Watty Espy in FFA

circa 1949

March 1949

March 1949

March 1949

April 1949

June 1949

June 1949

Oct. 1949

Oct. 1949

Oct. 1949

Nov. 1949

Watty Espy

Future Farmers of America (FFA)

Henry County

Alabama

Andi, Allen & Kade on Wildlife Prowl!

John Jolly Espy, Financier

Back in the '90s when I was working at the bank, Dad gave me this portrait of my great-grandfather, John Jolly Espy, Sr..  Dad and I "unearthed" it together from a trunk of family memorabilia he had at home.  Incidentally, it was the exact same trunk in which I discovered those prized Russia items (Granddad Major's trip).  Dad let me take this portrait and a couple of others.  I took this one, had it framed, and then gave it to my brother Mark.  I did the same thing with another portrait for my brother Miles .

Below is one of the unique family documents that Aunt Marilyn, granddaughter of J. J. Espy, Sr., passed along to me for my generation's safekeeping.  Click on the last page to get a quick view of the write-up's date, who wrote it and for what publication.  To view clearly, click each document to enlarge, right-click and save to your desktop, then reopen and zoom.  If anyone needs an e-mailed version that's probably even easier to read, get in touch with me at majorespy@yahoo.com. 

w/ Aunt Marilyn

Major Carroll Death & Funeral

The Montgomery Advertiser

Southern Star

August 15, 1917

The Montgomery Advertiser
August 15, 1917

Southern Star
August 22, 1917

Carroll Photo ID

Taken at funeral of Major Carroll

(25 Apr 1851 – 04 Aug 1917)

Ozark, Dale County, Alabama

1. Olive Irene (Carroll) Atkinson
2. Emma Penelope (Carroll) Espy - married J.J. Espy of Headland, AL

3. Sam Jones Carroll
4. Sarah Belle (Carroll) West - nickname was Sallie or Sally

5. John Wesley Carroll - an army major

6. Ruth Branch (Carroll) Mills
7. Marvin Cook Carroll - a reverend
8. Anna (Carroll) McNiel
9.  Major Oscar Carroll

10. Corinne (Carroll) Dunn
11. Sarah Elizabeth (Branch) Carroll - widow of Major Carroll

One child had already died:  James William Carroll was no more than two years old when he died.  He is buried at Union Cemetery in Ozark along with his parents Major Carroll and Sarah Elizabeth Branch.

Some of the name identifications (above) came from ancestry.com, which like Wikipedia, allows input from anyone.  Sometimes mistakes get made, and bad information gets passed along.  The same, of course, can happen with my blog.  Right now, there's still some confusion over the Carroll men's names.   According to ancestry.com, #3 is John Carroll, # 5 is Major Oscar Carroll, and # 9 is Sam J. Carroll.   However, my research shows the listing above.  Yet when I compiled it, I felt sure it was right.  For now, I will keep my own listing above until we get more information.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anna
James William
Emma Penelope
Major Oscar
John Wesley
Marvin Cook
Sarah Belle
Samuel Jones
Corinne
Olive Irene
Ruth

Married names for the ladies:

Mrs. J.J. Espy (Emma)
Mrs. U. McNiel (Anna)
Mrs. T.A. West (Sarah Belle)
Mrs. T. Atkinson (Olive Irene)
Mrs. G.L. Dunn (Corinne)
Mrs. J.B. Mills (Ruth)

The photo (above) was found at the Espy House in Headland, AL when the house was being emptied before selling. There was a note clipped to the photo from “Florence,” whom I assume was Florence (Carroll) Matthews of Ozark, AL.  I don’t know whether she had been addressing it to her Aunt Emma, (Emma Carroll Espy) or to her cousin Sara Frances (Espy) Sidney/Lee.  The note read, “This picture was taken the day of Grandfather Carroll’s funeral.  I thought you might like to have a copy.  Love, Florence.”  Florence would have been sending this picture many years after 1917.  - Beverly (Espy) Dayries

Update:  January 2016

scan made by Judy Faye West, wife of Sam Carroll West

I just took this photo out of its frame and found writing on the back.  It identifies and gives children and their order of birth, etc.  - Judy

"Back row- John-3rd, Oscar-2nd, Marvin-5th, Sam-7th, 2nd row- Irene-next to youngest 9, Emma-4th Major Espy's mother, Sallie-6th, Ruth- youngest 10th, Anna-oldest, Corene-8th" 

Then there are notes that one died before Sallie - the 5th child.  - Judy

"Front row Mother's mother", who we know to be Sarah (Branch) Carroll.  Also says "After funeral-day of funeral" "Land at Ozark and N of Headland owned for five generations with Tom and Sammy's generation."

 

Sarah (Branch) Carroll, died in 1933

Union Cemetery, Ozark, Dale County, Alabama

Source:  Find A Grave

Southern Star
Ozark Masonic Lodge Pays Respects to Major Carroll
August 22, 1917

Southern Star
Announcement by Executors of Major Carroll Estate
October 30, 1918

Major Carroll (with cane) & seven of his ten children. 
My great-grandmother, Emma (Carroll) Espy, is bottom left.

For more on Major and Sarah (Branch) Carroll, click here.

Legislature of Alabama, 1911

This was a quite a find, and arguably the most significant family item uncovered to date.  In the Senate, portrait # 8 is J.J. Espy of Headland, my great-grandfather.  In the House, portrait # 15 is Major Carroll of Ozark, my great-great-grandfather.  J.J. Espy was Major Carroll's son-in-law.  J.J. Espy had married Emma Penelope Carroll in 1901.  

J.J. Espy, Sr.
(John Jolly Espy, Sr.)

Major Carroll

I must thank cousin Beverly (Espy) Dayries for preserving this portrait and bringing it to my attention.  In particular, I appreciate Carolyn (Beverly's daughter), who photographed and e-mailed it to me.

Here's a photo of the Alabama legislature of 1872.  Notice numerous black faces.  This is obviously post-Civil War, likely during Reconstruction.  Thomas Franklin Espy (J.J. Espy's father) was also an Alabama legislator (1876-1878, 1896-1898).  He could be in this photo.  James Searcy (J.J. Espy's grandfather) served in the Alabama Senate in 1853.  James Buhrman Espy (J.J. Espy's first cousin) was an Alabama State Senator (1919-1923).  Thomas Marion Espy (J.J. Espy's brother) and Major Watt Espy, Sr. (J.J. Espy's son) also served in the Alabama legislature.

I contacted the Alabama Legislature office to find out if I could get a current portrait of the Alabama State Legislature.  I would like to be able to post one so we can do a compare/contrast with 100 years ago.  The obvious difference will be numbers of women and African-Americans who have seats today.

UPDATE:  While visiting my Atlanta cousins over the summer, I got to see the newly-framed portrait.  Looks good!

To learn more about Major Carroll, click here.  To discover more about J.J. Espy, click here.

America's BIG Problem

One of the most obvious problems America has - and it's something we lead the world in - is obesity.  We have more fat people per capita than any nation on earth.  Research this.  When you travel outside the country, and then return back through airports, it's very noticeable.  And the ones who are traveling are often in better shape than those who don't!  Whether you look at Europe or South America or Asia, and just focus on what you can see - the physical builds - it's very clear.  And, as hard as it is for me to say this, it's easily one of the most embarrassing aspects of my homeland.  And we do get laughed at. 

 

The way I see it, with all the repeated phrases like "better to fight them over there than here" and the consensus "thinking" that people over there don't know what they're doing, and wouldn't it be great if they became more like us....you know, that mentality that can be pervasive in a powerful country, an empire....is a great contributor towards our inability to see ourselves as others see us, and ultimately not change, and not fix the problem.   This "bunker mentality"  gets "massaged" into us from cradle to grave, and from various circles and by both major political parties .  And being a Southerner, it's even more telling that we Southerners are the biggest of the bunch.  This brings me to a big point:  I was raised to believe that "our bodies are our temples" and I look at the depictions of Jesus - in scriptures and art - and see a strong, healthy figure.  If we're the most spiritual and following the right path, shouldn't we be in the best shape?

 

The causes of obesity are complex and misunderstood, as are the "remedies" that are recommended.  It's more than just overeating.  

 

Here are some factors:

 

- There's a genetic component at play.  Sometimes it's obvious in a family's line. 

 

- There's also an economic factor.  For example, studies show that poor whites and poor blacks in America are more likely to be obese.  

 

- Let's also consider the pressures of modern life for many people and the unhappiness it causes.  Eating is a way to soothe anxieties.  

 

- And sometimes there are cases where willpower is simply trumped by the taste of delicious foods, and the contentment in feeling full, all the time.  

 

- Cities in America are sometimes poorly designed and there's no infrastructure that encourages us to be active in everyday kinds of ways. 

 

- There's the food industry, which benefits from mass-producing and marketing processed, empty calorie foods.  Fast food, chain restaurants and buffets dominant the landscape, while couples (and parents) feel forced or are cleverly persuaded to work to the bone in order to stay afloat, having no time to cook healthy meals at home. 

 

- Then there's exhaustion.  Feeling exhausted by life causes people to turn to sweetened foods and carbs to stay awake or to get through the day.  It becomes an endless cycle, and it overwhelms us. 

- And of course, there's trauma.  Abused, hurting people, who then turn on themselves, see food as the only thing they can control in life.  Of course, that's an illusion.  The food is just one more thing that traumatizes them.

 

Where I am taking us?   Anytime we are overwhelmed and confused, it's time to get back to some fundamentals.  And one fundamental of life that is so invaluable, yet so abused and so discarded and so maligned and so underestimated is the power of sleep.  There is indeed a definite connection between our obesity levels and our quality of sleep.  If we can just focus on sleep, first, wonders will take place.  The key is determining how much sleep you (and I mean, Y-O-U) need, and how to get it.  Later on, I will share some research I've done (and lived), and I will give you some insight into my own discoveries of how getting quality sleep definitely transformed me.  And yet, today, right now, I still struggle getting it.  I also will tell you how I overcame societal pressures - overt and covert - to, more or less, go along with what everyone else was doing when it comes to sleep.  Finally, in a future post, I will delve more into the cultural and lifestyle differences relating to healthy body maintenance that I experienced overseas, and the subsequent challenges I encountered and rewards I gained by incorporating the better parts of it into my life right here in America.  Not always easy! 

America Keeps Getting Fatter

Simply Divine!

Mother was like a pirate, amassing and hoarding priceless treasures.  These sure were keepers!

Land of Waterfalls

Many lovely, unique towns and magnificent forests are right around us.  Brevard and the Pisgah National Forest are two such standouts.  The last couple of years we have hiked in the PNF and have seen several of the key waterfalls.  I have recorded YouTube videos of most of these adventures!  Here's an example.  We try to knock out a few things each year, doing the hikes and treks that are in the easy-to-moderate realm.  Yet, when you only consider these doable hikes, we have barely gotten started vis-à-vis what's out there, and compared to what some of my friends have done.  This year our goal is to hike to Looking Glass Mountain, seen in video two.

No matter how small a waterfall seems, you always should use caution.  People die every year in these parts because they underestimate the power of the current and just how slippery rocks can be.  We walked up on accident at Hooker Falls in DuPont State Forest where a man had just drowned after falling off some rocks into the water.  And not long after that, one of Kade's co-workers got a close-up look at a hiker who was swept over a waterfall to an instant death.  You can google many stories like this.  Typically what happens is people get caught up in the beauty of their surroundings, and just take chances they shouldn't take.  Nature has its own agenda!

Enjoy the beauty of Western North Carolina, and come visit Kade and me for some outdoor fun!  If you're unconventional and free-spirited enough, we might even take you to Skinny Dip Falls!

Life Forms Emerge

We see numerous wild turkeys in Asheville - in neighborhoods, lower elevations, higher altitudes, all over really.  And last year, I saw the most beautiful red fox.  Foxes are not as easy to detect - in part, because they are very suspicious of people.   They're wild, in every sense.  They are highly clever and cunning - a Machiavelli of the Canidae family.  They are very nifty and fast which, combined with their intelligence, makes them incredible hunters.  They sneak, they hide, they dart here and there.  And they seem to appear out of nowhere.  If you see one in the wild, you're lucky.  The only time they are aggressive really to humans is when they are cornered (rare obviously) and when they are rabid.  If you notice one coming a bit too close or showing no fear of you, it most likely has rabies.  So be careful!  Yesterday, in a beautiful area in North Asheville, we spotted some turkeys and a fox and lots of other critters seemingly very happy, as I was, that the sun was out.  The fox, at least compared to the one I saw last year, seemed a little too comfortable standing out in the open - at first, anyway.  And as we got close, it appeared to be very thin and dirty.   Made me wonder about its health.  Caused me to think about the backyards it's running through, and the kids and pets that are in those yards!

Party @ Highland Brewing Company

Photo from Caroline in the City 
Caroline is a young lady from Atlanta who's a tad unconventional.

There ya go!

 

Kade's company threw their annual party at Highland Brewing Company on Monday night.  Of course, I got to accompany her.  We arrived earlier than most, and left earlier than most.  I still managed to get some fun video footage.  I drank two types of beers - both on the lighter side.  The first one was the Little Hump Spring Ale.  I can't remember the second one.  But both were tasty!  Can beers be tasty?!!?!?  Interesting note:  Mary, one of Kade's colleagues, who sat with us most of the evening, said she saw four black bears when she drove up on the property!

To learn more about Highland Brewing Company, check out their impressive website, which includes a history of the company, the various beers they make and some video tours.  A very intriguing aspect of the company is how they converted an old dairy plant - and the machinery used to operate it - into a brewery.  It's an example of a company with a big vision.  Starting small, thinking big, and taking action should be their motto.  This proactive mindset is prevalent in the craft beer industry here in Asheville, and in many other sectors as well.

To help Asheville defend its crown as Beer City USA, go vote here.

Living in Uzbekistan

The whole video is interesting, but here are the parts that feature Andy and me:

11:30  in our apartment with American friends/impersonating Forrest Gump and Bubba/Andy teasing our Russian "Jill of all trades"
19:45 buying bread/Tamerlane monument/souvenir shop/eating pilaf and shashlik
34:50 a brief moment in front of the Tashkent Financial Institute (where we worked)/dinner at Cafe Europa
46:20 crashing a wedding party/riding metro
102:25 student Bakhadir showing us an Uzbek tea house
105:00 enjoying tea with Uzbek men
105:18 full dinner at Bakhadir's family home, "Tonight we are Uzbeks."
130:47 Bakhadir's father giving me pickled tomatoes and some cherry compote (juice) from his cellar

Our "team" of Americans representing various states, from Alabama to Oregon to Ilinois to Michigan to California to Pennsylvania to Nebraska.  The interaction among this group was a cultural experience on its own!  We were affiliated with Educational Services International, out of California.

A small group students I had taken on a "field trip."  I think I got them into trouble!  For more pictures with classes of students, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

A couple of the Uzbek teachers (and colleagues of ours) who were instrumental in helping Andy and me at the Tashkent Financial Institute.  Mrs. Jebova (right) also helped us outside of school when we needed it.  For example, she helped me find a barber and, more importantly,  communicated with the barber on my behalf that very first time.  I knew scant Russian and he knew no English.  After Mrs. Jebova's assistance in setting things up, I visited this barber every three weeks, and didn't have to say a word.  I did eventually practice some Russian on him!  Remains to this day the best "old style" barber experience I've ever had!  Of course, I don't need one today!!!

Ulugbek statue, Samarkand.  Andy and I went with a couple of our sudents to Samarkand.  One was from there, and we stayed with his family.

This was in The Headland Observer.  I have a better scan of it...somewhere....with the whole article that accompanied it.  The photo on the left, in Samarkand, remains my all-time favorite from that time.  Upon returning to the USA, I was on a speaking circuit for a bit.  Andy came over to Headland, AL and we spoke to a men's breakfast at the First Baptist Church.  My dad had organized it.  I later spoke to my aunt's Sunday School class.  Then there was the Kiwanis club, the Lion's club and Women's Garden Club (or maybe the retired teachers group).  The most fun I had, though, was teaming up with Uncle Jim for a presentation to a group in Dothan, AL.  We spent half our time just fumbling through the VHS tape!  Where was YouTube then???

 

To view other Uzbekistan photos from that period, click here.  On that page, you can also find photos and a video of my trip to India, which I took while in Tashkent during the winter break between semesters.

Big Adventures with Uncle Jim!

Above is the video of this trip. To make it easy to view, I am providing a guide with some cues.

2:55 Beethoven statue, Germany

6:22 Cologne Cathedral

11:22 descending into a snowy Moscow!

27:34 Orthodox Cathedral, Almaty, Kazakhstan

35:20 Uncle Jim skiing, Kazakh mountains

40:28 breakfast at Ulugbek's and tour of his family home

1:01:09 dinner and toasting at Timour's family home

1:11:34 ancient Uzbek cities, Bukhara and Samarkand
1:21:12 Tomb of Tamerlane
1:24:15 Uncle Jim receiving a gift at an Uzbek home

1:32:00 Registan Mosque and madrasas, Samarkand

1:35:00 birthday party for Uncle Jim....and our Farewell party

1:53:00 Red Square, Moscow

 

How did this trip come about?

 

During my Jan-term at Samford University, Uncle Jim (Dr. James W. Vann of Headland, AL) and I traveled to Central Asia, specifically Uzbekistan and Kazahkstan.  This was not long at all after the breakup of the USSR.  What led to this adventure was my befriending two Uzbek exchange students at Samford University, Ulugbek and Timour.  In fact, during that year the USSR collapsed, they were college students in the USA.  Over the course of that year, Ulugbek and Timour came down to South Alabama with me several times.  They spoke at the Headland Kiwanis Club and the First Baptist Church.  They spent Christmas with us.  During these visits to Headland, they got to know many family members and they got to see first-hand what life was like for me, in my home area.  One person they met and just connected with instantly was Uncle Jim!  And who wouldn't?!?!?  He's generous, worldly and curious about others.  And he's known to be a pretty spirited conversationalist!  What I recall is that at the Kiwanis Club presentation - one I made Ulugbek and Timour give - during the Q&A, a question came from the floor:  "Do y'all have cars over there?"  As my Uzbek friends laughed, Uncle Jim piped up, "I'm sure they do. If they put all those rockets into space and send people into orbit, they certainly can manufacture a car."  It was something to that effect, and it changed the dynamic in the room.   

Only later on, when I also lived overseas - and thinking back also on my summer in Alberta, Canada in 1991- did I actually put things together a bit.  In those moments overseas, when I was out of my element, I too gravitated towards types like that - the Uncle Jims of the world.  They were people that expressed the most interest in me and were happy that I was there enjoying their culture.  And the best part:  They were so intent on making sure I had an even better time in their country, they took me to some intriguing places, and I got to see more than the average traveler.  Uncle Jim was that way to my Uzbek friends.  I remember the four of us taking a trip to Orlando, where we went to Disney World, Sea World and even bungee jumping.  What fun!  That whole year Ulugbek and Timour were in the USA, it was a time of fabulous experiences - for them, for me and for Uncle Jim too!  So, that's the context behind our trip to Uzbekistan.

 

Our itinerary was intended to be simple:  Fly to Germany, change planes at the airport.  Fly to Moscow, get our Uzbekistan visas.  Then fly to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.  Ulugbek and Timour, as soon as we arrived in Russia, were to have contacts for us, and get us where we needed to go.

 

Turns out it wasn't so simple!!!  Before reaching our destination (Tashkent), we encountered a glitch or two, putting it mildly.  The biggest one is that we simply didn't have the proper paperwork to pass through Russia!  To rectify this matter, we had to stay in Germany for at least a week to process a visa at the Russian Embassy.  We made the best of it!  We actually went inside the home where Beethoven was born!  How 'bout that?!?!?  Once our Russia visa got settled, our journey into the former USSR officially began.   We ended up flying to Moscow, then on to Tashkent.  From there, we went snow skiing in the mountains of Kazakhstan, outside the then-capital, Almaty.  Then, back in Uzbekistan, we saw all the sights, we ate all the food and we absorbed as much culture as we could!  We even took some amazing side trips to ancient Silk Road cities, Samarkand and Bukhara.  We saw Tamerlane's tomb and observed some fascinating Islamic architecture.  Just when we thought all this had ended, we were back in Moscow, walking down Arbat Street, riding the stunningly beautiful subway, walking out onto Red Square and observing the Changing of the Guard in front of Lenin's Mausoleum.  A lot to take in for a young guy from Headland, Alabama...and for a 67 year old great-uncle!!!!
 

Once I got back to Samford, I had a semester to go.  My first class back, a professor that I grew to respect and admire, called me up to the front of a rather large class of students and asked me to tell them what I had experienced on that Jan Term trip.  I did my best! 

 

Back in Headland, Uncle Jim spoke to the Kiwanis Club and other groups.

The whole trip was humbling in a ways. I knew so little about the places I visited, and truly knew so little about myself.  I was in college, yes, but I was growing and learning.  Still am!  Thank goodness for the video editing button!  I called tapestry, "carpet on a wall." I pronounced weaponry, weaponTRY.  I referred to Muslim clerics as "rabbis."   And anytime I had the chance, I would say to people, complete strangers, sometimes in obnoxious ways, "Say hi to America!!" 

One important thing that trip did, though, it triggered a real interest to learn more.  The Uzbek Jewish family in Birmingham and I got tighter.  I also picked up a library book that explained the last days of the USSR and the failed coup d'état that tried to save it.  I bought Boris Yeltsin's biography and started reading it.  And because Uncle Jim and I had spent time in Germany, the Holocaust and WWII became fascinating subjects to me, remaining so to this day.

On my travel blog Ballyhoo I have many postings on Russia, Uzbekistan and Central Asia in general.  Just be sure to search the categories in the right sidebar.  My plan is to continue compiling these stories and put together a memoir of my travel experiences, describing what I have learned about myself and others and about my culture and other cultures. 

Here's an interesting tidbit:  No one in my family mentioned that Granddad Major had gone on a trip to the USSR in 1959.  I even went and lived in Uzbekistan a year and had not been told this.  Shocking!  Only when I discovered an article in a trunk of family documents and photos - a trunk that Dad had incidentally - did I learn of Granddad Major's trip.  How did that get dropped?!?!?!   I say all this in a humorous and loving fashion...but with a certain seriousness.  Truly, had Auburn played a football game in Russia or Central Asia, it would have been placarded all over Headland!