My Recollections of Mama & Papa McNair

Recollections from a Great-Great Granddaughter

They were Mama and Papa to me.

By Nancy Quillin Long

I recorded these memories in February 2020

As I grew up in Vernon, Texas, I was fortunate to live near extended family. This allowed me the opportunity to know personally the parents (Ella Vermell King and Charles Franklin McNair) of my grandmother (Ava Ella King Jones, Mimi to me).

 

Though my recollections of them are from the perspective of an 8-12 year old child, I can still see them clearly in my mind’s eye. These recollections are limited but valuable to me. I am thankful that on occasion my mother would take me to see her elderly grandparents in their home in the small community of Lockett, Texas.

 

Of course, I didn’t know them very well, but my impression was that they were serious minded, straight forward, children of God, educated and kind. I hold them in great esteem from hearing the stories of their lives as spoken by my mother and my grandmother. (see those interviews)

Mama McNair had very long hair that she wore in a bun just above the collar line. Papa McNair had a round belly. They both wore spectacles.  They used home remedies, and as a child, I often had sore throats. Papa always said that grape juice would cure a sore throat. After I learned that, many times I could ward off illness by drinking grape juice made from concentrate.

 

The fact that today I can sit at my computer and use Google Earth to see Lockett, Texas, is nothing less that amazing. As I pull up that map, there is a pin designated as the Lockett Baptist Church which my great-great grandfather established in 1924, along with 11 other members. Charles Franklin McNair pastored there for 12 years. I’m pleased to see that the building is still standing in 2022 in good shape, with an additional wing added. Lockett, as of today, has all but dried up.

 

I remember my visits to their home in the early 1960s. I don’t remember much about their home, except that it was always painted green and it was small and humble. There was a piano in the living room. What I remember most is the property out back. It seemed so large to me, as if I was looking out on a small pasture. Mama and Papa had a very large garden. Papa would plow the land with a hand plow.  It was well tended, and they devoted much time to growing vegetables which they would can and preserve. I was most fascinated with their vegetable cellar. It was partially underground with lattice work around the top to ventilate and to offer some light. This was a wonderful place to preserve their food.

 

They were not overly affectionate people, but their love for each other and God was evident. When Mama (Ella Vermell) suffered a stroke, the news was dire. It was a severe stroke, and she would never be the same. She was placed in a nursing home on Texas Street in Vernon, Texas. I remember visiting her. At first, she recognized us, but as time wore on, she was no longer cognizant of those around her. At that point, I was no longer allowed to go with Mimi (Ava) on her visits to Mama (Ella).