My grandfather, whose name I believe was Lonnie Lee Dubberly, was known as Buddy. He was born sometime in the last two or three decades of the 19th century. He died before I was born, but I have heard many family stories. I'm not sure where he was born, but he is buried in the Watermelon Creek Baptist Church in Glennville, Georgia. He was the illegitimate son of "Mr. Smith" of Glennvile or nearby, who was apparently a wealthy man who had several mistresses, as well as a wife, in the area. "Mr. Smith" was found beheaded near a railroad track, perhaps the victim of a disgruntled father, brother, husband??

He married Annie Laura (called Laura and later "Dubby") Prosser who was born in Penn Yan, New York, but moved to Glennville when she was young. They had six or seven children: William, who died when he was 12; Mozina (my mother), born in 1915, died 2003; Philoh, born ca. 1919, died ca. 1944; Barbara, born 1933, died 1999; and two or three unnamed children who died shortly after birth.

Buddy, a farmer, and Laura moved from Glennville to New Rochelle, New York, in the late 1920s. They were both returned to Glennville for burial in the Watermelon Creek Baptist Church cemetery. My mother, Mozina (nicknamed "Dixie"), who was about 14 when her family moved from Glennville, returned there for visits many times, taking her husband (James R Johnstone) and children when they (we) came into her life. She always kept in touch with friends and relatives there and felt a very close connection to Glennville. In the summer of 2002, less than a year before Mom died, my sister Jill, brother Jim, and I were able to take her back to Glennville for a last visit.

My mother, along with her sister Barbara, used to talk much about her time in Glennville. I wish that I could remember all of the names she used to mention. "Nicely Beesly," the spelling of which may be wrong, was one. Elizabeth Stanley was a relative, I believe. Preacher Screws, who had a daughter named Mildred, was the subject of much off-color fun for us, as you may imagine. My grandmother's father was Frank Prosser; she had brothers Harold and Frank Elmer (or maybe Elmer Frank--he was always Uncle Frank to me, but Elmer to others), and sisters Hattie Asinith, Hazel Adele, Leona Bell, and Beulah (I'm not sure I have all these spellings correct). Hattie and Beulah were the only ones I knew; the others died before I was born.

If I remember any other names in the future I will try to add them to this journal. I would love to hear from anyone who reads this.

Joye Johnstone
joyejohnstone@gmail.com