MY MOM'S MOM - CORNELIA HORNBEAK GAINES

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

I have been looking and looking for this picture of my Mom's Mom - actually, I always called her Grandmommy - who was the only other Aries in my entire family line - both sides.  She was, and still is, my inspiration.  

My Maternal Grandmother Cornelia Hornbeak Gaines

I have so many fond memories of her coming up.  She passed on to the realm of the Ancestor/Angels when I was 13.  I still wear the turqouise pinky ring which was the only piece of jewelry left of her extensive jewelry collection.  

In fact, I'm pretty sure I got my love of jewelry from the fact that she had a trunk full of jewelry on her dresser - I was constantly getting into it as a kid, and would walk around with her bracelets all the way up to my elbows, and her necklaces down to her knees.  She loved turquoise, but also had garnets, and other beautiful pieces as well. 

Her birthday was April 7, 1887 - but she was always so young to me, despite the fact that she had been subjected to missionary school when she was young - during the time when they tried to detribalize Native Americans.  Grandmom had an original  Cherokee name - but I don't know what it was. They renamed her Cornelia, however, her nickname was "Aint Boosie" because she was a midwife in the community, having delivered a great many babies in the small all Black town of Burneyville, OK.  

Grandmom was a fabulous cook, housewife, mother, designer.  She taught all her daughters to do and be the same - so I learned how to sew from both her and my mom.  

My granddad, Enoch Gaines, built her a fabulous home - the only home with electricity and indoor plumbing for a long time in that region.  He had 180 acres of land on the OKLAHOMA/Texas Border.   She and my granddaddy were married for 45 years until she passed on.  They had five girls - Eula Pearl, Altreca (Altreesa), Joanne, Mary, Ruby Love (my mom); and one son, AC aka, Uncle Buddy.  

I always loved going down home to stay with them for the summer.  She was a fantastic gardner, fisher, and just plain fun to be with.  She used to bounce us up and down on her knees; let us lick the bowl after she made the cake, and teach us how to quilt and do fun stuff.

My granddad was 7 years younger than she was, but he was the love of her life, and she was his.   We'd sit together in the big porch swing on the front porch and Grandmom would tell us all kinds of stories.

When we got a little older she'd let us braid her long hair - which was down to her waistline.  Cherokees have a tradition that if you have a grey hair and you pull it, no more grays would come to take its place.  She would have my sister Brenda and I looking for grey hair.  LOL

Grandmom would make furniture from birch trees - I used to try to do the same, but I was skinnier than most of the branches she pulled down and couldn't get them to cooperate.  She made stools, tables, chairs, and cradles.  She had a papoose carrier that she used for all of her kids - she carried them on her back when they were born.  My mother gave it to me when my first born, Kira, came along.  I have no idea where it is now.  But it was a beautiful work of art - so much so that I basically had it mounted on the wall and only took it down when I was showing off her handiwork.

She belonged to a quilting bee of local women - who would come together, swap patterns and ideas.  She also knew how to crochet - something I could never master.  I was great at knitting, but for whatever reason, crocheting just eluded me. 

Grandmom always had so many wise sayings - she used them to raise her own daughters, and tried to teach them to us.  Unfortunately, I can't remember half of them.

I do remember, though, that she had a cactus garden and she made prickly pear preserves; she canned or pickled most of the produce from her garden, and she loved to sing - or trill, which is what that high pitched warbeling most of our Indian sisters do.  Her favorite song was "You Brought Me A Might Long Way."  I can almost hear her singing it now.

Grandmom used to have us pick horseapples and fruit from the Chinaberry tree - and made all kinds of desserts for us.  She was the queen of caramel - and always used it between the layers of her cakes from scratch. 

So this is a pre-birthday homage to my wonderful Grandmother. She's on my mind now - and her spirit is with me now - so I'm writing this now to let her know that I hear her, and I love her, and she's very much in my heart.

So Happy Birthday Grandmom!  Much Love to You from your Baby Child's Firstborn, 
Gloria Jeanne


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