Kade and I saw the first showing of THIS IS IT in Asheville. It was 12:01 AM Wednesday morning! The documentary, directed by the magnificent Kenny Ortega, was put together from the 100 or more hours of rehearsal footage for the THIS IS IT concert series that was to take London by storm.
I think the legendary Elizabeth Taylor summed up the concert film best when she posted this on Twitter:
"It is the single most brilliant piece of filmmaking I have ever seen. It cements forever Michael's genius in every aspect of creativity. To say the man is a genius is an understatement. He cradles each note, coaxes the music to depths beyond reality. I wept from pure joy at his God given gift. There will never, ever be the likes of him again."
I have to admit I am mentally challenged when it comes to reading great works of literature. I scanned some good works in high school and managed to get through (somehow!) some serious reading in college, but it wasn't until my early thirties that I took a real stab at conquering some well-known works like 1984, The Great Gatsby and The Death of Ivan Ilyich. What enabled me to truly enjoy reading these and more books was the fact I opted to do without one form of technology for almost two years: TV. I was living in Thailand and decided that rather than getting cable TV I would concentrate on reading. It worked, and I'm all the better for it!
Unfortunately, though, as years passed, TV crept back into the picture (pun intended) and took center stage. Another huge Achilles heel is the Internet, 24/7. Sadly both TV and the Internet are not just affecting my ability to read novels: I don't read nearly as much as I'd like, period. I read articles and e-mails, yes, but not reading that requires any ample amount of concentration, much less imagination. Ironically, it was the online articles below that caused me to delve into my problem a bit more. I hope you find these articles enjoyable too. And, I hope you can make a pledge to read at least one classic in 2010. Mine is going to be The Brothers Karamazov. One reason I have chosen this Dostoevsky work is because Kade and I visited his apartment museum in St. Petersburg in 2007. Seeing the desk where he labored over his masterpieces was awe-inspiring and humbling.
The eldest of the Espy kids, Leslie, paid a nice visit to Asheville this past week. She brought her children, Sarah Beth and Zach. Leslie's husband, Jeff Cook, did all of the driving, and Sarah Beth's boyfriend Graeson made sure she stayed warm. The family stayed at Mark and Ralph's lovely mountain home. The Biltmore Estate and downtown shopping and eating were big hits. Dollywood had to be scratched due to inclement weather.
My dad is in photo one, wearing the orange shirt (I know lots of people are!) and pointing. My nephew Michael is in the blue shirt, and is facing the camera. This is from an Auburn football game earlier this year. War Eagle!
I received some much needed help from my cousin Beverly Espy Dayries. Here are some notes she had on Josephine. I made some minor changes/additions to Beverly's notes, but the bulk is what she shared verbatim via e-mail. Thanks Beverly!
According to The Espy-Espey Genealogy Book Volume 1, Josephine was born 21 Aug 1910 and died 14 Feb 1911 during the whooping cough epidemic. So she would have been between 5 and 6 months old.
She was the fourth child. Her siblings were John Jr., Major and Frances.
These dates and the statement that she died from whooping cough during an epidemic were also stated in the McLeod Family tree seen on ancestry.com. The owner of the McLeod Family tree is Lawanna. Lawanna is the person you wrote who lives in Crestview and had visited Watty in Headland. Watty also said Josephine died from whooping cough.
She died in 1911. Source - ancestry.com - publications - when searching John Espy.
Josephine is buried at the Headland Baptist Church cemetery.
The note re her death was in The Dothan Eagle Feb. 15, 1911. Years ago your grandmother Edith had some pictures that must have been taken from the Espy House when it was being cleared out. I don't recall who was there, but I remember she had several colored pictures in a size about 8 x 10. They were of the open empty casket where Josephine would be placed and also of the closed casket. She asked if anyone wanted the pictures. Everyone there felt sad at seeing them, and no one wanted to keep them. It was likely Edith's intention to dispose of them since no one wanted to keep them. Granny loved pictures. At one time we had a couple of similar sized and colored pictures of my grandfather John Espy's casket - covered in flowers. They were stuck in a large book. The last time I saw the book was in 1962, when Mother and I were moving from West Benson St. in Decatur to Azalea Circle. Bud and I were not yet engaged, but he helped move stuff from one house to the other that we were able to. If the book survived a flooded basement at Azalea shortly after Bud and I married in Aug. 1962, it could possibly be in our attic. If it survived the flooded basement, we would still have it - either in the attic at Azalea or somewhere at our house.
John Jolly Espy (1878-1934)
was one of the most prominent businessmen to ever live in Headland, Alabama and in HenryCounty.
His interesting life was chronicled in this column 11 years ago. J. J. Espy became a successful attorney,
merchant, banker, state senator and legislator and a democratic politico, a
large plantation owner, a Baptist, a Headland Mayor and Councilman, a civic leader
and promoter of Headland and of Henry County, an educational, social, and
religious supporter, and was one of the county’s most prolific entrepreneurs ever
in creating new businesses, having been involved in the incorporation of over
forty companies including four banks: the first bank in Headland called The
Bank of Headland, which was a private bank; The First National Bank of
Headland; the Farmers and Merchant Bank of Newville; and lastly the Headland
National Bank that is still in business after 77 years, and is the present largest
bank in Henry County and still remains an Espy family owned bank.On January 28, 1904, J.J. Espy purchased a four acre lot on Church Street in
Headland on which to soon construct his new home.He purchased the lot from B.H. King and wife,
Birdie King, and G. D. King. The north
boundary fronted Church Street,
across from the present First Baptist Church of Headland; the lot was bounded
on the east by a lot of J.W. Youngblood; on the south by the Mitchell property;
and on the west by a lot of Dr. W.S. Oates.J. J. Espy soon began work on his large new residence.The home was a two story, with high ceilings,
large rooms, huge stairs, with large wrap around double front porches. The
grounds included a large barn, stables, various gardens and a carriage
house.The attached image depicts the
J.J. Espy home circa 1912.Those in the
picture starting from the right are: a young Major Espy, his father Senator J.J.
Espy standing by the car, J.J.’s wife, Emma seated in the vehicle, two unknown
colored employees in front, and J.J. Espy, Jr., (Bud John) on the far left
seated on the pony. J.J. and Emma were
parents of four children: Sarah Frances (1902-1976), J.J. Espy, Jr. (1904-1977),
Major W. Espy, Sr. (1907-1980), and Josephine (1910-1911), all are buried in
the HeadlandBaptistCemetery.
The Espy home has been altered over time to accommodate life’s changing needs.
The double front porches were later eliminated for street improvements.The home was sold several years ago by the J.J.
Espy Family descendents. Of the three owners who have held title to the home, the
present owners are Rick and Lisa Burris, they are performing a wonderful job in
the restoration and preservation of this 106 year old Headland Landmark.
More Anon!
The “Old Espy House” by Marilyn Espy McClendon
The house was built around the turn of the century, and originally had upstairs and downstairs porch surrounding it. This was removed later, possibly when the road was widened. Behind the house stood a large barn and a carriage house and stable for horses.
The house was built for John Jolly Espy and his wife, Emma Carroll Espy; four children were born to them: Sarah Frances Espy, John Jolly Espy, Jr., Major Watt Espy, and Josephine Espy. Josephine died as a child. John J. Espy, Sr. was killed in an automobile accident on Thanksgiving Day in 1933 I believe.
Emma Espy rented out rooms in the house as her children began to leave the nest; some of the residents were Sidney and Blannie Hodges (parents of Martha Parks; may need to verify this fact Watty supplied with Martha), M. C. Watkins, his wife and daughter Mildred.
Sarah Frances Espy Sidney and her husband, Charles W. Sidney, moved back to Headland in the mid-forties; they had lived in New Jersey and returned home when he became ill with cancer of the bladder. They had no children but had a beloved cocker spaniel, Patsy, who came with them; upon Patsy’s death she was buried in the garden on the east side under the trellis. The gardens were a particular love of Sarah Frances. She was active in First Baptist Church , the Headland Study Club and the Headland Garden Club. When they returned the downstairs and upstairs were remodeled; originally the staircase was immediately inside the front door to the left and landed in the current large bedroom upstairs. The current back porch was added.
When Sid Sidney died, Sarah Frances continued to live in the house upstairs while her mother lived in the downstairs, west side. Emma became an invalid and spent many hours on the porch watching people come and go. Sarah Frances remodeled the quarters her mother lived in after her death in 1962 and moved downstairs. She married Rev. Roby J. Lee, father of Peggy Lee Marley, and they lived there together until her death; he continued to live in the house until moving in with his daughter and her husband upon their retirement. Peggy and husband, Needham , also lived in this house while their home was being constructed out on the farm.
Lisa and Rick Burris are the third owners of the house since heirs sold the homeplace; thankfully, they have restored the house in many ways. Many memories were born here in the hearts of the heirs (Major Watt Espy, Jr., Mark C. Espy, Sr., Marilyn Espy McClendon, Mila Espy Woods, children of Major W. Espy, Sr.; and Beverly Espy Dayries, daughter of John J. Espy, Jr.)
The End
Thanks to Gordon Marley, who took all these photographs back in the mid-70s, we have a fabulous record of what the Old Espy House on East Church Street looked like during that period - both inside and out. Everything but the upstairs bedrooms was captured. Gordon is the grandson of the late Roby J. Lee. Uncle Roby married my aunt, Sarah Frances Espy/Sidney, after their spouses had passed away. It was a second marriage for both of them. At the time these photographs were taken, Aunt Frances had recently died. The home decor and the outside grounds both reflected her exquisite taste and style. In the video, be sure to take note of Uncle Roby relaxing in his chair.
The first image came from a slide of the Old Espy Home. The year was 1975. It was in a batch of slides that belonged to Sarah Frances Espy Sidney/Lee. The other images below came from negatives belonging to Gordon Marley, a grandson of Roby J. Lee, who was married to Aunt Frances for many years.
"I'm not sure of the year but they are from the seventies when I was a student at Auburn. An architecture professor wanted to offer a photography elective so he had the school set up a b&w dark room for us and that is when I first got into photography really. One of the class assignments was to photograph an "environment", and I chose the Espy place." Gordon Marley (grandson of Roby J. Lee, pictured below)
Some items that were once in the Old Espy Home
Emma Carroll Espy painted this
Click here for a video of Sarah Frances' niece, Marilyn Espy McClendon, playing a piano that she inherited from her aunt. Marilyn also talks about some of the furnishings and paintings that were once in the Old Espy Home.
I was so happy to get this car for my high school graduation. It had an Auburn license plate. Later, I added a Japanese flag as my front tag. Interestingly enough (and perhaps ironically), when I was shopping for a tag for the front of my car, I saw a cool tag with a red disc on it, and I liked it. It was only my senior year of college that I realized it was the Flag of Japan. I had no clue! Here's another post that featured this car.
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