Darby Kate expressing her joy!

If you are looking for cute, you must come through our grand kids to get it, we have the market cornered on cute. Darby Kate Coffee, just recently celebrated her 1st. birthday and she is shown just after opening up Bebe and Papa's "grand kid's toy box" in our living room. She is a peach!

Which one is the proud grandpa?

This photo was taken in Fayetteville Arkansas, July 19th. 2008. We were there in support of our nephew, Taylor Paxton, who was participating in a Razorback football camp. We had a great time, good food, good company and a chance to visit with family we don't get to see very often. I am on the far left of the photo, my lovely bride is to my left, then Taylor, his Grand Pa, C.B. Leonard, then Taylor's mom Julie Paxton.

Happier times

This photo was taken in the 70's I believe. It is of five of the Mather's family, From the left, Uncle Matt, Aunt Nell, Uncle Claude, Uncle Billy, and Aunt Utsie. Their order of birth is; Uncle Claude, Aunt Utsie, Uncle Matt, Uncle Billy, Aunt Nell. Missing is my Mama, Aunt Jean and Uncle Jim.

Uncle Matt Mathers

I've always loved Uncle Matt! He took me on my first coon hunt, my first turkey hunt and I have many happy memories of visiting with his family through the years, particularly when they lived on the farm in Moore's Valley Alabama. Uncle Matt is the last of the four Mathers boys who were my Mama's brothers. I also worked in his recapping shop in Butler Alabama in the summer of 1958, fifty years ago!

Uncle Matt's Honey

This is a jar of my Uncle Matt's honey! It's the best I have ever tasted! I love to cook with it. Uncle Matt is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen. He has always had the heart of a farmer. At times in his life he had to do other things, but always loved growing things. He is now well known around south west Alabama for his honey and grapes. He will be 91 in October of 2008.

This is the house my Daddy built.

Daddy built this house with his own hands. He selected every board and did all the wiring, plumbing, etc. He was very proud of it when he finished. It was to be the only home he ever owned. Strangers live in it now and to them it is just a house, but to our family it will always be Daddy house! This house sits on what was part of the Mather's farm.

The picture above is of Mama and Daddy's home when they lived there.

Mama undated photo

This is Mama in an undated photo, probably the 60's . The house looks like the one we lived in in Adel Georgia. Twenty years past the Mobile photo. Tempus fugit!

Memories

This is my Mama @ 1943-44, she was working in a shipyard in Mobile Alabama. She was 20 or 21 years old and had given birth to two children, one of which was I. I have memories of Mobile that are quite vivid after these 60 some odd years. The smell of the paper mill, the Bankhead tunnel, the trauma of nursery school, the graceful whisps of Spanish moss trailing down from the giant Live Oak trees. The smell of salt air and the excitement of riding the busses getting from one place to the next. Never underestimate the awareness of a two year old!

More of the Mather's family

Fast forward thirty or so years from the first photo of the old home place and you can see the ravages of time showing on the faces of my grandfather and his brother and stepsister. Claude Mathers is on the far right back and his brother , Gay Mathers is on his right. Aunt Jimmie is on the left front. The baby in the arms of his mother is nearly 80 years old today. (2008.) Grand maw (Bette Davidson Mathers is sitting in front, she died in 1935.

Turn of the century logging on the Mathers place

According to my uncle Matt, who is 90 years old and living in the old home place, this photo was taken on the Mather's place @ the turn of the century. Notice the photographer's horse in the photo, probably taken on the same day the photo's of the old home were taken.

1836 Home place

This old home was built by a steam boat captain in 1836. It is constructed of heart yellow pine and most of the original boards are still rock solid. Ebeneezer Bowers Mathers purchased the home from the Captain and raised 24 children there. The gentleman on the horse is probably the photographer, according to word of mouth info.

Mam-maw and Da-da

This photo is of my maternal grand parents near the end of their lives. Da-da died in 1960 and Ma-maw died several years later. They raised eight children to adulthood.

The Mathers side of the family

This photo has no date, but looks to be @ the 50s. I can only identify two of the people, from the left, my grandfather, Claude Pritchett Mathers and his stepsister, Aunt Jimmie Davidson. I believe the other three are sisters and brother of my grandfather.

The old home place

This is the Mathers family home in Nanafalia Alabama. The gentleman to the far left of the photo is my great grandfather, Ebeneezer Bowers Mathers. The lady third from the left is my great grandmother, Elizabeth Ann. The young man second from the right is my grandfather Claude Pritchett Mathers. Ebeneezer died in 1903, probably shortly after this photo was taken. Members of the Mathers family still reside in this home.

The photo above is how the house looks today, some 176 years after it was built!

Miss Darby Kate Coffee

This little Miss has the market cornered on cute! Another one of our beautiful grand kids! What can I say? Genes!

One beautiful Woman!

This is my lovely wife coming out of our garden over on Center St. in Arkadelphia, @ the 80's, where we lived for 19 years and brought our children into the world. That place holds a special niche in my heart. We worked hard to make a home there and to raise our children in the right way. I think, from the results, we did a great job!