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John David Franklin Anderson
Willia Hunt Anderson
The Anderson Family
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John David Franklin Anderson V was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
in 1893 to Martha White Anderson and John Anderson IV, fifth
in a line of John Anderson's. He was one of four children; Mary,
Hattie, and Isadore, preceded his birth. His mother, Martha,
died when he was four years old. His father married again, and
he had a "mean" stepmother. His home life was very
unhappy, so when he was 14 years old, he left home and traveled
with various labor camps that were helping to build the railroads.
He worked as a cook and traveled all through the South. He worked
in the stockyards in St. Louis and Kansas City as a butcher.
He married Willia Al Hunt in 1915 in Memphis Tennessee and they
had three children: Carl Sylvan Edmonia and Lee Edna. He had
little or no formal education, but loved books and he educated
himself through reading and studying mathematics. He was a devout
church member and attended Centennial M.E. Church. He was also
a 32nd Degree Mason. He loved children very much -- his son,
and just about everybody else's. He later had another son Theadus
John.
The Great Depression hit John David hard. He lost his job with
the American Radiator Company, which he had held for a number
of years. He lost his new home, which he had bought a few years
before. He later found work with various hotels in Kansas City.
His marriage was very stormy and unhappy and he had Willia separated.
He was a wonderful, loving, caring father who made sure that
through all odds, his children had a high school education.
It was the best he could do. Kansas City was segregated city
and people of color could not go to the local college. The nearest
college for them was at Jefferson City.
In later years, during the forties and fifties he made many
trips to Louisiana to see his relatives. His father died in
1927. He then went to Louisiana, but did not go again until
after the War in the late forties. He went to work for Wilson's
Packing house and worked there until he retired in 1959. Sadly,
he only lived tow years after his retirement. He passed away
February 12, 1961 . . . . .a wonderful man and a devoted father
and grandfather.
John David Franklin Anderson |
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Hattie
Anderson Dodson, Norman Dodson &
John Anderson
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Mary
Anderson
Had
two beautiful daughters; Thelma and Juanita |
Edward
Mary
Anderson's Son.
Married to Carol - - they had three children.
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Marshall
Hunt, Willia Hunt & Carl Anderson
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Fleming,
Willia Hunt & Marshall Hunt |
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We
live at The West Side at
2922 Madison Avenue, Kansas City, MO
from 1916 to 1980.
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Fleming,
Willia Hunt & Carl Anderson
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Fleming,
Edmonia, Carl Anderson & Spurgeon Guice
March 1961 in Kansas, MO
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JUST
REMINISCING
By: Lee Edna Anderson Rollins
Once
upon a time there was small three room house at 2922
Madison, Kansas City, MO (which is now W.D.A.F Radio
Station, Kansas, MO) where I was born and lived there
was my father, John Anderson, mother Willa Anderson,
one brother Sylvan "Carl" Anderson and one
sister, Edmonia Anderson. It didn't have much to offer,
but to us, it was home.
This was during the depression years (some of you younger
people may not know anything about that time. From 1929
through the early and middle thirties. Very few people
had nice homes or much money and jobs were scarce, almost
nonexistent. In spite of that we did have love for each
other and others too and appreciation for the little
things.
Every
Christmas and each birthday we would exchange gifts
to each other even though they would be only a couple
of handkerchiefs, a ten cents to twenty-five cent pair
of earrings, necklace or ring, or tie or socks of something
of that nature. Daddy always managed to keep a job through
some of the hotels eh worked at as a bellhop paid him
no no wages at all but some of their customers gave
him tips. One of the larger hotels paid him $12 a week
after a while and that was considered a pretty good
job.
He
saw to it that we always had enough food to eat, a wood
and coal burning stove and with enough wood and coal
to keep us warm during those extremely cold winters.
There was a grocery store owned by Mr. and Mrs. Shively
and her brother named Jack and they extended credit
to us because they trusted our Dad and knew he would
pay them as much as he could and he eventually paid
them off completely. May God bless them wherever they
are. Someone on one of Dad's jobs gave him a beautiful
camel hair coat which was a luxury and he loved it.
The
crime rate was very low too. Daddy went to work, we
went to school and never locked a door. In fact we didn't
have a key to either door and no one ever bothered a
thing. You could walk miles late at night alone if you
needed or wanted to and you were pretty safe for the
most part. WHAT A CONTRAST TO NOW!
Daddy
eventually was able to install indoor plumbing, electricity,
insulation and other amenities to our small home to
make it more livable and I can assure you it was a labor
of love because he early loved that home that he had
purchased.
About
1937 Edmonia bought us Howard combination radio and
record player, a large floor model and we particularly
enjoyed the music of Ella Fitzerald, Billie Holiday,
Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and others.
We previously had a Victrola and radio and record player.
Those days had their advantages as well as there disadvantages,
but that's life and history. Our area was called the
West Side because it was on the West Side of Kansas
City, MO.
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Syle and Lee Edna's Family
Kansas City, Missouri
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Dianne
Rollins
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Craig
& Sharon Rollins |
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My
Father's House
By: Carl Sylvan Anderson
My
father, David Franklin Anderson rebuilt the old 3
room house. The house had water and electricity in
the 20's. After we all left home in the 40's, he put
a roof on his prized possession. He had the walls
plastered and papered, and put in hardwood floors.
He added indoor plumbing and had the house insulated
with fiberglass. He also built a new front and back
porch. He had the house painted yellow with red trim,
and a nice new walkway to the road before he passed
on.
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 If
Jesus came to your house
If
Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two -
If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you'd do.
Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room to such an
honored Guest.
And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very
best,
And you would keep assuring Him you're glad to have
Him there -
That serving Him in your own home is joy beyond compare.
But
- when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the
door
With arms outstretched in welcome to your heavenly Visitor?
Or would you have to change your clothes before you
let Him in?
Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd
been?
Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard?
And wish you hadn't uttered that last loud, hasty word?
Would
you be glad to have Him meet your very close friends?
Or would you hope they'd stay away until His visit ends?
Would you be glad to have him stay forever on and on?
Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last
was gone?
It might be interesting to know the things that you
would do
If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with
you.
Would
you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books
out?
Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush
about?
And I wonder - if the Saviour spent a day or two with
you,
Would you go right on doing the things you always do?
Would you go right on saying the things you always say?
Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?
Would
your family conversation keep up its usual pace?
And would you find it hard each meal to say a table
grace?
Would you sing the songs you always sing, and read the
books you read,
And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit
feed?
Would you take Jesus with you, every-where you'd planned
to go?
Or would you, maybe, change your plans for just a day
or so?
-
Lois Kendall Blanchard
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The Miller Family |
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