• Subscribe
    • Franklin Living Magazine
    • Services
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
    • Classifieds
    • E-editions
    • Public Notices
      • Public Notices
      • Alabama Public Notices
    • Subscribe
    • Franklin Living Magazine
    • Services
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
    • Classifieds
    • E-editions
    • Public Notices
      • Public Notices
      • Alabama Public Notices

June 9, 2025

Franklin County Times
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyles
  • Obituaries
  • Records
  • Subscribe
  • Services
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Policies
  • Terms of use
  • Submit a news tip
  • Submit a photo
  • Birth Announcement
  • Birthday announcement
  • Engagement announcement
  • Wedding announcement
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Classifieds
  • Public Notices
    Franklin County Times
      • Site logo
      • Home
      • News
        • Russellville
        • Red Bay
        • Phil Campbell
        • Franklin County
        • Photo Galleries
        • Sponsored Content
      • Sports
        • Belgreen Bulldogs
        • Phil Campbell Bobcats
        • Red Bay Tigers
        • Russellville Golden Tigers
        • Tharptown Wildcats
        • Vina Red Devils
        • College Sports
        • Sports Columnists
      • Opinion
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Columnists
        • Editorials
      • Lifestyles
        • Birthdays
        • Births
        • Couples
        • Food
        • Features
      • Obituaries
      • Records
        • Sheriff’s Report
        • Marriages
        • Land Transactions
        • Police Reports
      • Special Sections
      • Site logo
      • Home
      • News
        • Russellville
        • Red Bay
        • Phil Campbell
        • Franklin County
        • Photo Galleries
        • Sponsored Content
      • Sports
        • Belgreen Bulldogs
        • Phil Campbell Bobcats
        • Red Bay Tigers
        • Russellville Golden Tigers
        • Tharptown Wildcats
        • Vina Red Devils
        • College Sports
        • Sports Columnists
      • Opinion
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Columnists
        • Editorials
      • Lifestyles
        • Birthdays
        • Births
        • Couples
        • Food
        • Features
      • Obituaries
      • Records
        • Sheriff’s Report
        • Marriages
        • Land Transactions
        • Police Reports
      • Special Sections
    Columnists, Old South, Opinion
     By  Staff Reports Published 
    7:58 am Saturday, July 3, 2010

    Old South: All were immigrants

    By Elton Camp

    Nobody was truly native to Alabama. Many had English or Irish roots. The ancestors of Americans Indians arrived earlier than others.   A large portion of them had been forced west in the 1840s by the Indian Removal Act. A few who adopted settler ways remained. Intermarriage with Indians wasn’t widespread, yet a number of people in Alabama count them among their ancestors.

    Elias House, an olive-skinned neighbor boasted, “I’m from a Cherokee princess. Y’u could say thet I’m sort of royalty.”

    The fact that the tribe had no princesses was unknown to Elias. The story sounded good and made him more “respectable.”  Even if a person made no such grandiose claim, Indian heritage caused little trouble. Even noticeably darker skin was casually dismissed with the comment, “He’s part Injun.”  If hard working, he was accepted. Tolerance was enhanced by the fact that little history of Indian raids existed in North Alabama.

    “Paw, do y’u know where our folks are from?” Leamon asked. He had a better sense of time and place than most.

    “I reckon hit wuz mainly from England. Thar mought b’ som’ Irish mixed in there, but I ain’t really shore.”

    Milas was seven generations removed from Thomas Camp who had been born in 1661 in County Essex, England, came to the United States and settled in King and Queen County Virginia.

    Of his four ancestors named Thomas, the most interesting died in 1798. The prolific man sired twenty-four children by two wives. One of them was Milas’ forefather.

    Thomas’ grave lies in an overgrown rural cemetery. A fieldstone with his name and date of death were all that marked his grave until generations later when descendants erected a granite marker at the site.

    Even if most people were vague as to ancestry, one transient group knew its origin very well. About once a year a small band of Gypsies visited. They arrived in three colorful wagons pulled by horses. One of Milas’ neighbors, Bill Self, always permitted them to set up free in his pasture. Their presence caused a wave of excitement to spread throughout the community.

    “Th’ Gypsies ez here ’gain,” a woman called out to a neighbor who was passing by on foot. “Bill’s put them up this year too. I sorta wish he wouldn’t do thet. They scare me.”

    The wagons were brightly painted with intricate designs. A single door opened from the back of each. Each side had a window with curtains. The inside was divided into two areas.  The kitchen end had a stove with a metal chimney that extended through the roof. The area had a closet, storage chests, pots, pans, and dishes. The other portion of the wagon served for sleeping quarters. Numerous items hung on wooden pegs on the walls.

    Gypsy women did most of the work and were the main generators of income. They made baskets, prepared remedies from herbs and told fortunes. Cooking and cleaning also fell to them.

    Two of the older women actually spoke a dialect of Romany in addition to English. They had no success when they attempted to teach the language to youngsters.

    “Granny, that’s old stuff. Nobody needs to know that anymore,” a child countered when the matriarch attempted to instruct her.

    “They’s heer t’ steal chillen,” Mrs.Barnette avowed. “Y’u best keep yore boys in partic’lar locked up ’till they leave.”

    That belief was one of the many wrong concepts country people held about the Roma. It was based on stories from unspecified places where children supposedly had mysteriously disappeared following departure of the travelers. It was firmly held to be true, but nobody could supply specifics. The parental threat, “I’ll give y’u t’ th’ Gypsies,” usually was scary enough to bring a naughty child into compliance.

    As we will see, the Gypsies promptly set about the business that brought them to the area.

    Also on Franklin County Times
    ‘Seamless Summer’ feeds all Franklin County students
    A: Main, Z - News Main
    ‘Seamless Summer’ feeds all Franklin County...
    Alyssa Sutherland For the FCT 
    June 4, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE — The Franklin County School district will feed breakfast and lunch to all kids aged 18 and under this summer, whether they are affiliate...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Celebrating a century: Mildred Hood turns 100 years old
    Birthdays, Lifestyles
    Celebrating a century: Mildred Hood turns 100 ...
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    June 4, 2025
    Mildred Hood, a resident of Terrace Manor in Russellville, was born May 20, 1925. She turned 100 years old on May 20, 2025. She went to school in Wigg...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Rural Acres Garden Club celebrates 50 years
    Lifestyles, Opinion
    HERE AND NOW
    Rural Acres Garden Club celebrates 50...
    June 4, 2025
    The Waco Rural Acres Garden Club was established in the fall of 1974. There were 16 charter members. Agnes Sugg served as its first president. Doris B...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    28-year veteran educator retires from RMS
    News, Russellville
    28-year veteran educator retires from RMS
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    June 4, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE Longtime educator Diane Townley has retired after 28 years with Russellville City Schools. Her primary teaching focus was mathematics, mo...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    Lawsuit abuse reform must be a top priority in 2026
    Columnists, News, Opinion
    Lawsuit abuse reform must be a top priority in 2026
    June 4, 2025
    As someone who had the honor of serving in the Alabama Legislature, I’ve seen firsthand the opportunities and challenges facing our great state. Alaba...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Goggans signs cheer scholarship with UNA
    High School Sports, Russellville Golden Tigers, Sports
    Goggans signs cheer scholarship with UNA
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    June 4, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE Russellville High School graduate Ella Goggans will continue her cheerleading journey beyond high school, thanks to a scholarship from th...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Students test their skills in carpentry challenge
    News, Z - News Main
    Students test their skills in carpentry challenge
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    June 4, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE – A hands-on carpentry competition recently gave building construction students from Franklin County Career Technical Center and Russellv...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Students benefit from Golden Tiger Bigs mentoring
    News, Z - News Main
    Students benefit from Golden Tiger Bigs mentoring
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    June 4, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE – The Golden Tiger Bigs program matched three younger students with three older volunteers during the justcompleted spring semester. Part...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}{"newsletter":"Newsletter"}
    ❮❯

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Latest Local News
    28-year veteran educator retires from RMS
    28-year veteran educator retires from RMS
    June 4, 2025
    Students test their skills in carpentry challenge
    Students test their skills in carpentry challenge
    June 4, 2025
    Lawsuit abuse reform must be a top priority in 2026
    Lawsuit abuse reform must be a top priority in 2026
    June 4, 2025
    Car wash to include old FCT building
    June 4, 2025
    Students benefit from Golden Tiger Bigs mentoring
    Students benefit from Golden Tiger Bigs mentoring
    June 4, 2025

    More Local News

    Latest Stories
    Answering call for children in need
    Answering call for children in need
    June 4, 2025
    Calendar Of Events
    June 4, 2025
    Car wash to include old FCT building
    June 4, 2025
    Obituaries
    June 4, 2025
    Birthdays
    June 4, 2025
    Latest Sports
    Goggans signs cheer scholarship with UNA
    Goggans signs cheer scholarship with UNA
    June 4, 2025
    4 honored duringRHS Performing Arts Signing Day
    4 honored duringRHS Performing Arts Signing Day
    May 28, 2025
    Longtime Russellville coach Tim Townley retires
    Longtime Russellville coach Tim Townley retires
    May 28, 2025
    Belgreen hopes state playoff run ‘builds confidence’ for future
    Belgreen hopes state playoff run ‘builds confidence’ for future
    May 21, 2025
    Bulldogs’ inspired run comes to end against Pisgah
    Bulldogs’ inspired run comes to end against Pisgah
    May 21, 2025

    More Sports Stories

    x

    Sections

    • Home
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Lifestyles
    • Obits
    • Special Sections
    • Sponsored Content
      • Home
      • News
      • Sports
      • Opinion
      • Lifestyles
      • Obits
      • Special Sections
      • Sponsored Content

    Services

    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise With Us
    • Policies
    • Terms of use
    • Submit a news tip
    • Submit a photo
    • Birth announcement
    • Birthday announcement
    • Engagement announcement
    • Wedding announcement
    • Submit a Classified Ad
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Advertise With Us
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
      • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter

    Follow Us

    Copyright

    © 2025, Franklin County Times