Thusie

Arthusa Parneshia Evans was a mouthful so most folks called her Thusie. She was born November 8, 1875 near Tremont to Elizabeth Ann Bishop and John Thomas Evans. At the age of 19, she married a fellow Itawambian, Gideon Robinson, and together they raised six children, including my grandfather Luke Lee Robinson. Gideon, who was the son of George Emerson Robinson and his first wife, Charlotte Purnell, was born November 6, 1868 near Tremont. Gid was 26 years old when he and Thusie were married on November 25, 1894.

Thusie and Gid apparently started their married lives together in a small house near her parents. The house is no longer standing but has been described as a one-room cabin with a big stone fireplace at one end and a small sleeping alcove at the other.

After the death of their oldest son in World War I, the couple moved closer to Tremont to be near his grave. Then, before 1930, they moved to Fulton. Well, actually, their land was located just outside the small town of Fulton. Today, however, the land is well within the city limits.

If you have ever driven along Mimosa Drive or Willow Road, then you've driven along land that once was owned by Gid and Thusie. The old home is, of course, gone but several large trees stand sentinel over the old homeplace. Their home was simply built with two large rooms across the front and two smaller rooms on the back side. There also was a "plunder" room which was used mostly for storage. A porch stretched across the front of the house and included a swing while a path led to the outhouse in the back yard. Thusie kept the yard swept clean with a broom to keep snakes and other creatures away from the house. Sweeping the yard was a common practice of the time.

Thusie loved flowers and enjoyed gardening. Alongside the yard to the south were several large, pink crepe myrtle trees that usually sported birdnests. However, Thusie was especially proud of her peach trees. Many pies were provided out of the fruit of those trees as well as switches for the legs of her grandchildren! Thusie had a special, small screened window in her kitchen that she used for the cooling of her pies. Her grandson James, my father, was partial to her sweet potato pies that she prepared without using eggs or sugar.