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Copyright November, 2010 Benny H. Pellom. All rights reserved.
Website by PellomEnterprises.com
Left: Earliest known photo of Benny (Ben) Hill Pellom, about ten years old. Left: My brother, Millard Owen "Dink" Pellom; middle, Davis Martin.
This photo was taken in a small photo booth that was run by my father, Conard Pellom - Chatsworth, GA. As of this posting, I am seventy-nine.
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www.MoonShineOn.com
The above video of Ben Pellom was excerpted from the docu-movie, "Moonlight Over Cataloochee", and is placed on this site, courtesy of Raymond and Shirley Fairchild, Woha Mule Productions. The complete movie can be ordered from www.RaymondFairchild.com.
Give the video a little time to buffer
Dink Davis Ben
Above Left: Tim Marshall & Ben Pellom - taken 2010
Ben Pellom - age 77 with arms full of rabbit tobacco (life everlasting) herb. Visit RabbitTobacco.com to check this herb out.
CLICK HERE to read about Clyde Beavers, Tennga, GA man who made it in the Country Music business. Clyde sings classic song "My Friend's Friend."
All Roads meet in Buncombe County, North Carolina”
It seems that about everyone I have met out in the flat lands of GA and Southeast TN have a connection to Buncombe County, NC. That’s the case with many of my forebears. My Great-grandfather (through my father Conard Pellom), John Simpson Fain and his father, David Fain, his great-grandfather Ebenezer Fain, lived there. My great-grandmother (my father’s matriarchal line) Keziah (Kizzie) Green and her daughters Martha Green(my grandmother) and her sister Jo Ann Green, lived there. At some point Keziah married Dr. Henry W. Durham (a Confederate Physician). Input from my brother Doug Pellom indicates that this Dr. Durham was descended from the founder of Durham, NC. Certainly there must have been more siblings at every step of this family break-down, but I don’t have information on them. I’ll write a little about my Fain forebears’ involvement in the Revolutionary War later.
My people, like so many others living in Appalachia, commonly made and sold moonshine whiskey as a “cash crop”, and used it in combination with honey and other additives to make an elixir. The remedy worked quite well as a natural expectorant, and for coughs (see recipe below). Their common entertainment would be to gather at someone’s home, spread out the food prepared and brought by each family, and enjoy conversation with someone other than their own isolated family members. There would usually be music at these events; the banjo (picked in the “claw-hammer” style), guitar and fiddle. Piano music was rare at one of these events, and a luxury on the part of precious few. Many people were too far away to attend church regularly, but when they could, it was a welcome social event, as well as learning from the scriptures. In some areas at times there would be “Circuit Riders” travelling through on horse-back who would set up brush arbors in which to hold church services. I will be posting some information about my great-grandparents, grandparents and my father, and later I plan to tell my own story, as a run-away kid. Also, I will relate stories about people and events in and about my life.
The following is a recipe passed down to my family from my mother-in-law. She was a “teetotaler” but did not hesitate to use this recipe whenever a family member was sick. The recipe: Lemon juice – 1 stick of horehound or peppermint candy – 4 to 5 table-spoons of honey – fill a pint jar with these ingredients and moonshine whiskey. Shake well, and give a table-spoon full as needed for congestion or cough.
I am writing these articles to leave some details of my forebears, and of my life for interested family members now, and for those to come after me through my blood-line. Should someone other than my descendants find my story interesting, they are more than welcome to come along with me. the need, even hunger, to find out about my family members before me, led me to believe that some of those to come later will have the same desire to “know” their people. I will discuss some of the stories I have uncovered about my people, as far back as my great-grandfather. I’m just telling my story – sometimes, my impressions; I will leave detailed genealogy to others. There is quite a lot of information on sites such as Ancestery.com. I plan to post information as I have developed it.
CLICK HERE for more info. about Otis Head
CLICK HERE for more Words from a Run-away Boy.
Song title: Home Sweet Home - My Paw Hammer style
Song title: Pellom's Odeyssey
Above: The "HUMBLE PIE" photo of my grandpa John Simpson Pellom & and grandma Martha Green Pellom. Names are from left to right front: George Washington Pellom - Clara Salome Pellom Cockburn - Martha Green Pellom - Della Mae Pellom Bartley - John Simpson Pellom - Conard Hill Pellom (my father) - Mary Elizabeth Pellom Cockburn. Behind log: James "Bud" Carter (old man) - Isaac Newton Pellom (later changed his name to John Humphrey Pellom). Not present in this photo: Benjamin Harrison Pellom - Leonard Pellom - Andrew Pellom - Kimsey Pellom. Photo was likely taken in Alaculsey Valley east of Cisco, GA.
Banjo tuned "Be my Rainbow" played by Ben Pellom 3-30-2016.
Song: Legend of Otis Head
written by Ben Pellom & Don Poteet
All six of the Pellom boys
Back home for Mother's funeral 1972
L to R Middle row: Virgil Alvin "Corky" Pellom - Edward Richard "Rusty" Pellom - August Lamar "Aug" Pellom
Back Row L to R: Jones Douglas "Doug" Pellom - Millard Owen "Dink" Pellom
Front: Benny Hill "Ben" Pellom
