“My understanding is that Joseph Greenwell, my grandfather left Kentucky and came to Alabama. My grandmother Ruby Louise Barnes was born in Alabama. There are several different stories I have heard about why my grandfather left Kentucky. One was that he got in trouble and left to stay out of jail. One was he was put out by his parents. My mom did tell me that as far as she knew, he never went back to Kentucky. I was able to find where his mother was commuted to a hospital for the insane, I don’t know if that is related to why he left or not.

As I said my grandmother was born and raised in sylacauga, Alabama She died young from pneumonia when my was not quite 10 years old. She died on Valentine’s Day and the Bonnie Fay, her daughter died 8 days later from the same thing. From that time my mother was raised by her father and maternal grandmother.” - Deta Massie 2020