Of course. Yes, my great grandfather Abraham, what else, that name. He'd
have to have that name. Abraham Lincoln Lewis was born in 1865 in
Madison, Florida, and he was one of the seven founders of the
Afro-American Life Insurance Company, 1901. Don't forget now. There was
no way to bury black folks in those days. They'd pass around a hat,
several of them got together at Bethel Baptist Church, that beautiful
church downtown Jacksonville. Each man put up a hundred dollars and they
started the burial society. Well, I mean we were it. It's hard for you
to conceive what, how completely self-contained that world was. We could
go weeks and never see another white person. We lived in an area called
Sugar Hill. There was a park and then the white folks usually, there's a
railroad or whatever that divides the rich and poor, the white and black
or whatever they used, the tracks. Well, for us it was the park. On the
other side was Springfield. You'd see some white folks through there,
but I mean this wasn't, our world was completely self-contained. The
Afro sponsored clinics for the children whenever they got their premiums
with the insurance company. The Afro sponsored the big dance at
Christmas time. The Afro, once the beach was here, it was a big picnic
in August, which was the social event. Of course there was my dad who
was, oh God, I mean, don't forget now this little so-called country boy
from North Carolina is marrying into money. I guess, bless his heart, he
had to prove his worth. I mean, Daddy did everything. He, well, he was
vice president of the company. He was what do you call that, the manager
over all the districts. At one time we were all the way to Texas, Texas.
He did people's income taxes. He was an architect. Oh man we didn't have
one kind. We had two. But it was a world, when I think of the way the
wealthy and supposedly poorer people live now. It wasn't like that. Our
house was always like Grand Central Station. People were there. It was
never a question of we were in a different class or whatever from other
people. The managers were spending the night at our house, and of course
their children would stay there and sleeping in our room and—