a Dominican pries, whlcb. tu:rn.ed her \oward.
Cathollc1u.. !hn’1ghou\ the remaind.eJ’ of her llte 1u vae a. 4e’f0ut Oa\holto.
She ud-, ta\her ra1•4t4 elH’e!l children vho ,rev to u\urlty. ‘lhne
ob1lclr8Jl d.iecl 111 ln.tu.07. Will. \be olte1\ ot all, paHed aV1117 while I ••
ln London on the naT&l an4 air base negoUaUou in the wibter of 1941. lie
•• lhen l1Ting acain b tu old hue at Jcme. MT •’her died there in J’ebrua17,
1934, eoventeen rear• after tat.ber• a 4eath.
I wa1 bon. 1n llou .luguat 271 1892, about a J’8&1′ betore the fully
moved lnto the nev ••• fa\her Mt bull\, which–• tine• rua1ne4 \he
tud.lJ’ bome.
Mother a, mch a• tath8r bad. • broa4 Tlewpoiat •• to ihe life they el’lTlaaced
for \he fu1l7 • an4 n.oh goo4 qual.1 U•• as Uae ohU4ru cleTelope4
wen a Job.\ contr1bu\1on ot \heir parah. Mother w.1 a remarkable uA
‘b•utlf’ul. cbaraoter and. l ahall haft more to •af et her.
J.a father grew older – he wa, 111ne\ee.n yean olcter tba.a aother — \t.
,tore l.acged beblacl 1A lmprovemea\1 an4 \ecaa ‘° 1••• cround. notvitha,uU.nc
1,, t111.• repuatloa. It, broth.er Alben -4 nol goae to college, ao ie1a’bt
‘becauae \rho he nacb.et ooll•c• ace the 1907 flaa11elal. d.lft1.C’Ol 11•• la4 aol
\4″11 ncoupe4. lie bat bepa \o work w1 th aa laavaaoe eup&JIJ’ • but Arau
\7 allegiance to tb.e fully tleolclecl to oo•• an.cl help al \he aton. !hla vaa
la 1912 vhu fa,her •• O’f’el’ aeveal7.
loo• after father’• 4•1h ln. 191? -, bro\her Due — »enard – alao
oe.ae lat. tb.e b111ine11. le vaa 4o1nc well on hit .,,. aa an u.ve1•ti1la1.,.
with \he old Obu\berlala-lohuoa-h.boae CoapQ7 la .l\luta. lnt\ Johe4 lhe
…. eaeat of the •tore w1,h Alber,, Wlelue•tionablT lbrough fall1l7 loyalty •
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!he worlc wits uncongenb.l to him nt first, e,nd. though he ucrificed hie own.
ct.reef’ I do not thiak he :regretted 1,. Bt 4eYoted big llfe b ,he t’ardl7,
the b\letneH• ,he oommwty, and the Ohurch. Albert and. lluke npplte4 the
aew impetus wbioh the store needed., Me clted ln 1950 belo•ed and re1peetel
b7 all. In hie la\er 1ean h? Ylll!I lmlgh’\ed 07 the Bol:, 1a\her.
All ,:n.,, bo71 aa 1′()ua.ge\ers w:rk”d ia the tlore “·’ tl••• but then waa
nev$r &’AT pressure on the part of f.t..thel’ lo keep ue there. I thlak he aighl
ba<re been pleated if l lad. d.ecid.eA ,o make 1\ 111′ lite wn:, but I n.ner ba.4
the feeliDC that el\her he or aolher wished ‘WI to oonfiae GUT’ outlook to the
”°:re. O.n the ooatra17. U d14 \va ••’• bn,ever, tba\ for Alben aad the•
Duke it beO&J1• their llfe von. and in later 7eat”1 Leo allf.> gaw …. 7ear1
to the 1\oi-e. !hie •• not a •nowin& nperleaoe. Duke •• a cmlt.Nd. -.a
of broad iaterette. So, \oo• are .&l.ber1l ar.i4 Leo. kch kept well 1ntone4
and ectin la 11be lite ot tihe oouatey. the communt\y• and \he Chvch.
As to the reading matter a’ftlla’blo in the bome at \bl e eai-11 period I
remember ve bad the 0011plete work• of Sbaka9Jeare. l>token•• tlll\Gke:ra7, Soot,.
lulver L,\\on, a.nil J’aaee 1eniJIION Oooper. •• w•ll •• o\beSt booltt of well
novn ln«liab ll\en.tun. lather wtt an oricinal 11\\bt0l”i’ber to the QASbQJ,io
11,nQ).swtO,la. We alr-47 had the IWflcndk ldrkan1 a.. lothff would ottea
read alowi to the ohlldren, on• of the JtO■t plea’lallt rff.Ollec\loa• l haTe of
tq ahildbood. Thie was, n.o\ altogether becautti of yhat abe 7-4 but bece.uae
the vaa aa uu1uallp eood. reeder.
“a•n weJ’e \vo Jb•e pap?l’• at lbllt tiae. In add1Uon we Naee1Te4 th•
AUenta llo1tlUd,01 and hw:MJ,. I aa Yagu abeu, o\ur p,lblloaUou. though
1 rememoer \he JD,A’I QalQ.llio!l• and \he Lsi11 la& t!AVMl.• li’h9A JfJ7
• brother Will va• hoae he would. aemeU•• bring the lu ls»)?UI·
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!here wae Do reaid.ea\ prleet in Jome cluring our childhood ancl 7outh.
!here wa• a tl’Ule Oburch, small but uequate. A priest came from Atlanta
twice a month exoep, d.urlng the n.mer. lie ,… fro• Sacred Bear, pariah.
which wa• in obi.re• of the Marie\ Jathen. Jou wae 011• of their llledoa,.
There va• a dno\ed 11 \tle Oa\bollo group in Bome. ‘l’he headt of HTeral of
the taailie• vere In.ah iuicru.,a, but not all ‘the Catbo1101 were Irish. On
Smulaye when we bad no lihH the obildren wen\ to the Ohuroh for a cl••• in \he
aateohiu laugh\ b1 one of ,he la41t• of the parl.eh. l>uring Lent. on J’rida7t
parUcularl7, ve went tor the S\aUena ot \he Croat.
U vaa al.moat a f,ontier tort of OatlloU.o lite because ti \he laadeq,•01
of priest• and aiaten and alH because ve were a •mall group in a ma.ch laJ”C•?
noa-Oaibollo ea’rirouent,. Jut U1e u.Tirouent vaa not a hoeUle one. ‘fhere
ma.7 have been. at \lzee amozic the 70UD.g1ten eome display of mltu.nd.er1tandin&
or preJu41ce. bu\ on the vhole loae we a on:roh-goln.g 0011mw1U7 which reepechd
our :religion eTen \hough our lat.th was no\ fu.117 u4era\oocl b7 maq.
!he f’amil7 grew and l1Te4 in Bo11e in m\ual n91>ect a.n4 frleu.ehlp wt.th \he
couuai’7.
J.1 there wa1 no Catbolio eohool, we attended the pu’blio ■choole. ‘lh•••
vere poet ■ohool1, ani I ab.all alvq• be gra,eful ‘° lhea ..
la later 7eaH \he JWm’ber of Oalbolic, ba• gradullr lnorea1e4 bu.t hae
remained. a m1nor1\7. 1Jiere lt aow a beaulihl Olmrch 011. a n•v location. am
Jome for tou 7e&r1 ha• had a re■ld.ea\ prieal. ln a4d1 ,ton, \here 11 a tine
achool oe1Ulucte4 b7 \he llollllalcan 1l1ter1, aUencle4 ‘bJ maq aon-Catbol1c ••
vell as O.\bcllo oh114rn.
I a.a grateful lo have retained \he ra.tth and l aHl’lbv.le that priJ11&rtl1
• to the 1nflueace et rq mother a.rad talher 1n the home and of the -prie1te who
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men. the J’al9’ and o’11er bo7e eene4 at •••• AJl4 1 ot\ea va\ to ihe 4epo\
to mee\ tu pneat on le.\uri.,q at\eraooa and to •” hl• ott oa Swwl.7. helt,lllC
al Uae• -with bl• bag,. U1u.:1.1, ta ‘he yeara ct vhloh I DOV 9Peak the prie1,
had hll Swlia7 41u.el’ at GV boae.
X, e11,er Jaate tUll 11Yet la \he ho•. Boa, »wee•• v1dov. li•••
\here viih her aow, and ..,- t11,er Sarah, vho keep• a 11\tle apal”taeat ta
.lUaata1 ha• her rooa afl.llable \here. U 11 a bea.uUtul old hoae. and il•
1\ory • .-,. Iha\ ot the ,,on towatowa oYer \he hill, are •n intere•Uag
,bu -, ow. Alben•• llome 11 Jv.11 aero•• \lle 1aterNeUoa.