Lena Victoria Batchelor, one of Joseph Caswell Haddock’s granddaughters, was born in Haddock , Georgia Lena was in her late 70’s and early 80’s. She was also very beautiful.
Built on a tall, thin, six-foot frame, she had a uniquely aristocratic sense about her. For example, she would always drink with her pinky finger extended quite naturally, not as an affectation. When she walked, she glided softly across a room like an angel.
During her seventh decade, she had begun taking turns living with her children and grandchildren. Since this meant that she was always around people, she dressed formally. Each day she would attire herself in either a solid navy blue or black dress with a white lace collar. She did own one navy blue dotted Swiss, however.
On the collars would sit one of several exquisite Victorian brooches. The little girl’s favorite was the white and dark brown carnelian shell cameo with matching earrings. Although pierced earrings were not very popular in the 1950’s South, Lena Batchelor Vincent wore hers stunningly in the form of cameos, pearls and gold studs. Yet her signature accessory was perhaps the large tortoise shell compact that she used to powder her nose just before someone would enter the room.
Her shoes were totally old-fashioned. High top, lace-up, “granny” shoes that resembled fancy, low-cut boots. The great-granddaughter had never seen any shoes remotely similar in stores, and often wondered where you could even buy such things.
Being thin, the great-grandmother was always cold, so she would drape a handmade white lace shawl about her shoulders, even in the summer. In harsher weather, she would don a long, beautiful black wool cape before stepping outdoors.
Her husband, Hugh Webb Vincent, called her “Doll.” Some say it was because she was so young when they married that she still played with dolls. Others say it was because she was as pretty as a doll.
She did have a lot of pretty habits. Like propping on one elbow with her fingers running through the side of her silver French Twist hairdo. Or like the way she crossed her legs and pointed her toes.
It was during one of those wonderful month-long visits that the little girl’s mother, Lillian, was able to observe the great-grandmother and child together on a daily basis. One day, Lillian suddenly paused as she was walking through the room where Lena and the child were sitting side-by-side. “Atavistic, that’s the word! I knew there was something that meant family traits that skip generations, and I just remembered it. You’ve got atavistic traits from Grandmother Vincent. You look and act just like her.”
The little girl looked up into Lena Vincent’s beautiful eyes and smiled, as if to say thank you.
With the light beginning to fade, the grandmother tore the sheet of paper from the notepad and folded it. Grandma Louise had cautioned that what you call someone depends entirely upon which two people you are putting together each time. As she handed her granddaughter the paper to put into her Bible she added, “I think you should just write them out every time with you as one of the two people, sugar. After all, you will be the one who will be doing all this explaining one day.”
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