Memories of my 109 year old cousin

My family history is rooted in the Piedmont area of South Carolina. That's in the Up Country...at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. My grandmother, the matriarch and care giver of our family, had a special fondness and commitment to her cousin Emma Williams Fowler. As a child when we'd travel south for summers with my grandmother—who we called "Mother"—we'd always go with her to check on Cousin Emma who lived alone at that point. She lived down a dirt road out in the country. As we'd step out of the car a dog or cat and a chicken or two might come out to meet us or they might just stay under the house or tree where it was cool. My cousin Emma would be inside sitting by the wood stove in the kitchen. Mother and Cousin Emma would talk for a while. Cousin Emma would comment on how big we were getting and ask us if we wanted a biscuit from the stove, which seemed to be the only thing she ever ate. Eventually she'd ask one of us kids to wind the mantle clock for her which was a real treat.

Eventually we moved to Greenville to live with my Grandmother. In the interim Cousin Emma, now 107 years old and no longer able to live by herself, had also moved in with "Mother." I enjoyed spending time with Cousin Emma as she embodied so much wisdom, peace, and serenity. And she seemed to enjoy us kids too even though we sometimes stirred up a fair amount of chaos in our playing.

I was fascinated by how long my cousin had lived so I'd sit with her on occasion and ask her about her life and about her mother and family. I was amazed by the stories she'd share with me. She told me about being a little slave girl and how she had once seen "master" tie her mother to a tree and whip her. She told me about her daughter who died in adolescence and she showed me the lock of her daughter's hair that she had kept through the years. She told me about her deceased husband, John Fowler, who she spoke of with such reverence that it was plain to see that they had loved each other deeply. I didn't know it at the time but years later I learned that Cousin Emma had also been a matriarch in the church and had been tireless in her giving and service to others.

My time with Cousin Emma, almost 40 years ago, has been a lasting memory. Remembering how "Mother" took care of Cousin Emma reminds me of the love and commitment to family that filled our home at 902 Anderson Road. Reflecting on Cousin Emma's life experiences along with the peace and serenity she embodied is a reminder of just how strong, resilient and enduring we truly can be.