Annie Louise Moore Jones was my Grandmother. She was born and raised in Greenville South Carolina. She met my Grandfather while attending Allen University in South Carolina. They married shortly after his return from World War 1.
After they married,they moved from South Carolina to Washington D.C.where my Grandfather first worked for the Census Bureau and later ran a successful real estate business. After several miscarriages,they gave birth to Helen Louise Jones-my mother.
A doctor's experiment which was often done to black patients left her crippled. This absolutely devastated my Grandfather,but my Grandmother seemed to have a way of taking it in stride. I remember her telling him on more than one occasion "You better be thankful I'm crippled,I'd have you running all over town!" Supposedly she loved to dance while my Grandfather was content to hang out with his pals swapping stories.
When my parents divorced when I was 5,my Grandmother came from Washington to Hartford to assist my mom raising the three Daniels Brothers. This meant her time with her husband was limited to his Connecticut visits,and we'd spend our entire summers in Washington so that they could be together. My Grandmother's efforts in the household enabled my Mom to pursue her Masters Degree in Education which led to her fulfilling her life long dream of becoming an Educator.
Being crippled merely slowed her down.It did not stop her. She did most of the cooking in our household. The things I learned about cooking came from her as I would follow her around the kitchen.
Being crippled did not stop her from being the prime disciplinarian in our household either. There were times when us Daniels boys thought we were being slick by running away from her when she was angry at us. We also thought a flight of stairs would discourage her from pursuing us. She would patiently wait for us. We all loved sitting on her lap and sooner or later we'd forget about what we had done and would find our way to her lap. She'd play along and be nice to us..for a minute before she grab us with the tightest grip imaginable. She didn't forget.
One was also better off if one took the punishment early as opposed to forcing her to climb up our stairs and in doing so,trapping us in our room. We'd then get whupped for the original crime in addition to running away from her.
She was well suited for handling the Daniels Brothers.Supposedly she was a "tomboy" growing up,known for playing baseball and smoking a corn cob pipe with the guys. There was very little that we could sneak by her.
She was an avid baseball fan. She would tell me stories about seeing Negro League games and would tell anyone interested that Josh Gibson was the greatest player of all time. She knew rosters stats and strategies better than any other adult I knew and older baseball fans both in Connecticut and in D.C.would love to stop by and talk baseball with her.
When I reached high school age,my grandmother announced to us that it was time for us to be on our own and that she was returning to Washington full time. I believe she knew her time on this earth was limited and she wished to spend the last of her days with her husband.
Shortly after returning,she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Just before returning to the hospital and falling into a coma,she called my mom and my brothers into her bedroom.There she gave each of us profound instructions and advice. I'd be a little better off today if I had heeded some of the advice she gave me.
At the end,she told us something we thought was a case of delirium setting in. She kept saying "I'll be taking Sandy with me"
I didn't know what it meant then,but I understood later when,almost exactly to the year after she passed,my Grandfather passed away too.
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