Sacred Sunday: When the Church Rocks

Editor's Note: Blog originally posted Sunday, October 24, 2010; revised Sunday, January 6, 2019.

This video of Queen Esther White Young singing the song “If Jesus Goes With Me, I Can Go Anywhere” at the Tabernacle Echoes Grand Reunion Concert stirs up so many images and stories of the rich tradition of African American gospel music and choirs.

Uncle Willie Johnson (1917-2000)

Uncle Willie's Stories. Although the speed of this song is not extremely fast, but rather a slow-medium speed, it  reminds me of stories I heard from my Uncle Willie Johnson (1917-2000), a brother of my maternal grandmother Emma Johnson Thornton (1922-2011). In describing the church services of his youth during the 1920s and 1930s in Warren County, North Carolina, Uncle Willie enthusiastically recalled the days of his family’s church when there was no piano or musical instruments. “As we walked through the woods towards the church, you could hear the church rocking and the Saints of God singing and clapping and praising God!” he recalled. “Then we would walk or run a little faster to get to church.” These were also the days when rural churches typically had wood floors, so I’m sure Uncle Willie also heard foot tapping along with the singing and hand clapping.

The Choir Rock. One thing I noticed in this video which stirs up memories is the choir rocking from side to side in unison to the beat of the music. Sometimes a Choir Director gestures to the choir which direction to begin moving. At other times, some choir members may just begin moving to the music on their own. This takes me back to my days singing in the church and college gospel choirs during the 1970s and 1980s.

The Choir’s Attire. I knew this had to be a special occasion concert just by looking at the attire of the choir members with the ladies all dressed beautifully in various styles of  black dresses accessorized with a red flower, white beaded necklace and earrings, and the men dressed in black suits with white shirts and red ties. The red flowers and red ties are the accessories which make these various styles of dresses and suits look uniform.

The Soloist. Sister Queen works this song and I love it when she comes down into the church aisle. You can hear and feel the electricity in the audience as she walks down the aisle bellowing this great tune. As the music gets faster and the hand clapping gets louder, members of the congregation feel compelled to stand, which is a tradition in the black church when the music gets good. Oh, the church is ROCKING now! This is the point where my mind drifts back to Uncle Willie’s recollections of the church rocking during his youth as I sit in front of my computer singing, clapping and swaying from side to side in my chair enjoying this music and letting my mind travel down memory lane.

Locating New Records on the Military Service of Uncle Andrew Bullock

367th Regiment Infantry,
The "Buffaloes", presented with colors. The "Buffaloes" singing the National Anthem, 1917 - ca. 1919, http://research.archives.gov/description/533578

Once in a while, I search online genealogy sites such as www.ancestry.com to see if there are any new records available.  One way I do this is by clicking on the little leaf next to individual names in my Family Tree Maker genealogy file.  When I clicked on the leaf next to the name of my Great Grand Uncle Andrew Bullock, I discovered that new military records about him were available online.  

Blog Series About Uncle Andy B.

Perhaps, some of you may recall in 2010, the 12-part series I wrote on Uncle Andrew Bullock whom I affectionately call “Uncle Andy B.”  For those of you who either missed it or don’t remember, Uncle Andy B. was a brother of my great-grandmother Bell Bullock Johnson (1890-1982).  He left Vance County, North Carolina possibly in his teens (prior to 1917) and moved to New York and remained in that state until he died in 1972.  During interviews with family members and friends of the family, no one seemed to remember much about Uncle Andy B. since he left North Carolina at an early age.  In an attempt to learn more about this brother of my great-grandmother, I decided to analyze and write about the few documents I had collected on him. (click here.) 

Locating New Record on Uncle Andy B.'s Military Career
I found this new information about Uncle Andy B.’s military career from the “Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919” records on www.ancestry.com.  

This document above provided me with more detail on Uncle Andy B’s military service such as the start and end dates for his military in the United States Army (October 30, 1917 – March 10, 1919).  Prior to finding this document, I only knew the start date of his military service from his U. S. Veterans Gravesite record which was also found on www.ancestry.com some time ago. (Figure 3)

Timeline

In order to make sense of my research findings related to Uncle Andy B.’s military service during World War One, I created a timeline. 

New Research Journey

World War I research is a whole new research journey for me and I look forward to the ride.  Because of locating this new military record on my Uncle Andrew Bullock, study of World War I is now more meaningful to me as a researcher and as a family member of a man who served his country and participated in this significant world event.

National Archives -St. Louis

I am preparing for a trip to St. Louis later this month to speak at the conference of the St. Louis African American History and GenealogySociety (STL-AAHGS)  While there, I hope to be able to visit the St. Louis-National Archives in hopes of finding additional information on my Uncle Andy B. and his involvement in World War I. 

They Came to Fight 

To learn more about the history of the African American soldier during World War I, watch the video, “They Came to Fight”.

 

Uncle Richard’s Birth Certificate

BLOGGING PROMPT #15

List some vital signs. Talk about specific birth, marriage and death certificates. Topics may include misspelled names, fudged dates, other anomalies that stand out in your records.

Around 2003, I acquired the birth certificate of the youngest brother of my maternal grandmother from the Register of Deeds Office in Vance County, NC. I was concentrating on acquiring vital documents on my grandmother’s siblings during that year.

There were several interesting discoveries on Uncle Richard’s birth certificate.

1. Name: Originally listed as Richard Rod Johnson, but name was changed or corrected on certificate on November 6, 1987 to “George Richard Johnson.” Our family always called him “Richard” or “Uncle Richard” in my case. Was the name “Richard Rod” written incorrectly or did he change his first name to “George” in honor of his deceased father whom he never knew? His father George Johnson died two months before his birth on February 28, 1932. Note: I need to ask my grandmother and Uncle Richard’s wife about this name discrepancy.


2. Date of Birth: The date of birth is listed as “April 23, 1932” on this birth certificate. The certificate was filed in the Vance County, NC Register of Deeds office and signed by the Registrar, Mr. H. B. White, on April 26, 1932. However, Uncle Richard used “April 30, 1932” as indicated on his funeral program. I also asked one of his daughters about his birth date discrepancy and she said that her father was told by his mother that “April 30th” was his date of birth. Note: I need to ask Uncle Richard’s wife and his children about this birth date discrepancy.


3. Midwife on birth certificate is named as “Luvenia Bullock.” I knew from oral history that my great grandmother Bell was living with her mother at the time of the birth of her youngest son. I also knew that her mother Luvenia was a midwife, but no one had ever mentioned that Grandma Luvenia delivered her grandson Richard.

Uncle Richard was 55 years old when his birth certificate was amended on November 6, 1987. Surely he would have noticed the date discrepancy on this document. I wonder how old he was when he first saw his birth certificate. Hopefully, I will find some answers about these discrepancies from Uncle Richard’s family.

Grandma Bell’s Kitchen

The photo above shows what the kitchen of my great grandmother Bell Bullock Johnson looked like. Here, my mother Dorothy (hands in pot), and her sister Emma Belle are standing in the kitchen of their maternal grandmother, Bell Bullock Johnson. They lived in Newport News, VA and their grandmother lived in the town of Ridgway in Warren County, NC.

My mother and her siblings visited Grandma Bell from time to time during their childhood, sometimes staying with her during the summer. This photo was taken in 1958 and during that year Mama turned age 14 and her sister age 12.

It look like Mama is washing her hands in this pot. During the time that this photo was taken, Grandma Bell did not have running water in her house. She either got water from a well on her property or from the spring nearby.

This photo was taken in 1959 in the kitchen Grandma Bell’s kitchen. Her youngest son Richard (right) is standing here with her youngest daughter Emma, who is my maternal grandmother.

Double Cousins

I love this photo from the funeral program of Cousin Martha Johnson Eaddy (1928-2003). She was obviously a dog lover. Cousin Martha was a double cousin of my maternal grandmother Emma.

Martha’s father Charlie Johnson (1884-1951) was a brother of Grandma Emma’s father George Johnson (1893-1932). Both Charlie and George were sons of Plummer Johnson (1846-1917) and Susan Jerman Johnson (1858-1939). The Johnsons lived in the town of Ridgeway located in Warren County, NC.

Martha’s mother Kate Bullock Johnson (1888-?) was an aunt of Grandma Emma’s mother Bell Bullock Johnson (1890-1982) and a sister of Grandma Bell’s father Andrew Bullock (1862-1915). Both Kate and Andrew were children of Ottoway Bullock (1832-abt. 1907) of Warren County, NC. Kate was a daughter of Ottoway’s third wife Julia Taylor Bullock (1855-1921) and Andrew was the son of his first wife Mimmy Bullock (1835-bef. 1873).

Aunt Mary’s Notebook

Aunt Mary Johnson (1927-1986) was a sister of my maternal grandmother. One of the things I inherited of hers is a notebook which contains Bible study and church notes. A cousin gave me this 7.5 x 8 notebook that was written possibly around 1953 and 1954. Only two pages of this notebook contain dates. Most of the pages are handwritten, but one page it typewritten. When I was a young girl, I used to receive letters written from Aunt Mary. However, I do not have any of those letters now. The gift of this notebook is precious because it gives me a sample of Aunt Mary’s handwriting that I used to read many years ago. Aunt Mary served Little Mt. Zion Holy Church in White Plains, NY as Sunday school teacher, president of the choir, vice president of the missionary department, member of the usher board, and secretary. Some of these notes in this notebook may have been recorded as Church secretary.

Bible Study Notes

Typewritten Notes


Youth Day Offering

Sacred Sunday: Adult Choir at Little Mt. Zion Holy Church

This is a a photo I recently received of the adult choir at Little Mt. Zion Holy Church in White Plains, NY. This church was started by Pennie Johnson Higgs, a sister of my grandfather, George Johnson. She is the older lady to the right in this photo with the white hat and scarf. My maternal grandmother's sister Mary, also attended this church. She is the tall woman on the back row to the left. Aunt Pennie died in December 1966.

Papa is Buried Under a Tree

After obtaining copies of death certificates for Grandpa George Johnson (1893-1932) and members of his family, I visited the cemetery of Whites Grove Church in Warren County, NC where most of them were buried. It was Thanksgiving weekend 1996 just after a big storm and the cemetery was covered with leaves and tree branches. I was accompanied by my Uncle Willie Johnson, a son of George Johnson, and brother of my maternal grandmother, Emma. Uncle Willie had not visited his father’s grave in several years. He only remembered that he was buried under a tree. My grandmother also remembered the same thing about her father being buried under a tree.

As luck would have it, this cemetery had several trees and Uncle Willie couldn’t remember which one. Like any family historian visiting a graveyard, I didn’t let this deter me, so I began looking at all the tombstones. As I neared the end of my search, I found Grandpa George’s mother Susan Jerman Johnson (1858-1939.) A few steps away I found the grave of his sister, Mollie Johnson Rowlett (1886-1959) buried beside her husband, James Rowlett (1883-1947.)

I completed my search of all the tombstones in this church graveyard, but still could not find Grandpa George. Since his mother, sister, and brother in law, were buried near each other, then he might be buried somewhere near them, I thought. I returned to that area, but still saw nothing. Uncle Willie and I started towards the car, but I wanted to take another look. I returned to the area of his sister’s grave and looked around. As I stood looking in the graveyard above the graves of his sister and her husband, I began to sense that my feet weren’t standing on soil. The soil in the graveyard had been a bit mushy because of the recent storm. Feels like something is solid is under this bed of leaves, I thought, and it feels like cement. I began to clear away leaves and tree branches and bit by bit I saw cement, and lo and behold, there I was standing on Grandpa George Johnson’s grave.

Happy Birthday Grandma Bell!

Music "Holy, Holy, Holy" dedicated in memory of my great grandmother Bell. This is a hymn that she would have sung in praise to God.
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Bell Bullock Johnson (1890-1982)
My great grandmother Bell Bullock Johnson was born 118 years ago on March 29, 1890 in the Drewry area of Vance County, NC to Andrew and Luvenia Jeffress Bullock. She was the mother of my maternal grandmother Emma. Three siblings were born before her: Mollie (1883-1977), John (1885-1957), and James (1887-1931). Six other siblings were born after Grandma Bell: Channie (1892-1966), Mima (1894-1960s), Nancie (1896-1950), Andrew (1899-1972), Bessie (1901-1991), and Joseph (1905-1932.)

On February 11, 1914, Grandma Bell married George Johnson (1893-1932,) the youngest son of Plummer Johnson (1846-1917) and Susie Jerman Johnson (1858-1939) of Ridgeway, NC. Grandma Bell settled in Ridgeway and remained there the remainder of her life. Her husband’s ancestors lived in Ridgeway for many years possibly dating back before the Civil War

Six lovely children were born to George and Bell Johnson: James (1915-1915), Willie (1917-2000), Charlie (1919- 2004), Emma (1922-2011 ), Mary (1927-1986), and George “Richard” (1932-1992).

On February 28, 1932, during the Great Depression, Grandma Bell’s husband died leaving her with four children and pregnant with another. After the birth of their son on April 30, 1932, her mother Luvenia took care of her three youngest children. Grandma Bell returned to Ridgeway and worked as a Cook for Charlie Herring, the son of German immigrants in Ridgeway. Her two oldest sons, Willie and Charlie, were ages 12 and 14 at the death of their father. They returned to Ridgeway with their mother and worked to help support the family.

Like her mother Luvenia, Grandma Bell was a strong believer in holy living and faith healing. She was a member of Pentecostal Holiness churches and testified of being “saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost.” In 1912, she became a founding member of Union Chapel Holy Church. Prior to that she was a member of Morning Star Holy Church in Middleburg area of Vance County. She believed strongly in the ministry of Oral Roberts, an Oklahoma evangelist, and his teachings on faith and healing. She didn’t believe in watching television except to watch Oral Roberts. She only used her radio to listen to Oral Roberts and other religious broadcasts. Grandma Bell believed in keeping the Sabbath holy, which meant not doing any work or cooking on Sundays. She hated listening to gossip and would tune it out by humming a song.

When interviewed in 1980 by a reporter for a church publication about her life, Grandma Bell said, “I don’t want my light to get dull, I want my light to shine bright so men can see the good works and glorify the Father. I ain’t got no bad works, but I want my light to shine bright. I let my light shine so that black and white can see Jesus in me.”
Grandma Bell Bullock Johnson died on July 4, 1982 in the Warren General Hospital located in Warren County, NC. Her funeral was held on July 9, 1982 at Union Chapel Holy Church, Ridgeway, NC and she was buried in the church cemetery.