5. Give us a short Autobiography of an Ancestor (Living or Dead) of yours.

Edna Justice

Edna Justice was my paternal great grandmother. "Granny" is what I always called her as a child. She lived with my grandmother in London, Ohio when I knew her. She was born in S. Union Township, Ross Ohio in 1908 to Allen and Daisy Justice. Granny married Jessie O Pence in 1929 which is also my grandmother Alice birth year. Some hanky panky before marriage granny?? lol I can't even assume it was conception on her wedding night. Grandma was born in September that year and the wedding was in August. So Granny was already pregnant when married. Its funny what you learn when you do genealogy isn't it! 

During Granny's marriage she had 12 children. I don't know all of their names and during the depression they lost the farm and the kids were separated to live with various other aunts and uncles. I know that would be very hard to deal with. I'm not sure how she dealt with that! Her husband died in a mining accident in Dec 1956. 

During the time I knew her, she was a kind woman with a heart of gold. Because of some health issues she was not suppose to eat sugar. Every time I chose to go to my grandparents house (Which I did only to see her) she would ask me to climb the counter to reach the top shelves to get her sugar. My grandmother hid the sugar from her. I always obliged. I figure everyone deserves to be happy. Whats an extended life if your not happy? So she got her sugar, and I got my favorite lunch, mac and cheese. :) 

At bedtime my granny was a fountain of bedtime stories and fairy tales. I can't recite all the ones she knew by memory. With 12 children I suppose she had to be pretty good at telling bedtime stories! I wish she had written them all down. Unfortunately that's information lost we'll never get back. 

In July of 1999 I was just finishing my Senior year in high school. My boyfriend (Now husband) drove me to Ohio so I could see granny for the last time. By then she had been put into a home. Earlier that year she had suffered a stroke and one side of her body was paralyzed. She couldn't speak anymore, but with Lance's help I think we communicated pretty well. That visit was very hard for me because I had to say goodbye. I left a few crystals with her, charging them with healing and love. Though I knew no amount of healing was going to extend her life, and I wouldn't be so selfish as to want that, I wanted her to have peace and love that she gave me my entire childhood. She taught me how to be a loving kind person. I unfortunately don't have many pictures of her. And what pictures I do have are stored with my mother in Kentucky. So I'll just have to include her ancestry sheet here. 

I wrote a poem long ago about her, so in closing I'd like to share it. 

In Remembrance of Edna Pence

Sitting here staring at a blank page, 

all I can think of is my granny aged. 

The feeling of her silver hair, as I brush it through. 

How it flowed long and glistened like snow. 

and fills my heart with a Christmas song. 

As I sit here tonight, remembering my granny, 

I remember sweet child's stories whispered in my ear. 

How dear her gift was I did not know

Its always too late when you realize these things, 

SO take it from me

Don't be a fool

Pay attention to the people aged

They just might have a story to tell that will save the day. 

Edna Justice

This is apart of my 31 Days of Samhain

 Like my Blog on Facebook