Jessie and Nannie are seated.  Standing, from left, Opal, Philip, William, James, Thomas, Jessie and Catherine.

Today I share a photo of my father’s family, taken June 26th or 27th of 1971.  My grandparents, Jessie Delbert Hill and Nannie Bell Coulter celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on the 27th of that year.  The 27th was a Saturday so we could have celebrated either day.  I remember wagons loaded with food, and a tiered cake trimmed in green for their emerald wedding anniversary.  They wore green tinted carnations.

Jessie Delbert Hill was the son of Isaiah Hill of Garrard County.  His grandfather, also named Isaiah, was involved in the Hill-Evans feud and was killed March 13, 1852; his grandmother Lucy Murphy.  Lucy had had fiery red hair, which was handed down to my grandfather, and later generations.  Pap’s mother was Lydia Ann Ross, daughter of William Ross and Martha Lay, of Madison County.  Nannie Bell Coulter was the daughter of George F. Coulter and Mary Elizabeth Crow.  Mom’s grandparents were William Coulter and Emeline White, and Mansfield Crow and Nancy Jane Coulter of Washington County.  All eight of those families were living in Washington County by 1860 when the Hills were there, the other families coming several decades earlier.  When married, Mom and Pap lived in Marion County.

Jessie and Nannie had a total of eight children.  Pap had nicknames for all his children and grandchildren, a little confusing at times!  The oldest child was William, ‘Buck’, was born April 24, 1912.  Mary Lydia, ‘Sissy’, was born April 27, 1914.  She died shortly after the birth of her second child, a daughter, in 1933.  Thomas Cleaver, ‘Doc’, was born August 13, 1916.  James Albert, ‘Judge’, was born March 11, 1919.  Lee Opal, ‘Tutti’, was born April 10, 1921.  After a span of almost ten years, Catherine Lucille, ‘Pete’, was born August 6, 1930.  My dad, James Philip, ‘Duke’, was born November 3, 1935.  And the youngest, Jessie Lee, ‘Buddy’, was born in 1937.

Pap called me Tillie – which I loved!

There was always much love and laughter and food at my grandparents house.  Mom cooked on a wood stove, made melt in your mouth biscuits, fried potatoes, cakes and pies, turkey and dressing – everything was so tasty.  When we were small we visited every weekend.  Many of my cousins were there – the younger ones – some of the older cousins had children of their own.  Christmases were celebrated with everyone there in a warm house, more food and games.  How I treasure those memories!