Family and friends stories of Anna Mae "Boots" Nolan

One of my favorite childhood story took place when we lived in Red Bud, Kentucky. (Harlan county)

I was playing outside in our yard with some neighborhood kids (about four of them). After playing for awhile, they must have become bored playing, and decided to cause some trouble. I became their target! One of the kids decided to tell mom a lie about me to get me in trouble, believing I would get a whipping.

They waited until mom came out to check on me. then one of the kids went over to her. I don't know what he told her, but I do remember the "ear to ear" grins on the kids faces as they were leaving our yard to go into the neighbors yard. The "gang" went around to the fence adjoining our yard ant the neighbors. They started climbing and playing on the fence while waiting for the action to begin. I don't know why they decided to picked on me!

Mom was a smart woman and knew I didn't do whatever they said I did. Mom took me into the house as the kids looked on from the the fence. They could not see inside of our house, but was close enough to hear what was going on. It was summer time and had all of our doors and windows open. (No air conditioning back then) Mom told me she didn't believe the story and wanted to make them think she did. She told me she wanted me to act like I was getting a spanking just to turn the lie back on them. Mom had a good sense of humor!

The kids were close enough to hear what was going on in the house, but not soclose they could see what we were doing. My bed was next to the window, and mom said she would set on the bed and for me to lay across her legs in the "spanking position". She told me she would smack her hands together and make the sound like she was spanking me. Of course, since I always was a "good little boy" this rarely happened in real life. (Grin).

All Kids could see was mom's hand raising up and down in a spanking motion. I would make my head bounce up when she smacked her hands together making it look like she was actually hitting spanking me. Mom began clapping her hands together, and each time she did I would let out a yell loud enough so the kids could hear me. Mom did this four or five times to make it look good. Afterwards I remember us peeking out through the window to see the reactions of the "gang". The kids were laughing and acting very pleased with themselves. They were moving around on the fence like a group of monkeys.

Mom and I laughed at them, because the joke was on them.
I don't remember ever playing with them again!
I wish I could remember their names!
A.V. Nolan June 9, 2001

A SON'S TRIBUTE TO HIS MOTHER

Anna Mae "Boots" Nolan was one very special lady. Anna's father, Pete Robbins gave her the nickname of "Boots " He was inspired by a newspaper cartoon strip by the same name. Boots made many friends during her life, because she never met a stranger. Anna would do anything she could for anyone that asked. Anyone that knew her, will never forget her, or the love and kindness she gave. Anna was unique and she was my mother. I 'm really lucky to have had her for my Mom.

Mom raised six children and many grandchildren. She never let us down, and did her very best to take care of us...to keep a roof over our head's, and food in our stomach's even thought we were very poor and life was very hard. During the early 1950's, She had it especially hard keep the family together. Mom didn't work outside the home like many of today's mothers. That didn't mean she didn't hold down a job, taking care of her children was her number one job and she did it well.

We lived in eastern Kentucky in the early fifty's, we did not have electricity, running water, or indoor plumbing. Our heat in the winter time came from a pot belly coal stove. We used coal oil lamps for light. Our water came from a hand operated pump in the backyard, and she heated water on the coal stove so we could bath. Mom washed our clothes in an old steel wash tub, and pressed them with irons she heated on the stove, and Mom would always have them ready for us to wear the next morning. Most of our clothes were given to us.

Mom spent many long hours working at home alone. I won't say that she
never complained, but certainly Anna knew that she loved her children and
would work twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week if necessary to provide for them and often she did.

Mom refused many times (some at the urging of some relatives) to give her children up to the welfare department. She could have taken the easy way out, but didn't! Mom taught us so many things, like honesty, decency, fair play, and not to make fun of others. The most important thing, was that she taught us so much about love by showing her love for us, by sticking with her children, Mom's actions spoke loud and clear. Mom did all these things for her children because of her loved us. Mom sure had her hands full when we were all under the same roof.

I will remember her smiling face and her love for her children and Grandchildren forever.

Your loving son, A.V. Nolan. August 2, 1998.

Stories from family and friends.

This is a story of Aunt Pearl and Anna Mae’s (Boots) trip to Lafollette in 1955 as told by Anna’s sister Pearl in a letter she sent to A.V. Nolan in February 2001.

After Pete Robbins passed away December 3, 1954, I got my drivers license on March 19, 1955. In April my family and I came to Red Bud for a visit. My sister and I decided to go to Lafollette, Tennessee and check about out fathers death. We had all of the children with us. We had to cross over Cumberland Gap mountain at Middlesboro, Kentucky. Going down on the other side of the mountain was a gas station. I stopped to put gas in the car and I went inside to pay for the gas. I looked outside for some reason. I asked the man is my car moving? He said yes. I called out to Boots…”put your foot on the brake”. She said “I don’t know which petal is the brake. So I ran and got into the car and stopped it. They would have had a long ride down that mountain with no driver.

Back then most of the cars were stick shift. Boots and I had a lot of good times together.
Singed: Aunt Pearl.

Editors Note: Boots never learned to drive a car, but she did try many times. There is a tunnel through Cumberland Gap at Middlesboro now.

AV , looking at your mom brought back great memories, you are right she always had a smile and a kind word . I miss her too and think of her often. I still have the last Christmas card she sent me a week before she died. I hang it up every year. she came to our home the June before she passed and stayed three days we sure had a good time. and we talked of getting together again, but it wasn't in the cards, she was gone. its still hard to believe that she is with God and not with us . but I know she is happy where she is and watch's over all her children and grandchildren and me ..thanks for sending her to me once again it felt like she was here . Bessie Turchi. (Via Email, May 2001.)

This is a wonderful site you have. Boots was one of my favorite people, she was very smart and I enjoyed her company. Larry Turchi. (via email June 19, 2001)

From: Tony Graziano [tonyg@tachyon.net]
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2003

To: art@artnolan.com Subject: This is from your Webpage.
Hi, Art,

I visited your Webpage and was quite touched. What a beautiful way to remember your parents! The other information was quite interesting also. I will use your links to the Amateur radio pages as often as I can so I can get that amateur license ASAP. I'll probably surprise you when I call you on the radio. Please keep in touch. By the way, I appreciate your sense of humor which I noticed throughout your pages.

Best regards,
Tony Graziano Tachyon, Inc.

From: Recovery4u@aol.com
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2003
To: av@artnolan.com
Subject: 1948 life in redbud

When I was 13 years old Boone and boots were separated and Boone and mom ask me go to redbud to stay with boots and the children. I went for a week and stayed for year. There were three family's that brought their cloths to be washed and ironed. We set the irons on the cook stove to heat them. Boots baked cakes for one family then someone offered boots a live-in job. She could have the baby with her (Brenda) I took A.V. and Della to three point to mom and Hiram's. we stayed there about a month and daddy ask me to come to Perry county and stay with him. We went to Harlan to catch the bus, and we had no money to eat on. A.V. said if I bought a ice cream cone he would share it with Della Mae. The children and I crossed pine mt many times. Then jimmy (boots bro) got boots a house for her and the children so she could have all of them together. Boots and I would laugh and say "we are not poor we just don't have any money. We ate pinto beans and corn bread, biscuits and gravy, and jimmy would would bring pork chops, potatoes, eggs. Then Boone and boots got back together and I went to Vicco to work in combs restaurant. Like the song says we were poor but we had love. Boots had such a great sense of humor. I am blessed for having her in my memories, aunt Faye.

Thanks Aunt Faye for a great story and your contribution. A.V.

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