amusing and became famous for her girlish giggle, which resulted in the police giving her the nickname ‘The Giggling Granny’. Nannie Doss never showed any remorse and many believe that she never even realised she had done anything wrong.
THE YOUNG NANNIE
Twentieth-century records show that Nannie Doss was born out of wedlock and that her mother, Louisa, married James Hazel some time later. James Hazel had a bad temper and if he didn’t get his own way, he made his feelings known by taking it out on his terrified wife and daughter. Nannie’s school attendance was erratic; farm work always came first, and if she was needed to help out her schoolwork had to come second.
Nannie’s method of escape from the daily torment was in reading her mother’s romance magazines, which gave her an insight into how she believed life should be. She also developed a penchant for prunes in her early years, something that she used to her advantage in her later life.
Her mental instability was blamed on an accident when she was travelling by train to Alabama to visit a relative. The train had to make an emergency stop and Nannie hit her head on the seat in front of her. After this she suffered from blackouts, mood swings and severe headaches for the rest of her life. As she got older, Nannie became more and more obsessed with her mother’s magazines and scanned the lonely hearts adverts, dreaming of the day she would be allowed to go courting. Her father did not allow her to date as he considered her time was far too precious to waste it on socialising, and he found more and more jobs for her to do around the farm. As each day went by, Nannie grew more and more unhappy. She was forbidden from wearing pretty clothes or makeup, as her father said it would only make her look like a whore. He told her that when it was time for her to marry, he would choose her a suitable husband.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Just as her father had promised, in 1921, he forced Nannie to marry Charley Braggs. Nannie worked with Charley at the Linen Thread Company and had only known him a few months before her father arranged the wedding. Instead of giving Nannie the life she dreamed of, marriage tied her down even more. The only family Charley had was his unmarried mother, who was a very dominant figure who made Nannie’s life a misery. Charley and Nannie had four daughters, the eldest, Melvina born in 1923 and the youngest, Florine, who was born in 1927. To try and drown her sorrows, Nannie took to drinking and smoking, and over the years the couple spent less and less time in each other’s company.
In 1927, Nannie’s two middle daughters died from ‘accidental’ food poisoning. Charley, who was suspicious of his wife, decided to leave and took their eldest daughter with him. Florine had only just been born and was still dependent on her mother, so Charley decided to leave her behind. Charley had told his mother that he had become frightened of his own wife, who would never eat anything that she had cooked, especially if she was in one of her ‘bad’ moods. Nannie’s mother, to the contrary, believed that her daughter was a loving and happy mother and that she would do nothing to harm her own children.
HUSBAND NUMBER TWO
To support herself and her baby, Nannie was forced to take employment at a cotton mill and went back to live with her parents. Once again, she returned to reading her favourite lonely hearts advertisements, but this time it went further than just dreaming. Nannie decided to write to the men that took her fancy, and when a 23-year-old factory worker by the name of Frank Harrelson wrote her a romantic poem, she was delighted. Nannie not only wrote back in a flirtatious manner, but she also went to the trouble of baking him a cake in the hope of luring him to Blue Mountain.
Frank was flattered and very taken with the picture of a very pretty, young lady. When he arrived on Nannie’s doorstep, he told her that her
THE YOUNG NANNIE
Twentieth-century records show that Nannie Doss was born out of wedlock and that her mother, Louisa, married James Hazel some time later. James Hazel had a bad temper and if he didn’t get his own way, he made his feelings known by taking it out on his terrified wife and daughter. Nannie’s school attendance was erratic; farm work always came first, and if she was needed to help out her schoolwork had to come second.
Nannie’s method of escape from the daily torment was in reading her mother’s romance magazines, which gave her an insight into how she believed life should be. She also developed a penchant for prunes in her early years, something that she used to her advantage in her later life.
Her mental instability was blamed on an accident when she was travelling by train to Alabama to visit a relative. The train had to make an emergency stop and Nannie hit her head on the seat in front of her. After this she suffered from blackouts, mood swings and severe headaches for the rest of her life. As she got older, Nannie became more and more obsessed with her mother’s magazines and scanned the lonely hearts adverts, dreaming of the day she would be allowed to go courting. Her father did not allow her to date as he considered her time was far too precious to waste it on socialising, and he found more and more jobs for her to do around the farm. As each day went by, Nannie grew more and more unhappy. She was forbidden from wearing pretty clothes or makeup, as her father said it would only make her look like a whore. He told her that when it was time for her to marry, he would choose her a suitable husband.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Just as her father had promised, in 1921, he forced Nannie to marry Charley Braggs. Nannie worked with Charley at the Linen Thread Company and had only known him a few months before her father arranged the wedding. Instead of giving Nannie the life she dreamed of, marriage tied her down even more. The only family Charley had was his unmarried mother, who was a very dominant figure who made Nannie’s life a misery. Charley and Nannie had four daughters, the eldest, Melvina born in 1923 and the youngest, Florine, who was born in 1927. To try and drown her sorrows, Nannie took to drinking and smoking, and over the years the couple spent less and less time in each other’s company.
In 1927, Nannie’s two middle daughters died from ‘accidental’ food poisoning. Charley, who was suspicious of his wife, decided to leave and took their eldest daughter with him. Florine had only just been born and was still dependent on her mother, so Charley decided to leave her behind. Charley had told his mother that he had become frightened of his own wife, who would never eat anything that she had cooked, especially if she was in one of her ‘bad’ moods. Nannie’s mother, to the contrary, believed that her daughter was a loving and happy mother and that she would do nothing to harm her own children.
HUSBAND NUMBER TWO
To support herself and her baby, Nannie was forced to take employment at a cotton mill and went back to live with her parents. Once again, she returned to reading her favourite lonely hearts advertisements, but this time it went further than just dreaming. Nannie decided to write to the men that took her fancy, and when a 23-year-old factory worker by the name of Frank Harrelson wrote her a romantic poem, she was delighted. Nannie not only wrote back in a flirtatious manner, but she also went to the trouble of baking him a cake in the hope of luring him to Blue Mountain.
Frank was flattered and very taken with the picture of a very pretty, young lady. When he arrived on Nannie’s doorstep, he told her that her
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