On This Day in Family History - March 9

 A TALE OF TWO ETTIES

In our family, anyone named Etta is called Ettie -- which, when spoken, sounds exactly like "eddy".  And the word 'aunt', when spoken, sounds exactly like "ain't". So my whole life I heard my grandmother tell of "Ain't Eddy".

Aunt Ettie was the sister of my great-grandmother Annie Arnold Hicks. 

Photo (L-R): Annie Arnold, "Maw" (Adaline) Arnold, Etta Lee Arnold

Aunt Ettie married Ben Jackson and they had six children before Aunt Ettie died at age 44 from tuberculosis.

Photo: Etta and Ben Jackson with their first 2 children, Alvis and Wincel

Photo: Ben and Etta Arnold Jackson

This picture was taken shortly before Aunt Ettie died

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The other "Ettie" in the family is Etta Marie Carter, who was born 09 March 1918.

Etta Carter was the daughter of George Thomas Carter. George was a brother of my great-great-grandmother Adaline Carter Arnold ("Maw" Arnold, in the photo above). So Ettie Arnold and Ettie Carter were cousins.

Photo: George Thomas Carter and wife Laura, with their children Lena, Frank, and baby Ettie

Photo: Ettie and Lena Carter, 1984

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Post Script:

Wellsir, in preparing this post I discovered that our records have two different dates for the marriage of Etta Arnold and Ben Jackson -- March 9th and March 31st. There are more instances of the 31st than the 9th, so I guess I've put this on the wrong date. But since I've already done the work, I'mma just leave it alone. The probable correct date for Aunt Ettie's marriage to Ben Jackson is 31 March 1915.