Inserted are pictures recently scanned and also pictures that I already have on the main Memories From The Past page and pictures from others: 

Above picture of Jesse McKnight "Mack" Coley, Mary Frances "Della" Coley with the young Ackerman kids; Charles, Risden, Julian and Margaret circa 1943.  That is certainly a wonderful picture from the past, courtesy of Charles Ackerman and below is one of Grandma Coley by her self:

According to the Ackerman file system, the above pixs were taken in 1943.  Courtesy of Charles Ackerman.

Above 1948 picture of Grandma (on the right) courtesy of Charles Ackerman.

Grandma Coley and Maxine Coley.

Above picture taken 1960 courtesy of Charles Ackerman.

This is one of the earliest pictures that I have of my Grandma "Della" Coley whose maiden name was Mary Frances Trexler and was born here in Wadesboro, N.C. February 9, 1892.  There has been some debate over the year being 1892 or 1893 since no one could locate a record of her birth certificate and I am using the 1892 since a year isn't going to make a lot of difference.  The young chap with her is Joseph Julian Coley "Joe", her first son.  He died as the result of a automobile accident on August 25, 1934, whereas the vehicle plunged down into a 15-foot deep ravine at the intersection of Mimosa Terrace and N. Washington Street near the old West Knitting Mill which is now part of the South Piedmont Community College in Wadesboro, NC.

I recently scanned some of Mom's photo albums and found one picture that I believe is Grandma Coley and her son Joe probably taken around 1914 by the size of her son.  The picture is badly deteriorated, stained, faded and did the best I could using PhotoShop CS2 to edit it.  If this picture is not of Grandma Coley and her son Joe, I am curious as to who it could be and/or why the ole photograph was in one of Moms many photo albums as it must have been significant.  The photo is an actual postcard with nothing written on the reverse side! 

UPDATE:  Aunt Mollie Bowers viewed the picture above and verified that it was her Mother, Mary Frances "Della" Coley and the little chap is her first son Joseph Jullian Faulkner.  I can understand why Mr. Coley said, "That was the prettiest woman he had ever seen."  08-05-15

Above two pictures of Jesse McKnight "Mack" Coley of which Mr. Coley had the enlargements made and custom made the frames himself guessing sometime after 1919 when he married Mary Frances "Della" Trexler and then purchased the Seaboard Hotel.

Above is the grave stone of J. M. Coley, my Great Grandfather on my Mother's side of the family  who served in the 28th NC Infantry and it is to my understanding that he was wounded several times.  I saw one ole photograph many years ago and it shows that he lost one of his legs during the war and was "sporting" a wooden peg leg.  I will try and track down the photograph, however I don't have a clue to where the pix might have been at the time.  He is buried in the Stony Hill Methodist Cemetery in Stanly County, NC.

The above picture is definitely of Jesse McKnight "Mack" Coley but hardly recognize Grandma Coley if that is her and in all probability it is her.  The time frame for this picture would probably be after Mr. Coley purchased the Seaboard Hotel between 1919 and 1930, just a "guesstimate."

Above is pix of Mr. Coley with yours truly and my Mom Ann Porter.  The picture is badly degraded and was taken between February 1946 and June 1946.  I remember seeing this picture as a young lad in Grandma Coleys loose pictures that she kept in a shoe box and stored in a cedar chest.   At some point in time after Grandma Coley's death, those pictures were mounted in a photo album which degraded them badly by the type and method of mounting them to the individual album sheets.

Above picture of the Coley Immediate family members taken April 1956.  Aunt Mollie Bowers is the only one left in the above pix and she is third from the left.

Identification from left to right: Ann Coley Porter, Douglas Ross Coley, Mollie Irene Coley Bowers, Mary Frances "Della" Coley, Elizabeth Coley Ackerman and Jessie Mack Coley.

Web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 06-29-30 with updates on 07-01-15.

Below pix of Mollie Bowers, Callie "Aunt Sis" and Grandma, other person unknown.

Below pictures are copy and paste from the main Memories From The Past page:

Below is a Portrait of my Grandma Coley that was taken in 1955 or 1957 and I scanned the photograph that was stained from mildew spots, etc., and cleaned it up the best I could and digitized it today on 06-13-15 for web publishing:

 

I will insert some of my favorite pixs taken in the middle to late 1960’s.

The below pix of my "bride" Joyce with Grandma taken a few weeks before our first child was born on July 5, 1968.  NOTE:  She only gained 18 pounds during the entire pregnancy!  My bride and myself stayed with Grandma Coley for a year after my US Navy enlistment was up until we rented a house at 404 White Store Road that was in front of my Uncle Jesse Mack Coley who helped us obtain the rental property which was owned by his secretary Margaret Smith at Little Cotton Manufacturing Company.

Pictures were taken in Grandma’s Rose Garden.  Not knowing much about horticulture, I can’t tell you any of the names of the various types of roses that she grew and tenderly looked after.  I remember digging many holes with a shovel and “mattock”  helping plant and relocating the rose bushes.  Seems like she had a favorite rose bush nicknamed after her late husband but I cannot remember the exact significant details as to how it got that name and will do a little research to ascertain additional information.

Picture courtesy of Ken Ackerman and picture was probably taken sometime in the mid 1950s, just a guess.

Picture above of Cecil Ackerman and Grandma Coley, courtesy of Ken Ackerman.  In the top right of the picture you can see part of the Anson County Water System storage tank that was constructed sometime between 1968 and 1969 since my bride and I were living with Grandma Coley at the time along with our new born son Billy, the time frame for the construction of the tank is accurate.   The depth of field perception of the water tank in the background is deceiving since the camera lenses compressed the background (water tank) making it appear much closer than it actually is and the water tank is a very large structure as well.  Believe me, I know how far the distance is because I have walked it probably a thousand times or more.  In good weather, I use to take a short cut from the Wadesboro Middle/Central School that was on White Store Road and also the ole Wadesboro High School on Camden Road; cross Highway 74 going down S. Rutherford Street up the hill, cross Wheeler Street and go by the pre 1968 existing water tank, cross Sikes Avenue right below the crest of the hill and then enter the Singleton Silk Mill property going by the old Singleton Silk Mill structure and down the hill on the back side of the property using a path that had been used since the 1900s coming up directly behind Grandma's home.  While the water tank was under construction, Grandma use to look up at the tank during the day and would constantly pray for the men working on the water tank and my bride and I were going by the water tank one day and noticed that what Grandma thought were men working was a construction crane platform hanging over the side of the water tank and my bride told her what it was.  Grandma said, "Lord what am I going to pray for now" and we both got a good grin going.  My bride told her she could pray for the construction crew that were installing a water and/or sewer line there on Maple Lane.  Grandma Coley was a "prayer warrior" for sure and in the left hand portion of the kitchen next to the gas stove which was her normal place for her morning devotion and prayer, the linoleum floor covering was worn down by the contact from her knees and shoes over the years.  I vividly remember her prayer would start out as follows, "Lord, thank you for letting me see the light of another day" and her prayer wasn't a short prayer but a very long, serious and dedicated prayer with faith to reach out and touch the Lord!

Above pix taken on 01-27-74 courtesy of Sister Susan Pettigrew.

Above pictures of Grandma Coley in the Nursing Home with our young kids and my bride and probably some of the last pictures that I took of her or that I could find in our photo collection.

Both home places are still there and occupied today and in my mind’s eye, all those wonderful memories from the past still linger pretty much in focus!  The landscape has changed tremendously with the pasture/field behind the home place grown up nearly to the back door, barn and hog pens and fencing long gone and the large sweet gum tree and elm tree in the front yard removed, closed in back and side porches of which I used the side porch as a weight lifting room of which I pumped many tons of iron getting my muscles in shape.

TIME IS NOT WAITING ON ANY OF US AND THE CYCLE OF LIFE CONTINUES UNTIL JESUS CHRIST OR LORD AND SAVIOR CALLS US HOME OR THE RESURRECTION TAKES PLACE!

All of the Jesse McKnight "Mack" Coley immediate family members from both marriages are deceased except for one remaining Daughter, Aunt Mollie Irene Bowers of Burnsville, NC.  As a small boy, I remember Mom and Pop driving our family near the Reed Gold Mine  in Cabarrus County to visit Clifford Coley and his wife Dora from Mr. Coley's first marriage who had a good sized farm.  Clifford was a retired Postmaster and raised beagle hunting dogs for sale.  Clifford would release the dogs and it wouldn't be too long before his pack of beagles would jump a rabbit and the race would be on with some beautiful music in the air.  

It seems like only yesterday that those early pictures were taken of my Grandma Coley but time is not stopping for no one.  My Grandma was in the local hospital a few days before anyone told me she was there and I do believe she held on until we could have our last words and visit together.  We talked about many things and she told me how much she loved me and I did the same.  My last words to Grandma at the hospital were, “I’ll see you in the morning” and she replied, “I hope so Son.”  It will have to be the Resurrection morning because she died in her sleep on October 19, 1974! 

Web published updated pixs and copy and paste by Bill Aka Mickey Porter on 07-01-15 and additional updates on 07-21-15 and 07-25-15.