French/Davis Family

HELEN MARIE FRENCH BRANCH

Once upon a time in the year of 1939 I was born to Andrew and Helen French. The day
was the 28th of August, and the place was in a little house on Tyler Street (just across the
street from where I now live). The house is no longer there, but I have a special feeling
for the spot where the house once stood. I was the first of five children -- four girls and
lastly my bother. My sister, Shirley came next, followed by Lillie Mae, Fannie, and then
Andrew, Jr., whom we called Tut for some reason I cannot remember. It was not easy for
us, and I remember a lot of struggling just to get by. I guess you would say we were
poor. We did not always have the very basics that others just take for granted. I can
remember many times when I was very hungry and how excited when we had something
special to eat. I can also remember that we moved a lot, and we lived with many
different people. It was usually a family member that Daddy would move us in with. I
am sure that my cousins can remember those times when we would stay in their homes
for a while. I am sure that it did not take long for us to outstay our welcome. We also
lived as a separate family a lot, and we lived in the city of Fredericksburg and the
counties as well. I had to change schools each time we moved. I never stayed in one
school for a long time. I was in the sixth grade before I spent longer than a year in
school. When we lived in the country, the schools were usually very bare structures,
consisting of one or two rooms with a big stove in a corner. I might mention here that the
bathrooms were outside - outhouses, they were called. I did not care how the school
looked, how cold they were, or what conveniences they lacked, I loved them! I have
never outgrown my love for the classroom, and find myself in them every change I get -
even today.

As a child, I can remember me and my siblings making games out of almost anything that
was around. We had "{play houses in the woods", we made mud pies, we made dolls out
of paper bags, and we never ran out of things to do. I must have used up all of my
creative talents in those early years because today I have none. We did get "real toys"
from time to time, especially at Christmas. I think they must have enjoyed the stuff that
Santa Clause brought us as we did. I will never forget the Christmas that Daddy realized
that something was missing from under the tree. As it turned out, Santa had dropped it
outside in the snow, and Daddy was happy that he had found it. Santa always managed
to bring me some kind of doll. I am sure that my sisters also received dolls as well, but
no one could have enjoyed playing with dolls more than I did. I must have played with
them until I was about thirteen. I can remember my "girlfriends" teasing me because I
was such a late bloomer in just about everything.

I am sure that we were very much like other children growing up, and I suppose that each
of us developed into our own personalities. I was the 'oldest,' but Shirley was the more
"mature" one. She was also the pretty one. Lillie was the one with light skin and "good
hair", and Fannie was "the cute little baby". She held that title for what I thought was a
very long time. When Tut came along he was very special just being the only boy. I am
not sure if there was anything special about me. I know that I always wanted more than I
had, and I "day dreamed" a lot. I don't know how others felt about that but I can
remember times when I was put in my place (smiles). I probably did not make sense at
times and I can recall a time long ago when I said that I was "going to college". They
thought I had lost my mind!

We finally ended up on a family farm with my mother's relatives. Both of my parents
were hard working, and they did the best they could with what they had. I have failed to
mention that Daddy was a good person and I really believe that he did his best, but Daddy
had a battle that he lost in the end. Today he would be classified as an alcoholic, but in
those days I heard him referred to as a "drunk". He died at the age of 41 - I was about
fourteen years old. Alcohol seems to have made others in the French family a friend, and
we must educate our children to that demon that have caused problems for some of us.

Eventually all of the children of Andrew French would marry. Everyone stayed close to
home and to Virginia, except me. Everyone owns a home, except me. I guess I was the
gypsy in the family. I moved around a lot, and in addition to living in Philadelphia, I
have lived in Iowa and Georgia. I have just recently decided to settle down. I believe
that I am in Fredericksburg to stay - for the most part. Anyway, Shirley has two
daughters and some fine grandchildren. Lillie Mae has one daughter, and one grandson
(they live in Washington). Fannie has three sons, two daughters, and eight grandchildren.
Tut died a few years ago. He had lived in Washington, and has two children who live
there. I am sure my sisters have their own stories to tell and they can give you their
"slant" on our history.

If you tire of reading this "history", you might as well stop reading at this point because
from now on you will be reading mostly about me. I am now going to bring you up to
date on the evolution of me.

I had lived with my Uncle Fred and his family a lot as a young girl, and I thought they
were rich. They had food every day! I babysat Cosey and Carolyn when Fred and Rosa
went out. (Rosalyn was to come into the family much, much later.) Fred and Rosa were
very popular, had lots of friends, and they were always going somewhere. However, they
always went to church on Sundays. I became a part of their family for a long while.
Some folks thought that I belonged to them. I am grateful that Rosa and my uncle
opened their home to me and that always gave me a good feeling. I always knew that I
was welcome there, and I always knew that I would have something to eat. I still eat
there a lot. Now about Cousin Cosey.

Nothing gives me more of a feeling of security than knowing Cosey is around. He has
been my very best friend in the whole wide world and my protector, and I will always
have his back. I moved to Philadelphia to live with Uncle Clarence, Pee Wee, and their
children: Glenn, Gary, Sheilah, and my baby Gregory. Wow, I had thought I was rich
living with Uncle Fred, and now this! I thought that Uncle Clarence was a millionaire!
They lived in this big three bedroom brick house on Horton Street in West Philadelphia --
and there was even a basement. I shared a room with Little Sheilah who had a little white
crib. She was about a year old at the time, and I would wake up in the morning with
those big eyes focused on me. She would cry until I took her out of her crib and put her
in the bed with me. How was I to know that this little baby would grow up to be my best
cheer leader. Actually, we cheer each other, and I can always count on her for
encouragement when needed. She wants me to always be the best that I can be, and to
climb as high as I can. I want the same for her, and I will support any effort she has to do
the great things I know she can do. Well, as a little boy, Gary thought he owned me and
would get upset when he did not get his way. He was a cute little kid, but he had this
very mean habit of getting even in a sneaky way. It was scary! If you messed with him
you paid. One minute he was crying and then he would quietly disappear. When you
saw him again he had this mysterious grin on his face and you know you had been had.
You could not make him tell you what he had done and that meant a lot of work for you.
He would not talk! You had to look hard to find what he had hidden, damaged, or
destroyed. I can't remember what injustice I inflicted on him that warranted the attack of
my sacred Overbrook High School yearbook. Can I add here that Wilt Chamberlain
graduated the year before I entered Overbrook? I never personally met him, but he did
come back to visit the school. Also, Will Smith graduated from the same school much
later. Anyway, getting back to Gary…He really is a different person today, and he has
since reformed from the dirty deeds of his youth. I don't believe that he had done
anything like that in year. Then again, he just might be better at it! Seriously, he and I
have become very close, and I love him dearly. Of course, when he and Gychang
(Glenn), were bad as little boys, I could beat them because I was the boss of them! I did
that until they got tall. Then I became their friend. I must not have done any real damage
to our relationship because they both are protective of me today. When Gregory was
born, he was so cute, and he took charge at an early age. He was the boss of me and
everyone, and all of us were his servants - even his mama. He ruled from the crib, and
was talking and singing long before he walked. Why didn't he walk? He just didn't walk
because he did not want to. He really did not have to. We carried him around on our
hips for a long time. He had this little red wagon that he made us ride him around in.
One day, the wagon just disappeared. Nobody talked about that, but I have my money on
Gary. Sheilah, Gregory and I became a threesome, and they were included on my dates -
thanks a lot Pee Wee. Gregory was jealous of my dates, I don't believe he ever forgave
me for getting married. I am grateful for the security that my uncle Clarence and Pee
Wee provided for me in their home, and they introduced me to a life that I would claim
for life. It is because of Pee Wee that I would enter college and be able to fulfill a dream I
had as a very young girl. I graduated from Overbrook High School in 1958, attended
Norfolk University (it was part of Virginia State College then) for a year, and moved
back to Philadelphia because I could not afford to stay in school. I began working in the
city library system, and I eventually married William Thornton. WE had a beautiful little
girl, and she brought a lot of love and joy into our marriage. We named her Sybil, and
we loved her very much. She and bill were "tight" from the very beginning, and it was
clear that Bill loved his baby more than he loved anyone in the entire world - that
included me too. We eventually divorced some years later but that made no difference in
the relationship between Sybil and her father. She was definitely a Daddy's girl. I am
very proud of my daughter and what she has done with her life. She is a good mother to
my very special grandchildren, C.J. and Avery. They are the loves of my life, and the
medicine that keeps me alive and my mind and body healthy. Knowing that they are
okay is what motivates me from day to day. They are my babies!

I was determined to complete my college education by hook or by crook. I attended
Temple University night school for a long, long time but I was not getting close to the
end. I eventually was employed with The University of Pennsylvania and was able to
take classes free. I was still far from the end. I moved back to Fredericksburg with Sybil
in 1971 and lived with Fred and Rosa again. I worked fro Mary Washington College and
made very little money. I decided to become a full time student there since I was not
making enough money to get ahead anyway. So, I graduated in 1976. My determination
to complete college had paid off. Of course I did not make the money I thought I would
make, but I was happy. I got married again in 1979, and stayed married for a very, very,
very, very short time. My friends refer to that marriage as my "long date".

I wanted to work at a job that helped people, and decided to get a Master's degree from
Virginia Commonwealth University in Rehabilitation Counseling. That was one of the
best decisions I have ever made because that has allowed me to work in some jobs that I
have loved and found very rewarding.

I shall not write another word until I give God the credit for all that I am and for all that I
have done in my life. I am nothing without God, and I could not have done anything
without Him, and I still cannot do anything without Him. I am still dreaming and I am
still looking forward to doing some exciting things with my life. Whatever gifts and
talents God has blessed me with, I am going to get as much mileage out of them as I can.
I don't plan to retire from anything. I hope that when I reach the Pearly Gates I'm hoping
that my earthly record will get me an A+. Life is good, and I thank God for it! I have
had the good fortune to have met some very wonderful people in my life, I have had an
opportunity to have lived in places outside of my Virginia walls, and I have been able to
do a little bit of traveling. I have made some wonderful friends along the way and I still
have them. I thank God for all of my gifts and for everything and everyone H has place
in my life. God must have decided very early in my life that He would help me work my
dreams. He put a lot of wonderful people in my life, and He blessed me with different
families along the way when I needed them. Some families were relatives, and some
were not. My current adopted family includes some sweet adopted grandchildren. Janett,
London, and Noel have accepted me as part of their family and I feel that I have known
them forever - they are stuck with me. I have been blessed with a number of great
mothers in addition to my mama. One of my favorite mothers (Mrs. Fulton) passed away
some time ago, and I still miss her. Rosa has been like a mother to me for a long, long
time and we have grown to be good "road buddies". I know that as long as she is
cooking, I am eating. Pee Wee played the role of my mother for a long time and however
much I can depend on her for a lot of stuff, I know that if I am hungry in her house, she
will probably tell me where the food is - and expect me to cook it. Thank God that my
uncle Clarence was a good cook. He made the best bread pudding.

To my French family, I am so happy that we have decided to get to know each other. We
have wasted many years going our separate ways without a lot of contact. We will still
go our ways, but we are connected now. We have learned a lot about each other and
what has happened in our lives. Let's not stop now! The best is yet to come. In the
years ahead, our children will grow old together and they will have a bond that started in
their youth. We can know now that when we are no longer around, the French family
will continue to be the French family.

If you have read this far, you have probably picked up on the fact that I like to write. I
really do, and I have enjoyed writing this history. It could have been so much longer, but
I have condensed it the best I could. I did not want to make it short because I am wordy,
but I know that some of my "family" will get tired, and not get to the end. So, I am
bringing this to a close now. I am really not going to write any more. Honest, I am
stopping now - right now. This is absolutely the last sentence for now, but you will
probably be reading more stuff from me in the years to come.

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