AUNT LILLIE'S LONG LOST SON

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After my Aunt Didi died I found this newspaper article about my Aunt Lillie and her long lost son that somehow she was separated from when he was a baby. The article doesn't give details of why they were separated. This is one of our family mysteries that I would like more information about. Aunt Lillie was married to my grandmother's brother Jake Frogge. They lived on Hermitage Avenue for many years and I can remember going to their house many times. My mother was born close to their house on Hermitage Avenue. The famous country singer Kitty Wells also lived on Hermitage Avenue and Didi said that she was always sitting on her front porch singing. They were friends growing up but Didi said that after she started working at the Grand Ole Opry house as an usher Kitty would shun her. Didi thought that she didn't want to be reminded of her humble origins. Uncle Jake had worked on a steamboat for many years going up and down the Cumberland River. He once survived a sinking of one of the boats he was working on. When he died he was supervising the housekeeping staff at the Maxwell House hotel. He died in 1960 and the Maxwell House burned down on Christmas night 1961. Aunt Lillie survived Uncle Jake by many years but I don't think that they had children of their own.


Jake Frogge

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