Page 51 - Always Virginia

Always Virginia 39

we finished eating and went to our van to resume our trip back
to Peoria, the storm was all over but for the usual destruction for
southern Illinois. We drove past uprooted trees, branches, and
debris across the highway. The cornfields leveled. We arrived in
Peoria safe and sound after a most interesting and enlightening
weekend about 10 P.M.
Going to many of the sites in Kampsville brought back many
memories. The new people in Kampsville have fairly much buried
most of the old ways the people I knew lived with, like we’re one
of the old tribes that once lived on the site. They’ve graded most
of the hills now, and filled in the creek, and paved the roads, and
named the streets. I remember those hills. When I was small, we
used to go uphill to Hamburg to visit my Grandma Day and uncles
and aunts and cousins. We’d push with our hands and feet on the
back of the front seat as Daddy went up the hills, because cars were
new to everybody and we thought pushing on the seat was helping
the old Model T to climb.
Our main entertainment was going to visit relatives or them
coming to see us. Two of my daddy’s brothers married sisters [John
Day married Addie and Joseph Day married Ella] and their children
always let us know they were a dozen times more related to each
other than to us. They never started school till 5th grade, because
both their mothers were schoolteachers and taught them at home.
They called their parents “The Folks,” and when they’d come over
unexpectedly some Sunday afternoon, they’d tell us kids that “The
Folks” were planning on staying for supper, so we’d tell Mom and
she’d have us run down to the store and get some choice cold cuts,
etc. as we had eaten our big dinner of roast, or chicken, at noon,
and, needless to say, after feeding seven, there wasn’t enough left
for four more, no matter how many dozen times they were related
to each other.
My uncle John Day, who also lived in Hamburg was the
judge of Calhoun County. They both, Uncle John and Uncle
Joe, ran huge apple orchards. Uncle John’s son, John W. Day, is