Meet the (grand) Parents

I thought today I’d let you meet my grandparents.  So first of all…here’s my great grandmother

Malvina Knibb Wiley Mitchell

Malvina married Mr. Wiley when she was 20 years old, he was 68. I know, right?  Prior to marrying my grandma Malvina, Mr. Wiley was married to…wait for it….Margaret Monaghan.  What are the chances? (that’s my last name too!)  Together they had 4 children.  Okay then after Margaret dies, after 44 years of marriage, he marries my Great Grandma (9 months later) and has two more children, my Aunt Roberta and my grandad, Larry. Roberta and Larry would be about 45 years younger than their half siblings.  Being that Mr. Wiley was 72 years old in 1898 (when my grandad was born) makes him the perfect age to have fought in the Civil War.  Well actually makes him a little old for the Civil War. The only info we “think” we know about that is that he worked on the Merrimac  (or the Monitor) ship during that war for the South. Well, we’re not even sure it was for the South.  ANYWAY, we know very little about the history of the Wiley’s.  But we know a heck of a lot about the Knibb’s.  Malvina, my great grandmother, was a Knibb, one of 12 children. The Knibbs can trace their ancestry back to 1669 when Solomon Knibb received a land grant of 710 acres from Governor William Berkeley on the north side of the James River.  Solomon listed inventory in 1679 of his estate which consisted of (in this order):

1 Indian Boy – 3000 lbs.
3 sheep – 233 lbs
1 yoke and chain – 70 lbs.
1 mare and foal – 700 lbs.
1 yoke of oxen – 900 lbs
1 pr of andirons – 40 lbs
1 silver bowl – 400 lbs.
1 silver soake cup and dram cup – 180 lbs.
1 pr green curtains & valence – 100 lbs.
2 prs. Canvas sheets, 6 napkins, 4 pillow cases, 1 towel, 2 tablecloths – 80 lbs.
1 Indian girl – 2000 lbs.
1 gun – 150 lbs.
1 silver tankard – 120 lbs.

As you can tell women have been fighting for equality for a long long time. (is that insensitive?) I wonder what they would think of all the stuff that I just parted with.  My ancestors were mostly landowners, farmers and a few preachers.  Our most current notable Knibb relation, that we know of, is Harwood Cochrane who founded Overnite Transportation in 1935.  He just died last year at 103 years old.  Knibbs are known to have long lives – it’s gotta be this fresh air.

Okay so here’s my Grandad.  Here he is:

And this is my Grandma  We called her Grandot.

Her name was Dorothy (get it? Dot?  Dorothy?)  So my Grandot grew up in Beardstown, Illinois.  Her maiden name is Green . Her mother’s name is McKenzie and although I’d like to think they are from original McKenzie stock from Scotland I’m not sure of that.  My great grandmother (the McKenzie) was born in the U.S. so more research has to be done.  I’m gonna jump on Ancestry.com one of these days when I’m in the library.

So Grandot and Grandad met in Chicago in music school.  She was a pianist and he was a singer.  They both did stints in Vaudeville for a some years and my Grandot toured the country a few times as a piano accompanist for various singers and dancers, etc. My grandfather was in a singing group called the Buccaneers who sang with Burns and Allen on radio shows and they made an appearance in the movie Here Comes Cookie (with Gracie Allen) and other movie appearances.

My mom was born in New York City/Manhattan.  They spent a couple years there and then ended up in Hollywood, California (show-biz and all). At some point my Grandad decided that California was no place to raise a child so back they came here to Virginia, his birth place, and my Granddot hated my mother ever since.  Sort of kidding there.  But imagine being stars, and then living here in the woods. There were times when they didn’t have electricity OR running water. Not what my Grandot thought she was signing up for but nevertheless she hung in there for 50 years of marriage as she continued to be the rockstar piano teacher and organ accompanist around the Richmond area – like a really impressive resume including playing with the Richmond symphony –  for 52 years and of course ended up loving it here in Richmond.

My grandfather is the one that built this house that I live in, by hand, by himself.  He cut down all the trees himself, hand hewed the logs, drag (or stole) rocks from various creeks for the fireplace, did it all.  It is quite the accomplishment and quite a masterpiece.  I mean seriously a masterpiece, which is why he named it Opus #1 – which is a musical term –  for his first masterpiece.

On Friday night I went to a neighborhood church with my mom and her high school friend to sing Christmas Carols and then they had a little ceremony where they light the Christmas tree outside and sing Silent Night and then everyone has hot chocolate and donuts.  We did not stay for that part as Micky (mom’s friend) had coconut cream pie at her house. OMG yum.  But anyway, the church was right out of some little country novel.  So stinkin cute.

In two weeks we are going to another church with Micky again and another friend.  The pianist at this church took lessons from my Grandmother! Supposedly he’s nervous to meet us and hopes he doesn’t screw up.

I always went to the Baptist Church around the corner when we visited here as that’s where my Grandfather sang and allll those Knibb relatives were there. My Aunt Roberta played the organ there as my Grandmother was playing organ and also the choir director at other churches throughout the years in the Richmond area. And as I have recently found out my great great grandparents Knibb (Malvina’s parents) actually started the Salem Baptist Church in their home.

During the church service this past Friday night the pastor said something about all the religions believing in something and then he reluctantly added the Catholics too. I laughed out loud.  Turns out he was serious.  Like there are no Catholics in this county.  I asked Micky where the Catholic Church is and she said there isn’t one – in the whole county!!  I mean isn’t that something?

Here’s my point, other than wanting to ramble on about stuff, I am now living in a place where I can trace my ancestors back at least 350 years. I live on property that has been in the Knibb family for generations.  Micky’s house, where I had coconut cream pie, has been there for at least 100 years.  Her husband, now deceased, grew up there.  He would be around 100 years old.  I mean these homesteads are old.  People live here forever.

In Florida NOBODY was from there – okay very few are actual natives – and so one of the questions everyone always asked for small talk was “where are you from?” – nobody asks that question here because #1 – nobody cares – and #2 probably everyone thinks you’re from here somehow.  I feel quite out of place with my Florida license plate and Steeler border.  It doesn’t have the same sense of pride as it did when I was so proud to live in Florida, finally.  Now I just want to blend in – not stand out. Although that whole no Catholic Church, I think I’m going to have to ask a few more questions about that bias. And of course I will always be a Steeler fan no matter what.

I know I often say I’m a southern sympathizer and I realize that people might think that has something to do with slavery and of course I don’t sympathize with that.  What I do sympathize with is that so many families lost so much during that war and these people died in our backyards.  There are monuments and gravestones everywhere.  My ancestors fought in that war, and died. When I was a kid people were still finding bullets in their yards from the Civil War.  It’s sad.  Slavery is sad.  It was a sad era no matter how you look at it. In the north there were no Civil War battlefields were there?  Other than Gettysburg which everyone says is haunted.  Imagine the woods down here….spooky for sure.  I just sympathize with the sadness and the destruction of that era.

The Knibbs – that’s only one side of my family. One small side. But that’s where I’m living now in Knibb country. My other people (my dad) are from Pittsburgh.  I mean that’s a whole other and quite different story….

xoxoxo