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My Story Elizabeth Brown Martin Created in 2018
You Can Now Record Your Story and Share It Online In Your Digital Book
INTRODUCTION What is the name that you were given at birth Elizabeth Ann Brown If there is a reason you were given this name I was named after Elizabeth Taylor who was very popular when I was born Date and location of birth 07 26 1935 Columbus Ohio Enter your current name if different from what is listed above Elizabeth Ann Martin
Please Enter Your Married Name s and Year of Marriage below Elizabeth Martin 1957 Which of the following best describes your hair color when you were young Blonde Which of the following best describes your eye color when you were young Brown Were you born with any distinctive features I was born with an oval shaped brown birthmark on my right leg It is much smaller now ABOUT MY PARENTS Mother s Birth Name Mary Thelma Mason Married Name and year of marriage Mary Thelma Brown 1933 Date and location of birth 10 17 1902 Richmond Virginia USA If your mother is deceased year location and cause of death Mom died of a heart attack in our family home in 1968 Father s Name Morris Brown Date and location of birth 01 15 1888 South Hill VA USA
Are there any stories that you would like to share about relatives of your parents Excluding their parents or grandparents Mother s day was our big celebration After giving our mother her gift we would go to Lake Smith in Virginia Beach to visit my father s mother and take her lavish gifts We rode there in a car hired by my parents Most of the time it was school teacher Greens car and she would drive us there and pick us up at a designated time We had a good time with our cousins When I became an adult I made sure my mother had a good Mother s Day too What kind of relationship did you have with your parents My mother was a refined dignified cultured lady My father learned those things from her Both liked to read newspapers magazines and books My father grew up as a child of tenant farmers and continued to have large gardens until he died at 95 He grew both vegetables and flowers Our yard was well landscaped because of him GROWING UP Describe the house and neighborhood where you grew up The house I lived in was built by my my grandfather and was inherited by my mother It had a living room dining room kitchen three upstairs bedrooms bathroom long hall up and down stairs front porch to back porches one upstairs and down The house was great wood sided trend in dark green with a large yard
What was a typical day like in your home A typical day in my house was mainly boring to a child and lonely If it was summer I did my chores and rode my bike a lot If it was fall winter or spring I went to school did my chores did my homework and went to bed Sometimes we played checkers cards or dominoes or just talked Share something that you enjoyed doing as a child In the winter months loved to play cards with my family My grandfather taught my sister and me to play poker for buttons We got very good and one all of his buttons then he would make some lame excuse and abruptly quit I played every kind of cards poker rummy and solitaire In the summer I played with my dolls in the old coal shed emptied out and swept clean My sister and I played tag and hide and seek and had tin can water fights I also spent many many hours riding my bike up and down our country road I loved to ride with the wind and sun on my face and through my hair I love to role play and during these rides became many different characters but mostly journalists Lois Lane Superman s girlfriend Where did your mother work My mother did not work until we were teenagers after being a housewife with nursing knowledge she became a receptionist at a retirement home later
Where did your father work my father was young he did farm work then worked for the city of Rochester building paved streets He finally finished his working career at Shell Oil after 20 years of service SCHOOL YEARS Enter the names of the High School s that you attended George Washington Grades Attended 9 12 Location Norfork Virginia USA How did you get to school I walked school was about 4 blocks away What was the name of your favorite high school teacher s Ms Regina Bell English Ms Lucille Mason Math Mrs Raymond Q Brace English Mrs Edris Smith Science
Did you play sports or participate in any other school or extracurricular activities I was in the junior choir at church During my senior year I was a feature writer for the school newspaper I did not play any sports except in P E class Who are the friends you remember most from your teenage high school years and what about them stands out in your memory There were a number of people that had a great impact on my high school years I will provide those below listing them in alphabetical order Samantha Reynolds Jones was outgoing excellent piano player and no nonsense I sometimes spent the night at her house We want many places together I could depend on her for good advice Dolores Scott Hamilton was outgoing beautiful clothes and popular girl on campus Gave me good advice on dating and getting dates Mariana Grant Taylor was one of my church members daughter of one of our high school teachers who also could drive and had access to the family car Had a beautiful house and helped expose me to many of the finer things in life Always there for me We went to activities together Nikolis Kohler Reed was a friend since childhood who always knew and owned the latest games She also had a repertoire of jokes that kept me laughing Also compassionate about her friends Christina Lee Cosby was a childhood friend who
lived across the street Sometimes we would hand soap broomstick skirts and summer dresses We played all kinds of games and were in and out of each other houses Include any additional comments insights or memories about your teenage high school years I enjoyed going to George Washington High school basketball games with my sisters We attended many games and cheered for our team My future husband played on the team and was a star Back then it was beyond my wildest dream that I would become his wife Going to the movies was also an event I liked During my senior year I was nominated for Miss Homecoming for the annual fall game I represented my homeroom class and my picture the other candidates was in the newspaper Journal and Guide I even got a fan letter from a young man in Georgia who had seen the picture It was sent to the school and my teacher gave it to me I did not answer and did not hear from the young man again
Adulthood Marriage What is your spouse s name and date of birth William Howard Martin 05 12 1933 Norfolk Virginia USA Describe how you met your spouse My husband is William Howard Martin he was born on May 12 1933 in Norfolk Virginia in the USA I knew Walter because he was the popular baseball star and captain of the
team He was also in my Math class during his senior year We never spoke or had any kind of conversation during our high school days and he did not make any attempts to talk to me He had a parade of girlfriends and admirers I was casually introduced to William during my Junior year in College by my best friend Mary who had been in high school with him She was talking to him while waiting for me When I arrived she said you know William Martin He was in our Math Class I replied yes of course After some small talk he wanted to walk me home but I had to go pay a bill for my parents She he got my phone number and called me later and that was the beginning of our relationship When you first met your future spouse what was your first impression of him or her I thought he was compassionate had a sense of humor and was smart He liked to talk and was a people person He was tall and handsome too Describe your first date William was a junior and an outstanding athlete After meeting him he called me for a date to the football game on Saturday September 11 1954 We walked to the game from my house which was nearby After the game we rode with his friend to a party at my cousin s house in Liberty Park He took me home in a Taxi Cab The driver made a sharp turn that threw us us into each other and we kissed for the first time on our first date What do you remember most about dating before you got married All were enjoyable Some were stayed at home watching TV dates Others were to the movies dances sporting events the beach and clubs Every one of them were enjoyable and fun
How long did you date before you got engaged We dated off and on but my senior year in college we became real serious and dated one year before getting engaged We were officially engaged When did you get engaged December 25 1956 Describe the marriage proposal We were waiting for the bus so he could take me home while his car was being repaired We were looking at each other romantically in the eyes when out of the blue William said let s get married I said YES And we rode the bus to my house and told my parents When did you get married 06 15 1957 City where you were married Northfolk Virginia USA Describe your wedding ceremony William and I were married in St Joseph s Catholic Church by Fr Sexton My father gave me away Mr John Franklin was the organist Miss Betsy Rainier and Robert Cunningham presented the wedding music The church was decorated with baskets of white Gladiolus and Palm and candles I had a regal styled gown of imported brocade lace of taffeta made by our dear family friend Roxanne Howard I had a fingertip veil of silk illusion I carried a prayer book topped with a white orchids and satin ribbons Walter wore a white tux jacket with black tuxedo pants It was a double ring ceremony We did not kiss at the end of the ceremony because that was the rule of the Catholic Church in 1957
Think back to your wedding day What do you remember most about your bride or groom on that day remember most about my spouse is that water was more handsome than ever in his white tux jacket He was cool and calm in his eyes stayed on me He was smiling and happy We strolled down the aisle with my arm in his and paused for a picture at the church door Next he opened the door to the limo for me to get in and we had a passionate kiss Then went to the parish hall for our reception and he took charge of making sure everything and everybody was in place because he wanted to make sure I was happy with the reception I felt so lucky and blessed to be married to him THE WEDDING PARTY George H Martin Best Man Williams Brother Edward Davis Groomsman Usher Martin s Brother In Law sister Marie s husband Melvin Rice Groomsman Usher William s Friend Yvette Little Reese Matron of Honor My Sister Reba Galiant Bridesman William s Sister Madaline Kellog Bridesmaid My youngest sister
What do you remember most about your wedding day There are a lot of things I remember about my wedding day but a few things that stand out are All of the people who attended in the heat of day Riding in the limo down Church Street to the wedding with my father and after the marriage with my husband by my side Our reception in the Church Parish Hall with my girlfriends serving as hostess aunts wedding cake William had even hired Crimson Red Combo Band to play during our reception It was a happy day Changing into our honeymoon outfits and leaving my parents house in his Aunt s brand new 57 Plymouth for our honeymoon in New York City BELIEFS AND OPINIONS Describe your religious spiritual beliefs I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I was baptized in the Baptist faith I and my husband raise our children in the Baptist Church and they were all baptized in the Baptist faith I believe in prayer and pray daily Pastor Clay Noah was a big influence in my and my family s life He lived what he preached I believe we should live by the 10 Commandments I believe we should hold our families dear and friends neighbors and strangers too Be faithful and be quick to forgive We can t control our feelings but we certainly can control our actions Learn to know our feelings and do what we know is right You can t praise the Lord too much Our Father in heaven is like our Father on earth they both like to hear from their kids I believe I ve had at least 2 Miracles in my life I didn t deserve either I will never pay for them if I live to be 100 God is so good Trust him in everything good and also the bad as sometimes what we thought was bad turns out in time to be good God sees around corners we don t
How would you describe yourself politically Why I am a Democrat Republican and Independent In other words I vote for the man or woman for the man or woman that I like regardless of their party affiliation I m not very Political Period It seems as if none ever do what they profess they will I don t know the answers I wish I did The best answer is Pray Pray Pray Then when you re done praying pray some more As you see it what are the biggest problems that face our nation and how do you think they can be solved 1 Pollution is the one that comes to mind we are spoiling God s beautiful world 2 Terrorism Hate is a terrible waste of otherwise wonderful minds 3 Racism reason same as above 4 Greed everyone wants more and more and more yesterday 5 Jealousy People want everyone in their circle of family and friends have and think they deserve it Five jealousy people want what everyone in their circle of fear family and friends have and think they deserve it What do you feel will be the next major world event when where and why not sure What human characteristics do you view to be destructive Number One Greed Number Two Racism Number Three Dishonesty Number Four Selfishness Number Five Meanness Number Six Moral less Number Seven Disrespect Number Eight Judgmental
What human characteristics do you view to be good positive Number One Respect Number Two Honesty Number Three Generosity Number Four Responsibility Number Five Morality Number Six Fairness Number Seven Non Judgmental Number Eight Loving HISTORICAL EVENTS What wars have been fought during your lifetime How did you feel about them World War II Korean War Vietnam Iraq and Afghanistan and Iran I hated them all What US presidents have you admire the most and why I admire Harry S Truman I admire him because he said The Buck Stops Here and he took responsibility for all his actions especially the dropping of the atom bomb ending World War II in 1945 What do you remember about the day Pres Kennedy was assassinated I was in my kitchen at 210 North Washington with Wlliam fixing him some food when it came over the radio It was quite a shock I was glued to the radio all day for updates I couldn t believe this had really happened
Do you remember the Great Depression If yes describe what stands out most in your memory Don t remember I was at the end of the depression I know my parents walked everywhere couldn t afford a car My mom wore cardboard in her shoes to cover the holes My mom made 1 00 for 12 hours work My dad worked 6 days a week for 27 00 That was very good wages Bread was 5 cents a loaf but a nickel was hard to come by If you remember segregation describe the impact it had on your life community I remember segregation It didn t rear its ugly head much in our small town We only had 2 colored families in our town the Burnett s and the Fairfax s Junior Burnett was a great athlete and had lots of white friends Nancy Fairfax had lots of white friends also If you remember the Holocaust describe the impact it had on your life community I don t remember the Holocaust I just know what I ve read What a horrible horrible way to kill people women children and men just because of the religious beliefs What do you remember most about women s rights I only remember that they burned their Bras I know they also had sit ins and picketers for equal wages equal jobs and etc This touched our small town very little OR we just did very little about it I remember our banks would hire a man and give him a higher position than a woman who had worked there for several years What do you remember most about the Cold War We hated the Russians and were scared to death that they would invade us I especially remember Khrushchev and thought he was mighty scary looking I was happy when we went through disarmament of the nuclear weapons and all the missile sites were disarmed and abandoned We had a missile site at Grafton Illinois about 7 miles from our home
