Saturday, May 29, 2010

mockingbird


for Mary Hopkins Hanna



I first took note, when you came to me
with that song about the mocking bird,
how it sings o'er Hally's grave.

You know the bird well.
Watching your brave poppa
return to the valley that dull day,
boxed in Confederate pine.

You heard it sing again
when you climbed on the wagon
headed west, pulling the little goat behind,
and held the hand of your widowed ma;
family split amongst Hoosier kin, forsaken.

You remember the bird, at its very worst,
as you stood at the open grave of a son,
the same age your poppa was.

Saddest song you'd ever heard,
mocking curse of that damn bird.



willow, 2010


Name: Bennett H. Hopkins
Residence: Franklin County, Virginia
Occupation: Carpenter
Enlistment Date: 24 May 1862
Distinguished Service: DISTINGUISHED SERVICE
Side Served: Confederacy
State Served: Virginia
Unit Numbers: 819 819
Service Record: Enlisted as a Private 24 May 1862 at the age of 31
in Company D, 58th Infantry Regiment Virginia, 24 May 1862.
Died of disease Company D, 58th Infantry Regiment Virginia, 09 February 1864


Bennett Hopkins was my great-great-great grandfather. One day, several years ago, I spent an afternoon logging genealogical stats of his youngest daughter, Mary, my great-great grandmother. I wondered about her thoughts and emotions, having lost not only her father to an untimely death, but also her handsome son, Guy. That evening, as I cooked dinner, I found myself humming a peculiar tune over the stove. I couldn't get the odd song out of my head all week. After some searching, I found it was Listen to the Mockingbird, an American folk song popular during the Civil War. It was said to be Lincoln's favorite song. I believe it also happened to be Mary's. (click here for my post on Deep DNA)




58 comments:

  1. I don't doubt for a minute it was Mary's favourite song.

    Love this one Willow - poem and afterward.

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  2. Thanks for a lovely post, I enjoyed listening to the video clip and seeing all the women in the clip was wonderful. So much (or sometimes little) is mentioned of our male ancestors and virtually nothing of the women. The ships to New Zealand took months, one my husband's family was on left England 8 January 1841 and arrived in NZ 24th May 1841. What was it like for the women and children during that long hard voyage - how did they cope with the very primitive conditions when they arrived here. It was the women who had to keep the family together - make home, feed, clothe, educate their families but never get a mention in the history books.

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  3. There is so much rich history here. How nice of you to spend an afternoon helping your great, great grandmother (five generations?) with a genealogy. The tune of the mocking bird also is poignant.

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  4. Marilyn, you are so right. It was the brave women who held families together. "Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey" by Lillian Schlissel is a wonderful compilation of amazing accounts of the pioneer women who shaped a good part of our early nation.

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  5. You have devoted so much time to investigate and document your lineage. I so love hearing about it and seeing the photos you share in your posts. I used to walk around outside singing Listen to the Mocking Bird. I don't know where I heard or learned it, but I could sure sing it out for everyone to hear.

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  6. Paul, well, my great-great grandmother Mary, has been long gone, but in a very real way, as I logged all her statistics into my files, I did spend the afternoon with her.

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  7. What is that picture at the top?

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  8. the poem rocks...and i particularly loved the end...i agree with techno..one of these days i will have to do the same...hope its as interesting as yours...

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  9. A poem that spans so many generations and holds them all in a tight embrace. Beautiful, willow.

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  10. Willow, wonderful post, as always...Thinking of my Civil War ancestors as well...


    Have a lovely Memorial Day Weekend at the Manor.

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  11. You have captured a great voice here, and I have no doubt that you channeled Mary in this poem and with that song.

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  12. Very touching words for Mary. Just as you are in sync with her, I'm sure she is with you. And I think she approves : )

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  13. I try not to have any illusions about the plight of women back in the day, burying there men folk and children along the way, as Granny always said, it was a rough row to hoe...and still is in many ways.

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  14. What a fascinating family you have, Willow. Life was often so hard for these pioneering women. They deserve such respect.

    Have a good weekend, Cro.

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  15. Like Brian, I was struck by the ending. The song itself could nearly tie in with your "willow" series. Poetry like this, that brings history alive, is truly art.

    Rick

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  16. Wow.... I love the Willow poetry & this post. I'm just love to hearing about your family! Thank you!!

    And, thanks for visiting Wabi & Sabi! (you are too kind with your comments)!!

    Agneta

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  17. As always, I enjoy your sharing of ancestors since I know so few of mine. My mother was one of thirteen children of poor Mississippi "white trash" sharecroppers. Six of them were half siblings - her mother died when she was 12 and her fathr remarried. He died when she was
    15. She never really stayed in touch with any of her relatives after her move to GA and she had only one photograph of her mother, none of anyone else.


    At 65, I've done it! My poetry book - Life's Journey by Carmen Henesy - is out on Amazon!
    ( Poems about the things that have been important to me in my journey through life, some humorous, some sad, some that may have meaning to you as well )
    http://www.amazon.com/Lifes-Journey-1-Carmen-Henesy/dp/1451547366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274652997&sr=1-1

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  18. The more we research, the closer we get to our ancestors. You have got closer than many, Willow. In turn, you have introduced these people to us, with cold fact and poetic colour.

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  19. This is very touching Willow...The song, your poem and your knowledge of your family, xv.

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  20. Lovely post! Women are so good at enduring, aren't they?

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  21. What a post, what a poem and what a wonderful Sepia Saturday image. He looks like every image of the American Civil War I have ever had. As always, inspirational Willow.

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  22. I loved the poem and I also love mockingbirds. It's interesting how we attach our emotions to things we observe at times of high emotion in our lives. I remember riding in the night to my grandfather's funeral and looking at lightning darting across the sky, so every time I see lightning, I think about that trip.

    I would enjoy hearing more about your genealogy searches. I've never ventured into that hobby--tips?

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  23. Wonderful post Willow, I enjoyed all of it, in its bitter sweet way.

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  24. R.J., I did a little post some time ago with tips for genealogical research. There's an amazing world of records out there, as well as other's research info. My two cents? Be careful. It's addicting!

    http://willowmanor.blogspot.com/2009/02/genealogy-bug.html

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  25. Willow,
    the poem is fabulous.

    I've never heard the song, an American thing, I'm sure.

    One of my uncles tried to find out all our history, but there were only tidbits where he expected much more. I suppose it does depend on many factors, but I am inspired to pursue this myself at some point. It obviously bothers me because , so until I give it some effort I won't know.

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  26. Wonderful post, Willow! I never knew the lyrics to Listen to the Mockingbird, although the tune is very familiar. Your poem captures what must have been in the hearts of so many during that time.

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  27. Great post, Willow! That picture reminds me of a scene from Cold Mountain when, on hearing that Inman had signed up to join the Confederate army, Ada asks him (sarcastically): "Did you get your picture made made, a tin-type with your gun and courage on display?" Apparently it was the custom for young men to have a picture taken when they signed up for the Confederate army.

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  28. Nice post, Willow. I think that last line of the poem is fantastic.

    Kat

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  29. I found you through Abe's blog--what a wonderful post this is. Thank you for sharing...you are wonderful.

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  30. I believe we contain 'blood' memory ... unknown pieces of our dna that live within our very cells. Sometimes, when we're very attuned, we can access snippets of these memories. Thus, Mary's song lives within you and you heard it. A beautiful poem, Willow. You do your ancestors proud.

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  31. This is absolutely fascinating. Now I have to go read about deep DNA. And I wanted to mention that I absolutely love your profile words. They tell me we belong to the same tribe.

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  32. A beautiful post...the poem is gorgeous as is the photo of Mary...what a beauty!

    I have a special affinity for Mockingbirds as I have one who returns every Spring-Summer to my block and serenades us for hours on end. He has quite a repoitoire of songs.....

    Have a wonderful long weekend! I am in the midst of my four day back-to-back opera experience...lots to tell and will post next week. This Summer we have "Faust", "Walkure" and "La Fanciulla"....

    Hugs,

    ♥ Robin ♥

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  33. Robin, heehee, actually the photo is of her father, Bennett Hopkins! ;^) (pretty hair, huh?)

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  34. See - I said all your ancestors had impressive names and this just proves it even more. How strange you found yourself humming this tune - race memory or what?

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  35. Thank you for asking, Willow! I have three blogs--you can find them under my profile--The Best Hearts are Crunchy is a celebration of my old cards collection. Expect the Unexpected is where I display untouched photography. Beth's Artworx is my art blog--and the one I consider to be my main blog--only because if I could I would live and breathe art! Though these days, photography is not far behind in my life's expression.

    I really enjoy your posts--I'm so glad to have found you!

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  36. it was a lovely post.i vistied your blog for the first time, since i liked the name 'willow', willow songs from shakespeare's othello.
    i loved reading the poem and it reminded me of to kill a mocking bird.i loved the ending of the peom..it runs smooth.

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  37. Fascinating -- I'm so intrigued by this deep DNA thing.

    Goodness, you've had such a blog revamp! I hardly recognized you.

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  38. Hello Willow,

    Having mentioned the difficulty of storing and keeping large voulmes of paper, I keep wondering about your collection of old photographs and all the other things you collect. Another excellent ancestral poem!

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  39. Haunting and sweet, willow. I enjoyed very much listening to the song and looking at all the ladies' dresses and accessories. And what a fine potrait you've shown us!

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  40. I have some interesting relatives in my genealogy records. Aside from President Lincoln, of course, there are many from England whose history is fun to review. The road to Kentucky and my relatives on it, for me, is really hard to imagine though I think of it every time I cross those worn mountains and the endless miles of trees. What a road.

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  41. You are lucky to be visited by such beautiful spirits..their inspiration is never ending..You have an amazing, actual connection..not based on daydreams...fortunate indeed!

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  42. Willow: Wonderful poem; very heart-wrenching and succinctly pointing to the extreme hardships of the pioneers. The Mockingbird: what a cruel bird! Of course the movie "To Kill A Mockingbird" comes to mind with the handsome and impeccable Gregory Peck. The song is so synchronistic in that 1. Abraham Lincoln's favorite song 2. Your Great Great Great Grandfather Bennett Hopkins looks amazingly similar to Abraham Lincoln
    3. The Abraham Lincoln blogger (Hi Abe!) is amazing similar to Abraham Lincoln because he shares some of Abraham Lincoln's dna.(thought about cloning, Abe?)
    4. The Mockingbird was sung "mockingly" while Mary, your great great grandmother, as a child, watched as her father was carried in the coffin "pine box" this must have had a profound effect on the young girl, as I am sure it did on Mary Todd Lincoln. A very moving and pivotal story. Now I want to dig into my past. On the good side! (no not the other side! I already know about that and "don't want to go there girlfriend!" "I got the ancestry bug from Willow" haha! Thanks!ps Sepsis took the life of many a civil war soldier. You must love Civil war stories and reenactments? Amazing history!

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  43. Chic, super seven degrees of separation from mockingbird to Mary Todd Lincoln! Yep, you guessed right, I'm fascinated with anything to do with the Civil War.

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  44. Oh, Willow. This is such a beautiful poem born of such rich history. I would like to think that Mary could read your words and smile at your knowing heart.

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  45. I can't stop singing that song. But I'm not cursing it, I'm liking it.
    I really enjoyed the whole post.
    Thanks for coming to mine. I always enjoy your visits.
    Barbara

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  46. What a beautiful, sad, and touching poem you wrote to share the story of several of your ancestors. I love the slide presentation of the ladies. I'm wondering about the woman with her fingers pointing downward. Are the slides from your family and if so, do you know anything about her? Thanks for sharing.

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  47. Thanks, Nancy. No, the lovely ladies are not my family. Tom Roush is responsible for the great music and wonderful slideshow.

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  48. Beautiful post...remembering sweet faces gone too soon. I only hope there will be family remembering the fresh faces of the men and women leaving too soon from the wars this year...at least computers will help in locating long lost ones in years to come. War and those left behind...so awful. Thank you for the song.

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  49. HELLO WILLOW,

    Very touching Poem.
    By-th-way you won another Poets award. Congratulations..(Jingle)
    Have a great Memorial Day. Yvonne

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  50. What a beautiful, and personal tribute - to those who have fought and fallen but also to your deep DNA. Bravo!!

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  51. Beautiful poem and post. Women have always been there--behind the scenes, doing so much. No wonder we're so strong...lovely, Willos.

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  52. http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/05/29/week-20-poets-rally-poetry-awards-plus/

    two awards from the bottom,
    Happy Sunday!

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  53. Such an interesting blog with the photos that you have from the past, and the blog above of your Grandfather at the cemeteries. A nice set of blogs.

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  54. Interesting post--"Listen to the Mockingbird" was--to my understanding--a sort of "mega hit" in the Civil War era, tho it's rarely heard anymore. It would likely have been a favorite song of Mary's!

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  55. That was just wonderful, all of it.
    The stories told by a mockingbird, I love to listen, and wonder just what they have observed.

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  56. Just catching up a bit.
    signed,
    The Neglectful Blogger

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  57. Willow, I did read this when you first posted it, but obviously left no mention of how much I enjoyed it. I enjoyed rereading it even more. My older son earned a degree in history, and particularly focuses on the Civil War. He and I once went to a lecture to listen and later talk with Shelby Foote. This was just after Ken Burns' famous series aired on PBS. Great experience!

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)