Carolie (MEIGS) JERVIS
5 October 1900-23 September 1986
Carolie (MEIGS) JERVIS, my paternal grandma, was the grandparent I knew best as she lived with us over the years and didn't pass away until I was 24. Her husband, Charles Miller JERVIS, Sr., had passed away before I was born. Whereas my maternal grandparents, Howard Hayes RIDLEBAUGH and Mattie Jane WESTCOTT, lived in Ohio and we only saw her for 1 week every summer until she passed away when I was 10 years old.
Carolie (Carrie Lee) MEIGS, 9th of 13 children born to Samuel Kolb MEIGS and Etta Johnnie RUSS
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| a photo of Grandma and Grandpa that he had in his scrapbook-Cuba 1922 |
Grandma was born the 9th of 13 children and grew up in the south where her family were turpentine farmers ("naval stores" is how it is written on some census records). Her father was born in South Carolina, her mother in North Carolina, but her parents were married in Georgia. Their first 9 children were born in Alabama (probably all 9 in the Ashford, Houston, Alabama area). In the 1900 census, taken 6 months before grandma was born, the "event place" is listed as Fowler's Mill, Henry, Alabama. Fowler's Mill is not coming up in my google searches, but Henry county was split in 1903 to form Houston county, so grandma would have been born in Henry county...
In 1903, they are in Mount Olive, Covington, Mississippi; in 1905, Meigs, Thomas, Georgia; in 1907, Freeport, Walton, Florida; then in DeFuniak Springs, Walton, Florida in the 1910 census.
In 1916, she is in Stillmore, Mississippi, as shown in a newspaper article. In 1917, she is living in Biloxi, Mississippi as shown by her passport application and by a newspaper article showing she was a junior in high school there (article transcribed below).
By the 1920 census they were living in Palatka, Putnam, Florida, which is where her mother and father passed away in 1925 and 1927 respectively. By that time, though, grandma was married and living in Cuba.
Grandma's 1917 passport application, for what was probably her first trip to Cuba, has her permanent residence listed as Seashore Camp Grounds in Biloxi, Harrison, Mississippi, and that she was going to Cuba as a companion to her sister. I'm guessing that was just a temporary stay so she could get her passport and then sail out of New Orleans to go to Cuba with her sister, Edna, and niece, Little Edna.
After her marriage, they lived in Cuba till around 1940, when they moved to Copiague, Suffolk, New York, which is where my grandfather was from. Grandma lived there until a few years after grandpa died. She then mostly lived with us in Franklin, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts; Metairie, Jefferson, Louisiana; and New City, Rockland, New York
Her passport application dated July 1917 gives the following description of her:
16 years old
5'2" tall
high forehead
grey eyes
prominent nose
medium mouth
regular chin
light hair
fair complexion
long face
In the 1920 census, her occupation is listed as a teacher in a public school.
Her older sister, Edna STRONG, lived in Cuba where Edna's husband, Benjamin STRONG, was a doctor on a sugar plantation there (side story--Dr. STRONG was the doctor who delivered Fidel Castro and his brother Raul). Grandma went and visited Edna several times.
It was while visiting her sister that she met my grandfather, Charles Miller JERVIS, who was there managing the Alto Cedro sugar plantation. He was 15 years her senior. They married about 6 weeks before her 22nd birthday. They had two sons, Joel Russ JERVIS (Russ being the maiden name of his maternal grandmother) and my father, Charles Miller JERVIS, Jr. (Dad was a junior, but Miller is the maiden name of his paternal grandmother). Grandma and grandpa retired to New York years later (about 1940) due to Grandpa's poor health. He died there in 1961 and she spent 25 years as a widow.
She lived with us from about 1966 on, with only a year or two where she lived elsewhere. She occasionally visited Uncle Joel in California, but never lived with him.
She died from cancer on 23 September 1986 in Nyack, Rockland, New York just 12 days shy of her 86th birthday.
She told me that she was named Carrie Lee when she was first born (I believe she was named after someone), but at some point (before the 1910 census), that was changed to Carolie. Her nickname was Dee Dee, but I don’t remember why.
She was a pretty good golfer in her day. In grandpa's scrapbooks there are articles about some of her tournaments. I'm told she was an excellent ukulele player, though I only have a vague memory of hearing her play maybe once. She liked to crochet (and taught me how).
She also liked to play cards and that was a main form of interaction with her when I was a child. She taught me honeymoon bridge and canasta. She liked her soap operas. And, of course, she spoke Spanish after living in Cuba for so long.
I remember she often teased us about our long eyelashes and how she wanted them. I didn't understand the big deal then, but now that I'm older with thinning eyelashes, I definitely do.
I remember she would sing to us. I have used these songs with my children and grandchildren. There was:
Teddy Bear has his lair
Under grandma's rocking chair
Pray, take care,
Don't go there,
or you will get an aw-ful scare!
“Ride a horsey going to town, look out [insert name his] don't fall down!” This was chanted and repeated as the child was sitting on grandma’s foot that was on her leg that was crossed over the other one so that she could bounce you up and down.
There is a song called “Marianne” sung by Terry Gilkyson & the Easy Riders. I only remember grandma singing the chorus and the way I remember that she sang it goes:
“All night, all day Marianne. Down by the seashore siftin' sand. All the little children love Marianne. Down by the seashore siftin' sand.”
At our request, she also would repeat to us this story (and once again, this is the way I remember it and it might be slightly inaccurate):
It was a dark and stormy night. The winds howled and the rain fell in torrents. And the Chief of Beggars said unto Androculus, "Androculus, tell us a story." And Androculus said, "It was a dark and stormy night. The winds howled and the rain fell in torrents, and the Chief of the Beggars said unto Androculus, 'Androculus, tell us a story.' And Androclus said..." Repeat as often as you want.
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Pensacola News Journal
Pensacola, Florida
6 November 1907, Wednesday Page 7
DeFuniak
S. K. Meigs moved his family up from Freeport on Thursday, having rented one of the Colver cottages for a year.
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Sun Herald
Biloxi, Mississippi
4 August 1916, Friday Page 2
Mrs. S. B. Strong and infant son [it was her daughter Edna] of Pres[t]on, Cuba, and Miss Carolie Meigs of Stillmore, Miss., arrived on Wednesday and have leased the Keener cottage for the remaining summer months.
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Sun Herald
Biloxi, Mississippi
29 May 1917, Tuesday Page 3
INTERESTING EXERCISES GIVEN.
Interesting exercises were held at the Seashore Campground school last night in honor of the graduates of that school, the exercises being in the nature of an entertainment in the school auditorium. Interesting music was given, in addition, patriotic songs were sung, while each child represented a different state.
After the recital the Juniors entertained the Seniors on the campus. The grounds were decorated with jack-o-lanterns, flags, flowers, etc. being gaily and prettily decorated. Refreshments were served.
The Juniors consist of Eugene Van Hook, Carolie Meigs, Anna MacRaley, Clara Lopez, Thelma Bradford, Grafton Davis, George Parent, George Grayson, Charles Redding and Frank Shore. ...
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The Orlando Sentinel
Orlando, Florida
26 August 1921, Fri Page 2
It's a-----Good Club!
The D. A. M. Club will meet this afternoon with Miss Carolie Meigs, who will entertain her guests at the Wisteria Inn. The club members, who are pleasantly anticipating the affair, have been invited for five o'clock.--Palatka News.
Jervis-Meigs
Mr. and Mrs. S. K. Meigs announce
the marriage of their
daughter,
Carolie,
to
Mr. Carl Jervis
Friday, August twenty-six,
nineteen hundred and twenty-two
Santiago, Cuba
Mrs. Jervis is a charming Palatka girl and has many friends here and elsewhere in Florida who will wish her every happiness in her married life.
Several months ago she left for a visit to her sister and brother-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Armstrong [it's Strong and not Armstrong], of Cuba, and the above announcement comes as a total surprise to her many friends here.
This heart locket (1 1/2" long) has her wedding date engraved on the back (8-26-22):
Opal was her birthstone. She gave me this ring of hers:
Here is a photo of a blanket I still have that she crocheted for me...I'm thinking it was about the late 60s that she gave it to me. I remember being in the living room in Franklin, Massachusetts and she asked me what my favorite color was. I didn't know that I had one, so I finally just had to tell her something, so I told her it was green. She made this afghan for me, but may not have given it to me until we were in Scituate, Massachusetts. It is sooo soft.
And the blanket still has the special tag on it:
I cannot find the other pictures of Grandma I want to post. I will get that done this week, I hope.
