[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 30, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1277-E1278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATIONS TO MRS. MARTHA ANN (GIBBS) MELTON ON THE OCCASION OF 
                           HER 100TH BIRTHDAY

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                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 30, 2014

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity 
to congratulate Mrs. Martha Ann (Gibbs) Melton, who was born on August 
7, 1914, to Charles and Chanie Gibbs. She is the youngest and only 
daughter of three siblings. Her two older brothers, Scott and Jim, have 
both made their transitions. After becoming a grandmother, Martha has 
been affectionately addressed as Granny by all who know and love her. 
She is indeed a very proud grandmother with 32 grandchildren and a host 
of great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
  Martha Ann had a very interesting childhood. Her father, Charles 
Gibbs (Poppa) was one of 12 siblings born to Henry and Ann (Wright) 
Gibbs. Grandpa Henry Gibbs was a free slave in Clay County, West Point, 
Mississippi. Because he was a man of many trades--such as a farmer, 
shoe maker, textile worker, blacksmith, cotton gin operator, and 
molasses mill operator--Grandpa Henry's 12 children also followed in 
his path. His freedom came with a 225-acre land grant from the Cottrell 
Plantation owner, which was eventually inherited by his children and 
passed down through generations to living descendants. The young Poppa 
Charles Gibbs was a very hardworking farmer and shoemaker. His 3 
children also had to work hard. Although there was always work to do, 
the kids did find time to play. Some of Granny's favorite games were 
baseball, hop scotch, and jump rope. Her recollection of a normal day 
was being up at day break, attending the one room Pooles' school house, 
and then working in the cotton fields until sundown where she was 
either chopping cotton or picking up 200 pounds of cotton a day during 
harvest. She took what she learned from Pooles' school to later earn a 
GED. Granny shared one of her favorite pastimes which was sitting and 
watching Poppa operate his shoe lasting machines to make shoes. She was 
always amazed how the machine would use a needle to punch and sew 
shoes. Not only did Poppa make shoes, but he also removed soles from 
old shoes and patched the soles to make them look new.
  As tradition goes, the expectation is that, as the only daughter in 
the household, Granny would have a room with some special frills or 
girly touches. Quite the opposite, she remembers having the basics--a 
small bed, a trunk and a chifferobe, and she was quite content with her 
provisions. In addition, Sundays were special in the Gibbs family. 
Everyone got up early and put on their best attire for a day of worship 
at Primitive Baptist Church. Granny later became a member of Union Star 
Baptist Church (West Point) where she sang in the choir. Granny was 
also a member of the Prince Hall Masons, Heroines of Jericho Lounge, 
Court #324.
  As a young woman, Martha Ann was a mother to 5 children, the late 
Chanie (Gibbs) Randle, Sallie (Collins) Sellars, Isaac Melton, Jr., 
Amos Melton, and Clarence Melton. Her husbands from previous marriages 
were the late Willie James Collins and the late Isaac Melton, Sr. She 
held a variety of jobs while living in West Point, ranging from day 
work at various homes to Bryan Bros. Packing Company, Swift and 
Company, working as a dry cleaning attendant, and later as a 
salesperson for American Burial Insurance Company.
  In her senior years, Granny became ill and moved to Chicago to be 
cared for by her daughter, Sallie. Her church, Union Star Baptist, 
honored her transition with a letter for membership to Greater Garfield 
Baptist Church (Chicago) under the pastorship of Reverend George 
Henderson, where she serves faithfully and is the senior member of the 
Mother's Board. Granny occasionally breaks out in song during service, 
and is welcomed by Pastor Henderson. She affirms that her all-time 
favorite hymn is ``I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.'' Even though Granny 
has reached this historical milestone, she continues to be one of the 
feistiest elders you will ever encounter. She has been there and done 
that and knows more than any of us will ever be able to profess . . . 
just ask her.
  I take this opportunity to congratulate Mrs. Melton as she reaches a 
milestone of 100 years and commend her and her family for the great 
legacy of history and the contributions they have made to human kind.

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