Margaret Page’s family has many memories of the pastor’s wife’s life in Alabama
Margaret Page turned 100 on Wednesday, an accomplishment made even sweeter because of the challenges she overcame along the way.
She spent 95 years of her life in rural Alabama, first in Perry County, then in Dallas County.
“We didn’t have much growing up, but what we had, my mother would share with those who had more need than us,” remembers Cora Sanders, the youngest of Page’s 13 children. In the midst of Black History Month, the family has plenty of experiences to share.
According to data from federal government statistics, Perry and Dallas county populations have about twice as many African Americans as whites. Median household income in 2007 was $24,132 in Perry County and $27,647 in Dallas County, while in Alabama as a whole it was $40,596.
The family lived in several houses over the years, but Sanders recalls the first one the best, a three-bedroom house with a kitchen, near Uniontown.
The chores were divided among the seven brothers and six sisters. The boys did the outdoor chores, tending the cattle and pigs and working in the fields raising cotton and corn, while the girls did chores in the house.
“My mother was an outdoor person; she kept a flower garden and a vegetable garden,” said daughter Julia Tubbs.
After marrying well driller and Baptist minister Israel Page Sr., the couple’s rural lifestyle isolated them from the civil rights movement sweeping across the South in the late 50s and 60s.
“My dad knew about Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., but he never marched with him, at least that I can remember,” said Tubbs.
Tubbs recalled the turmoil of that time. While visiting another sister in Birmingham, Ala., an African-American couple boarded a bus they were on. African Americans were expected to sit at the back of the bus, where Tubbs and her sister were sitting; the couple refused.
“We just got off the bus,” said Tubbs. They were worried about what would happen.
Through it all Poe guided her family with a firm hand and then raised several grandchildren. She was a church lady, and she loved to dance, said Tubbs.
“She was always there for us; she taught us right from wrong, and she told us regardless of how people treat you, you don’t do that to them,” said Tubbs.
Many family members eventually migrated to the North, including to Fort Wayne, where they have become factory workers, teachers, pastors and Indiana state employees. Page reluctantly followed and is now living with Tubbs. At 95, Page’s age and health had become more than she could handle alone.
Page’s memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be, said Tubbs, and her hearing is not so good, but she looked every inch the family matriarch seated in a tan recliner in Tubbs’ living room Wednesday afternoon.
“I feel pretty good, and I’ll feel even better when they come and bring me a plate of food,” said Page, reflecting on her 100 years.
Page’s family has planned a private celebration for her at Jerusalem Baptist Church, 1151 Francis St. The event will include a liturgical dance team from True Love Baptist Church, a brief presentation by the family, singing, food and fellowship.
Source: The News Sentinel
