SHANNON, Odessa L. Love, 20 Jan 1902 - 15 Mar 1996. (Maury Co. native; d/o late Darius & Evie Sparkman Love; w/o M. A. "Pat" Shannon who died 1 Feb 1993; preceded in death by son Jerry Wayne Shannon who died in 1964.)
Odessa was the daughter of Darius & Evie (Sparkman) Love. She was married to Malcolm Shannon. They had one son, Jerry Wayne Shannon.
In March 1995, she shared some memories of her life with Bettye Patton who was compiling a book. The book, "Hampshire Then & Now," was later printed by Editor, Bettye Patton for "Hampshire's Tennessee 200 Bicentennial Committee." Some of Odessa's memories, found on pages 136 - 137, follows:
"I was born in 1902, so I am 93 this years. I remember the little two room shack where we livid until I was about four. I remember that we lived on what we raised on the land. We even made our own molasses. I went to school in a one room building. Miss Josie Gibbs was my first teacher. We didn't have very many home comforts and very little money, but we didn't know any better and were very happy.
When I finished the eighth grade in another two room building I went to Central High School in Columbia. I graduated in 1923. I lived with my aunt for free while in High School. I managed to go to M.T.S.U. in Murfreesboro two years and got my teacher's certificate. I taught school 13 years and married Malcolm Shannon. We had one son who died when he was 28 years old with encephalitis of the brain caused by a virus. I have two grandchildren and two great grandchildren. My life has not been a bed of roses, but I am thankful for the experience. ...
One year while I was teaching, during summer vacation, I went to Fort Wayne, Indiana and took a course in typing and shorthand. I stayed with a family and did their housekeeping and cooking for my board. ...
My writing is awful since I have had a slight stroke. I have lived by myself since February 1992, in the same log house where we moved into in 1931. In 1991 we celebrated our 69th wedding anniversary right here at home with our relatives and a few friends.
When I taught at Stevens School, John D. Fitzgerald was the principal. Other teachers were Maude Lovell, Mary Elizabeth Patton, Lura Whiteside, and Robert Pogue. Robert Pogue died a few years ago. When Malcolm was making us a living by trucking we had four colored men working for us. They lived in the house here in the yard. I fed them breakfast and supper. The house they slept in was called the Broom House."" I was told the people who lived here before made brooms. One of the Negroes who slept there was named Hut Webster, a wonderful person who I loved dearly. The others one night caught a frog and put it in Hut's bed. Mercy! I thought the house had fallen down. What a ruckus - I'll never forget."
My father's family the Loves, came from Ireland to North Carolina and headed West and settled in hollering distance of each other and called the place "Love Town." There were five brothers and wives and families. They were: Richmond, Lucius, Willis, Henry and William. Their father was John S. Love.
How they got their land I never found out. I believe they just staked out a homestead. My grandfather was William, my grandmother was Martha Blake Love. On uncle Henry's place was an Indian grave yard, which is now called the Love Cemetery. In my estimation Uncle Henry was the only religious one of them. A God fearing man. Uncle Lucius was the one in the money. Uncle Willis was a bachelor. He was fairly well off.
When I went to school in the two-room building, seems like we called it "Taylorsville." I had to walk there and back and I was often cut-off after a big rain, when Cathey's Creek got out of its banks. Then I had to stay the nigh with someone. ...
When I was teaching at Stevens School I drove a vehicle - a closed van with slats on both sides, room for about 10 or 12 kids. I picked up the kids on my route and took them to school. My father had a hard time getting this thing started on mornings in freezing weather. To start it you had to crank it. One of my riders, Allen Farris, always cranked it for me in the evening. One day the lever swung back and broke his arm. ...
When Jerry was about 4 or 5 years old (Jerry was our son) Malcolm "Pat" as he was known was driving a milk truck. He had 2 trucks and picked up milk all around and carried it into Columbia. He had 4 colored men to help him. Anyway on Sundays he would let these men take the trucks and we would get in the car and take off, no destination in mind. We would just ramble. A lot of times we got lost We had good times and always got home safely.
During one period of our married life Malcolm belonged to a club made up by most of the men of the community. They got a lot done for the Hampshire area. They called themselves "Ruritans." They did a lot for the Boy Scouts, and got our first fire engine.
One summer the club members and their wives visited a Ruritan Club in Jackson, TN. I remember as we were leaving Jackson and headed home we got lost getting out of Jackson. We had Sam and Ann Brown and V.K. and Agnes Connor in the car with us. We laughed until we cried trying to get out of that town. We were such good friends and had many good times. Malcolm took the scouts on trips in one of his trucks with Paul Delk as one of the Scout Leaders. He also drove the truck and transported them to camp one summer. Paul and his wife, Aletha, and daughter, Jane Ann, camped out with the boys one week. I went with Malcolm to bring them home."
Sent here by Mary Bob McClain Richardson, 14 Apr 2012, posted 22 Aug 2012.
