CARRIE JACKSON
Life Story
I Carrie was born to Cary and Camell Robert on October 27, 1917 in Gary, Indiana. I had a pretty good childhood. I have 2 sisters and 3 brothers, we had a lot of fun growing up. I was raised up in the Church and was an usher in my Church in Gary.
Growing up during my childhood was good and sad. My mother and father would fight at times, and it hurt me very much to see them fight. Me and my brother would fight sometimes . I said that when I grew up I would never fight.
I
had a lot of fun together with my brothers and sisters. Although we would
fight with each other sometimes, we used to go to Fable School and take
swimming lessons. Mother used to make homemade ice cream, we would tell
all our friends. My mother said, you know if you bring them here when I
give you ice cream, I will have to give them some too. My oldest brother
used to steal from my parents, then they would ask who did it and he would
not tell so dad would whip all of us. I was a Tomboy when I was growing
up. I was between 2 sisters and 3 brothers. My sister didn't want me to
be with them so I played with my brothers so I was ruff as them. The saddest
time in growing up was when my youngest Brother, J.T., was coming home
from kindergarten, and some big boy tackled him and he fell on top of him.
J.T. never got over it and died at 6 years.
When I was in the first, second and third grade, I went to a mix school. Then they transferred me to an all black school which had a bad reputation for fighting there. When they came to my classroom to get me I started crying. My sister heard me and run out in the hallway and ask what they were doing to me. But everything worked out alright. The school turned out to be a very nice school. Soon after I transferred there a girl who they said was the school bully. Since I was the new student she started picking on me. She said she was going to get me after school. Everyone said you better run home. I told them I wasn't going to run, but I would not start the fight. When school was over, she saw me out door and came over and started the fight. We fought, but after that we were good friends, when she seen I wasn't afraid of her. I use to take up for my girlfriend. She would let people jump on her and I would take up for her. One day I was at my desk in school behind another girl. I wrote on my paper she like this boy. She told the teacher and made me get whipped. I told her when school is out I was going to get her and I did.
We grew up in the depression when my father job went down they put my father on W.P.A. They had to go wherever they sent them to work every month. They would give us navy beans, and white potatoes. I ate so many navy beans I said when I grew up I would never cook navy beans again. It was hard but we handle it. My mother could sew she would make all our clothes. We always look nice going to school. She instill in us about being clean. She said if you only had one dress, you could wash it and wear it and keep it clean.
We went to Roosevelt High in Gary, Indiana, and loved to go to dances. My two sisters and two brothers went there and all my children except two graduated from that school. The other two graduated from Frable High School.
I was taking sewing and was making a skirt. I was taking a long time finishing, so I took the skirt home and finished it. When I showed the teacher, she asked when I did that and I said that I took it home. She made me rip it all loose and I had to do it all over again. I was so mad.
I got married at 16 to Van Carrouthr in 1934, we had 2 girls Arrester and Audreen. We had a bad marriage; I stayed for 5 years. We lived upstairs above Miss Simmons. We didn't have electricity, we had a karosene lamp. It was early in the evening and I had gone to bed with the baby. I felt a hand come out and grab my neck, like it was choking me and I couldn't get loose, I was screaming at the top of my lungs. When I finally got loose, I grabbed the lamp and ran downstairs with the lamp. I ran so fast that the lamp went out. I left the baby upstairs and had to get my friend to go back upstairs to get the baby. I thought it was a ghost, because they said that a man had got killed in that apartment. I stayed downstairs with her until my husband got home at 12 o'clock. I wasn't laughing then because I was scared, but I can laugh about it now.
I then married again to Clyde Jackson in February, 1942. I told my husband before we got married that I wasn't going to fight anymore, because I had fought with my first husband. I said that we are both grown, and I can't raise you and you can't raise me, so if we both can't sit down and work things out, you can go your way and I'll go mine. Well, there wasn't no fighting. If I was mad I would leave the house and go over to one of my daughters houses and tell them not to tell him where I was. I also wouldn't cook for him. We always worked things out.
He had four children; Mable, Willie, Alma, Mildred. I had two children, Arrester, and Audrine. We had 5 children together: Clyde Jr., Stanley, Karen, Richard, and Larry. That's why I say I had eleven children. This is no separation between them, they are all mine. I sat down with his children and told them that I know I can't take the place of your mother, but I'm going to treat you right and love you, and I am not going to make any difference between you and my children. But if you need chastising, you get chastising, there is no difference in treatment. I will respect you and love you, but I demand respect. That's why the family worked out so good.
When I married my second husband, we had a big family and when they were growing up we had a lot of fun together. I played games with my children, we enjoyed each other. We didn't have a lot of money, but we always had plenty of food to eat and they all looked nice when going to school. I could sew and I made most of their clothes, but the main thing we had a lot of love for each other.
My youngest child, Larry, was shot and killed by my nephew in 1973. Larry had just turned 16. That was a very sad time in my life. After my son's death, I moved to Chicago to live in my daughter's home. At that time I started to raise my Great Grand children. I raised 4 grand children and 2 great grand children. Clyde and I lived together 28 years. Clyde died in the 1970's.
I used to take my great granddaughter to school every morning starting when she was three until she was in third grade. She was in the first graduation class of the Hippie program in Chicago. When she was in preschool, I would go over the lessons with her and play the educational games with her. I walked her to school and went to the parent room and met the other young mothers. We did all sorts of projects, and went on trips to the museums; that's why I liked it. It kept me feeling young being around all those young women. They still know me now and when they see me they say "Hi Granny Jackson".
Now I don't raise anymore children. I mostly go to the Senior Center, which keeps me going and keeping fit. I joined the Church over here. I enjoy life going on trips, to dinners, shows and sometimes to the "boat" and church. I thank God for letting me live a long life still active and in pretty Good health with all the use of my faculties.
Now, I am 80 years, but still participate in exercise, dance, workshops and trips to keep myself fit. I enjoy life to the fullest and I thank God for bring me this for not because of my goodness, but for his grace and mercy have brought me this far and I thank Him.
