Dodd Family Story

My mother, Amy Cagle was born in 1930 to George Washington Cagle and Liza Jane Canada. It is a little hard to determine what county her birth took place as some of her siblings are listed as born in Winston County and others in Marion. However, she lived and worked down in the bluffs as what many know as the Cagle Cove just over from Natural Bridge, Alabama. My mother is still living and gave me permission to pass on this story.

Last week we were up at the Cagle Cove looking over the Cagle grave yard as she still goes every year, sometimes more, when she is able to clean the cemetery. A good many of her ancestors are buried there and others are resting at Oak Grove Church of Christ. On our return trip back to my house she began to reminesse back to the days of her child hood. She told me the following story and I laughed so hard I had to share it. I hope some of the ones researching the Dodd's and Cagle's from the Winston and Marion County area's will enjoy it and find the humor I did. I love to hear stories of people and I feel they add a great deal of interest to ones research. Now to the story as told to me by my mother:

Years ago during the times there would be "Decoration Day" at Oak Grove Church of Christ" where many Cagles and Dodd's are laid to rest.( I know some of the Dodd family still live adjacent to the church and are related to the Dodd's in my story. Perhaps someone can add to it.) As the members and neighbors were preparing for Decoration at Oak Grove , many times they and others in the community would go over to the Cagle Cove- also known as the Cagle Graveyard. The cemetery sits on top of the hill just off the highway. The preacher and several of the men brought benches and chairs to the cemetery to have an evening singing and preaching. Mom remembers most of the children would sit to the back of the cemetery and the elder's of the group to the front. Among them were the Cagle family (my family) and Lizanne (spelling ?) and her husband George Dodd. Not long after the preacher began to preach, the frogs and crickets began to sing. The preacher is at his best and really feeling the power of the word and shouts for the spirit of the Lord to be with them and tells the congregation if they feel moved by the Lord to just shout it out. All of the sudden, Lizainne jumps up from her chair and is screaming and yelling and running all around in a circle like movement and the preacher is really preaching now and calling on Ms. Lizainne to give testimony to the spirit of the Lord that is speaking to her. Not a word can be understood in the celebration, until finally Lizainne is near a dead faint. When they finally are able to get Mrs. Dodd seated - a tree frog which had fallen from the trees comes hopping out of the bussom of her dress. It was decided that the Lord does indeed move in mysterious ways - sometimes in the form of a frog.

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