My Memories of Living in Charlotte, Tennessee in the mid-1970s

I don't have a lot of memories from my childhood.  I probably used a good bit of that space to store 1980s song lyrics. When I started first grade in the fall of 1974, my family was renting a home from Ray and Rebecca Taylor on Liberty Road in Charlotte, Tennessee. At that time, kindergarten was not required, so I went directly into first grade.

The house we rented no longer exists. It was torn down around 1976 when the Taylors built their new home farther back on the same lot. The property is now addressed as 1171 Liberty Road. The older home sat to the right of the driveway near the front of the property, shaded by a few trees.

I remember several details about that place. A drain or gully ran along the yard, carrying off wash water. Wild apricots grew there, and my family planted a small garden to the right of the house. I loved running through the garden rows. Feral cats roamed the property—we named them Sluggo, Nancy, and Rare-Back. To the left of the driveway stood a tree with moss at its base. I used the moss to build tiny towns and lawns, with acorns serving as cars.

Because the house was surrounded by fields, ticks were a constant problem. We also heard mice and flying squirrels stirring around in the attic.

I was in Ms. Rachel Weaver’s first grade class at Charlotte Elementary, where Bill Caldwell served as principal. I rode Mr. Petty’s bus to school—possibly bus number 37.

In the fall of 1975, we moved from Charlotte to a house in the Spanish Oaks subdivision located in the Pomona community. At the time, I was in Mrs. Elliot’s second grade class at Charlotte Elementary. Since Pomona was then part of the Burns school district, I transferred to Mrs. C Richardson’s 2nd grade class at Burns Elementary. In that class they used a color coded reading program which I think was called SRA. I really loved these. 

About two years later, the school district lines were redrawn, and Pomona was placed in the Dickson district. From that point on, I attended Dickson Elementary, James E. Sullivan Middle School, Dickson Junior High School, and Dickson County Senior High. We remained in Spanish Oaks until the fall of 1986. 

Childhood Memories-Tuesday Afternoon Genealogy Fun(Apologies to Randy Seaver)

Football caused me to miss Randy Seaver's Sat. Night Genealogy Fun post.
So...I'm posting it as my Tuesday Afternoon Genealogy Fun.

The instructions from Randy's Geneamusings Blog

Here is mine:

I really have very few childhood memories. My earliest I guess would have to be of my Grandpa Cooke. He died when I was two years old yet I remember toddling into his room(he was in the last stages of Lung Cancer) and my Mom & Grandmother trying to get me out of it. I remember him speaking though I don't remember exactly what he said. My Mother some years later told me that he'd told them that they didn't have to rush me out and that it did him good(my unplanned visit)

My next memories were of me starting school. We lived in Charlotte TN at the time and my parents were renting an old farm house from Ralph Taylor. It was close to a cow pasture and I remember at times the ticks were soooo thick on the screen door that it made it hard to see through. I didn't attend kindergarten but started school in the 1st grade in 1974. I was in Mrs. Rachel Weaver's first grade class and I rode the bus to school on my first day. I still remember being scared...it was Mr. Petty's bus. I remember a few of the other children who I think were in Mrs. Weaver's room as well: Lorne Christy, Reid Nicks, Deborah Greer, Daron Richardson, Steven Dawson, Timmy Gibbs, Cynthia Talley, Marsha Sutton and Cindy Procter. A few others from Elementary School were Cynthia Bell, Thom Spicer, Joe Springer, Branford Vaughn, LaTonya Corlew, TomCat, Tonya Travis and Chris R. Caldwell. The teachers would bring a television set into the classroom and would let us watch PBS shows such as "The Electric Company". It was the start of the Sesame Street Generation. For 2nd Grade, my teacher was Mrs. Elliot. I thought the world of her. We got to make molding clay in her class and I can still remember the smell. I was only in her class for a few months before my family moved and I attended Burns Elementary School until the redistrict. Those two months were long enough for me to have one of my most embarrassing moments of my life. I think this happened during a test but it might have been while we were doing seatwork. I'd been bouncing my head off my eraser...unfortunately I forgot I'd turned the pencil around and I broke the lead off in my forehead....something I still have 'til this day.....lol. I remember bleeding a bit and not wanting anyone to see...and then Mrs Elliot noticed... I don't have a picture from 2nd grade in Mrs. Elliot's class. I don't know if we had them made before I moved or not and I don't have one from Mrs Richardson's 2nd grade class which I was in after we moved either. I'd love to run across a copy of the 1st grade group picture. My Grandmother misplaced mine and I've not seen it in years.

Another memory which was a bit funnier looking back than at the time it happened was when I had asked for a bike for my birthday. I don't remember which birthday it was but I do remember my Dad buying me this HUGE tricycle and telling me it was even better than a bike cause I could ride my two brothers around on the back part of it.....yeah right Dad...Love you anyway!!.