Hello, Smith/Herring/Stewart Family!
Happy New 2023 Year To You And Your Family! Let's kick off the New Year with an EXCITING family profile spotlight with Esther Herring Poitier for the month of January. You're Going To Love It!!!
If you would like to participate and be featured on our Smith/Herring/Stewart Family Blog Spotlight, you have TWO easy options…
Option #1.
You can create a 1-minute live, personal video
1. Give us your name, birthday, hometown, and relation to our Smith/Herring/Stewart Family.
2. Tell us your favorite family memory
Option #2
1. You can send your name, birthday, hometown, and relation to our Smith/Herring/Stewart Family
2 . Send us a photograph
3. Email us at: SmithHerringStewartFamily@gmail.com
Please sign-up and post your comments and feedback on our monthly blogs. They're truly wonderful and encouraging to read. Enjoy, sib "wallace, jr.
1. Birth Name: Ester Laverne Herring
(for years I spelled my name Esther. When I became an adult I got a copy of my birth certificate, I saw my name was misspelled Ester)
2. Birth Date: November 26th (Every six years my birthday falls on Thanksgiving day)
3. Hometown & State Of Birth: Jacksonville, Florida (Brewster Hospital the only hospital for black people in Jacksonville)
4. Parents: Shade & Othelia Herring
Esther Herring Poitier
5. Grandparents:
Robert & Pricilla Smith
(Granddaddy later married Ivory Smith)
Childhood Years: Esther
6. What’s Your Favorite Childhood Memory: There are many memories from my childhood that have stayed with me until this day: A. In First grade, my teacher Ms. Morrison beat my hand every day with a "Fat Pencil" the entire year because I would write with my left hand. Well, it didn't work because I'm still Left Handed. B. As a child, I use to have these episodes when I would get very sick. (LOL...Not sure what was wrong with me because we never went to the hospital for nothing). But if had to guess I think I had asthma. But I remember one time my Godfather, Silas McKinney (they lived behind our house) laid me on the sofa and prayed for me. Not just a regular prayer but he really cried out to God for me...I believed I was healed that day because I don't have any other memories of those attacks. C. I remember my 6th-grade Graduation. Mama was not able to come because she was (probably) working. Daddy was probably sick (bedridden), but Dorothy came. I remember at Susie E. Tolbert when all the sixth graders were lined up to march in, and I looked through the cafetorium window and saw my big sister Dorothy Herring (Sibley) sitting in the audience. I was sooo happy and proud to have her there. I never forgot it. D. The scariest memory I have as a little girl is one day I wanted to color in my coloring book that was sitting on top of the TV on the front porch. When I picked up the coloring book there was a snake coiled under the coloring book. I snatched my hand away ran outside and told Daddy. Daddy grabbed a big shovel, came inside the house and beat that snack, and killed it. He scooped up the snake and threw it in the fire (LOL....seems like he was always burning leaves, trash, or something). Still today I have a deep fear of snakes.
Esther: During Her Teen Years
E. Lastly, everyone knows the tale of "Dancing at the Sugar Shack". Well, here's the whole story. Gwen and I were going on a field trip to the Zoo. Mama gave me the spending money to keep for the trip. For some reason (I can't remember now) Gwen's group and my group were separated and she didn't get her share of the spending money. After returning to school from a field trip I apologized. but Gwen was MAD!! I stopped w/ friends to dance at the Sugar Shack (corner store across from the school.) and Gwen leaving mad, said "I'm gonna tell Mama. She ran home ahead of me and told Mama her side of the story. I danced for a few more minutes and then started walking home. When I saw Mama coming, I tried to explain what happened but Gwen (aka: “Tell Tell Gwen”) got to her first, and Mama beat me all the way home.
Esther & Sisters: Dorothy, Gwen, & Juanita and
Brother In Law, James with friends in Cleveland, TN.
7. What’s Your Favorite Place To Visit: A. When I grew up our family didn’t have a car. Daddy died when I was twelve and Mama never learned to drive. I did have a memory when I was young (maybe around 5 or 6 yrs.) taking the train to St. Mary’s, Ga. to see our grandparents. I remember the train stopped at some kind of open field, there was no train station, just a train stop and I saw Grandmama standing there waiting for us and we ran to meet her. That is the only travel memory I have as a young child.
B. My other travel memories were with The Voices of Faith Choir and Sis. Juanita Harper (Padgett). During the 60’s we traveled via Chartered Greyhound Bus to St. Louis, Missouri, Dallas, Texas, Indianapolis, Indiana, and various cities in Florida. Thinking about it now, a busload of black children and adults traveling through some of those segregated towns had to be dangerous. As kids, we are oblivious to the potential danger. However being in a Greyhound bus we had a bathroom (we didn’t have bathroom breaks) and everyone brought “Shoebox Lunches” snacks, and coolers filled with drinks so we didn’t have to stop for meals. Because of segregation, blacks were not allowed to eat at many restaurants. I Thank God for Sis. Padgett because she gave a lot of black kids experiences and exposure we never would have had.
Newlyweds: Esther & Gotrel "Tony" Poitier
8. What Advice Do You Have For Our Smith/Herring/Stewart Family:
Cherish our family. We may have had many differences and some disagreements along the way but “Forgive and Forget”. Mama use to tell us that “Teeth & Tongue fall out”, (meaning sometimes you may bite your tongue with your teeth, but the mouth needs both teeth & tongue). Life is too short to hold on to anger/issues of the past or present. Unforgiveness is a poison that will infiltrate and destroy YOU! If allowed to live and grow it will be passed on and transcend through generations. Psalms 34:14 NLT says: ”Turn from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it." It takes a special effort to achieve and maintain Peace. Get rid of Unforgiveness is a weight not worth carrying.
Classic Photo: The Poitiers, Esther with husband
Tony, daughter JaTrel, and son Tony, jr.
9. How Do You Enjoy Your Spare Time: Now that I’m getting older, I enjoy working in the yard. I find it relaxing and inspiring. There are many Life Lessons that can be learned through planting flowers.
**Plants (like people) need lots of love and care to grow into a beautiful garden.
l. The soil (foundational training) must be prepared and fertilized to get the best outcome.
ll. The seeds or seedlings (young children) must be planted in prepared soil and watched, watered (not too much or they’ll drown), and nurtured to form roots to
grow. They need sun, but not too much or
they’ll burn up.
All Smiles: Esther with husband Tony, son Tony
Jr., daughter JaTrel and son-in-law, Lee.
lll. As flowers (children) form roots, they get stronger, stand firm, and begin to bloom. You have to continue to guard flowers (children) against weeds that try to infiltrate and destroy your beautiful garden.
lV. As flowers (children) grow bigger, they can become unmanageable and must be pruned/cut back (disciplined) to help them form into a beautiful garden.
V. Once flowers (children) fully mature they are a delight to watch and are admired by everyone for their beauty. Remember: You Reap (harvest the crop) What You Sow (Plant)
Family Is Forever: Esther with husband Tony, their daughter JaTrel with her husband Lee and Esther's granddaughter, Leah.
10. What’s Your Favorite Movie or TV Show: Movies: “The Equalizer 1&2 (Denzel Washington ..watched it last night) “The Magnificent Seven (Denzel Washington...watched it last night as well) ***Documentaries (various)***Lifetime Movies (Lol....when nothing else is on, there's always Lifetime)***Netflix Movies (various) Favorite TV Shows: (I love the old TV shows but here is the current list) “The Resident”Jeopardy “Hell’s Kitchen”“Chopped”“Master Chief”“Beat Bobby Flay”
Aunt Esther aka "Ester" This Is INCREDIBLE!!! Thanks So Much For Your Priceless Contribution! love, sib