Doris Marie Sheffield

Doris Marie Sheffield

Laugh lines cover her face.  A contagious smile crosses her face, and her eyes have a hint of mischievousness.  The white hair sits as a crown atop her head: her life may not have always been easy, but that crown of white is reward for a life well-spent. 

Growing up, she could easily be found tooling around her yard, watering flowers...planting flowers.  And if she wasn’t there, she could be found at the Cedar Key Cemetery, cleaning, putting out flowers, or tending to the graves. 

As our Sheffield Matriarch, she has always been viewed as almost saintly by our family.  Always one of the first to take on a cause, or take in an extra child, or take care of an elderly person.   As saintly as my Grandmother can be, she holds within her a fire.  If pressed, or given the chance to stand up for an underdog, she will quickly put someone in their place.  She is one of the best shots in the area, and you may quickly find that out iffin’ you stop to pee in her yard or the road beside her yard. 

The long and short of it?  My Granny Doris is one of the most interesting people that I know.  I’d like to say that we share more than just a birthday (as we’re both born on July 31st)...quite possibly we share a very similar fiery spirit.  When starting out in this storytelling blog venture, I knew who would be the very first person that I’d start with.  I knew that she would be patient with me as my interviewing skills were not quite up to par, and I had so very many questions, but I knew that her stories would be fascinating.  I just hope that I am able to do justice to her stories. 

The Sheffield Coat of Arms

What is your full name?  Doris Marie (Booth) Sheffield

How did you get your name?  “I don’t really know.  I was the first Doris Marie around ‘til I met one in Gainesville at the hospital a few years back when I kept getting the food she had been ordering.”

Do you have any nicknames?  “Dot.  It was easier for Evie to say, and it kind of stuck.”

When were you born?  “July 31, 1928.  I was delivered before 12 o’clock, but Dr. Turner filled out my paperwork the next day, so my birth certificate actually says August 1, 1928.  It’s caused a world of trouble at Doctor’s offices.  But it was July 31, according to mama.”

Marion and Verley Booth

Tell me about your father.  “His name was Marion Evie Booth.  He was born December 31, 1894.  I loved him.  He was always a fisherman, and in all his years of fishing, he was never stung by a stingray.  He’d doctor people for stingray stings, but he never got stung himself.  He always said ‘If you drag your feet, you’ll never get stung.’  He was born in North Carolina, and moved here at 4-5 years old.  My dad was a saint.  He would feed anyone that needed it.  He always saw that we didn’t go hungry, but he made sure that no one else did either.  He never gave up where his fishin’ holes were.”

Francis Darlington

Tell me about your mother.  “Her name was Verley Darlington Booth.  She was born August 3, 1889 on the reservation at Silver Springs.  Her mother was white and her father was full-blooded Seminole Indian.  Her father’s name was Joe Darlington.  When Joe passed away, they kicked Verley; her mother, Francis; and her two sisters, Glennie and Pauline off of the reservation.  The tribe had a rule that if you were not full-blooded, you could not stay on the reservation.  They moved to Cedar Key, because Verley’s mother, Francis, could find work at the oyster houses.  They lived in a palmetto shack, the three girls and their mama.” 

(Sister) Evie Booth

Tell me about your siblings.  “Charlie was the oldest.  Mama never married Charlie’s father.  Mama married a Skinner, and had Nadine and Bertie Lee.  She divorced Skinner.  When she married daddy, she had Elizabeth “Hanner”, Willis, Percy, Wesley, Dallas, Me, Evie and Udell.” 

“Charlie was a fisherman until he became a tug-boat captain.  He moved to St. Marks and is buried in the woods in Crawfordville.

Nadine hung nets.  She could be described as a ‘Mad Bull.’

Bertie Lee was an alcoholic, but she changed her ways.  Her and Nadine fought their whole lives, and yet they died within a few weeks of each other. 

Elizabeth “Hanner” was a lot like Grandma Booth.  She opened a bar and restaurant after coming home from Pontiac.

Willis was a good person, but he would always tell you what he thought.

Percy was a preacher. 

Wesley was once a guard for Elvis Presley. 

Dallas worked in steel after being a fisherman.  He laughed at everything and never gave up, even after he’d lost both legs.

Evie had Downs Syndrome.  She was good as gold, but had a temper.

Udell was perfect.  He had the greatest looking legs you could imagine on a man.  He was a Fire Captain and went by the nickname ‘Pops.’”

What did you want to be when you grew up?  “Didn’t have much choice...but I knew I always wanted to stay in Cedar Key; I always loved it.” 

How do you remember holidays growing up?  “We killed a chicken and cooked it.  That was different than the fish dinner that we had all the time.  There was really just a change of meal.  Mama always just used what she had in her kitchen.” 

What was your favorite food that your mother made? “Pork and beans and Irish potatoes.  She fried the Irish potatoes and then poured the pork and beans on top.”

How was Cedar Key as a child?  “Our road was sand.  We used to get water up in our yard every day.  Every couple of days, us kids would walk along the grade by the train tracks to Sumner with biscuits in a corn sack for a picnic.

There were graves at the Point.  We would park our boats and go out there with our rakes to clean the graves.” 

What was the worst storm that you ever remember?  “In 1950, the storm we called ‘The Baby Elephant’ came through.  They forced everyone to the School House.  I remember Francis Knight Hodges crying ‘I don’t wanna die!’ She was around 4-5 at the time.  Linda was around 2-3 years old, and she was hungry.  It was miserable.  The Red Cross finally came in and brought water and canned lunch meat.  You know something? There used to be hickory nuts all over the school yard, but after that hurricane, no hickory nuts were ever around there again.” 

What was your first job?  “Working at Mrs. Wilkerson’s restaurant.  I was a cook or waitress. It wasn’t like restaurants that you think of today.  They had pots of things set out and people could just get what they wanted.  And it was 10-15 cents a meal.” 

What was it like living during the war?  “The Army was here.  The Coast Guard was here.  And we’d get to go to some of the dances.  They liketa wrecked the town when the war ended. I mean, they really celebrated!” 

The Fiber Factory that Granny Doris worked at when she met my Papa Cecil.

These are examples of the brooms made at the Fiber Factory.

Where did you meet Papa Cecil?  “I was walking to the Fiber Factory where I worked, when he asked me to go on a date with him.  Essie had been begging to go to Fanning Spings, and Cecil had just gotten a car.  He said he’d take us.  It was 4th of July.  Me, Cecil, Essie, and Dallas went to Fanning.  Back then, the train tracks ran across 19.  And the car stopped on the train tracks and wouldn’t go.  A train was coming, and Dallas had enough wits about him to pull us all out of the Passenger side of the car.  See, Cecil had just gotten the car, and the Driver’s door was broken. He was going to have it fixed, but hadn’t had the chance yet, so it was just tied.  Dallas pulled us all out of the passenger’s side, and that train smashed Cecil’s car all to pieces.  Essie got a concussion because some of the shrapnel hit her on the head.  We ended up having to hitchhike back towards Cedar Key until Annie (Papa Cecil’s mama) came and picked us up.  She’d already been in Fanning, ‘Buck’ dancing (tap dancing), and playing spoons.  She hauled us back to Cedar Key.”

What was the first thing that you noticed about him?  “He was a good person and he didn’t drink.”

Tell me about your wedding.  “We were married at the Judge Horace Wilson’s office.  The Hartley’s drove us to Bronson and witnessed the marriage license for us.”

Granny Doris and Papa Cecil

 

When did you know that he was the one?  “Growing up, I knew my parents loved me, but they didn’t actually say ‘I love you’ very frequently.  I just knew it.  Cecil would always tell me ‘I love you.’  That’s how I knew.” 

How many years were you married?  “We were married November 11, 1946, I was 18 and Cecil was 25.  Cecil passed away on Father’s Day in 1986.  We were married almost 40 years when he passed away.” 

What is the key to a happy marriage?  “I told Cecil when we got married ‘I couldn’t argue, but I could fight.’...we never had a fight.” 

Jackie, Linda, and Mary Jane

Mary Jane, Jackie, and Linda

Experiences while expecting your children? “When I was expecting, you didn’t tell the minute you found out.  I’d gotten so big, I couldn’t hide it anymore.  I had to buy two feedsacks and have Maude make me a dress.  She’d put a drawstring in the neck and a drawstring in the waist.  Dr. Walter Murphree was my Doctor.  He delivered all of my babies.  My first baby was Linda.  She was born on October 26, 1947 and was 9lbs 14 oz.  After I had Linda, I had to have surgery while I was in Pontiac, so that I could have more babies.  Most people have surgery so that they can quit having babies...I had surgery so I could have more.  I almost hemhoraged.  They had to pack me down in ice.  Then when I had Jackie, Dr. Murphree had been on vacation, and Cecil called and told him to get there of he wouldn’t get paid.  Low and behold, he showed up for the birth.  Jackie was born on October 7, 1954 and was 10lbs 14 oz.  Then, I had Mary Jane on January 4, 1957.  When Tammy was born, he was going to retire.  I told him that he couldn’t.  So he was my anasthesiologist for Tammy’s birth on December 4, 1967.  She was my smallest baby.” **Author's note: In my searching, I was unable to find a photo with all four children.  I do apologize.**  

What was your proudest moment as a parent?  “I’m not sure.  There were so many.”

What was your hardest moment as a parent?  “Burying two children.” (Linda in 2007 and Jackie in 2011, both passed away from cancer).

What bit of advice would you give to someone younger?  “Try to live as best you can.  Try to be the best person you can.  I always tried to instill that in my children.”

What legacy would you like to be known for?  “Raising a good family.” 

This & That:

“When I was working at the fiber factory, I had saved up enough money for a $3.50 red dress.  It was beautiful.  I put it on one day, and my daddy asked ‘Doris, don’t you have something else in your closet to wear?’ I said, ‘This is my new dress, Daddy.’  He told me ‘Red is for loud women.’  I changed my dress.  Never did wear that one.” 

“My grandmother would sweep her yard with sage brush, so she’d know if one of the girls had left during the night.”

“My daddy had skin cancer that ate part of his face.--Back then, there wasn’t much to protect you from the sun.  Some of the fishermen would use lipstick.--The first time he had it, he was prayed over and the Doctor told him he was healed.  Eventually it came back.  I told him, ‘we could do a prayer chain again, Daddy.’ He said ‘No, sissy, I had asked God for a way for Evie, and I said I’d never ask Him for anything for me again...and I won’t go back on my word.’”

Upon being told that she had a green thumb: “The Lord likes pretty things.  I just plant them, and He takes care of them so I can go to work.”

“Annie (Cecil’s mama) was painting the ceiling on top of the piano the night before Cecil was born, and was plowing the field not long after she gave birth.”  The kicker? Papa Cecil was a 14 lb. baby. 

Papa Cecil's Discharge Papers

On WWII:  “Cecil was in Germany.  He was wounded and had shrapnel in his face and back.  Dallas (her brother) was on one of the boats taking the soldiers in at Normandy for D-Day.”

“I was a bus driver for 22 years.  I retired in 1985.”

“I started back to get my GED three different times, but someone would always get sick and it would end up messin’ me up.”

On Pontiac:  “Cecil had such calloused hands, a man had recommended him for a job up in Pontiac Motors.  We were up there about a year.  It was good work and good pay.  We stayed up there until my daddy got sick.” 

Jackie on his tractor toy

“I was once over at the Lane’s House, and I saw little Donnie going back and forth with this little tractor toy.  Well, I knew then that if I had a boy, I was going to save money and buy him one.  It was just the cutest thing.”

“We’ve had a lot of deaths in March.  I’ve always hated to see March come along.” 

Charlie (her brother) wrecked one day, and when Verley went to check on him, he said: “The Lord takes care of drunks, babies, and dumb fools and I’m two of these things.”

On Grandma Annie:  “She was a character in a character.  She played music with spoons and tap danced.  She was fiesty and once yelled at a man that had snubbed her  in Chiefland: ‘You don’t speak to me, you S.O.B., I spanked your ass when you came into the world and I can whoop it now!’” 

Once, a man bowed up at Papa Cecil, after he had been sick:  “I told him: ‘You lay one hand on either of them and you won’t even have to call 9-1-1, you can just go ahead and call the funeral director.’”

A block in the sidewalk that I found while at the Old Cedar Key Museum.

Author’s Notes: 

Talk about learning about your family history!  I had no idea when I started the interview that I would learn so very much about my family’s history.  I would highly suggest sitting down with your Grandparents and asking them questions about their history and their stories while you still can listen to their oral histories. 

I had no idea that my Paternal Great-Grandfather was a sharecropper in the Chiefland area.  I also had no idea that he and Grandma Annie had married and remarried each other 2-3 times.  I had always heard about Grandma Annie being a trip, but I had no idea how much of a character she was. 

I had known about Verley being kicked off of the Reservation with her family, but I hadn’t heard very much about her prior to the interview.  I also had not realized that she had been married prior to Marion Booth, or that she had bore a child out of wedlock.  This surprised me, as you don’t think of that being common back then. 

I loved hearing about Granny Doris’ and Papa Cecil’s first date, and the things that she first noticed about him, and what made her know that he was the one. 

The interview was so very sweet, and I enjoyed my time sitting down with her immensely.  I also learned that I come from a long, long line of sassy women...something I had long suspected.  

Another cute picture of my daddy.  Sorry, had to post it :)