Ramsey Family - Charlie Ramsey

Charlie Ramsey (June 10, 1901-April 16, 1982) was the oldest of 12 children born to George W. Ramsey (June 9, 1873-October 5, 1936) and Vernie Bell Bryant Ramsey (Feb 28, 1883-June 6, 1972) in Tennessee. The George Ramsey family lived in various places - on Kuykendall Road near the Sparta Road, near Burnt Stand at present day TTU, and in the Buffalo Valley area. In 1910 the census shows them at the first address with their five oldest children, George is working as a farm laborer and has a rented home.

We have one photo of Charlie at school before age 10 and our next photo of him is when he is a young adult. He told of cutting wood with his dad in a swampy area near the current highway 1-11 and Spring Street intersection. They used a two handled saw and he said water was so very cold they could hardly stand it. Sadly, in this area his sister Sarah (1910-1914) died as a result of terrible burns when her gown caught fire as she played by the fireplace. She was a favorite of Charlie's and he was terribly saddened by her death and the subsequent death of her cousin/friend Nellie a few days later from sickness. Charlie later had an accident woodcutting, in which he cut off his big toe. He had problems with his feet his entire life.

Charlie went to work in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), along with approximately 3 million other young unemployed men, in the 1920's. He was assigned to build roads in Florida near Orlando and Winter Garden where he was at work in late 1925 through early 1926. During this time he was corresponding with Vinnie Mariae Ford, from Baxter, who he married in May, 1926 after his return. Their letters have many references to Charlie attending church, especially Sunday School. His faith was evident throughout his life. Their correspondence indicates that she he had been very sick the year before. She passed away in October with pregnancy-related complications.

14 months after Vinnie's death, Charlie married Alta Louise Cowan (daughter of George Staley and Mary Magdalene Exum Cowan) on Christmas Eve, 1927 during Christmas services. They lived as sharecroppers on various farms in Smith and Putnam County until he purchased the farm where they would live for many years which is approximately 80 acres and spans the White and Putnam County border. They had 8 children: Vinnie Louise (1929-2007), Maggie Frances (1930-2005), George Thomas (1932-), Ruby Nell (1934-), Martha Ann (1935-), Betty Sue (1937-), Haskell Izel (1939-), and Wilma Emma Jean (1942-).

The children tell of working very hard on the farms, helping to get in crops. Their Christmas memory was that they would be delighted to get fresh fruit - usually bananas and/or oranges. As the depression continued, Charlie eventually found that he could get work to support his family in Michigan. He went to Detroit and worked, renting a room and sending money back to Alta and the kids in TN. We have some letters written between him and Alta during those years. Eventually she took the children who remained at home and moved to Michigan. He refers to looking for a 'war' house to buy (which I mistakenly read as "wor" initially). While in Michigan most of the children dated and married and began their own families. Charlie became disabled and he, Alta and the younger children moved back to their farm in Tennessee.

We have a photo of Charlie reading his Bible at their house in Michigan and his Bible has many notes to capture sermons and his progress in reading. He read the Bible every day throughout the rest of His life. Two constants for Charlie were his attendance at church (at the Church of God Tabernacle in Michigan and Brindley's Chapel in Tennessee) and his daily reading of the Word of God. When he returned to the Tennessee farm, he expanded the original two-room log cabin to add several rooms on the back. The building material came largely from the old Brindley's Chapel Church of God building, which was replaced with a new building. Charlie loved the Lord and it was not unusual to hear him give his testimony at church about how God had saved him, sanctified him, and filled him with heaven's sweet Holy Ghost. He loved God and looked forward to seeing Jesus at His return to earth. He would rejoice, speaking in tongues and raising his hands during times of worship.

Charlie continued to work hard on the farm, despite the disability. In his early days he raised tobacco, but later felt convicted in his spirit that he shouldn't so he quit that and just went with the other basics such as hay and corn, along with a garden. He had mares (e.g. Dutch and Queen) and a mule (Mandy) that would assist with the farm chores such as plowing, discing, raking, and mowing. He never had a tractor but rather used these animal-drawn implements. He built 3 barns on his property, two which remain today. He depended on old methods. Once I was walking on the farm with a friend, Cindy, when we saw him also in the field and he said he was removing a certain weed. She told me that you couldn't get rid of them that way, that you had to use chemicals. I was glad to later notice that there was no trace of the weeds.

He raised cows, pigs and chickens. He had a black and brown dog named Sunshine who was with him much of the time. He also had a dog named Spot (white with black spots). Like any farm, there was a multitude of cats. They also had a duck named Daddles - though it was primarily grandmother Alta's pet.

Charlie was thrifty - being raised in the depression and going through such difficult times, he had to be. He recycled before recycling was trendy - keeping any leather to repair shoes and farm tack. For many years the family had to carry water uphill from the creek and did not have an indoor bathroom until the 1970's. He also appreciated things - such as his morning coffee, a cool drink of water from the dipper, his wife's cooking, his grandchildren, and his favorite rocker on his porch looking over his fields. Cards received from loved ones were put nearby on the wall of that porch where some remained well past the year 2000.

Charlie loved to go for rides on Sunday afternoons after church. Emma Jean would take him and grandmother into the mountains and valleys where they and their families had lived. They would visit friends, family, the old stores and cemeteries. He also enjoyed going to the Smoky Mountains and walking some of the short trails with Alta. He normally was very serious but then would make a joke or say something totally unexpected to make you laugh. He had an odd expression he used when others may have used profanity - 'rotten on it'. I don't think I've ever heard anyone else use that expression. He would also pronounce the color yellow as 'yellar' but that was very common for people in this area of the south at that time.

Charlie became very ill in later years and Alta and Emma Jean lovingly cared for him at home. He hurt much of the time with joint pain and chest pains. On the evening of April 16, 1982 Alta attended my wedding rehearsal. A couple of hours after returning home, cousin Alfred Fowler came to our home yelling for us to call an ambulance for Papa (Charlie). We did. Betty went to check on him, then I went over and was there with Alta, Emma Jean and some other family members as Charlie drew his last breath. He was buried at Howard Cemetery (Putnam County, TN) near his beloved sister Sarah, his mom & dad, and his grandparents and some other family members (several of these graves had been moved from the Burnt Stand Cemetery when TTU expanded).

Charlie was a man who loved God and family. We are thankful for his influence in so many ways.