Life with Deborah, our first child

 

Tim (1) and Deborah (3)

When my first baby was eleven months old, I quit nursing her. Deborah would cry to nurse, but I would let her use a cup with a top on it. I would almost give in because I had so much milk, but we finally won the battle and she did real well.  She learned to do many things at an early age and we would brag on her. So one day when our pastor, Reverend John Kent, came to visit us, she ran to get her potty we had trained her with. She was going to show him how she could use it. Naturally, we persuaded her to wait.

At this time Gene was on the third shift. Each day at 3 pm I would go up the stairs and call his name to come to eat. So Deborah started going up the stairs and calling “Gene, Gene”. I had to remind her that he was her daddy.

Our First Child is Born on April 12 1953

We had been married for six months and I thought I couldn’t get pregnant.  Back then if you didn’t get pregnant soon people thought something was wrong with you. So we were overjoyed when I did get pregnant. On April the 12, 1953, I had a beautiful little girl. We named her Deborah Jean after her daddy. Mama came to stay with me for a week and she said the first thing that I said was “What did Gene say?”. You know back then we never knew what our baby was going to be until it was born. But he was thrilled too.

The night before she was born Doris and J.D. Earley (the couple that we had our double wedding with) came to see us and brought their six month old little girl. She got pregnant on their honeymoon. I was glad to see them, but I was already in labor pains so I couldn’t enjoy their visit as much. I had cleaned house all day and made a chocolate cake. People used to say that would happen when you had worked so hard. Our precious baby girl weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces. I came home from Crow’s clinic the same day and mama stayed with me a week. She was always there for me. I wonder if I ever thanked her enough for all she did for us through the years. By the way we nicknamed Deborah “Tippietoe”. 

 

Pictured at right,  Deborah is a few months old, with Martha and Grandma Mattie Bell Franklin at the old homestead in Clifton SC  

Our Life in the early 1950s

Clifton Mill no. 2 built in 1889

read about the history of the Clifton mills at this link 

After four weeks, we found a mill house to rent. Gene worked in the mill in Clifton for many years after we married.  We didn’t have much but we were so happy to have a place of our own. In the summer of 1952, we bought us a Frigidaire. Boy, were we thrilled! We had been using block ice to keep things cold. 

1947 Frigidaire

Then mama (Ethel Allen)  bought us a beautiful dinette suite. The color was gold and we loved it! I want to add what a good cook Gene’s mom (Mattie Bell) was while we lived with her . She would cook a good meal and then make a cobbler or a fried pie. She really did spoil me. 

Mattie Bell with Martha and Deborah - 1953 

           

 I joined Central Baptist Church where Gene had been going for a long time. He led the singing and after a while they needed a pianist so I began playing.  I was glad to do what I could for the Lord.  Gene was also a deacon, Sunday school teacher, Supt, R.A. Director and for some time cleaned the church, and he got some pay for this. 

            I taught Sunday school and had the G.A.’s. When we were first married I was shy and stayed that way for a long time. But I learned from the Linder’s, Robin’s, Coleman’s, Mosses, Reynolds’ and others through the years.

Our life as Mr and Mrs begins...

After our wedding,  we enjoyed a  meal that my mama cooked. She cooked a lot of food for everyone to eat including several  meats, vegetables, and desserts. She was such a good cook! She went to a lot of trouble because she loved us.

         After the meal,  we left for Asheville, N.C.  Doris and J.D. went with us because he did not have a car. We stayed at the Biltmore motel Saturday night. They asked us if we wanted a room together and when we giggled they knew better. The next day was Sunday,  and we visited a church in Asheville. Then we went on to Gatlinburg, TN. For a long time Gatlinburg has been a place where everybody wants to go for their honeymoon.  It seemed like such a long ways from home, since there was no interstate yet and we had to travel over the mountain roads.  The roads were two lane roads back then too so traveling took longer.   I also remember traveling home through Newport TN and my new husband bought me a dress there.  I was real happy that he did this for me.   We traveled back to my home in NC and I remember that my folks were glad to see us back!   

        
           Later that week we went to Clifton SC where Gene lived and we stayed with  his mom for a month.  When we would be sitting in the living room, Patsy and Judy, who were living at their Grandma’s, would peek through the keyhole to see what we were doing. Judy traveled with us to visit my mom and dad a few times in NC too. She has told this story through the years: “When we went to bed I would be between them, but I would wake up on the other side of the bed.”  

Our double wedding on December 22, 1951

H. Eugene and Martha L Rice Franklin

We were very excited as we began getting ready for our wedding. Mama took me to Spartanburg, SC, and bought me a beautiful navy blue suit. Doris Howell also wore navy blue and we both wore white hats.  Gene and J.D. Early wore navy blue suits also. We had pictures made and had beautiful gladiolas and walked on white sheets. Gene’s pastor, Rev. Robert Shephard, married us and my sister, Louise Rice, was my maid of honor. Gene’s brother, Howard Franklin, was his best man. We had a scare on Friday night during the rehearsal. The person who was supposed to play the music at our wedding did not show up, so we had to find someone. We asked Miss Patricia Neal and she graciously consented to do it. Bobby Dean Hall sang “I Love you truly” and “The Lord’s Prayer”. They did very well and everything turned out wonderful. I need to add that our dad’s gave us away. We were on cloud nine and were in love.

J.D. and Doris Howell Early

Martha recalls her wedding day 12.22.1951

What to do after high school...

Martha and Gene in 1951

Back to my story, this young man's name was Gene Franklin.  From that Sunday on we started dating twice a week  One Thursday he didn't come and I didn't hear from him.  I was ready to leave Saturday night but he arrived before I left. He explained that he had been sick, so I understood.

I was thrilled to be graduating high school in May of 1951, but I did not know what I was going to do after high school. I thought about going into nursing or taking a business course.  I had an aunt and uncle in West Virginia.  They came to visit us and as they started to head home,  they invited me to visit them. I visited them for a few weeks that summer. I seems that  Gene must have worried about whether I would come back. My aunt and uncle even offered to send me to business school if I stayed in West Virginia. But  I went back home and Gene was there that weekend  and asked me to marry him. He even had a ring with him. Of course, I said, "Yes!"  We started double dating with a couple from my church,  Doris Howell ( our pastor's daughter) and J. D. Earley.  Since we were both engaged, we decided to have a double wedding at our  church.  The wedding took place on Saturday, December 22 1951, at 6 PM.