This was my dear husband
just after we got married in
1960.
He was 32, almost 33, and we had written for a year and a
half. We met when he decided to come through Sacramento CA as he went
down to meetings and family in San Diego CA. A month later, he proposed
to me by mail. I accepted, and we were married in Sacto. CA at the
Central Baptist Church. It lasted until he passed on to glory in
June of 2012.
THIS IS THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, CRESCENT OR., THE FIRST CHURCH HENRY PASTORED, FROM 1953 - 1962
How I cherish the memories. When I see
Christ, I will be able to say gladly, "By God's Grace, I am here"
Henry graduated from
Linda Vista Baptist Bible College & Seminary on May 12, 1952 with a
Bachelor of Arts degree, and a Bachelor of Theology degree. On May 18,
1953, he received a degree in Bachelor of Divinity, and a Master of Theology
degree. How privileged I am to say that though I did not know
before 1959, it was meant to be that we would marry.
How he believed and
prayed and dreamed is reflected in this photo of him in 1952.
He
was born 1927 while I was born six years later, in 1933. All the time I
was growing up, God gave me "impressions" of someone SURELY going to
be my husband one day. I did not always pay attention. I did come
to a certainty that there WAS someone out there - but I did not always act
appropriately. How thankful I am that God is Sovereign, and that
He knows and cares, and that this man was praying for a wife, and believe me, I
needed prayer.
My determination did not always stay with me, and I would
get side-tracked from what God wanted me to do. My self-will got in the
way. How it worked out is a testimony to God's grace in my life.
This was my photo at 12 years of age.
Born in 1933, it was 1945 here.
Very little upbringing in any faith, I remember as a little
girl my mother saying to me,"When you grow up, and find God and believe in
Him, I want you to tell me about Him, and I will believe too."
Somehow, Mother thought that because I was Jewish from my
Daddy's side, that I would have "an in" with God. It was not
so, but it did give me A PURPOSE in my life. I found myself looking for
what was true, right, good, and found myself reasoning at a young age, about
who God was, is, and should be in my life.
It was in the 5th grade, at age 11, that a gentleman came
to my grade school class and asked permission to hand out New Testaments.
The teacher said yes, and I got mine. In it was written II Timothy
2.15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
There were other verses given - it was a Gideon Bible, and
very good for me. I looked up all the verses, and gave my life and heart
to Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I was not attending church at that time.
In that year, I remember going to Girl Scouts and learning the ten
commandments. The Girl Scout promise was
"to do my duty to God and my country," among
other things, so my heart was tenderized to read God's Word.
You must understand that I am a redhead, and that
in my life, I was "Italian, somewhat but not
Jewish"
and very English on my Mom's side.
My mother's folks were from ingrained YANKEE NEW ENGLAND
folk.
Their forefathers were independent, many of them Baptist, and
inclined to think for themselves. They came over on the Mayflower to
escape persecution, and often were maligned or misunderstood because they were
so independent, and did not "just go to church" perse.
Hardworkers, and inclined to be educated generally, they thought for
themselves.
T
MY GRANDFATHER'S FATHER - GEORGE EDGAR CARPENTER
WORKING ON WOOD
AS A FARMER, EVERYTHING THEY DID AND PRODUCED
WAS TRADED FOR OTHER GOODS IN THE AREA.
MY GRANDFATHER (FORREST RAYMOND CARPENTER) HAD
STRONG DISSENTERS IN HIS FAMILY. THIS IS HIS GRANDFATHER,
GEORGE ALBERT CARPENTER.
THIS WAS MY GRANDMOTHER'S MOTHER AS A YOUNG WOMAN,
VIDA MAY INGALLS. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE WEDDING DRESS
TO LUTHER WILBUR BREWER OF EASTHAM, MA.
LUTHER WAS A TANNER, WORKING WITH LEATHER TO MAKE
GEAR FOR HORSES AND CARRIAGES.
On my father's side, I knew little.
All I
knew at the time was that his Mother was Jewish, of New York state, and that
his father Orestes Donato was Italian, from Northern Italy. My father
had been raised by his Aunt Sally, not his mother. His father returned
to Italy with two brothers. I know now that he remarried, and that I
have relatives in the U S A. I know now, that my father's father -
Orestes Donato, was born in Tunisia, Africa while his father - my great
grandfather Major Guiseppe Donato was a Major in the Italian Army while serving
under the Italian King.
His wife, Nunia, was born in Russia. There
was no evidence of any religious affiliation - so I assume that they were Jews
that came here hoping for a better life.
This was my Dad in 1940. I was 7 years of age at
that time, and thought my father was very handsome. He had been boarded
out "as soon as he was old enough" by Aunt Sally who did what she
thought was "proper" and then sent him to the New York Episcopal
School of Music - where he learned to sing tenor, read music and to participate
in the Episcopal church there where the school was situated. Aunt
Sally was of a "different" way of life for me. She told palm
readings to the rich and famous in order to make a living. She lived in
No Falmouth MA (Cape Cod) in the Summer and in the winter, lived in Florida.
I saw her only about three times in my life, and those were brief.
My biggest memory of the great grandmother is that she was a HUGE woman, who
looked much like Golda Meier. Strong features, very intelligent,
and quite in charge of her family. My family was never able to discover
why my Dad's mother was not raising him. I did later on in my life
discover he was born at the Ipswich NY Women's Reformatory.
My sister asked me, Why would that have been? where he was
born? I told her what I knew. That in our country a law had been
passed around 1884 and was in effect until about 1904 - which declared "a
law establishing reformatories and villages" in which people who were
homeless, on the street, and without work would be put in the villages, and
anyone who was judged "immoral or indigent" was placed in a
reformatory. If a woman got pregnant, unmarried, or if married and the
husband was out of work, then she would be considered as "a
prostitute" so it is likely my grand-father was out of work, and not able
to support her. Even if the child was his, he could stop authorities from
doing this. They had the power to put anyone where they wanted.
I understand that in "these villages" that were created it was
like a nightmare of travesties where the care was just "watching over
cattle" not people.
Many tried to commit suicide the conditions were so
bad.
Well, such as it was, the law was repealed before I was
born. I understand that my Great grandmother Nunzia Donato was living up until
1975. I would have liked to have known her.
My mother and father, the day after
I was born,
on June 9, 1933.
On my mother's side, I am related to the Carpenters, Cooks,
Browns, and Greens who many of them were children of those that came over on
the Mayflower in 1620.
My Mother at age 17 had me, in 1933. Strange,
but Henry's mother was only 17 when she had him as her first child of nine.
Anna Maude Sandine married Wm. Henry Cash, and in 1927 Henry was born in Rison
Arkansas.
From what I understand, on Henry's Mother's side, she was a
full blooded Swede, named Anna Maude Sandine.
Henry's father was named after a famous preacher Uncle Wm.
Henry Cash who before the Civil War was a plantation owner, but after the Civil
War he became an Itinerant Circuit Preacher and was beloved by all.
He
was the father of Reuben who then had Ray and Roy Cash. Roy Cash was
Johnny Cash the singer's father, while Ray Cash was Henry's grandfather's
father. So Henry's grandfather Garret Gibson Cash was a first cousin to
Johnny Cash's father.
Rev. Wm. Henry Cash 1852 - 1912
Apr 12, 1861 – May 9, 1865 were the Civil War years.
I will put a link to the obituary of this dear man.
Although my father in law did not become a preacher, my husband did. How
grateful I am for believing folks in our families that prayed over the years.
This was Henry's birth certificate.
I believe that the "daylight standard time" was
a conflict that day, and the doctor who delivered Henry
chose to use May 26, not May 25th. I understand another friend of mine
to have had her Mother choose the 26th instead of 25th but she too celebrates
two days of "birth" ...
Here is Wm. Henry Cash (Jr.) at age 14 with
his grandmother Lenora Lee (Akins) Cash
Her birthday was on the 25th. 
Later on in this blog I will list more accurate dates for
those in my family
who wish to take note of them.
This is the first entry of my life and Henry's. I
look forward to sharing it as I go along.
There is much to discover online from GENEOLOGY WEBSITES. LATER I SHALL RESEARCH THE FAMILIES ONLINE AND PERHAPS HAVE A BIT MORE TO GO ON.
