A visit with my Uncle Labar Johnson October 12, :40am at St. Peter's Hospital. to his nephew, Clarence Samuel Johnson

Transcription

1 A visit with my Uncle Labar Johnson October 12, :40am at St. Peter's Hospital. The words in quotation marks are words spoken by Labar Johnson to his nephew, Clarence Samuel Johnson I (Clarence Samuel Johnson) told my uncle Labar I would come and spend some time with him today. He was grateful. He knew who I was and asked me how was my wife doing. "I used to go to the sweet gum tree or the black gum tree and get a tree branch, come into the house and get baking soda. I would chew it and brush my teeth." "The splinters in the tree were fine, and could pick the food out of the teeth." One of the nurses asked him to open his mouth so that she could see his teeth. His son came and brought him his clothes and his Hearing aids. His son Leslie (LC) asked him if he slept last night, and his reply was "I slept partially." "My sister Carrie, use to dip snuff and chew tobacco." I showed Uncle Labar a magazine about Theodore Roosevelt, and he said that during the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, (1933) we left home (Shubuta, MS). He sat in the recliner and leafed through the book looking at the picture. I remember my mother talking about Hubert Hoover and Woodrow Wilson the president was president. My mother said that one put coins in your hand (give you a job) and the other would have you sitting on your behind (doing nothing-no job)." "Elder Louis W. Parsons drove to Albany, NY in a 1933 Road master Buick (12 passenger. Jack Johnson was already up in Albany, NY and asked Elder Parsons to bring my wife and I to Albany, NY. We came to Albany, New York from Shubuta, MS., because of no jobs." "The people in the car were: Labar and Aunt Carrie Johnson (we had been married for one week and then we left Shubuta.) Dan McCann and his wife Elder Parsons and his wife Elder Parsons mother Mary Oldest daughter Thelma I cannot remember the other three people." "When we arrived, we went to Mother Jones house on Green Street then we move in with Elder Parson on Rapp Rd., up on the hill where Deacon Fantroy s house is." "Elder W. Parsons & Elder Thorlbert brought the land out on Rapp Rd. (country) where all those that came from Shubuta, MS lived." I brought my acre of land from Elder Louis W. Parsons for $200.00

2 "In 1933 one could ride the trolley for nickel, and buy a sandwich for nickel." I thought about the phase "Praise The Lord". The soldiers use to say that and then say pass the ammunition. The nurses put a tube up in my private to drain out the urine, so that they can see if my urine clears up. Now I have to wear a cap to keep my head warm. Looks like I am having problems with my SINUS. Yesterday my son and his wife and their daughter was up here to see me. I was thinking about the lights in my house. In my bedroom the light went out. My grandson was supposed to come and fix. I want to get my house fix, so I can sell it. I want to get an apt. downtown in Albany near the church. I got to do a lot of cleaning in my house. I got a lot of stuff in my house. I have to throw away and give to the Salvation Army. The nurse came in and took his blood sugar. Uncle Labar told the nurse that this morning it was 90. The blood sugar was 190. Which is a little high, so the nurse gave his insulin through the needle in the arm. I got a lot of old pictures. Pictures of my brother Oscar & Me, my Dad and Mother. Is Marc and Eddie still in Georgia? What is Patty s daughter name, the one that married Duly? (I told him Shannel.) This morning was the first time I ate a real full meal in a long time. I get meals on wheels, sometimes the food is cold when it comes, and it is not too good. My Grandfather had two wives, one name Julie and the other one was Judith. My father's mother's name was Julie. They lived in the same house that Mose use to live in. I used to go to the house a lot, right up the road from our house. Grandpa Mose had a buggy and two mules, (Jack &?). J. C. McCarty was Biddie Dace's boy. Grandma Mandy youngest son was Jepp. Bill was Aunt Larua husband Mollila, Mami... and two more young girls. Most of the them were sharecropper. Fred Stanley was the Sharecropper. I did not have to work for a Sharecropper because my father had his own property that he paid $ for it. Papa brought his place from Jim Doddgett. He had a brother name Cleveland Doddgett who delivered mail. Use to drive a horse and buggy to deliver mail. Ought for ought, figure for a figure, offer the Rich Man nothing but a nigger. All for the rich man, nothing for the nigger.

3 12:50 pm the food server came in to take his order for dinner and tomorrow morning's breakfast. He ordered beef stew, peas, carrots, pears, tea, and rice. The man asked him if he wanted boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes, he said "no too much sugar." After Uncle Labar finished his lunch, he took a straw and made it into a toothpick to pick his teeth. Grandma Mandy had Uncle Dan, Uncle Curry, Uncle Jepp, Charlie Smith Arnie Jurie Carnie Smith The other boys were away in Chicago, IL. Never been to Chicago just passed through there. Papa Sam had a brother name Willis and Gates and a sister. Aunt Inez Tell Teddy Grey, about the Sew Machine. Tell Kenny about post and pans and forks and knives The Pastor, Solomon Dees was with me at the hospital all day. Notes taken by: Clarence Samuel Johnson (nephew) of Labar Johnson

4 Labar Johnson s 100 th Birthday Notes taken by: Clarence Samuel Johnson nephew August 16, 2014 I attended the 100th birthday of my Uncle Labar. At the party, him and I engaged in an in-depth conversation. He told me the following stories: His grandfather was an African who came to America arriving in the state of Virginia. My grandfather had a big bald head. I witnessed my Grandfather Mose fighting with a man named Sam Creagh, he butted him with his hard-bald head. I was 8 years old. This was in Mose Johnson, my grandfather, lived in Enterprise, Ms., with his wife Julie Evans. Julie and two daughters named Inez and Mozzella. Mose Johnson had a brother named Elliot who lived in Laurel, Ms. My father, Sam Johnson, who had a brother named Jack Gates. Jack was the only black man with a store in Shubuta, Ms. His store was behind the gas station in the town. Jack Gates moved to St. Louis, Mo. because he purchased a new car from Detroit, Mich., and when it got to Shubuta via train the white people would not let him take it off the train. He closed his store down and moved to St. Louis, Mo. I met one of Jack Gates son when I went to St. Louis for my own son s (John Johnson) funeral. Uncle Labar told me that his brother Leslie got bit by a water moccasin and his dad (Sam Johnson) said, You fight poison with poison. Sam Johnson poured whiskey down into the same bite and gave Leslie some whiskey to drink. Leslie also cut his head open and my mother (Mary McCarty Johnson) took some soot from the chimney applied it to the gash, which stopped the bleeding. Leslie always chewed sugar cane fast, and he also talked fast. My father (Sam Johnson) was a woodsman, he used his hand saws and axes to cut down trees. He had his own property. He brought it from Jim Doddgett. Jim Doddgett s brother Cleveland Doddgett was the Postman. My father hired me out to plow for different people who needed their land plowed. I was 8 years old. I went to school up to the 4th grade. My sister Lucy Johnson brought her boyfriend, Duce Bend to see us she was 21 years old. My grandma (Amanda) was a root doctor. She would mix Mullen weed and pine straw together to make tea. She would converse with Dr. Hand (Shubuta, Ms. Doctor). My siblings were: Wiley, Leslie, Lucy, Oscar, Bennie, Mose, Carrie, John, (Myself

5 Labar), Janie, Ozena, James, Dan and Vera. One child died at birth.