+Georgia Lee Louanda Edingburg Zuber

When I think of my grandmother the first thing that happens is a smile comes to my lips.  She was the sweetest grandmother anyone could have had.  Georgia Lee Louanda Edingburg was born February 24, 1892 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee the seventh child of Daniel Trigg Edingburg Sr. and Minnie M. McKeldin-Edingburg. 

Georgia L.L. Edingburg-Zuber 1892-1971

I called my grandmother Grandy, I don't know how that name got started, probably from me trying to pronounce Granny or something and the name stuck. All her grandchildren called her that from then on.

She lived with her parents, and siblings while teaching school. Since a lot of the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire I didn't find anything about her from what was salvaged in that year, I did find her in the 1900 census.

1900 Census

She married Shantung Taylor Zuber August 8, 1922 at age 30 in Chattanooga, TN. They had two sons Shantung Edingburg Zuber b: 1923 and Theodric Edingburg Zuber b: 1926. Grandpa Shantung had already joined the army and was only in a short time before he was sent home according to the story with shell shock. By 1930 Grandpa Shantung was already admitted into the Veterans Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama. 

Grandpa Shantung 1896-1975

This photo of my grandparents was taken at the Veterans hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama.  When I was born the family was still living in Chattanooga, we would go visit my grandfather at the hospital so my grandmother could see him but he didn't know me, he kept calling me Little Shantung, he thought I was his son. 

So my grandmother went with us after we moved from Chattanooga, and I had the good fortune to get to know her and hear some of her stories.  She took care of me and my brother while my parents worked.  Her siblings always said that she was a fantastic cook, people from all over Chattanooga that knew her or about her wanted to come eat at her house.  She made the best biscuits too.   Grandy also sang had a beautiful voice, she knew Lena Horne and had the opportunity to sing with her and another friend of theirs named Roberta but I don't remember her last name. 

Georgia

When I was three years old she started teaching me how to read and write. By the time I got to kindergarten she had taught me to spell encyclopedia, Constantinople which I immediately told the teacher I could spell and my grandmother was smiling from ear to ear.  She loved to read and write letters so of course I picked up that as well.  Then she would put on the music and we would dance around the house, she would sing while she was cooking.  We had a great time together.  

When I started piano lessons at six she would always encourage me to practice, her favorite saying was "practice makes perfect", she could play the piano also.  She taught me how to cook and bake, I made my first peach pie when I was seven years old, she made such a big to do over that pie, I wanted to cook every day, I'd hurry up and get home from school just so I could make sure I didn't miss anything in the kitchen, I'm sure that's why I love to cook today.  In the evenings she would crochet these coasters to use for the glasses,they went up the sides of the glasses, so you would set the glass down in the coaster then  set it on the table. She also did tatting.  I still have some of her crochet needles.  Grandy's hair was so long it dragged the floor, she never cut it, and as she got older it got to be a chore so my dad and I would wash her hair for her and dry it and then my dad would always keep it trimmed so she didn't trip over it.  She hardly ever wore it down and not one picture was taken of her with her hair down that I know of, I don't know why none of us thought to take a picture of her beautiful hair. I remember brushing her hair, it felt like a horses tail to me it was coarse but soft too and big waves.

As she got older she got this white streak that started from the front scalp and went straight down like a skunk. I use to tell her she had skunk hair, she'd tell me I smelled like a skunk..lol  she was funny.

Georgia ( Grandy)

Grandy had one thing that use to annoy me though, she loved to tickle me, I am extremely ticklish and she would always grab me and tickle me or if my feet were sticking out of the cover she would tickle my feet. I would have to think ahead of her and make sure she didn't get my feet. She thought the whole thing was funny, I didn't think so. 

  She loved to go places, all you had to so was say want to go for a ride, she'd go get her purse, hat and gloves and she was ready to go, you didn't have to wait on her at all.  We would go on vacations, take her to see her sister in Chicago, or  back to Tennessee to see my grandfather and her other siblings, and to to California to see her youngest son Theodric and all you had to do was say we're going on vacation on what ever day it was, and she would be ready to go waiting on us.  I took that after her also, I can be ready in 10 minutes.

Theodric and Grandy

This is a picture of Grandy with her youngest son Theodric. I loveeee my uncle, that's a post I'll do later.  My uncle sent her a painting that he did and we hung it in the living room, she told everyone that came over who painted it even my friends.  Of course everyone loved the painting, I still have it.

Grandy loved everything flowers,animals, birds, she could make bird calls and she would sound just like the bird, she would go to the window and talk to the birds, I just knew that the birds were understanding her it sounded like they were talking back to her. She tried to teach me how to make the bird calls but I still can't even whistle well.

I was always telling her that I was waiting for the aliens to come get me and take me back to my planet, I started telling her that about when I was four, I never stopped telling her that and she never stopped telling me that she would miss me if i went.  I'm still waiting, I guess they forgot about me.  

Georgia

I could probably write two more posts just on my grandmother. She died in November 1971 in New Jersey. 

I've had lots of best friends that are family, Grandy was one of them, she loved everyone and everyone loved her.  I sure miss her to this day. She has a special place in my heart.  I'm so happy I had a grandmother to grow up with. 

Sources:
1900 United States Federal Census ( data base on-line Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc. 2004.