Double Jordan:: My Journey Towards Discovering My Paternal Ancestors

Double Jordan

My Journey Towards

Discovering

My Paternal Ancestors

Thomas Darron Jordan

AuthorHouse™

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Phone: 1 (800) 839-8640

© 2016 Thomas Darron Jordan. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/26/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8445-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8444-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016904621

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Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part 1: The Journey

Prologue

Chapter One

Genealogical Seeds

Chapter Two

Ancestry.com

Chapter Three

The Visit and The Question

Chapter Four

Dunbar

Chapter Five

Genealogist

Chapter Six

Are There Any Relatives Left?

Chapter Seven

Roberta

Chapter Eight

Cloud Cover

Chapter Nine

The Descendants of Jessie Jordan

Chapter Ten

Roberta Part Deux

Chapter Eleven

Family Reunion

Chapter Twelve

What a Tangled Webb We Weave

Chapter Thirteen

The Case of Rhoda Webb Washington

Chapter Fourteen

Double Jordan Breakthrough

Chapter Fifteen

Reunion Summer 2012: Some Final Pieces to the Puzzle

Chapter Sixteen

Did You Learn Anything Today?

Chapter Seventeen

A Hunch and the Favor of God

Chapter Eighteen

The Redemption of the Family

Epilogue

Part 2: Descendants Lists and Resources

The Descendants of Lafayette Fate Jordan and Emma Hollingshed

The Descendants of Nathan and Amelia Culverhouse Cloud

The Descendants of Jessie and Katherine Jordan

The Descendants of James and Almira Jackson Webb

Veterans of Foreign Wars and Military Serviceman

Glossary of Terms

Bibliography

Suggested Reading

Further Resources for Genealogists

Illustration Credits

The Children of Richard Jordan, Sr.

About the Author

This book is

dedicated to my mother Lela Beatrice Jordan who is the true genealogist and historian in the family

Foreword

When I first met Thomas Jordan, I thought he was the most advanced beginner I had ever met. Less than a year into the search for his ancestors he was already using sophisticated research techniques, tools and resources. Within two years he provided African American research advice at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Genealogy Experts Day, side by side with nationally acclaimed professional genealogists. The following year, he was interviewed for a Library podcast on African American genealogy and produced a video, which aired on the local news, on genealogy. All this left me wondering, How could someone come so far, so fast?

When Thomas presented me with a draft of Double Jordan, I found the answer to my question. Thomas is a first rate investigator, perhaps from years spent in the news industry. His detective work is fascinating and unsurpassed. Thomas is a scholar. His findings are verified and well cited, including images of original documents. He has passion, pursuing the search with missionary zeal, and is driven and determined.

Double Jordan is a journey. In it you will join Thomas’ search for his past and its meaning. You will experience the highs and lows of the ancestral search. In this well-crafted and organized work, you will meet his ancestors and learn from a pro how to track ancestors and tell their story.

Patricia Moseley Van Skaik, Manager,

Genealogy & Local History Department

Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County.

Acknowledgements

The list of relatives, individuals, organizations and institutions who have been so kind as to share their time, information, resources and encouragement is enormous. Having worked at a TV station for 29 years, I appreciate seeing my name in credits. I have tried to remember all who have helped us along this journey. But if you do not see your name listed please charge it to my head and not my heart, and know that I love and appreciate you all.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for this calling and awakening in my spirit and most of all his patience, grace and mercy.

To the staff at AuthorHouse, especially my check in coordinators Rowella Alvaro, Nova Cage and Patricia Roney for their excellence and diligence in making this dream possible.

To My Family: Jacquelyne Marie Valentine Jordan, my wife of 30 years, for her continual support throughout this project as well as her input and editing; to the best mother in the world, Lela Beatrice Jordan, for being the rock of the family; my children Bethany and Joshua and my two precious granddaughters, Anaya Ceri and Imani Phylea Mae Jordan; my siblings: Larry and Bobby Kidd, Richard Jordan, Jr., Kerry Jordan, Cynthia Jordan Collins (who kept asking me when are you going to write a book?); Evangelist Mary Edith Wiley Jordan Thompkins and Kelli Thompkins; my brother and sister in laws - Larry Collins, Kimberly McGee Jordan, Sheila Marshall Jordan (aka Ms. Jaz) and Linda Bostic Kidd; my nieces and nephews: Derek, Marlo, Justin, Joslin, Jasmine, Donielle, Laura, Jonathan, Alea, Aisha and Stephanie;

My extended family: Uncle Robert Pouncey and Cousin Kenneth Pouncey, Felix and Louise Wilder, Thelma Jordan, Wardell Edie Jordan-Willis; Debbie Gibson; my Alpharetta Big Cuz and inspiration to do genealogy - Patricia Barnes-Frye, William Henry Barnes, Jr. aka June, Joyce Lewis, Rosemary Isaacs-Anderson and the Barnes-Boulding Family; Kathyrn Glenn, Helen Gentry and the Mitchell Family; The Valentine Family; the Baker, Davis, Sanders Family and the Cincinnati Elites; Gloria Pee-Wee Garner, Helen Thomas, Jeanette Atterberry, Herman ‘Joe" Borders and the Descendants of my Maternal Grandfather Martin Alphonso Thomas.; Minnie Mitchem, Gussie Williams and the Coleman-Gibbs Family; Andre Gibbs, Alphonso Gibbs, Sr., Mildred Gibbs Roebuck, Petral Robinson and the Descendants of Pauldo Gibbs, Sr.

To the people who made up the best church in the world, Christ Centered Apostolic Ministries. Lucy May, for her help with editing and all my co-workers at WCPO-TV, especially the Good Morning Tri-State crew, who had to live almost every week with a story about me finding a new relative. There is a saying that genealogy is when you discover the dead and irritate the living.

Cincinnati Support: Robin Buchanan, the Cincinnati Enquirer; Carla Basinger and Shirley Smith of the Hamilton County, Ohio Probate Court. Charlese Edmondson and the staff of the Elm Street Health Center Vital Records Office; the staff of the Family History Center in Norwood, Ohio; Kathleen Reed and the Hamilton County Genealogical Society. Patricia Van Skaik, Brian Powers and the staff of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s Local History and Genealogy Department; the staff of the Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati, Ohio. Greg Rust and France Griggs Sloat from Xavier University. Ted Maxberry, my IT whiz!!

Our Georgia Connection: Claude Burgess, Bonnie Smith and the Upson County Historical Society, Judge Pamela Busbee and Andrea Peterman of the Crawford County, Georgia Probate Court. Ryan Johnson, Jennifer Beach, Jennie Crane and the staff of the Superior Court of Crawford County. Kim Gordon and the Crawford County Historical Society. Hutchings Funeral Home, Macon, Georgia; Pamela Portwood of the Upson County Vital Records Office; N. Daniel, Willard Rocker, Murriel McDowell-Jackson, Charlotte Bare, Angela Torres and The staff of the Washington Memorial Library, Genealogical & Historical Room, Macon, Georgia); Dalton Royer, Columbus Georgia Public Library

Ohio: Phil Haas and Bill Hopkins, Archdiocese of Cleveland; Cleveland Public Library; Cuyahoga County Probate Court, Ann Sindelar and The Western Reserve Historical Society; Benjamin C. Richards, Kent State University Libraries; Maxine Marshall and the Marion Area Genealogical Society, The Ohio Genealogical Society, The Staff of the Local History and Genealogy Department of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library; Indiana: The Staff of the Allen County Library, Ft. Wayne, Indiana; The Lake County Indiana Public Library; Kentucky: The Kenton County Public Library; Alabama: Dallas Hanbury, Montgomery County Archives

Boston: Cecile W. Gardner and the Microtext Department of the Boston Public Library; Connecticut: Carl White and The Greenwich Connecticut Library, Jean Schweid, Groton Public Library and Christine Johnson, Mystic and Noank Library Miami: The Miami (Florida) Genealogy Department of the Miami-Dade Public Library System New Jersey: James Lewis, Tom Ankner, Kathy Kauhl, Dale C and the staff of The Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center of the Newark (N.J.) Public Library; Virginia: Vicky Gather and the Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, Virginia; West Virginia: Staff of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Archives and History Section, The Elf at the Kanawha County Library.

Genealogists: Dr. Deborah Abbott – for teaching clearly that it takes a village to find an ancestor; Tony Burroughs – for helping us lay a solid foundation with his book Black Roots; Joyce and Milt Coleman, Art Thomas, Robert Harris, Larry Hamilton and the African-American Genealogy Group of the Miami Valley; Hasker Nelson – for being a mentor and pioneer in so many ways; Mr. Tim Pinnick – for showing that newspaper research is the key to genealogy and family history research; Angela Walton-Raji: for her helpful research on Black Indian Genealogy; The National Genealogical Society; Larry The Genealogy Rat and to the indexers who work for and volunteer for Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org! You have an unsung but most important job. Thank you for your work!

Family and Friends: Patricia Austin, Katie Bell Avery, Obie and Sammie Banks, Vanessa Beamon, Deacons Arthur and Milton Bentley, Sylvia Bentley, Daphne Bondu, Rev. Braxton Broady and the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Charleston, WV, Joann Briscoe, Bishop Daryl and Pastor Gayle Brock; Bobby Brown, Evon Johnson E.J. Bryant, Shaylor Bundridge, Lennie Calloway; Jesslyn Chesterfield and Sandra Chesterfield-Watson, Gloria Respress Churchwell, Wanda Mated, Clark, Deacon John Colbert, Terry Colbert, Johnnie Coleman-Heckle, Andre Cunningham, Ben Daniely; Phyllis Mathews Davis; Pastor Wayne Davis, Sister Leonie Carter and the Bethel Baptist Church of Cincinnati, Ohio; Kimberly Davison-Howard, the children and grandchildren of Hattie Hillsman-Davison, Debra Dawkins, Beulah Thomas Fountain, Rev. W.C. Graddick and the Jordan Grove Baptist Church; Eva Jordan Hicks, Donna Hollie, Sabrena Johnson, Audrey Jones, Debra Jones, Horace Jordan, Maurice Jordan; Deacon Otis and Mable Jordan; Roosevelt and Sherry Jordan, The children of Rev. Solomon J. Jordan: Mollene, Elbert, Vyneulas, Lottie, Jerome, Moses and Dorothy Jordan; Julie Jordan Leachman and Jennifer Leachman, Barry Love, Jean Maxey, Cheryl Mbaye, Gracie Moss, Martha Sharon Jones-Nesbitt, Earnestine and Ronnie Jordan, Mona Morrow; Carrie Perry; Charlene Cloud Puckett, Cleona Dimples Raines and the Murchison Family; Amy Lou Reese, Sandra Respress, Betty Rogers and The descendants of Alonzo Jordan, Otis and Willie Lee Bunch Solomon, Felicia Staton, Tena Thompson, Robert and Clinnie Tot Tripp, Tomeka Tripp, Gwendolyn Rutledge; Juanita Walker, Dr. Mary Helen Washington, Jacquie Gales Webb, Tracey Weeden, June Webb, Henry Clay and Bessie White, Joanna White, Emily and Karen Wiggins, Jerome Geronimo Wilder, Wayne Wilder, Gloria Hollingshed Willis, Alice Adderton Wilson, Willie Pete Wilson, Portia Wrice; to all the Jordan Cousins who made the Bi-Annual Jessie Jordan Family Reunion Picnic a reality and to all the Family that friended me on Facebook!

Posthumously: Faythe (Faye) E. Brinkley, Carrie Louise Murchison Davison, Utha Mae Felts, Warren T. Gentry, Dorothy Jordan Hogan, Willie Maud Harris Hollingshed, Alice Lenora Peggy Jordan, Antonia Selister Jordan bka Squirrel, Charles Biddie Jordan, Felix Jake Jordan, Mary Louise Precious Mitchell, Leola Jordan Patterson, Amanda Lynette Rogers (Crawford County Superior Court Clerk), Elnora Searcy, Rev. Dannie L. Surry, Sr.,Nancy P. Thomas, Wyline Pigford Thomas, Mary Ella Thrower, Dorothy Mae Miller Valentine, Donald Williams, Leroy Clinton Woodard and Mary Woodard.

And in memory of my Nephew, Staff Sergeant Richard Joseph Joey Jordan and my First Cousin, Robert Anthony Pouncey, Sr.

Introduction

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.

Thich Nhat Hanh

My name is Thomas Darron Jordan

I am the son of Richard Jordan and Lela Beatrice Thomas Jordan

I am the grandson of Willie Jordan and Clara Jane Jordan

I am also the grandson of Martin Alfonso Thomas and Flora Gibbs Thomas

I am the great grandson of Loyd J. Jordan and Ammie Cloud Jordan

And the great grandson of Felix J. Jordan and Ella Webb Jordan

I am also the great grandson of Dennis Thomas and Viney Littlepage Thomas¹

And the great grandson of David Gibbs and Mahalia Chapman Gibbs

I am the great-great grandson of Lafayette Fate Jordan and Emma Hollingshed Jordan

And the great-great grandson of Nathan Cloud and Amelia Culverhouse Cloud

I am the great-great grandson of Jessie and Katherine Jordan²

And the great-great grandson of James Webb and Almira Jackson Webb

I am the great-great grandson of Betsy Littlepage Williams³

The great-great grandson of Alfred and Mary Ann Gibbs⁴

And the great-great grandson of Mark and Chlorie Chapman

This is the way I introduce myself whenever I have a speaking engagement. On one occasion, when I recited my family tree to a group of high school students, one of them asked me Who are those people? Are they famous? I responded They are famous to me. They are my ancestors.

On another occasion when I recited my family tree to a youth group, the leader of the group approached me afterwards. Man that was deep how you said your family tree and named your relatives, because I don’t even know who my daddy is!

I take pride in being able to recite my family tree back five generations.⁵ Eight years ago, I wasn’t able to do this, at least not much beyond my grandparents.

My desire to know more about my family increased through a series of events and after attending several family reunions. It was in 2008, that I began to do earnest genealogical research on my family. This book is the culmination of eight years of research on my paternal ancestors. My grandmother, Clara Jordan’s maiden name was Jordan. She married Willie Jordan. That is the reason for the title of this book: Double Jordan. It is written in near chronological order of the way things transpired over the last eight years.

The center of the research is the city of Roberta in Crawford County, Georgia which is in the central part of the state. Roberta is located 26 miles west of Macon, Georgia. Our research also encompasses the surrounding counties of Monroe, Bibb, Peach, Houston, Taylor and Upson. The research includes information on the Jordan (two different families), Cloud, Webb and in part the Hollingshed and Culverhouse families.

My four goals for this book are:

1. To share my journey, as seemingly each day, I discovered something new about my father’s side of the family.

2. To share some basic genealogical principles and concepts that anyone can duplicate to achieve results in their genealogy research.

3. To write a family history that will be donated to libraries, historical societies and archives.

4. To create a tool that will help locate as many living relatives as possible. Prayerfully, this will help connect family members around the globe and lead to the sharing of information.

I have been able to compile what I feel is a credible, well-documented ancestry. These last eight years have been some of the most impactful years in my life. The following statement is true:

Remember, genealogy is a journey, not a destination. Realize that you’ll never be done with your quest. Anyway, what’s the enjoyment in that? Rather, it’s the discovery and learning that we’re seeking, not the filing of the cabinet."(Gary Huffman)

So come with me as I take you on this journey of mine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Family is our beginning and our end. It is who we are and why we are. Amid its roots we can find an understanding of the problems our world has inherited, and amid the intertwining of its branches we can see hope for a better world in the generations to come.—Elizabeth Shown Mills,

God sets the lonely in families

Psalm 68:6

PART 1

The Journey

Prologue

On Wednesday, November 27, 2002, I was relaxing in my edit bay after the morning show at my job at Channel 9, WCPO-TV, the local ABC affiliate. My cell phone rang. It was my mother calling.

T.J. she said.

Yes ma’am.

You won’t believe this.

What?

Mildred is dead!

Dead!

I’m reading her obituary right now in the paper.

My mother’s daily ritual of picking up the newspaper and reading the obituary section had revealed the following:

BARNES, Mildred L, beloved wife of Steve Barnes, also survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. At age 63. Graveside service Spring Grove Cemetery, Friday, November 29, 11 AM. Thompson, Hall & Jordan Funeral Homes.⁶

In the early hours of Tuesday, November 26, 2002 ⁷ my aunt, Mildred Louise Barnes, had succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 63. She was my father’s sister. Her husband, Steve Barnes, had failed or neglected to notify anyone and we were learning of her passing by way of a newspaper death notice.

My mother phoned my uncle Steve and he told my mother that Aunt Mildred had become incoherent and unresponsive that Monday. He had her transported to the hospital where she died. He also told my mother that she did not want him to tell anyone about her illness or death. It was hard to believe that my aunt would make such a request. My mother said if that was true, by putting her death notice in the local newspaper, my Uncle Steve had probably gone beyond her wishes. I made phone calls to my siblings Dickey (Richard), Kerry and Cindy. Like me they were all dumbfounded.

The day before her burial, I began to reflect on my aunt. Mildred Louise Jordan Barnes was born on September 24, 1939. She was the youngest of three children born to the union of Willie and Clara Jordan. She was commonly called Louise by the family. She had become reclusive in recent years. Even after she married she stayed with her parents. After the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio from Georgia, they resided on Chapel Street in Walnut Hills. They then moved to Beatrice Drive in North Avondale and then to the suburb of Bond Hill in the early 1970’s. They lived in a two family home on Elm Park Drive. My grandmother occupied the second floor and Aunt Louise and her husband Steve lived on the first floor. Several years after my grandmother passed away, my mother moved in to the second floor and resided there for a short while.

I remembered how my aunt Mildred used to buy me nice Christmas presents when I was a child. She bought a motorized toy airplane for me one Christmas that I actually was scared of. I also recalled her love of stuffed animals (a trait my daughter Bethany seems to have inherited). It has been said that my sister Cynthia and I share her eyes. She shared the same light complexion of my grandmother and my father. Aunt Mildred had an infectious laugh. When I would see her, I would give her a hug and kiss. I can still hear my Uncle Steve teasing me about not kissing his wife. She and my Grandma Clara would engage in hilarious give and take. Also, like two sisters, they had a Saturday morning grocery shopping ritual.

My aunt worked for the Food and Drug Administration. My Uncle Steve owned a a green Camaro but I do not remember my aunt driving it or any car. Instead, I remember her catching the bus, to and from work. I can see her walking home down the sloped street on Elm Park Drive to the house after getting off the bus. One of the last times I saw her, she was walking downtown toward her job on Seventh Street. These are the snapshots of her that ran through my mind after learning of her death.

This is how I chose to remember her and not as the reclusive woman she became. In hindsight, much of her keeping to herself could be attributed to losing both of her parents and siblings. But in many ways, her extended family allowed her to become that way. I recalled one Christmas day when I made a surprise visit with my wife Jackie and my children Bethany and Joshua to see her. My uncle Steve answered the door and called for Aunt Mildred to come out of the bedroom. I’ll never forget the look on her face. She seemed to be more surprised than happy. It had been several years since I had seen her. I personally believe, she was shocked to see how much I looked like my father because I can remember her staring at me.

The memories of her brought tears to my eyes and then it suddenly hit me that two generations of Jordans, my father, my grandparents Willie and Clara, my Aunt Willie Lee and now my Aunt Mildred, were all gone. Now, I was regretting not taking the onus for going to see her or calling and checking on her more often.

So on Friday, November 29, 2002 because of the newspaper notice of a graveside service, family members gathered at Spring Grove Cemetery for her burial. I noticed my Uncle Steve was sitting in the funeral home vehicle by himself and I went up to the car to speak with him. He was subdued with his head bowed and he did not say much. I told him that family members had been notified and he simply nodded his head. Then the hearse holding the remains of my aunt pulled around the corner and the rest of the vehicles in the funeral cortege followed it until we arrived at Section 132, Lot 1202 and Space 3. She would be buried in the same section, several rows near her mother. I, along with my brother Kerry, my cousin Kenny and several other relatives stepped into the role of pallbearers, carrying her casket to the gravesite. One of the ministers associated with the funeral home gave remarks and then proceeded to commit her body to the ground. Again it hit me as well as Kerry and Kenny. We cried in symphony, all saying the same thing they’re all gone! I recall my cousins William Henry Barnes, Jr. and his wife Juanita consoling us and encouraging us to be strong, even as we continually uttered they’re all gone!

To make matters worse, my mother had made a request of my uncle to allow me, my siblings and cousins to come by the house and look through some of my aunt’s belongings. There were a lot of pictures and mementos that were in her possession and many of them belonged to my grandparents. He said that it was OK. We did not immediately follow through on the visit and our procrastination cost us. Several months later, without notifying anyone, my Uncle Steve suddenly sold the home and moved. We did not know where he moved and he did not leave contact information with relatives. It appeared that any items he may have had were thrown away. In many ways this whole experience was the catalyst that propelled me towards my search for my paternal ancestors and family.

Chapter One

Genealogical Seeds

I became an historian, in part, I think, out of this desire to know myself more fully … Finding my own roots has been my lifelong quest ever since my grandfather’s funeral. And the passion to learn the names of my ancestors was never very far beneath the surface of my motivation to become a scholar … I determined that one day I would know -–- at least I would work hard at knowing– who, and what, my people had been.⁸

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The year 2008 was important for me. On June 21, 2008, I would turn 43 years old. 43 is normally not a significant number when it comes to birthdays. Sure, 40, 50 and 60 but 43? The number 43 was significant to me because if I reached it, it would mean that I had lived as long as my father, Richard Jordan, Sr.

Richard Jordan, Sr. was born on June 18, 1930 in Roberta, Crawford County, Georgia during the onset of the great depression. His parents were Willie Jordan and Clara Jordan,⁹ both natives of Roberta. As a child he was educated in the Crawford County School System. There was a school run by the Jordan family in association with the Jordan Grove AME Church. Sources indicate that his mother and even his aunts may have taught him at the elementary level.¹⁰ In 1944, Willie and Clara moved to Cincinnati along with my father and his two sisters, Willie Lee and Mildred Louise.

He attended Central Vocational High School where he lettered in track. Central High School later became Courter Tech High School. Today, it is Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. After his graduation, he enlisted in the US Army, where he attained the rank of Sergeant and served his country during the Korean War, oftentimes called The Forgotten War or The Unknown War¹¹ because of the lack of public attention it received both during and after the war. Shortly after his enlistment in the Army, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 which abolished racial segregation in the United States Armed Forces. After my father was discharged from the Army, he worked for the postal service¹² and later was a supervisor at the Shillito’s Department Store.¹³

Richard married Mary Edith Wiley¹⁴ and from this union were born three children, Cynthia Diane, Richard Jr. and Kerry Allen. After he and Mary divorced, He married Odessa Lewis.¹⁵ The marriage lastly briefly and after their divorce, he met and married my mother Lela Beatrice Kidd (nee Thomas).¹⁶

My mother was a recent divorcee from Verdie Lee Kidd. She had two sons of her own, my brothers, Larry Wayne and Bobby Earl Kidd. I was born on June 21, 1965, arriving in the world two months premature and weighing a whopping 2 pounds, 12 ounces. My parents divorced and remarried. I remember witnessing the second marriage in the living room of our apartment located on Greenwood Avenue in the Avondale section of Cincinnati.¹⁷

Out of his four children, I may remember the most about him. It is said that I am the one who looks most like him. As I have grown older, I get a lot of My God you look just like your daddy! comments from relatives. My favorite TV show of all-time is Sanford and Son and my father loved the show as well. I can still hear him laughing whenever Red Foxx’s character Fred Sanford would refer to his son Lamont as You Big Dummy!

My father loved to eat and could eat cheese by the pound. He could sleep anywhere, a trait he passed on to all of his sons. As most human beings, my father was far from being perfect. He was known to be a ladies’ man, and there is evidence that he had a drinking problem. He didn’t consistently support his children financially, something about which my mother stayed on him quite a bit. His failure to listen to my mother saw him wind up in the old City Work House here in Cincinnati, more than once.

My father was also not good at taking care of his health. He hadn’t been feeling well for quite some time. He had been having trouble urinating and had seen some blood byproducts when using the bathroom. Finally, in March of 1972, he finally gave in to my mother’s prodding to seek medical attention. He had her schedule a doctor’s appointment for him. The diagnosis was cancer of the prostate gland. By the time the physicians detected it, it had already metastasized.

I’ll never forget the morning of June 14, 1973. ¹⁸My father had been hospitalized for several weeks. My mother came home from one of her visits with him accompanied by my Aunt Willie Lee and my Uncle Rob. I can picture them coming up the stairwell to the apartment. I remember saying Hi mommy, when is daddy coming home? He isn’t coming home, she said. He’s dead! She momentarily burst into tears before telling my brothers, Bobby and Larry who were home at the time. My father had died just short of his 43rd birthday. I was only seven at the time.

As I recollect, my father’s funeral was the first funeral I attended. I can remember his visitation at the old Thompson Funeral Home¹⁹ on Lincoln Avenue.