My name is Lisa Renae Hamilton, I am the grand daughter of William
Howard Howell (Papa). When I was growing up Papa would take me to visit Grandma Lucy in Lansing North Carolina and show me
the places that he loved. He told me stories about Silas Creek, growing up on the farm and even a few stories about the "haints"
of the hills.
I have such fond memories of the time I spent with my grandparents growing
up. The trips we took to their house at the beach or to visit Grandma Lucy in Lansing, North carolina. I can remember my grandparents
pointing out interesting sights along the way
on the trips from Winston-Salem to Lansing or from their house to the
beach. One of the things I remember driving to Grandma Lucy's house were all the cattle grazing on the hillsides. Papa would
always tell me the cows legs were shorter on one side so they could stand on the hills and tell me the white cows gave plain
white milk and the black and brown cows gave chocolate milk. I remember that we had to gas up the car on Saturday because
all the stores were closed on Sundays back then.
Times have changed so much since I was a girl and even more since my
grandparents or great grandparents were children. I loved the stories Papa would tell me about growing up in Ashe County and
walking to school everyday or helping Grandpa Geter on the farm. I hope I can capture some of the best memories here on Howell's
Hill where my grandfather was the happiest and where I have the best memories of him.
I was very close to my grandfather, he taught me to love my roots and
to take pride in my heritage. I was inspired to create a living tribute to my grandfather and so Howell's Hill came to be.
Most of this information comes from memories of things my grandfather told me, some was obtained from talking to living relatives
and from researching public records. In the course of doing this research, I've discovered that I have many more relatives
than I ever thought possible! I've also uncovered some interesting facts. This is a work in progress, so please contact me
if you have any information that might help round out the picture.
