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#11) Died of Carcinoma of the left eye.
She was a tall woman, daughter of a doctor, who must have been a woman of enormous energy. She raised 5 boys and 2 girls, spun cotton for material to make their clothes, was an excellent cook, using a wood cook stove as they all did in those days, even in the heat of the summer.
She grew beautiful flowers and planted them in formal beds. She was very clean and neat and a good Christian.
Her father gave her and Rufus the property on which they built their house as it was given to him for medical services by a Mr. Cline. She had money of her own which her father willed to her. As the family grew they kept adding rooms onto the house. It still stands on Route 18 on the way to Fallston.
I have her Death Certificate in my Records book.


#12) Cosmos Philotus was called "Lotie" by his family, and referred to as C.P. by my Dad. He and Grandma divorced soon after their children were married, so they said but I never could find a divorce document. When he married Gertrude Street in 1935 he was listed as "Charles Payson" Gardner on their marriage record. I am told she always called him Charles. After I had Patrick in 1951, he changed his middle name to "Patrick". Grandpa lived a good share of his time with us until he remarried. Grandma lived with Vivienne.
Grandpa was very musical and taught singing also tuning pianos. He put on Minstrel Shows and wrote songs. He was an outstanding horticulturist and a born entertainer and loved to write letters to the editor. He was also very restless and as soon as we would get somewhere he would want to leave.
He chewed plug tobacco, carrying the plug in his pocket. In order to be like him, my mother would cut the heart out of a head of cabbage and I would carry it in my pocket. When he took a chaw, I took a chaw. He wrote a whole page of "c" for me because I made mine like the letter "u" and my mother would not let me go to the fair until I made a whole page of "c".
He got a fishhook in my nose one day when he took me fishing. He made very good shadow pictures and jiggled my throat to make me talk funny. all the old widows in Florida adored him and would give me jams and jellies to take to him.
He died in a mental hospital at Morganton because he had had several strokes and no longer had the mental capacity he once had. He died of Broncho-Pneumonia Right and Left Lobes. Other significant conditions were: Chronic BrainSyndrome Associated with Cerebral Arteriosclerosis with Psychotic reaction.
I have a copy of his D.C. and marriage to Gertrude Street plus newspaper articles in my book of certificates.


#13) Willie Shuford was a dainty, beautiful woman, a talented cook and seamstress. She was the one who taught my mother housekeeping skills as she married so young and apparently Grandma Clark didn't bother to teach her girls anything.
I didn't see much of her because she lived with Webb most of the time. Apparently after the divorce, Grandpa kept close to us and Grandma kept close to Vivienne. In fact, Webb never knew his Grandfather was not only alive but living right here in Shelby when he came to visit.
I do remember she had tiny feet and dressed beautifully. She had a trim figure and I was told she wouldn't let anyone see her without her makeup on. Her hair was naturally wavy and she smoked. My Dad said she was very whiney.
She told me some about her family but much of it was wrong. Her father died when she was rather young.
Her death certificate says she died of Chr. Myocarditis and Myocardial degeneration not specified as rheumatic.


#14) Vivienne was a beautiful girl and woman. Many different people have toldm e she was the most beautiful girl they ever saw. She had a permanently stiff neck making it impossible for her to turn her head to the left.
She and my father, Dewey, had many happy times playing together and seem to have gotten along beautifully although I heard the usual stories of teasing. Grandma kept the two of them very well dressed as she was a pefectionist when it came to sewing, and they wore satins and velvets where others wore rough cotton and calico.
She was very artistic and went to art school in New York City before she got married. When she returned from New York, she had cut her hair into the latest style, wore knickers (again the latest style) make-up, and smoked. She said she only did all that to shock the local hicks.
After Webb's father died, she had to go to work to support the family as she was unable to collect anything from the Insurance Co. She worked in a department store until she married her second husband, Fred Lozier. Grandma kept house for them for a few years and then she died.
She willed her body to science and her ashes are in Arkasas State Cemetary, Benton, AK. Row 4, Grave 41.


#15) Dewey Gardner was known as "Dude" by everyone and "Dudie Boy" by his mother and sister. When I was little I called him "Dibble".
My mother and father met in Watertown, NY during World War I, where he was stationed in Pine Camp, outside of Watertown. He had joined the Army in Gastonia, NC after he had a disciplinary problem in High School. She was only 15, but they wrote throughout the war and when it was over he went back to Watertown and they were married.
They moved to Gastonia where he was trained to be a window decorator. When my mother became pregnant with me, she claimed she couldn't take the NC heat so they went back to NY State. By the time I was born he was manager of "Things Shoe Stores". We eventually moved back to Watertown until I was 4 when we moved to Florida, twice, finally settling in Gloversville, NY.
He worked in the P.O. for a short time, but in Gloversville he started his own grocery store and stayed with that until after World War II when he took a job driving a laundry truck until they retired.
He was a lot of fun, very out-going and friendly, a bigot, but I loved him.
He died of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneuryism, having lost a leg a few years previously due to a blood clot. Thsi caused him severe phantom pains.
I have in my book of certificates a Census of Cleveland Co. of 1900 showing him as a baby. There is also his discharge from the Army, his mg. certificate to my mother and his death certificate.
He moved to King's Mountain 1912, Gastonia 1915, into the Army 1917. He worked in Sumter, SC for McLellan. (McLellan was a store like Woolworth. Webb's father managed on in Hickory, NC). He became a civilian in 1919. Married 6 December 1920. To Gastonia 14 Dec 1920. Gastonia Dept Store until Feb 1922. To Geneva March 17, 1922.


#16) Thomas died of Sepsis Pneumonia, Myocardial Infarction and Coronary Artery Disease. He had Rheumatic Fever as a teenager. As far as I know he never gave up smoking.


#17) My life history is being written every year in Sept. with much detail and is being sent to Erah with my memories corresponding to the year which she is celebrating. I also have less detail in the old Book of Remembrance.
In my book of Certificates is my birth certificate and Paula's. Also my 3 marriage certificates and the death certificates of Tom and Jim, also my divorce papers from Tom.


#18) James Lawrence Knighton adopted all children of Marilynn Jean Gardner Dimmett's family on August 1964. He was a lovely, pleasant, dedicated to the Lord man, putting his family and the Lord ahead of everything else. Everyone like him.
He spent several years in Nursing Homes after his Alzheimer's got so bad I couldn't take care of him anymore. He died of Renal Insufficiency, UTI, and Alzheimer's Dementia.


#19) Simeon Lewis, spouse to Esther Gardner, was a minister and moved to Flowery Branch, Lumpkin, GA.