Georgia Norwood Williamson

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Georgia Norwood Williamson was a resident of the Elsmere community. Ms. Williamson was the grandmother of Robert Patrice Tucker and George Adam Tucker. Below Mr. Robert Tucker discusses what is known about his grandmother.

Oral History:

Listen to Mr. Robert Tucker discusses his grandmother

Transcription:

Michael Benson 00:00
Okay, my name is Mike Benson, here with Robert P. Tucker. And today's date is June 6 2019. And Mr. Tucker is going to talk about some of his photos on that pertain to Elsmere.

Robert P. Tucker 00:19
Hi, how you doing? Did I ever tell you what to pay in my middle initial was Patrice Patrice and I went through hell as a kid until I learned that was a male name. I changed it to Patrick. And then when I found out Patrice Lumumba hated the Belgian Congo did and I asked my parish well look enough. I'm not going to run off. You got some questions, you would just

Michael Benson 00:45
kind of talk about your photo of your grandmother, Georgia Norwood Williamson. Okay.

Robert P. Tucker 00:49
Georgia Norwood. I'm going to say married my grandfather, James Williamson. But I never found a license. And she never really changed her name. But in this photograph, she's sitting outside of the house. And if you can see, it's a frame. The story is told to me by my mother that every once in a while she would put this garment on. And we always interpreted as American Indian symbols on it. But that's speculation. And she would sit out in a rocking chair with that on and start singing in a foreign language. Now she come out of, you know, for Jenya, so we never heard anything about her other than that she was just black. But you can see the little dog there in the house that my grandfather always had a dog, you know, the house you see boards, it was a New England style. They could go from their living quarters all the way out through the to the chicken coops into this hay storage area. But it burned down. Okay. And then my grandfather started making his own block. So the next house was blocked. If you have some questions about it, I'll be glad to answer them.

Michael Benson 02:29
Do you remember the house? Do you remember the dog you talk about?

Robert P. Tucker 02:33
No, no, I'm sorry. That was before my time. Okay.

Michael Benson 02:38
Do you remember your grandmother, can you talk a little bit 

Robert P. Tucker 02:39
do not remember her at all. She had passed away. Before I you know before I was born. Now my grandfather. I remember a great deal of details, but I do not understand this. Okay. I looked up the date of his death, the date of my birthday. And guess what? I was nine months old. But I remember riding in a horse and wagon with him. I remember him trying to encourage me to feed the animals but I was scared. You know, the pigs was Hong Kong Kong. I burn it back crying. And I remember when I sold my diapers, I would go to him first because my mother would be a boy, I am

Michael Benson 03:37
you know, we're in Virginia.

Robert P. Tucker 03:39
With Oh, well, this now this was this pick.

Michael Benson 03:43
Go ahead. You actually said that. She came from Virginia?

Robert P. Tucker 03:47
Okay, um, Richmond, Virginia. She was single had one child, however. And she made her living by fixing lunches for the barbershop. You know, Norfolk, Virginia was really a area where black money was beginning to accumulate. And she would prepare lunches for the different barbershops. And so one day delivering a lunch. This man started a conversation and he must have said the wrong thing. Because she threw the lunch in my grandfather's face. So the story is told she met him. A couple of days later. She said to him, Well, what do you do at that food? I thought he says I got down on my hands and knees at death. Yeah, I don't I really don't believe my grandpa to do it. But look, I tell you the story the way I've heard it. But anyhow, she had one child. The relationship went on for years. Grandpa bought land here in Ellesmere. Okay. She came, came with him. They started life here. My mother was born in Virginia, when they were still there. And then it's time to Richmond, Richmond, Richmond.

Michael Benson 05:23
Okay, so your mother and your grandmother was from Richmond? And when your grandmother and grandfather met was in

Robert P. Tucker 05:29
Richmond in Richmond. Yes, yes. If if you look at Richmond in terms of a black business area, very progressive. My grandmother and grandfather came here, bought land because the sales people was all the way down as far as Virginia. And all the way up in North Jersey and Grandpop came house burned down. Then he made centimorgan rewards and got a mole to make his own block and I'll show you one of them outside there if you're interested. Built a block house, which which, which, you know, was very good. But there's a bigger story in my family than that. The middle daughter when my grandfather made grandmother, she had one child, the middle daughter. Mother tells stories of her having an attitude, etc. etc. Grandpop whipped her so baby 16 years old. She ran into house got her wet clothing out of the washtub ran away. Nobody ever heard of. Said 16 year old ran away. The thinking was she went down the road to where a man lived that was friendly of her. And her and that man took off. It was a here. No, that was in Richmond

Michael Benson 07:09
in Richmond. Okay. And what was her name? Laura. Laura was her last Laura

Robert P. Tucker 07:13
Williamson are one now it gets better than that. Hold on to your seat. I formed an organized family reunion. Okay. And of course, I wanted named to change swims. In fact, no, no, no, nobody would name it after grandmom look, I'd rather have the reunion didn't worry about the name. They named it. De la the Norwood our Norwood family reunion. Okay. Well one of my cousin's put it online. And all of a sudden she gets a phone call. Okay. About the reunion. A Girl in long branch New Jersey, so I don't online. No. Would I seen that name somewhere? My grandma's papers. Grandma had died. She went up to grandma's house. Yes. Georgia. No. Just my grandma. Yeah. The largest picture. This is the lady who went online and found the Nova Wood family. She went upstairs and grandmas papers so Abram Mum, you know was a no would. She called my oldness art? I don't know. It was a number that was available. She called Val. Val is 103 now and guess what? It was the runaway daughter, granddaughter. That sound the family after all these years, you wish me down? The Runaway had a granddaughter. The granddaughter took that name Norwood and called the oldest member of the family. It gets worse Jeanette the runaway daughter raised her family in Long Branch New Jersey. Okay. As a teenager, I left home and starts falling the racetrack Florida all the way into you know Hialeah, New York. A guy taught me how to bet horses and so I did for you know, for a while. I used to go into the Asbury Park track on Endor if I turned around and looked a block away, I could see the front door of the runaway daughter. You know that close now I'm going to say I stayed with the track three or four years and their their family was

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