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A very Happy Birthday to local centenarian Mary Nelson Seabolt, who celebrated her 107th birthday on June 8 with family and friends.
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Mary was born in the Arkaquah area of Union County on June 8, 1918. Her family raised corn as she was coming up, which meant that young Mary spent some time in the corn fields as well.
She remained in Arkaquah until she married Zed William Seabolt in 1940, and they had three children, Jerrell, John and Ray, who carried on the family farming tradition growing corn, raising cane and making sorghum syrup – an operation that continues to this day.
Sole Commissioner Harold Collins visited with Mary recently, which he chronicled in a recent “From Your Commissioner” column published in the North Georgia News.
Collins believes Mary might just be the oldest living resident of Union County, and he enjoyed hearing some stories from Mary’s youth while speaking with her and son Ray.
“She giggled as she told me a tale about one time when she attempted to ‘weed’ the corn field, but in doing so, she cut down everything – including the corn,” Collins said. “Her Dad quickly taught her the difference.
“However, she stated that, for the most part, when her Dad tended to the corn fields, her job and the job of her older sister was to keep the creek banks/ditches trimmed back.”
Mary told Collins that she met her husband Zed at Old Liberty Baptist Church.
“Zed grew beans, and he sold these at the market,” Collins recounted. “He also grew sugar cane, and together, the family made sorghum syrup.
“She recalls making large meals on a wood stove for everyone working in the fields in the Summertime. She said, ‘Sometimes we’d have three tables full.’”
Collins noted that Mary is “quite the conversationalist, and her humor still comes through when you talk with her.”
“Ms. Mary, if you are reading this, I kept my promise not to talk about the jar of jelly or the doo dads,” Collins wrote in good humor. “As we wound down our conversation, she was asked if she had any advice for young people.
“She stated, ‘Don’t ever mess with the drugs; be good to everybody; and especially be good to old people.’”
Collins agreed, declaring this “good advice for us all.”
Happy Birthday, Mary, and many more!
