Patrick Pioneers – Dorothy “Dot” Pruitt Spence Gammons

This week, we are remembering Dot Gammons, who was loved by many in Patrick County, but especially by family, friends, and neighbors in the Big A and Wayside communities. Dot was born on the 5th of June 1923 to William Tyson Pruitt and Pencie Jane Dunkley of Patrick County. Dot’s paternal grandparents were John Milton Pruitt and Mary Stephens Pruitt of Stewart’s Creek in Surry County, NC and her maternal grandparents were James Booker Dunkley and Rebecca Jane Beasley Dunkley who lived near Aaron’s Corner. 

Dot was the fourth of eleven children born to William and Pencie Jane Pruitt on their farm near Collinstown, in Stokes County, NC. The oldest child was Lois Emma, born in 1917; followed by James Milton, 1919; Walter Booker, 1921; Dorothy Jane “Dot”, 1923; Paul Lester, 1926; George Hassell, 1928; Annie Arlene, 1930; Mary Magdalene, 1933; Ruby Inez, 1936; Harvey Lee, 1938; and Kenzie Marie, 1941. 

Dot married Charlie Frederick Spence on the 4th of October 1947 in Stuart, VA. The Honorable John S. Taylor, Circuit Court Clerk performed the ceremony. Charlie was the son of Simon Edgar Spence, a coal miner who was originally from Floyd County, VA and Gladys Williams, the daughter of Samuel Dickerson Williams and Emma Layman Williams of Stuart.  Just a couple of months before Dot and Charlie’s marriage, he had been honorably discharged after serving with the 171st Evacuation Hospital Detachment V Corps Medical Department.

Dot and Charlie set up housekeeping in the Big Creek community of Stokes County, NC and the following year, their son Charlie Ray Spence was born on 17th of July 1948. In the 1950 United States Census, Charlie listed his occupation as furniture factory worker and Dot was a homemaker. On the 7th of August 1951, their daughter, Addie Mae was born and less than a year later, tragedy struck. 

Charlie was swimming in the Dan River near the Union Roller Mill in Collinstown when he dived into the water and broke his neck. He was taken to the hospital in Winston-Salem where he died shortly after, he was 23 years old.  Charlie was survived by his wife, Dot, his two little children, his parents, and eleven brothers and sisters. He was laid to rest at the State Line Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery. On a side note, the Union Roller Mill is now more commonly known as Jessup’s Mill. 

Dot would face another unimaginable tragedy in 1954, when her little daughter, Addie Mae would die from encephalitis on the 30th of April. Little Addie had only been sick for three days when she passed away at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro; she was 2 years, 8 months, and 23 days old. Little Addie was laid to rest near her father at the State Line cemetery in Westfield, NC. 

Dot married William Lee Gammons on the 1st of October 1954. John S. Taylor, Circuit Court Clerk performed this ceremony too. William, a farmer and logger, was the son of Grady and Sadie Hodge Gammons of the Big A community.  On June 21st of 1955, Dot and William’s first son, Grady William “G. W.” was born, followed by son Ronald James “Ronnie” on June 22, 1959. 

We lived near Dot and William on Big A School Road and some of my earliest memories are of Dot, including another tragedy for her and her family. In the summers, during the day, I stayed with another fine Big A community family, Odell and Vera Hamm. I vividly remember the day when Vera got a phone call from Dot that William had been killed in a logging accident; it was the 24th of June 1974. 

Dot worked for many years as a seamstress at Bassett-Walker Knitting and as a nurse’s aide at R.J. Reynolds Patrick Memorial Hospital. Dot had a servant’s heart and would do anything to help anyone. Dot’s granddaughter, Michele Spence Belcher, shared that Peggy Hamm Davis, the daughter of Vera and Odell, is trying to replicate Dot’s cake recipe. Peggy said that Dot would always bring preacher cookies or a cake when she came to help work in tobacco. My Mama, Shirlien Boyd Belcher, recalled Dot’s delicious sheet cakes. 

Dot endured so many unimaginable tragedies, but she never became bitter and treated everyone with love, acceptance, and kindness. On January 1, 1994, Dot endured another unbearable loss when her former daughter in law, Lynn Dalton and her three grandchildren, Grady William Gammons II, age 16; Crystal Dawn Gammons, age 15; and Stephanie Cecile, age 12 all died in a house fire. I worked with Lynn at Pluma and remember her as a very kind and hard-working mother, working two jobs, who adored her children. On May 7th, 2004, Dot’s son, Grady William Gammons, died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident; he was 48 years old. 

I asked Dot’s granddaughters, Michele Spence Belcher and Angela Spence Owens to share some memories of their grandmother. Angela, “I have many fond memories of Granny Dot. The first thing that came to mind was her living in the little house with no water for years before she went to Cotton Mill. Then walking with her to Idell’s (Mrs. Foster Hall) house almost every day. Her walking us to the bus stop at the intersection of Big A and Poplar Drive where Daddy and Berkley had built a little shed for us to wait in. There are way too many more to mention, but they all bring a smile to my face. Even the hard times because they shaped the kind, loving soul she was.”

Michele shared these memories, “I’m trying to remember how old she was when she got her first doll. She was older and it burned in a house fire. There are so many great memories, it’s hard to know where to start. Homemade cookies and cakes. Almost always other kids around. She left me her wedding ring that my daddy’s daddy (my grandpa Spence) gave her. The handwritten note is precious. My last memory of her is sitting by her bedside holding her hand as she slowly took her last breath. Yes, it hurts my heart, but I know she is in a much better place. She was always a giving person.” 

Michele also has Dot’s diary from 1945. Dot often wrote about walking to the store with her siblings, not buying anything, but always saying they had fun. I asked Dot’s sister, Kenzie to what store was Dot referring. She said it was Andrew Padgett’s store, which was next to the community building in Dry Pond. 

As a testimony of Dot’s unending love for everyone, a young man’s obituary (who passed away this year) listed Dot as “like a grandmother,” of family who predeceased him.  

Dot’s baby sister, Kenzie Penland, shared the following memories, “Dot was just like a second Mother to Harvey and I and we looked up to her! We loved to go to yard sales and just get out and ride around! She was always there for me no matter what. I would go spend the weekend with her and we just loved being around each other.”

I asked Harvey Pruitt, (Dot’s brother) about the house fire. He said that he was fourteen years old when their home burned to the ground, and they lost everything. I also asked Harvey about the 1930 census where his father listed the value of their home as a ½ crop. He said that his dad raised tobacco on his land and another neighbor’s land as a sharecropper. 

In later years, Dot lived at the Cotton Mill Apartments in Stuart. After Dot became unable to stay alone, she moved to Blue Ridge Nursing Home. Harvey visited her every day of the week except for Sundays. Dot looked forward to visits from her little brother who used to cry after her when he was a toddler. Dot passed away on the 28th of February 2006 and was laid to rest between her two husbands, Charlie and William at State Line Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery.  

Thank you so much to Harvey Pruitt, Kenzie Pruitt Penland, Randy Pruitt, Michele Spence Belcher, and Angela Spence Owens for sharing memories about precious Dot. Woody may be reached at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com or (276) 692-9626.