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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.) ---------------------- Okay in my house I used to smell breakfast cooking in
the morning and would hear somebody running through the house sometimes at night. ---------------------- 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) --------------------
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. (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.) -------------------- 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. Click to
view photo of Talley House
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.
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© 2012 to present. This website and all material on it are the property of Deloris Williams. Last updated 10/25/2023 |