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Story by Daisy Irene (Mullins) Thiel
My father was born in Virgie, Ky. and my mother was born at Whirlwind, WVa. I was born at Verdunville, WVa. Mom and Dad were the parents of eight children of which I am the youngest. As sometimes happens in these large families, I have a nephew older than I am. That astonishes people from small families and gives me an interesting tidbit about my family. Two of my older brothers were married before I was born and two of my older sisters were married while I was still a toddler. So I grew up in a family of four with lots of nephews and nieces that were nearer my age than half of my brothers and sisters.
We attended Curry Grade School, Logan Jr. High and Logan High School. My best friend was Penny Workman. We had wonderful times jumping rope, playing hopscotch and jacks. One of the great things about our time and place was that we finished school with the same friends we started with. We were the lucky ones.
I loved springtime in WVa.. School would let out for the summer, the weather was getting warm and we could go barefooted. Our feet were tender when we first took off our shoes but they soon toughened up . Wading in the creek was always fun. The creek was clean in those days. The little minnows would swim around and nip at your toes. The algae on the rocks made them slippery and we often fell in the creek.
The summers were as wonderful as the springs. There were fresh vegetables from the garden and tree ripened fruit I remember Kentucky Wonder green beans, little green onions and sweet corn. Mom worked hard canning everything. We had a cellar under the house where all the canning was kept until it was needed.
Wild flowers grew everywhere. I would pick some for my mom and she would tell me how beautiful they were, put them in a drinking glass of water and set them on the kitchen table.
The bright colors of the fall trees were a heart's delight. On a bright sunny day they would hurt your eyes. The falling leaves and the cool air made one glad to be alive. We used to rake up large piles of leaves and jump in them. School would start and we would see all our friends again.
In the winter, the snows were as beautiful as the fall leaves. On a moonlit night the snow would look blue and everything was still. The snow hung on every tree branch and fence post. My big sister Sylvia, would make snow cream and my brother, Buddy, and I would ride his sled down the hilll.
We really did walk a mile in the snow to get to Curry School. We would warm ourselves by the pot belly stove in the back of the room. School was fun but it was always a joy when spring rolled around again; school would let out, we would be promoted and we could go barefoot again.
Two of my grandchildren, ages four and five, were having dinner with us and in order to keep them entertained at the table, I told them stories about when I was a little girl in WVa. They listened in dead silence. When I finished, my grandson looked at me with big brown eyes and said,"I want to go there." I replied with tear filled eyes, "I do too."
The Mullins side:
My father and mother were Fayette Mullins and Edna
Collins; Fayette's father and mother were John Henry Mullins and Nancy
Adkins; John H's father was John Alexander Mullins and his mother was Peggy
Fleming; John Alexander's father was Solomon "Money Making Sol" Mullins and
his mother was Sara Greenfield Cathey; Solomon's father was John
"Revolutionary John" Mullins and his mother was Jane (Bailey-tradition);
Edna Collins, my mother, was the daughter of Ella Workman and Vinson Collins; Ella was the daughter of William Meredith Workman and Mary Jane Thompson; William was the son of Obediah Workman and Rebecca Lambert; Obediah was the son of Moses Workman, Sr. and Elizabeth Munsey; Moses was the son of Joseph Workman and Phoebe McMahon.