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ABBIE HARRIS BECK

Abbie Harris led a very protected life as a child. She grew up on Main Street in
Geneva, Alabama. On the right of side of the Harris home was the First Baptist Church,
next to the church was the Baptist pastorium, and next to the pastorium was the
Presbyterian manse, with the Presbyterian Church on the corner. Behind the Presbyterian
Church lived the undertaker, Mr. Abbott. Across the street lived the John Draughon's.
Mr. Draughon was a deacon in the Baptist church. His son, Ralph later became President
of Auburn University. Down the street from the Draughons and across the street from the
Harris house lived Mayor Tom Hart. Next door to the Harris house on the right, lived the
Geneva County Sheriff, G.W. Griffin. Down the street from the Griffin's lived Mrs. Janie
Bullock, Horace, Meredith and Elizabeth, with their Uncle Iverson Aycock. Mr. Aycock
operated a cafe. Mrs. Harris ran a boarding house, but if she did not have any thing to eat
that Abbie liked, Abbie would go down to see what Miss Janie and Uncle Iverson had on
their table. Abbie had two of the best world's. Abbie had the run of the block, as long as
she was in calling distance. All the children played outside and grown ups sat on the front
porch. Mrs. Harris could be heard calling Abbie all over the block.
Abbie was known as a "Tom Boy". All the children on her block were boys. She
had to play with the preachers, the deacons, the mayors and the undertakers' sons. Abbie
lived in overalls and climbed trees. She played baseball, marbles, cowboy and Indians with
the boys. When little girls came to play, she played in the play house, with her dolls and
cut out paper dolls.
Abbie writes: The flood of March 1929 happened when I was in the fifth grade.
My family went to Samson, Alabama. On the second day, my married sister Willie came
to get me and carried me back with her to De Funiak Springs, Florida to finish the fifth
grade. My mother did not want me to miss a day of school. At the end of the school
year, (two months later), I returned to Geneva and received a great shock, The home that
I left was not the same place I returned to. The wall paper had been pulled from the walls,
curtains and draperies gone, all of our fine old oak furniture was gone, all of our family
pictures and the family Bible were gone. Our books and my dolls, everything in the house
had been carried out and burned. The flood waters had gone over the 12 foot ceiling of
our home. The whole house had a bare scrubbed look. It had to be washed many times
from the ceiling to the floor in order to get the river mud out. Cheaper iron beds and the
barest necessities had replaced all the old family things that I had grown up with and
loved.
That year, I returned to Geneva, I was not the carefree "Tomboy", but a little girl
very saddened over the disaster that the flood had caused to my home and my town.
I finished at Geneva High School. I had lettered in basketball in the 9th grade
and was a cheer leader for GHS. I was in the Booster Club, "G" Club, Wilsonian Literary
Society, Music Club and President of the French Club and served on the student council.

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