That Teenage Feeling

When I was little, I vividly remember my great grandmother. I can remember her smell, and her voice. I recall a feeling of warm comfort that would envelope me when I was talking with her. For a while as a child, I lived with my maternal grandparents, and at the time my mom’s extended family lived in same area. I remember visiting my mom’s cousins and my great aunts and uncles regularly. I especially remember the woman that I called Nanu. (It’s like Nana, but instead of the extra na, you add the nu, like noodle.)

The first memory I have is waking up and walking into the living room and seeing my grandma and Nanu on the couch. To me, they were both so alike. I remember just sitting in her lap and being held. She was always so kind and loving. I remember watching all of Where the Red Fern Grows in her lap.

(Side note: I was an incredibly spoiled child, as I am now an incredibly spoiled person. If I wanted a toy, then my grandmother got me that toy. To this day I do not eat vegetables, and it started because my grandparents never forced me to eat them.)

I figured out how things worked in the house very quickly. I was rarely told “no,” but when I was I took it as a challenge. (Since I lived with my grandma, she acted a bit more motherly than grandmotherly.) Once, I wanted to take a bath in the middle of the day so I could play with my bath toys. My grandmother told me no. I waited 5 minutes, and then asked my grandpa to call Nanu on the phone so I could talk to her. I walked into the closet and told her that I just wanted to get a bath because I was dirty and that grandma said no. “Let me talk to her,” she said. I very smugly took the phone to my grandmother, and stood next to her listening.

I got to take a bath that afternoon.

I decided to start my search with Nanu. I knew that some work had been done to preserve the history on my father’s side, and I was very curious about what I’d find on my mother’s side.

My great grandmother's name was Katie Bell Slay. Katie Bell was born in September 15th, 1928 to Riley Slay and Pearl Pippin.

Katie Bell Slay, listed here on the fourth column of a 1940 United States Census. This census was taken in May of 1940, making her 11 years old at the time.

Katie Bell grew up in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, which is in the Florida panhandle. Her mother died when Katie Bell was 9 years old, leaving Katie Bell the oldest woman in the house, and she often cared for her father, Riley, who was aging poorly, as well as the rest of the children.

Just looking over a document from 1940 with her name on it inspired me to look further. It amazed me to just imagine a census worker on my ancestor's front porch, with my great grandmother in the doorway, a mere 11 years old. So I continued searching, unaware of a huge family secret lurking under the surface.

This is a 1945 census report from the community of White House, located in Duval County, Florida. Highlighted is Katie Bell ,16 years old, and the name Pearl Opal, 2 years old, her daughter and my grandmother. Katie Bell was 14 years old when she gave birth to my grandmother, Pearl. Even more, the census lists Katie Bell as married and with the last name Lucas. I had always known that my grandmother was years older than her siblings, but I didn't know how young Katie Bell was when she was born. I began to wonder why her husband wasn't listed along side her on the census. I searched for a marriage certificate and license, and it exposed two more clues to unraveling this mystery.

This is Katie Bell's marriage certificate to Warren Oliver Lucas.
They were married December 17th, 1942. Katie Bell is 14 years old here, and also about 7 months pregnant. My grandmother Pearl was born February 13th of the following year.

Then, I found their marriage license, which was granted to them a few days before.

This is their marriage license. It lists Katie Bell as 17 years old, which is untrue.

Why was her age altered? Because she was pregnant at at such a young age. The paper suggests that Warren Oliver Lucas is the father of Pearl, my grandmother, but it seems a little fishy.

I did some internal family searching, and concluded the following story: When Katie Bell's mother died, her half brother William Slay(her father's son from a previous marriage) came to live with them. The two developed a relationship, and Katie Bell found herself carrying his child. Her father panicked, and the family sought out a lawyer, who bought off a young man planning to enlist in the US Navy during World War 2 named Warren Oliver Lucas. Warren and Katie Bell's marriage was nothing more than the certificate. The two never spent a night together, and no child was conceived between the two. They divorced in 1968.

This is from the same 1945 Duval County census that I referenced above. William Slay is highlighted. At the time of this census, William was 39 years old, and living in his father's home. Katie Bell is listed on the page after this as also living with her father, in the same household as William.

By the time I went to bed, after finding all this information out, it was almost dawn. I was amazed by the story. I knew Katie Bell as my great grandmother, my Nanu. I never imagined the life she led before I met her, and here it was, laid out in front of me. It sounded like the synopsis from a film, or a novel.

I'm eager to learn more, and to fill in the blanks. I wish I could ask Katie Bell herself to tell me everything, and learn about her life first hand, but that opportunity has past me by. Katie Bell died October 1st, 2006.

Rest in Peace Katie Bell Slay
September 15th, 1928 - October 1st, 2006

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