Family History Note Written By George W. King, Circa 2000
[Foreword: This is a Blog about an incident which occurred in July, 1930 that is part of the Alfred G. King Family lore. There were two generations of children in our family. At the time of birth of the youngest family member (Robert) in November, 1930, the oldest child Monyette, was 22 years old, Johnetta was 19 years old, and Mildred was 17 years of age. In the second generation of four children (3 boys and 1 girl), the oldest, Alfred King II – later known as Nick – was 5 years old, my sister Jean was 3 years old, and I, George, was 1.5 years of age. Consequently, I have no recollection of the incidents reported herein, but the story was widely reported and authenticated by the individuals involved.]
My mother was a very beautiful and youthful looking woman late into her life. When the older of my sisters (Monyette and Johnetta) were 20 years and 18 years old, respectively, Mom was a very youthful and good looking 39 years of age. The story goes that none of the girls were particularly happy for Mom to be around when they entertained company because Mom’s good looks made them feel somewhat insecure.
The other participants in the drama that took place were two brothers, George Singleton (better known by the diminutive “Sing” of his middle name,) and Charles Haslerig, who were courting Monyette and Johnetta. Sing and Charles were from Chickamauga, Georgia, located about 20 miles from Chattanooga. They were members of a large and prominent family that owned a successful dairy farm in Chickamauga that distributed milk throughout the area to “Blacks and Whites” alike (because of strict segregation of the races, it was always necessary to use the term “Blacks and Whites” when whatever was being reported applied to both races.)
Fireworks were a big part of Fourth of July celebrations in the south – and still are today. One test of manhood was how large an explosive you were setting off, and how long would you hold it before it exploded – many fingers and hands were lost in proving virility. Fireworks were not a prominent part of our family celebration for safety reasons, and also because Mom detested the loud sound. The most explosive display we experienced was from Pop firing his pistol into the air on July Fourth and on New Year’s Eve. As far as we kids were allowed, sparklers were about as exciting as it got.
On the occasion in question, Monyette and Johnetta were going to a picnic later in the day with George and Charles. The brothers were arriving by trolley car, and probably due to work responsibilities, were not arriving together. But they were to meet at their aunt Alsora’s home on 12th Ave, about a block from our home before picking up the girls at our house. The trolley stop was at the corner of Dodd’s Avenue and 23rd St, just south of our home. To get to Alsora’s they had to walk up the hill on 23rd St along the north side of our home, and then go left on 12th Ave.
It so happened, in spite of it being a holiday, that Mom had some laundry she wanted to put on the clothes line in our backyard to dry. She was hanging sheets just as Sing passed by, and he thought he saw Monyette with her back turned hanging the laundry. So he lit a string of firecrackers and tossed them in the yard and waited to see her being startled and running around when they went off. To his horror, the person who was screaming and running into the house wasn’t Monyette, but Mrs. King! However, he had no choice but to continue to his Aunt’s home and wait for Charles.
It wasn’t too long before Mom had calmed down enough to return to the backyard to finish hanging the laundry, when as fate would have it, Charles came marching up 23rd St. He looked over and there was Monyette or Johnetta with her back turned hanging sheets. So without hesitation, Charles lit a string of firecrackers and tossed them into the yard. When they went off Mom came running into the house screaming “You fools, you country fools, you’re trying to kill me!” It was nothing left to do but for Charles to continue to Alsora’s where Sing met him at the door to tell him what had happened. But Charles cut him off saying, “You don’t have to tell me nothing Sang, I did the same thang!”
Things eventually got back to normal, probably after copious tears from the girls, profuse apologies from the boys, and likely calming comments from Pop. For the record, a year or so after the incident George Haslerig and Monyette were married and raised two lovely children. There are other good stories concerning George and Monyette yet to be told.