Dennis Singletary explains his family tree, as recorded in the Bible of his late aunt and uncle, to Angela Steadman. Steadman purchased the old Bible at a yard or book sale about 10 or 15 years ago, and had always wanted to return it to a descendant of the original owner. She was able to do that Tuesday afternoon.
Angela Steadman of Ellerbe bought an old family Bible 10 to 15 years ago, and has always wanted to get it back to the family of the original owner, Brady Richardson, who died in 1946.
A story about Steadman’s search ran in the Daily Journal on Sunday; she got a call from Dennis Singletary, the nephew of Brady and Ola Richardson, at 9:30 that morning. Other relatives called and e-mailed later in the day - but Steadman felt that the only fair way to settle it was first come, first served.
She took the Bible to Singletary’s East Rockingham home Tuesday afternoon.
“They never had children, but all of us were like her (Ola’s) children,” said Singletary.
When he was born, his aunt was living in a two-room house right around the corner from he lives today. His uncle Brady, a WWI veteran, passed away before he was born.
“She lived on this hill about all her life,” said Singletary.
“I was under the assumption somebody had it (the Bible). Whoever had it didn’t do too good of a job keeping it. This ain’t gonna happen again.”
The names listed in the Bible bring back memories of relatives that he grew up with and loved, as well as some that he was never had the chance to meet.
Singletary remembers helping Ola when she moved into a four-room house up the hill from the home that she and Brady had lived in. He said her wardrobe barely fit in the car.
“She loved to dress up and get her picture taken. She had so many clothes and hats. She didn’t throw anything away. I remember I said ‘Aunt Ola, why don’t you get rid of some of these clothes?’ and she said ‘Well I might lose some weight!’ She filled up a four-room house, and she had been living in a two-room house. I don’t know how in the world she did it.”
When Ola passed away 20 years ago, Singletary’s brother Richard put many of her belongings up for sale to help pay for the funeral, but Dennis said that the Bible had most likely been passed on to someone else at that point.
According to Singletary, he and his relatives held on to the things that meant something.
“I got a lot of her old 78s (records) at that sale. She had Kitty Wells, Roy Acuff, original Hank Williams. I remember going over to her house and listening to music on her big record player with the two speakers on the side. I remember listening to that song by Arthur Godfrey, ‘I Don’t Want Her, You Can Have Her, She’s Too Fat For Me.’”
As Steadman and Dennis Singletary began leafing through the Bible, yellowed pieces of paper with Scriptures written on them began to slide out. On one of them was scrawled what appeared to be a phone number written by a small child.
“You know, that could have very well been my handwriting when I was a kid. It looks like it,” said Singletary.
He was a student in her Sunday School class.
“She was a good woman.”
As he turned the pages of the Bible and recalled more stories - funny and sad - of relatives - young and old - who had passed before him, the cross-stitched phrase that hung on the wall behind him said it best.
“When someone you love becomes a memory, a memory becomes a treasure.”
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