Family Ghost Stories

FAMILY GHOST STORIES AND OTHER FAMILY MEMORIES

Back in 1970, my Grandfather Robert Williams died. At the time, he and our Grandmother Nannie, were living in New York with their daughter, Julia, and her family, and a few days after his death, some of us were sitting in the living room after dinner. This included Grandma, Aunt Julia, her 5 young children, and myself, the only people in the house that day. Suddenly, the lamps started shutting on and off, but there was no one near them who could be doing that. The living room consisted of a long L-shaped couch, with a couple of side chairs on either side of the room, and the lamps were sitting on a couple of tables next to the windows behind the couch, but they were not within arms reach. We could all hear the click of the lamps as they turned on and off, too, and clearly, there was no one there. Just as calmly, Grandma said "Stop it Robert, leave the lamps alone." It stopped. We all looked in stunned silence at Grandma, and Aunt Julia said, "Pop always did like to play with the lights." Grandpa Robert had indeed been a bit of a scoundrel and liked to tease family members, in particular, the children, and I guess, it all seemed so natural that he would continue to do so, even after death. It didn't happen anymore that day, but I'm sure that Grandpa was still around there for a very long time afterwards. (Deloris W.)

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Okay in my house I used to smell breakfast cooking in the morning and would hear somebody running through the house sometimes at night.
I mean running right up to my bed! Serious Business!
My niece got off the bus one day to stay with me ...and she was over mymother's house crying when I got home and said it was a man standing in the kitchen and he was staring at her and then walked in the back bedroom.
I don't know if my house is over some portal or something but I've had too many ghostly experiences there. And when my cousin got killed in a car accident I was on my sofa in the living room the morning he got killed and his spirit walked right through the living room. "No Lie".
Aunt Ester's house up the road use to be "haughty too" I have heard people talking in that house and no one was there.
"Just a taste of Greentown" I always remembered my grandmother tellingstories about people seeing spirits coming from that cemetery.
She use to say "Don't worry about them they can't hurt you, worry about the folks that alive". (Joyce A.)

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The WILLIAMS Family in the early 1970s

Nannie Sneed-Williams, sitting in middle with her step-mother & cousin, Sallie Alston- Sneed on right; plus 7 of her children- Nathaniel, Francis, Leslie, Roy, Alonzo, Sam, & Ruth Mae. Not pictured were 3 children- Edgar, John, and Julia.

The land that my WILLIAMS cousins live on in Warren County is part of a tract of land that was passed down from the 1700's by our ancestor, Thomas Green, who died in 1850. Thomas had received the land in 1791 from Samuel Williams, who is believed to have been Thomas' father, the landowner who had owned Thomas and his mother, Crease, since the 1760s. A lot of family members lived and died on that land over the years and it wouldn't surprise any of us if some of them never left. A new house was built on the land for Grandma and Grandpa in the 1960's by their children, and apparently, our deceased family members moved right into that new home, too. Grandma used to tell me about how a brother of hers who died when he was 14 would often appear to her. I remember a feeling of extreme sadness in that house when we talked about him like he was nearby or something, and sure enough, I found a death certificate for her brother, William Harrison Sneed, b. Oct. 2, 1904, d. Nov. 14, 1918, died of Spanish Influenza (that was the Great Influenza Outbreak where millions of people died worldwide in 1917-1918), and it says he was buried in "Old Cordle Cemetery". Now, when you think about it, too, the fact that it was called "old" in 1918, when it was still used until 1941 when Grandpa Walter Sneed was the last person buried there, means that cemetery must have been very, very old. It lends credence to the idea that it is the same cemetery that was used by our first ancestors who owned the land, Thomas Green, who died in 1850 when he was about 90 yrs. old. (DW)

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Wow! Lots of history. And you're right it never felt harmful although a few times I was very uncomfortable. Once I was laying on the chair in the den and I heard the door open and close someone opened the cookie jar and closed it came and sat right down on the sofa across from me and starting humming.
I had to get those spirits out of there, so I began to pray and annoit the house with oil. The lights blinked a couple of times and afterwards I had peace. My niece said the man she saw was a white man could be ole Samuel Williams still hanging around the plantation, lol Really though. I love living there though and can't wait to get back. Besides the well water is the best in the world:-) (JA)

(As I have since told cousin Joyce, it was more likely that it was Great Grandpa Walter Sneed, he was the last person buried in the old family cemetery in 1941, The Caudle Family Cemetery. Grandpa Walter was the owner of the land at the time, having inherited it from his wife, our Great-Grandmother, Mary Frances Green. Grandpa Walter was extremely fair-skinned, his father having been his white slaveowner, William Morgan Sneed, and his mother, the slave named Nancy Sneed.)

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In response to finding a photo of a home the family lived in during the 1950's, another cousin posted this:

This is great to see the old Talley House. I spent a many day there each summer for years as a kid.
There was a pump organ in the living room, right wall. I would pump thefloor paddle and press the key boards for sound. That was great. I must agree with all of the comments. The food, quilts, cakes, love and fun times. GrandPa would take us out into the woods and show us the old grave sites and the sand pit. He killed snakes around the yard and would bring them to show. He was a GREAT MAN. GrandMa loved her Family. Aunt Ester would be there, Sam would be there, Uncle Leslie and Aunt Vergie would come up and visit, Leonard, Mildred and Myra, Larry, Booster, Sonny Boy, Gin and Elizabeth, my Brother John , Jr and my Brother, Edgar, sisters, Ida Ruth and Florence Brenda. During the summers, other Family members would come down from the north to visit at the Talley House. This was super, all of us kids could get together and visit. Uncle Leslie had 2 mules, Jenny and Bet. Jenny was a red mule and Bet was black. Sonny Boy and Leonard would hitch up the mules to a ground sled that consisted of 2 large logs with boards across and nailed down. Some times before we get to the Talley house our faces were red from the dust the mules would kick-up. So, I've tasted NC red dirt. it was an adventure... the mules would pull the sled from Uncle Leslie's house to the Talley House. This takes me way back. Thank you for this memory. For those that are not aware, Aunt Vergie was my Mother's first cousin. Uncle Charlie was GrandPa Oscar's Brother. Love Aunt Tempie. Sorry to be so long winded. It's been a while (Notre W.)

Click to view photo of Talley House

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If any of you have any old Ghost Stories or Family Memories that you'd like to share with us, please feel free to contact me so that I can post them here.