Tangipahoa-Washington County Louisiana Archives News.....Mary Jenkins 1975

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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Michelle LaBorde-Adams us_airforcewife@hotmail.com July 19, 2006, 5:16 am

Photocopy Of A Newspaper Article 1975
Wilmer

By Bonnie Sue Bethel

Mary Jenkins

 I often wonder how many of us could live the way our parents and grandparents 
lived during the years of the twenties, thirties, and forties. They possessed 
and inner strength and determination that took them through very hard times.
 This week I would like to tell you about a lady that never had anything easy 
in life and managed to raise five children by herself. Mary Jenkins was born 
on May 15, 1883 in Washington Parish to Sam and Lucinda Jenkins. The Jenkins 
family moved to the Wilmer area when Mary was a small child, so Wilmer was 
always home to her. She grew up never attending school, but had the best 
teacher in life, experience. Grace place, Thomas Lowery place, and the Ernie 
Edward place which was located just across the road from Wilmer Church.
 The first time I ever met Mary was when I was nine years old. She was 70 and 
had obtained the nickname of Aunt Baby. She was dressed in a print dress, wore 
a bonnet and an apron, and carried a walking cane. She was straight-forward, 
honest, giving, had a love for children, especially those who were respectful, 
but looking into her face one could see how hard life had been to her. She 
lived in a small house with no running water, no electricity, and no bathroom. 
She still used a wood stove for cooking and heated her home by a fireplace. On 
the first of every month she received her old age check, then walked to Miss 
Pearl Stevens' grocery store one mile away to buy a bill of groceries. She 
bought beans, rice, coffee, flour, lard, cornmeal, canned fruits, and 
vegetables, tobacco and a small piece of bacon used for seasoning. In all her 
years, she never spent her money anywhere but Miss Pearl's grocery.
 She married Crit Davis at an early age, and had five children. Moak, Maggie, 
Lillie, Zeke, and Lucetta. Things didn't work out for the couple so the 
separated and Mary and the children moved to one of the five Scanlon camp 
houses where Wes Walker Road intersects Chicken Farm Road. She made a living 
by scraping cotton, helping others butcher hogs, working in the fields, and 
doing laundry for different ones. She helped Dr. Lewis nurse patients in the 
Wilmer area and also became a mid-wife to the women who needed her. 
 She was both Mother and Father to her children. She split wood for heating 
and cooking, and somehow always had food on the table. She sent the younger 
children to school to get an education, where they could better themselves in 
life.
 One of Mary Davis' children recalls how she spent her hard earned money. A 
dollar would buy ten cents worth of rice, fifteen cents worth of beans, twenty 
five cents worth of sugar, fifteen cents worth of flour, twenty cents worth of 
coffee, a piece of tobacco for herself and some candy for the children. No 
matter how bad times were, she always remembered the children.
 Mary Davis moved several times during her life, living on, the Babe. Aunt 
Baby fed many people during her life. Anyone who was hungry knew they could 
always get a meal at her home. Forestry worker, Leroy Bethel, stated that many 
nights as they fought wood fires, the workers would drop by Aunt Baby's for a 
good cup of strong coffee and a meal. She never refused anyone and the time of 
day or night was never important. The workers saw to it that she always had 
wood and often they brought beans, rice, coffee and other items to replace the 
ones they had eaten.
 Aunt Baby never had the finers things of life, and I'm not sure she ever 
wanted them. She was happy living the way she lived. On June 16, 1975, Mary 
Jenkins "Aunt Baby" died leaving behind 5 children and 17 grandchildren. She 
was buried in the Wilmer Baptist Church cemetery just across the road from the 
home where she spent the happiest times of her life. A special thanks to Mrs. 
Lucetta Catha for the information and picture of her mother.


Additional Comments:
This newspaper article is a photocopy my mother received from one of the 
grandchildren of Mary Jenkins. It appears to be the article in its entirity. I 
assume this article was printed in one of the Tangipahoa Parish Newspapers; 
however, I am unsure which one. Mary Jenkins Davis was my great great 
grandmother and I am eternally greatful to Bonnie Sue Bethel for writing this 
article. I never knew Mary Jenkins Davis - but beacuse of this article I have 
some sort of knowledge of her life. 

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/tangipahoa/bios/jenkinsm.txt

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