Florence Hazel Hall

Notes:

Florence was the daughter of Marion and Nola (Allen) Hall.

Florence's granddaughter, Joyce Stills Starns, wrote the following essay about her grandmother in Jun 1999.

These are stories my grandmother told me when I was a young girl.

My grandmother had long hair when she was a young girl and always kept it long even after she got grown. After she was married and started having children, the long hair began to be a problem. Well her husband was a barber by trade so she asked him to cut her hair so it wouldn't be so hard to keep up. what do you know, she always had curly hair and did not know it. It always was curly as long as I knew her. She never lit it grow long again.

My grandmother, whom I always called Big Mama once told me of living in an old chicken house. She said that after she and my grandfather had separated, she and the kids moved into a shack that a family of black folk had moved out of and before that it had been a chicken house. Probably a one room shack. they had cornmeal mush for breakfast and cornbread lots and lots of times to eat. She sewed and cooked and took care of children to make ends meet. Later on the kids were old enough to help.

My grandmother tells me of making her son, Hamilton, a Graduation suit out of white fertilizer sacks which looked and felt much like linen. When washed, starched, and ironed it looked rather nice. Back then you did the best you could with what you had.

My grandmother used to tell me this little rhyme that I still use today. It goes like this: USE IT UP! WEAR IT OUT! MAKE IT DO! OR DO WITHOUT! I do not know where this cute little rhyme came from, but for me it came from big Mama.

Big Mama was very good at crocheting and made lots of beautiful things. I remember that she and my mother, Juanita, would enter pieces of their crochet work and other things in the Livingston Paris Fair. One or the other would always win some kind of ribbon. My grandmother was the best at crocheting. I believe she could do it with her eyes closed and never miss a stitch.

The funniest thing I remember she told me was once they [meaning she and my grandfather] were making a batch of beer. Well somehow it rained and the poured it out. The pigs got into it and got drunk. What a sight! I can not imagine what a drunk pig looked like.

Big Mama had purchased a beautiful doll and tried to give it to several of her grandchildren. No one wanted it, for you see all of them wanted a rubber doll, which was the popular thing at that time. I do not remember her offering it to me, but I probably would have turned it down too. Well, she said "I'll just keep this doll for myself." She made dresses for it and beautiful crocheted cap and sweater and then all of us wanted her doll. But no one got her doll, as long as I can remember, until her death. I still do not know who got her doll.

My great Aunt Eula [Doody, as we all knew her] had a camp down at French Settlement. Big Mama and she would go down quite often to fish. They both loved to fish! My Big Mama would run the boat around to places they liked to fish. They did this as I recall when they were in their fifties and sixties. Bit Mama was not a small person as her name would suggest. She was big. Well getting in and out of a boat was not easy for someone in a dress, not to mention what might be exposed. So Big Mama bought some denim material and they made themselves some pants. This was before they were making blue jeans for large women. I can still see them now in their pants, long sleeved shirts and straw hats with the big brims to shade them from the sun.

Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

Florence married Walter Lee Monroe in 1911. Walter (son of William Leonard Adolphus Monroe and Laura Clark) was born on 29 Dec 1889 in Goldonna, Natchitoches Par. Louisiana, USA; died on 25 Sep 1946 in Pineville, Rapides Par., Louisiana, USA; was buried in Goldonna, Natchitoches Par. Louisiana, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Lenola Monroe was born on 12 Aug 1912; and died.
2. Eula Juanita Monroe was born on 27 May 1914 in Shreveport, Caddo Par., Louisiana, USA; died on 25 Nov 1979 in Denham Springs, Livingston Par., Louisiana, USA.
3. Lee Hamilton Monroe was born on 30 Dec 1918 in Holden, Livingston Par., Louisiana, USA; died on 20 Sep 1988 in Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Par., Louisiana, USA.
4. Annie Laura Monroe was born on 11 Jul 1920 in Holden, Livingston Par., Louisiana, USA; died in 2001 in Centerville, Texas, USA.
5. Living