Paternal Ancestor: Allisons

My paternal grandmother was Maude Allison, one of three daughters born to George and Nannie B Allison.

The photo above is of their home on the a hill on the edge of Piedmont Alabama.
They farmed cotton, and rented both farms and houses in Piedmont which they had bought during the Great Depression.
I recall that my grandmother also sold milk, butter and eggs to town residents. She alone milked several cows and tended to her many chickens and goats.


Here is a quote from HOMES TO REMEMBER VOLUME I, compiled by THE PIEDMONT HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC, 1983:


"The Allison family was one of the early families to settle in Cross Plains. It is possible that they had been living in Patoma prior to the building of their large home on Allison Hill.
The family, extremely thrifty, accumulated large amounts of land that extended from Cross Plains/Piedmont to Vigo and as far as Spring Garden. The present Industrial Park of Vigo rests on land that was previously owned by the Allisons and used for farming. In addition to living from the land, Mr. Allison pur­chased much of the downtown area of Piedmont and either operated his own business or rented the buildings to other mer­chants to operate their stores. At one time the family owned all the property on the southern side of Ladiga Street from the SouthTrust Bank to the old city hall. Around the corner from the bank on Centre Avenue was the Allison Theatre, a popular movie house for many years. Also part of the area that now houses the Super D Store, the Style Shop, the Fair Store, Lois' Beauty Shop, all belonged to the family.
The Allison home stood on a hill overlooking the town of Piedmont and the community of Vigo. It lay in a path that led to the Ladiga community as well.
Originally painted white with green shutters, the house had two porches, one on the second floor and one on the bottom floor that extended across the southern front and gave a marvelous view of Duggar Mountain. Both porches were adorned with ginger-bread trim and the entrance over the main door utilized a transom window to assist with ventilation. The exterior win­dows were large. Porches could also be found on the east, north, and west side of the house. The same type of bannisters and col­umns were used on the side porches as on the front of the house. From the eastern porch a plankway had been built to connect the wash house that serviced the family. The northern porch was said to have been the favorite place for Mrs. Allison to do her churning. A short distance from this porch was the milk house. On the west side of the house could be found the well house. A white picket fence added to the beauty of the home place.
On entering the house from the southern porch facing Ladiga Road, a wide hallway separated two front bedrooms and opened into the parlor located almost in the middle of the house. Behind the parlor was a long, serviceable kitchen and dining room. The parlor opened to the western porch area and it also contained the stairway that led to three bedrooms on the second floor. Two bedrooms ran east and west while the third bedroom ran south and north and was located over the parlor."