My aunt Sweetie

Yes, I had an aunt (actually great-aunt) who was called Sweetie.

I suspect there was a two fold reason for that.  First, I’m sure she was truly a sweetie as a child – she was always a sweetie in my lifetime.  Second, she was named for her grandfather – not grandmother – GRANDFATHER.  Who names a little girl after her grandfather?  Well, they did.  Her maternal grandfather was Ira Foster – quartermaster general in the Civil War, state representative in two states, wealthy, apparently a really strong individual.  But…..

Anyway, I digress!  Her name was Ira Foster Ayres (Ramsey) but she was known to one and all as “Sweetie”.

She married a banker from Tennessee – I wish I knew how they met, but that story is gone.  A neighbor on Georgia Mountain (where they lived and where I live now) told me a fascinating story about her wedding.  She said Aunt Sweetie’s parents bought an incredibly large number of yards of linen and spread it down the driveway (a long ways in itself) and up the road (another long distance) to the church so she didn’t have to walk in the dirt.  Just look at that wedding dress!

And look at this outfit – love the length and love the shoes, but can you imagine lacing those up.

I love the old pictures.  The house picture is from an old post card.  Her husband died early and they had no children but she remained in Lebanon until she died (in 1963).  My mother and I stayed with her for awhile during WWII and I have some great memories from then (another post maybe).

Her only family were my family and my Dad’s brothers, so we became very close.  She was an animal lover and VERY special in my life.