Person:Alabama Cleveland (1)

Alabama (Ala) and here sister Miranda,(Rene/MAC) were engaged to twin brothers. After discussing family history I believe they were the Drummond twins. Their older sister Ida Ross Cleveland married Thomas Frances Drummond. The Drummond family were next door neighbors. The twin brothers were lost either on Mobile Bay or on Mobile River in a boating accident. Neither of the sisters were ever married after the death of their betrothed twin brothers.

Alabama and Rene also raised their niece (my grandmother) after their brother-in-law and sister had died by the time their niece Mary Louise was 3 years old. Mary Louise took care of them in later years where both passed away in her home on Old Government St in Mobile, AL.

Alabama loved to garden and had a serious green thumb. Her best gardening buddy had once been a slave on the Cleveland plantation at Cleveland Station, Alabama. Willie lived to be nearly 100 years old and as a child I loved to listen and watch Aunt Ala and Willie laughing and gardening in the flower beds on Old Government St.

Alabama and Rene both had been educated by the Sisters of Mercy as nurses. They spent 2 years of apprenticeship in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Their great nephew Rolfe Harper Jr. spent his school years living at their home under their care while he attended UMS (University Military School) in Mobile. His parents remained in New York while he studied in Mobile. My mom Cecelia Mullen, Rolfe and his sister Mary often told stories about the many parties and fun times they spent at the Aunts house.

Rene - Aunt MAC was bed ridden with Rheumatoid Arthritis when they moved into the house on Old Government St. My grandparents added two bedrooms and a bath to their home for Aunt Ala and Aunt MAC when MAC could no longer climb the stairs at their home on Jackson St. Not long after they moved into the house on Old Gov't. MAC passed away.

Aunt Ala fell in 1962 and broke her hip and was only able to get around by wheelchair. She would wheel out onto the front porch to watch Willie as he trimmed the roses and planted new spring flowers. Willie passed away in the winter of 1962. Aunt Ala seemed to be angry at everyone and everything after Willie passed away.

Both of the Aunts were fabulous cooks. I remember the large family dinners at their house on Sundays. They made the chicken oyster file gumbo for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The gumbo was our family holiday food tradition for over 100 years. I am the official gumbo maker and since the family is now so small the tradition isn't as strong as it was during my childhood.