Martha Ellen Williams:

February 28, 1892
I stopped by Mom's last night after work. She was telling me that today (28th) was her Mom's birthday. I did not know that and wrote it down on a piece of paper to file away.
My grandma died relatively young, I believe either 47 or 48 years old right before Christmas, leaving four children still at home. I may have the ages wrong, Aunt Tobie was around 13, Mom was 10, Uncle Jr. was 3 and the baby, Aunt Ella Mae was 18 months old. The other five kids were already grown and married with families of their own.
Growing up, we were together with Uncle Jr. and Aunt Ella Mae's families most weekends. It was like we were our own family, the younger ones and then the older ones. We knew the other aunts and uncles and visited periodically through the year but they seemed more like distant relatives. Aunt Tobie had moved to Kansas and then California. My Uncle Glen had also moved to California.
Mom name her first daughter, Judith Ellen after her Mom. Aunt Ella Mae (known as Babe to her older brothers and sisters) also named her first daughter, Martha Mae after her Mom.
Grandma's death seemed to have a different effect on each of them. Mom helped care for Uncle Jr. and Aunt Ella Mae and they (and their children) seemed to look at Mom as more of a grandma than aunt. Growing up, I have often heard my Mom say, be a kid as long as you can because you're a grownup for the rest of your life. Smart woman, my Momma!!
My dad has memories of my grandma when he visited their family when he was a boy. He said she was smart witted and was often times very funny. I think my Mom must have gotten her sense of humor from Grandma.
My main memory of the older aunts and uncles were going to the Watt's cemetery where my grandparents were buried. Their "decoration day" was always the fifth Sunday of whichever month it happened to fall on each summer, as that was the tradition years ago when the circuit preacher would be there. We followed the "decorating of the graves" by having a family reunion, usually at Flat where Aunt Mary and Uncle Ike Mathis lived as it was relatively close to the cemetery.
Last summer I wrote about taking Mom and Dad to the cemetery and reminiscing. I took pictures that day and have never got around to posting them. They say there is a reason for everything and what better way to tribute Grandma than posting the pictures today.