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- Davie County Heritage, North Carolina, 1997
Ora Mae Tutterow Boyd
Ora Mae Tutterow Boyd was the fifth generation of Tutterows to live in Davie County. Records indicate that her first ancestor Balthasar Tutterow moved here in 1787. Each generation thereafter remained forging a strong ond with the land.
Ora was the third child born to Thomas Wilson Tutterow and Daisey Mae Bassett. Her brothers and sisters were Cleo, Raymond, Floella, Everette, Margaret, Thomas, and James Bassett. She was born on march 1, 1909, in a log house with real mud "dobbin" between the logs. At the age of 3 she moved into a larger log house complete with a detached kitchen.
By age 12 Ora was experienced with doing everything connected with a chicken dinner - from chasing the chicken to basting it. By age 15 she was an accomplished cook, seamstress, and field worker as well. In 1924 her parents built a new home on Hwy 64 on the property located just east of the existing Center Fire Department building. This house had more modern amenities even a carbide lighting system.
Ora inherited her father's tall angular build as well as his fierce determination, heart, courage, and perseverance. It has been told that their father while plowing in the field would pull his mule team up to rest - while the animals rested he would grab a grub hoe and dig out the roots too deeply embedded for the plow. Ora was cut from the same mold.
At the age of 23 she married John Hodgson of Iredell County. A year later Ora was left a widow after her husband was killed in an auto accident. She returned to the Tutterow family farm not knowing she was pregnant. Then a son was born. She supported her family for the next several years by working in a garment factory in Greensboro in the winter and returning to the farm to help out in the spring and summer.
In 1938 Ora married William H. Boyd, a native of the Ijames Cross community. In 1940 they build themselves a home within sight of Ijames Church. Her daughters, Annie Boyd Johnson, was born in 1943. The following years were some of the happiest times for her. Ora delighted in knowing exactly the right dishes to prepare for family reunions. She loved to serve.
In 1967 Ora's husband passed away. This was a difficult time for her. The Ijames Cross Roads Church became an important part of her life. She loved that church and its people. She survived by reaching out to others. Her later years were spent caring for her family. The last words Ora spoke to her son John were the same words that she had said repeatedly over the past 40 years. The words were ,"I think of my children and grandchildren every day." She was 87 years old.
Ora gave her family everything. Her son John remembers, "If my mother saw Ann or I not keeping up in the fields, she always reached over in our row and caught us up." Submitted by Ann Boyde, 940 James Rd., Mocksville, NC 27028. Written by: John Hodgson. Compiled by Lynn Tutterow.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1909 - 1996 (86 years)