Page 29 - Flip Builder

Bettie (Phillips) Windmon
Bettie (Phillips) Windmon loving known as Big Mama, was born to Andrew and Emma Phil- lips. Bettie was the 3rd child to be born of the
14 siblings. What I remember about Big Mama were her
delicious cakes and peach cobbler. Every time we went to visit there were always cakes and cobblers in the pie safe. My favorite being her yellow cake with chocolate frosting. In the pie safe you would find a jelly cake, pineapple upside down, chocolate, coconut cake with pineapples and the best peach cobbler in the world. I got the opportunity to pick peaches with Big Daddy and preserve them with Big Mama.
Big Mama made quilts, cook, managed her home and
as they aged she had to take care of her husband who develop Alzheimer’s disease. Like her husband Bettie was an Eastern Star the female organization to the free masons. Big Mama had ways about her that I only wish you all could have experience. She was firm but loving,
a hard working woman and a caring wife. She kept the family together through many trying moments in her life. Losing 5 children, one at the age of 16. I can’t imag- ine how that feels and how did she keep it together with such great loses. Auntie Emma died of Tuberculosis, in
the 1940’s U.S. enter into World War II and any treatment for this disease was with held for the soldiers, this was told to me by mama. This is what she believes to be true, however in doing some research the first cure that worked well wasn’t given to a human until 1949. When researching family history you must verify some of the facts. Sto- ries are handed down from family member to another family member and sometimes the stories change over time. In 1959, Big Mama came down with Tuberculosis, back then TB patients were quarantine to prevent the spreading of this deathly disease. Treatment took years to complete, Big Mama spent at least 2 years away from her family in a TB sanatorium call McRae Memorial Tuberculosis Sanitorium for Negros. This was during a time were blacks were considered so called equal but separate from whites. It still amazes me that some 94 years after slavery, black people were still being treated like second class citizens and it still lives on today in 2018 a 153 years later.
There is a lot I can say about visiting our grandparents home in Driver, AK, for instances everything was wide open, you could run and play for hours. I never got bored between chasing chickens, making mud pies and porch swing; I enjoyed the peace and quite life in the country. They had a rooster that always crowed before dawn, I remember the leaky roof and having to put out pots and pans to catch the rain water which by the way got recycled. Big Mama use to catch rain water to do her hair, which by the way her hair was beautiful. As long as I could re- member it was down her back. She use to let me brush her hair, I can almost feel it run through my hands at this very moment.
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