Fran ushers Herbert into his surprised birthday party at Shoney's in Emporia, Virginia, where family and friends have assembled to celebrate his 75th.   Fran greets Chapel Hill Baptist Church's Reverend Bradley and his "first lady." Herbert is one of Chapel Hill's most respected deacons.

Uncle Arthur and His Lady Friend (unknown)

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Arthur Lewis ("Uncle Arthur") had three children: Martha Lewis Teagle (5 February 1935; died 1 November 2002);  Mary (Foodie) Lewis Faison (born 5 January 1939); and Herbert Lewis (born 7 August 1933). I have known all three all of my life, though we have not been very close. I have always been very fond of Foodie, as a young woman she was fine, really pretty, and humorous. Martha and Mary spent most of their lives in Philadelphia, while Herbert remained in southern Virginia most of his life, except for that period in Philly from December 1951 to May 1963.

I was especially fond of Uncle Arthur's children because it was their father who taught me my letters and numbers. When I was a little boy, he bought me a blackboard and chalk and taught me to focus. I remember my lessons taking place out in the front yard (1953). Because of him I was well prepared for the first grade and excelled all my classmates and skipped the third grade and graduated high school when I was sixteen.

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Chontel Coleman, son of Carolyn Lewis Coleman; Jennifer (Sparkle) and daughter Genesis   Jennifer (Sparkle); daughter Genesis, and her grandmother Carolyn Coleman

Herbert and his buddies: Peter Givens, in front of Herbert; Leslie Eldridge (friend & neighbor),  against the wall

Leslie Atkins, Herbert's stepson   Darlene Atkins (Fred's wife)

Fran (Herbert's lady), Mary (Herbert's sister), Herbert; Calvin (Martha's son), and his wife Wanda

Left to right in photo: Calvin Lewis, Martha's son;  Wanda Lewis (Calvin's wife); Caroline Lewis Coleman (daughter), Mary (Foodie) Faison  (sister); Herbert Lewis, Sr; Michael Lewis (son); Sharon Lewis (daughter); Shawn Lewis (son).

Fran and Herbert   Alester Teagle (Martha's daughter)

Herbert's 75th birthday was a joyous and simple occasion. He was in good form.  I got to meet and be with my folks. They were kind and received me as a celebrity. Calvin bought me dinner and we had a long talk and reviewed some of the stories he had read on ChickenBones. We also talked about the family cemetery in back of where Grandma Mary used to live, near the edge of the woods. Calvin has begun his own family project, working up a book that will include the family tree beyond what I have in my family stories.                               Herbert (left)  and Rudy (right)

Calvin wants to leave a tree behind for his children and his cousins. I encouraged him to check out the old family cemetery. All of Mary's sons are not there, Daddy (William Lewis) is buried here at Jerusalem. Richard is buried in some cemetery in Baltimore. Percy became white and disappeared in the 50s. Edward and Irvin were buried on the Owens farm, where they all worked as semi-slaves. Their bones have been plowed under, probably, to enrich the earth on which they gave their lives.

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Lewis Cemetery

Below are those I know buried there. Some were buried in wooden boxes with their names on tin plates. Those graves are sunken and have not been well attended. Exactly where Mary is buried there I don't recall. Mama when she was able built the graves back up and cleaned around them. It probably would be very nice if a stone or metal placard was set there with all their names inscribed. That would be a nice project for the young folk. It could be a sacred place for family to meet and refresh their ties with their ancestors.

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Mary Jones Lewis King, mother of William Lewis Arthur Lewis, brother of William Lewis Joe Roy Lewis, brother of William Lewis John Willie Lewis, son of Edward Lewis (brother of William Lewis) Ernest Myrick, “Blind Dick," nephew of Mary Lewis Theodore “Billy” Lewis, brother of William Lewis Toy Lewis, wife of Billy   Ernest King, Sam Jackson’s stepson Nathaniel King, husband of Mary Lewis Edward King (“Ned,” son and grandson of Nathaniel King)

Mary Lewis had eight sons: Edward, Irvin, Joe, William, Richard, Arthur, Percy, Theodore.

 May her generations live forever.

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