Vintage

This story was submitted by JEAN BUTTERWORTH about her father MARVIN MALLEY CHAMPION and a story he wrote of his life in Independent, Wilcox County, Alabama in 1909.  It will be continued in future Alabama Stories.

An Authentic Alabama Life

Marvin Malley Champion 1909-1992

Marvin Malley Champion was born August 9, 1909 in Sunny South (Wilcox County), Alabama. He was the 2nd child of three brothers and four sisters. His parents were Hugh Gaston Champion, Jr. and Mable Clara Hare.  They were a poor family , living in a sparsely inhabited community pulled together by a small church called Independent Church and cemetery.  One sibling who died young of pneumonia was buried in that cemetery. His father was a tenant farmer, raising corn and cotton with a percentage going to the landowner at the end of the year.

Times were hard during his early life. Marvin went to the local school and spoke of carrying his lunch, which consisted of biscuits from the morning breakfast carried in a sorghum tin pail.  All the brothers helped the dad in the fields as soon as they could and missed many a school day to work along side him. Dad finished the 8th grade but later in his life he became self-educated.

Christmas time the weather was always very cold and presents were few.  Dad stated that he always got an orange and peppermint sticks as gifts.

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Submitted by Vicky Clemmons – one of the authors of IMAGES OF AMERICA: BIBB COUNTY -released November 3, 2008.

My deep love and devotion for the older generations have always been evident by the company I keep, most of my nursing career was devoted to taking care of geriatric patients, my best friends are twice my age, and I never miss an opportunity to sit and listen to what they have to say, I am mesmerized by their stories and they never seem to mind pouring out their hearts to anyone that will listen.  Since I always served in management positions while nursing, I had the privilege to take my daughter, Catie, to work and they always love to see her come since she would go room to room to talk, and believe me, Catie loves to talk.  When she was small and even though she was never out of site, she would always migrate to anyone that looked old enough to be her grandparents.  There have been many times that she would ask if she could go sit with someone older sitting on a bench at our local grocery store or Wal-Mart while I was checking out.  Knowing this background on our family will prepare you for this short sweet story by my new friend Dan Jordan.

Randal Champion is retired and is a resident of Tuscaloosa County.  He attended Tuscaloosa County High School and received his undergraduate education from the University of Alabama.  He was employed as a high school biology teacher in Mobile. He retired from the State of Alabama Medicaid Agency.

The Barbecue at Cha-Che’s

My mother was Ara Ann Williams Champion and her mother was Ollie Rebecca King Williams.  ”Miss Ollie” had a sister, Eva King Johnson, whom we called “Aunt Ever”. She was the mother of Bertha Johnson Kinnaird, known to us as “Cuddin Bertha”.   Cuddin Bertha married at a very young age to Will Kinnaird whom we called “Cha-Che”.

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EARLY HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY, ALABAMA

PART I

Lying at the southern extremity of the Appalachian Mountains, Shelby County is richly endowed with abundant natural resources and unrivaled beauty in the profile of low mountains, many lakes and streams, and woodlands.

Before Shelby County was established by an act of the first session of the Legislature Council and House of Representatives of the Alabama Territory in February 1818, it was already settled by a few early pioneers. The early white settlers held their lands by virtue of what was known as Squatter's Sovereignty.   Most of the first settlers were from North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina.