Her parents were Bill and Amanda Stover Etris who moved from White County to Milton County. "Teen" married Pierce Reece in 1922. Pierce was the son of Oda P. and M. Arizona Willis Reece. Pierce passed away at age 92 on February 27, 1996.
She was the third oldest of nine children in her family. The oldest, Mary Lou married Cliff Westbrooks, Bertha married Claud Cook, Bonnie married James Coleman, Loy married Odell Allen, Pluma married Corbin Ellington, Cleburne married Hoyle Benson, James married Lillian Green, and the youngest, Fannie, married Otis Holcombe.
"Teen" was born and raised on a farm on Etris Road. Most of the Old Milton County residents lived on farms. She and he family worked hard. As she says, "We had to work hard, there were so many of us." She worked in the fields as well as feeding livestock and milking cows. She also canned vegetables, made kraut, dried fruit and beans and in the late fall helped kill hogs, made and canned sausage, rendered lard and cured hams, getting ready for the winter months.
In spite of all the hard work, there was time for fun. Her family gathered around the organ each night and had a "singing." She also enjoyed going to square dances. She remembers the dances would be held in homes. The furniture would be cleared out and meal put on the floor to make it slick.
There were no full time preachers at any of the churches when she was growing up. She attended all the nearby churches–Mt. Oliver, which was a missionary Baptist church, Ebenezer which was Methodist and Union which was a Primitive Baptist.
She and Pierce had two sons, Hoyt, who married Nan Mansell and Verney, who married Paige Collett. Hoyt died when he was only 54 years old. "Teen" has five grandchildren, three boys and two girls, and ten great grandchildren, four boys and 6 girls.
"Teen" has a wonderful outlook on life. She is pleasant, cheerful and gracious and fun to talk to and visit.
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