The
Joyner’s Mighty Oak Tree, Part II*
Now let me see, where was I at? Oh, yeah, I was talking ‘bout the first time I laid eyes on James Joyner. ‘Bout a week later, I was toting the wash back to old Missus Liza Jane’s house when I seed this tall colored man just standing on the corner like a mighty oak tree. The closer I got I could tell it was this here James Joyner. I said to myself, wonder what in the world he’s standing here for. When I comes up beside him, he said, Howdy do, I’s been waiting for you! I said, you’s been waiting for me!? What in the world for? James, I calls him Jim now, said he wanted to talk to me but didn’t want to just show up at my house scaring me to death. Said he had seen me ‘round and wanted to talk to me. He toted the washbasket for me to old Missus Liza Jane. All the while we was a-walking and a-talking. Found out that he was the son of Riley and Vida Turner ‘round Wayne County way. I asked him why you calls yourself Jim Joyner then. He said it was a long story and he’ll tell me ‘bout it later. Found out he was single and was working on the farms nearby. He walked me back home and I invited him to Sunday dinner the next day after church. I got to tell you that was some of the bestest fried chicken, taters, dandelion greens, cornbread and peach cobbler I’s ever fixed! My chillums took to him right off. Jim said he saw things ‘round the house that needed fixing and that he’d come back the next day after work to fix ‘em if that was okay with me. I told him sho’ he could--things I hadn’t been able to do and some things just needed a man’s hands. After he left, I felt this warm fuzzy feeling inside—oh shucks it’s just where I’d ate too much chicken! Jim came back like he said he would. In fact he came back every day for about four months! Jim, my chillums and me had this happy spirit about us. I saw how Jim took to my chillums, just like they was his own. He showed the boys how to do manly things and he treated Chaney just like a lil’ princess. So when Jim asked me to marry him, I had no doubt ‘bout saying yes. So we all went to Princeton to get married. While standing there, I said a prayer to myself thanking my Lord for the blessings he ‘stowed upon me. One, He brought me out of slavery. Two, He blessed me with the love of Ransom and my three chillums. Now, He has blessed me again with the love of James Joyner. Thank You Lord! Glory be to Gawd! Jim was standing beside me, looking tall and handsome, strong and sturdy as a mighty oak tree, with our little branches, Richard, Chaney and Nathan. We said our I do’s on September 25, 1874 in front of G. W. Britt, Justice of the Peace. We was happy!
Jim and me talked ‘bout moving out of Boon Hill to somewhere else to live. So we ‘cided to wait thru the fall crop time and winter ‘fore we moved. Little did either of us knowed, we was gonna to have a baby come spring time. In 1875, in late spring, I had a lil’ boy—we named him Everett—my lil’ Everett Joyner--another lil’ knothead boy. Po’ lil’ Chaney wanted a lil’ sister so bad—she said that mo’ menfolk in the house meant mo’ picking up for her to do. Po’ child! She’s too lil’ to know that a woman’s work is NEVER done, no matter how many menfolks or galfolks is in the house! Anyway, we ‘cided to wait ‘fore moving. Jim is such a good daddy and loving man. He was so happy about lil’ Everett. Jim said he always wanted a big family and his wish was coming true. There was lots of love and laughter all up in our house. He worked hard farming and took good care of us all. We either raised it, grew it or made it ourselves. Jim believed and he taught our younguns, that it’s better to give than to receive and to reach out and help someone else. Lots of times we had more than enough for us and we gave ‘way lots of vegetables from our garden to the widowfolks in the area. Jim was a good man.
Well, come ‘bout two years later, Jim said he found a big roomy house in Wayne County and he knowed the white man, Mr. Mitchell, who owned it. He’d already talked to Mr. Mitchell ‘bout it and working on his farm. I was happy ‘bout moving out of the Boon Docks! I’d never lived anywhere else so I was so ‘cited about leaving. So we packed up and moved to Pikeville. The old farmhouse had three sleeping rooms, a front room with a big fireplace and a big kitchen that would hold our big long table for eating -- Jim made it with his own hands out of an oak tree that got struck by lighning. I was so ‘cited ‘cause I’d never lived in a big house before! After we got settled in, I finds out I was gonna have a baby again! All these goods things were being ‘stowed on us. Round ‘bout January 1878, I finally had ‘nother lil’ girl—I named her Julia. Chaney was one happy lil’ child—finally ‘nother girl she could play with. We was happy.
One hot Sunday afternoon, we was all sitting under shade of a oak tree in the front yard drinking some lemonade, and ‘long came this here gov’ment white man said he was counting all the folks in the area ‘cause the gov’ment wanted to know how many folks was here. Well, here we go again! I ask him what happened to the other man that came by ‘bout ten years back? He said that man’s ‘tired. I ‘magine so, if it took ten years to count folks down here, I’d be tired too! Anyway, he marked us all down, Jim, me, Everett, Julia as Joyner and Richard, Chaney, and Nathan as Sanders. Then he asked who they daddy was. Jim jumped up--jaws tight and fists balled up, saying I’s these here chillums’ pappy, these here’s all my younguns! I’d never seen Jim so mad before. Well, after the man left and Jim calmed down, Richard asked him if they could change their name to Joyner—they knew who they real pappy was but Jim was their daddy. Richard said, ‘sides, folks always called them Jim Joyner’s younguns anyway. Jim told him, that his ma and pa was Riley and Vida Turner but folks called him James Joyner. A person can be called by many a names but you answer to the one you want too. He told him that ya’ll always know who Ransom Sanders is, that’ll never change. But if you want to be called Joyner, that’s mighty fine with him. Either way, they will always be his younguns! We laughed and played all afternoon. What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man I got! And I thank You, Gawd. Thank You for bringing me out of slavery, for my Ransom and for my Jim Joyner and our younguns!
Jim was always looking for mo’ better ways for us to live. So we up and moved from Pikeville to Old Fields area over in Wilson County to Beulah in Johnston County to right back here to the Boon Docks! The one place we wanted to leave is the one place we return to! Ain’t that something! Now mind you, best I can ‘member—you know how my remembers gets sometimes. Mind you, all during these here times we was moving here and yonder, I was having my babies. Best I can ‘member I had ‘bout fifteen younguns in all. Some died a lil’ baby and my Nathan died from consumption, I don’t ‘member right off what year it was, tho. Let me see if I can call all my live younguns by name. My Chaney was born ‘bout December, 1873, no that ain’t right, ‘bout 1868. My Richard, my first youngun, was born ‘bout November, 1866. He was here when me and his daddy, Ransom got married in December, 1866. I’ll never forget that day. Oh yeah, my Nathan was born ‘bout 1872—I can’t ‘member the month, tho. My Everett was born ‘bout 1875 and my Julia was born ‘bout January 1878. Whew! Let me take a breath! That’s sho’s a mouthful but I still got some mo’ to call. Okay, now my Isaac was born ‘bout May 1882, I think-- you know how my remembers gets. Then my Russom was born ‘bout May 1887. My last youngun was Robert--he was born October, 1900. That’s a heap of younguns! But Jim and me loved every last one of ‘em. Right ‘fore Robert was born, ‘nother gov’ment white man stop by counting folks again down here. I asked him what happened to the last man. He said that man ‘tired too. Something ain’t right! By the time you get thru counting all these here folks down here, you can’t do nothing else ‘cause you too ‘tired. You couldn’t give me that job! He marked us all down as James, Mary, Chanie, Julia, Isaac, Russom and Richard. Everett won’t at the house- -so I asked the man if he could count him. He said no, he had to look him dead in the eye ’fore he could count him. I was going to have Robert any day and I asked him if he could count him. He said he couldn’t ‘cause the baby won’t born yet! Uppity old white man! Anyway we was one big family and was still growing. We was happy.
Continue to The Joyner’s Mighty Oak Tree, Part III
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