My 2nd great-grandfather Isaac T Vincent
September 23, 1854 – December 31, 1921
My 2nd great-uncle Acra Archie Cathey
July 24, 1894 – December 31, 1944
Photo courtesy of Tracey M.
My mother-in-law Elaine Wallace Smith
November 14, 1941 – December 31, 2011
JE Wallace
It’s been a year exactly since my mother-in-law Jessie Elaine Wallace passed away. I still remember the months before, the day, and the months following.
From my husband Brett:
One year ago today, the world lost a remarkable person. Elaine Wallace Smith may have lost her long battle with cancer, but she won at so many other things in life. Things that really mattered. Family. Friends. Dignity. Grace. A thirst for adventure and a desire to see what all this world has to offer. A great sense of humor and love of life. There is not a day that goes by that she is not thought about and truly missed.
I miss you and I love you Mom. Always.
This week I am posting Christmas recipes from my family. Enjoy!
My husband writes:
When I was a young, I loved Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. OK… to be honest, I still love them. Anyway, when my mother first tried this recipe out in the late 80’s- my mind was blown. It was like I had an entire pan full of Reese’s cups to myself! While I don’t know if these are actually “Christmas Treats”, my mother made sure that there was a pile of these in a silver tray on top of the Buffet in the dining room when the family sat down to dinner on Christmas Eve.
note: I didn’t have the exact recipe in front of me, so I had to use several I found online and tweak the recipe to work.
Ingredients:
1 cup graham crackers crumbs (fine)
1 cup Nilla wafer crumbs (fine)
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup melted butter
2 cups + 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups chocolate chips
Directions:
Mix graham cracker and Nilla wafer crumbs, powdered sugar, 1 1/4 cups of the peanut butter, vanilla and melted butter in a bowl until well combined. Spread in an 8×8 glass dish. Chill. Place the rest of the peanut butter and the chocolate chips in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melting chips and and peanut butter together while stirring constantly. Once smooth immediately pour over the top of the peanut butter/graham mix and smooth out with a spatula. Chill well before cutting into squares.
back row left to right: Lenorah Elizabeth Ward (wife of Algernon Sidney Wallace) Jacob Ebanezer “Jake” Wallace and Mary Cash (wife of Dempsey Chism)
front row left to right: Elizabeth “Lizzie” Wallace, John Walter Wallace, Clara Wallace, Ruth Julia Chism (wife of John Walter Wallace), and Mae Wallace
Photo taken about 1899 in Bibb County, Alabama.
Maude Mae Jones, c. 1925/1930
Telephone Exchange
Pine Apple, Wilcox County, Alabama
I recently came into possession of photos and lineage stories of my mother-in-law’s family. One very sad inclusion in the box was a letter written during the Civil War from Algernon Sidney Wallace home to his wife Lenorah Elizabeth Ward. Algernon Sidney Wallace died during the Battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg, Maryland on September 17, 1862. I believe he died in battle. I’m fairly certain the copy I have of the letter was hand copied. It says it came from the Wallace Book in Washington, DC at the Genealogical Research Institute. Below I transcribe it exactly as it is seen on the copy I have.
The letter is dated August 1, 1862, 47 days before his death. I wonder if his wife ever had the chance to read it? And I wonder if he ever received a letter from his family? I would hate to think that he may have died never having heard from them again.
His life post and Civil War records will be in separate posts.
Camp near Falling Creek
August 1, 1862
Dear Wife it is through hands of kind Providence that I am permitted to address you once more. In so doing I am sorrow to inform you that I am not very well at this time, afflicted with cold and cough. But hope this will find you all enjoying good health. Another thing I am sorrow to communicate to you is I haven’t a word directly from any of you. This grieves me very much indeed for I want to hear from you all once a week and think that I ought. It seems to me that father or John and you write often enough that I might receive one, once a week anyhow. I have just heard from old Bibb once more. Marion Tate has just arrived and brings sorrowful news in regard to crops. He says the people in settlement will not make more than half crops, but I hope for the better still. There has been thousands of rain out here where we are and corn looks fine where ther(sic) is any planted. The farms of this country are utterly ruined; the fences are torn down and burnt up. I would not have the State of Alabama made a battle field of, like this for anything on top of this green earth. It is distressing to see how this old state is torn up by the armys(sic). There was heavy cannonading down below here on the James River supposed to be at City Point. We haven’t heard the result of the firing yet, but will hear by morning.
Marshal Pratt has been very sick but is convalescing now.
Elizabeth I want you to write me soon and write all about the children and what they say about me. I want you to write all about your crops and stock and everything else.
Theres(sic) one thing I will write you, I have quit stamping my letters. The purpose of it is this, we think that the stamps are torn off-the letters thrown away, as stamps pass very well for change.
You must all do the best you can and remember me in your petitions to the throne of grace.
Elizabeth I have just returned from Drurys Bluff which is 7 1/2 miles from our encampment. I saw some heavy Artillery down there. The bluff is well fortified and is elevated so that the yanks can’t get the range with their guns.
Sam Norwood, Mike Nolen and Marion Tate arrived in camps to-day. Sam Norwood says he stayed all night at fathers last Friday night-week, and father said he had just returned from yours, and said you were all well. It made my heart leap for joy to hear such good news from you once more.
Give my love and best respects to Vince & Margaret (Arnold) and tell them I’ve not forgotten them.
I must close my broken scroll for I feel very tired, so farewell dear wife and children.
Algernon S Wallace
Tell Father and John I want them to write-and write often to me. If they don’t I shall always think ought to do so.
AS Wallace
My mother-in-law Jessie Elaine Wallace Smith was born November 14, 1941 and passed away December 31, 2011.
