Memphis Garrison's Family

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FAMILY

Memphis Tennessee Garrison was born to Wesley Carter and Cassie Thomas. She only had one brother, John Carter. Her mother was a pure African, while her father was mulatto. He was tall and heavy, fair-skinned, blue eyes. Her father was both slave and son to his master. Her father died when she was about seven or eight, while walking along the tracks in winter. He was a successful contractor in the mines. I know father had lots of money because he had money to pay his men with and the company didn't have any responsibility for those men.

Memphis's mother's father was in slavery for 42 years, belonging to a slave holder whose family called themselves Haustons, which was later changed to Harston. His name was Marshall Thomas Harston, he dropped the Harston and named himself Marshall Thomas. He was a field worker, but he became one of the ministers on the plantation and he didn't work anymore in the fields. He had four grandchildren: Memphis, her brother, and two cousins from her uncle.

Memphis does not remember her mother's mother, who died when her mother was 14 years old. However, she speaks of her Great Gran, her mother's grandmother. She was a slave, whom they called Old Granny Roddy. Memphis tells of how she was a tough woman. They would say that you can whip any of these slaves but Roddy, said don't touch her, if you do, she'll kill you...We used to kind of like to talk about her because she was big and brave, you know, bad. Her mother was a strong influence throughout Memphis's life. She worked extremely hard to give her children what she could. My mother would wash all day for $.50. She and her mother were very close, together all the time. Wherever my mother worked, I was there... she never left me, when they hired my mommy, they had Memphis too.

Memphis did marry, but she did not have any children. Instead, she "adopted" the children in her neighborhood as her own.