Recollections of Christine W. Outlaw

My mother had an interesting life (1918-2001) and a positive way to look at life. Several years before she died, we gave her a blank book with the request that she jot down some notes about her life or her daily activities. She was embarrassed because she felt she could not write well enough in her later years, but I thought that I had convinced her that her notes would be a priceless gift to me. Unfortunately, the book remained blank, and I did not push the issue. What a wonderful surprise when I went through her belongings to find that she had indeed made notes, exactly of the kind that I longed for! How else would I have known what it would have been like to house church visitors in the cotton house? . . . or wash clothes in a wooden trough? . . . or imagine day-today activities at Deep Ditch School? Likely, her plan was to use these notes as source material for entries into the blank book. Some pages appear to have been lost, regrettably.

Entries are typically about 200 words; some are about then-current activities (mostly 1993-1995), but most recount the past, particularly her childhood. A few combine both. Most viewers will prefer the transcripts, and not the original hand-written notes, which are tedious to read for content. As always, complementary narrative and images can be found by searching the index page, and I link only sparingly on this page.

The entries in the table are made more-or-less as I came across them, but they appear to be in a logical order for reading (prerequisite knowledge is presented first). Neither she nor I have edited the notes in any serious way, though I have made minor changes to avoid distracting punctuation, spelling errors and the like; I want to preserve the recollections in her words (not "As told to . . .") and only make the changes I think she would have made on glancing back. Mama's drafts resemble mine in being a little rough on the edges, but the content is wonderful. Just wonderful. (Prejudice there? Hmmm.) My emphasis--as I urged hers to be--has been on completion of the task, not perfection of the task. . . . the age-old lament of too many tasks competing for too little time and energy.

Mama referred to these individuals in her Recollections: Hyman "Skinny" Adams, Bob Akins, June Akins, Luther Akins, Floy Allen nee Harrell, Johnnie Astles (?), Elbert E. Bailey, Michael Bailey, Virginia Bailey nee Poole, S.J. Baker, Dr. M.D. Collins, Beulah Connell, Ellis Connell, Monty Connell nee E'dalgo, Robert Conner, Vernon Conner, Dorothy Drake nee Rowan and granddaughters Jordan & Retha, George Exum, Lerine Fender nee Sirmans, William Fender, Annie Floyd, Lucinda Floyd nee Boykin, Luther Floyd, Onnie Bell Floyd [later, Onnie Bell Lewis], Clara Fountain nee Ray, Essie Fountain nee ???, Georgian Fountain nee Thompson, Mitchell N. Fountain, Pollard M. Fountain, Mr. Gaines, Al Gaskins, Lilla Gaskins [later, Lilla Whiddon also Lilla Underwood], Eula Gause nee Fountain, Cleo Giddens, Aunt Caroline "Gillard," Doc (?) Gillard, Emma Gillard, Janie Gillard, [Louise Gillard], Sam Gillard, Sing Gillard, [Chaplain (First Lieutenant) Lawrence Aloysius Gough], Frances Griffin nee Rowan, George M. Griffin, Sammy Griner, Grunt the pig, Mrs. Hall, Frances Hamilton, Hampp Harrison (Garrison?), Elison Hendley, J.D. Holland, Hughes family, Doc Hughes, Marjie Hughes nee Sanders, Elmer Keeffe, Lewis Keeffe, Mr. & Mrs. Kitchens, Flora Belle Knight [later, Flora Belle Conner], Jimmy Lane, Mittylene Lewis nee Phillips, Stephen M. Lewis, John T. Lindsey, Sally Lindsey nee McNabb, Elnita Lynn nee Keeffe, Van Mack, Sermon May, Molly the mule, Mark Morgan, [Captain Dallas Lester Morris], Newbern (sp?) family, Dr. Nijim, Bertha Outlaw nee Watson, Buren P. Outlaw, Carolyn C. Outlaw, Della Outlaw nee Sutton, Elizabeth C. Outlaw [later, Elizabeth Crawford], Joseph N. Outlaw, Lucius G. Outlaw, Nedra N. Outlaw nee Norton, W.H. Outlaw, William H. Outlaw Jr., William M. Outlaw, J.D. Patten, Roy Patten, Mr. Phillips, Alvah Powell, Elizabeth Powell nee ? [later, Elizabeth Nicholson], Fannie Powell nee Outlaw, Mrs. Purvis (Pervis?), Dollie Richardson, Jot Richardson, Becky Rogers nee Morgan, William Rogers, Carlis Roland, Frank Roland, J. Cornelius Rowan, Loudell Rowan nee ???, Lena Rowan nee Outlaw, Effie ("Sister") Shirley nee Brown, E.R. Smith, Dr. Shuman, Keith Stone, Mr. Sumner, Jerry S. "Buck" Sutton, Mark Sutton, Talmadge Sutton, Mary Lou Sutton nee A???, Lynn Stallings nee???, Mrs. Flora Swain nee ???, Mr. Tatum, Mrs. Ludell Tyson nee Register, Frank Underwood, Ann Vickers nee Watson, Cynthia Vickers, Denita Vickers, Lamar Vickers, Dolly Wade nee ???, J.A. Wade, Luna (?) Wade, W.A. Wade, Jim Warren, Roslyn Varn [later, Roslyn Hall], Addie G. Watson nee Fountain, Bessie Watson nee Griner, Betsy Watson nee Boykin, Emogene Watson nee Rowan, Georgian Watson [later, Georgian Keeffe], J. Herbert Watson, James Watson, James M. "Jim" Watson, Jason Watson, Jimmy Watson, Joanna Watson nee Barrentine, Lucille Watson [later, Lucille Poole], Mark A. Watson, Mark R. Watson, Martha Watson nee Guthrie, Mary Watson nee Rowan, Pleasant Watson, Samuel L. Watson, Samuel W. Watson, Sol Watson, Tommy Watson, Frank Wetherington, Idell Wetherington nee Watson, Mrs. Ira (Ruby) Wetherington, Ralph Wetherington, Carol Yancey nee ???.

Please note that footnote references (superscript Arabic) are hyperlinked to the respective footnotes in this document. Footnotes terminate in links that direct back to the respective locations in the table. Other links, including those within Southern Matters, will open a new tab. To return from those, simply close the tab, e.g. ctrl W. Optimized for Firefox & Chrome, screen 1366 x 768.

We've reached a stopping point on this table, but might edit at random times. Please use this link to report errors or additions.

Last Edit 2012-12-29
Note: This file may contain copyrighted material; its use is not authorized. Otherwise, the following citation format is suggested: "Southern Matters, accessed yyyy/mm/dd."

Footnote 1 The sawmill community to which she refers was located east of the Mark Watson Road between Beaver Dam and the lane up to our house (789 Mark Watson Road). Most of it was in Lot 222 (i.e., on the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace) but there was at least one well located in Lot 223 just southeast of the junction of the Mark Watson Road and the lane up to our house (as told to me by Larry Watson). Mama always warned me about those wells! When I was working on the 222 side of the lot line, I found an old brick, but who knows how/when it got there.

I do not know whether the houses faced west (toward what is now the Mark Watson Road) or whether they faced east toward a possible old road (???) no longer in existence. Another possibility is that the location of the Mark Watson Road has changed. (Mama mentions " three-path road" often but I can't be sure whether she referred exclusively to the Mark Watson Road before it went public or another road. I have previously discussed how the last historical standing house in this area was set at an angle to the Mark Watson Road.)

This letter provided the first indication that I have had that S.M. Lewis had a sawmill. Since he owned the Sam Watson Place for 20 years and his brother-in-law, my ggrandfather Buck Sutton, owned the adjacent place for those 20 years, it is probable that the wood for some of the structures on the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace were cut by Lewis. I often have wondered though if ggrandfather Buck's father-in-law, viz. Joseph N. Connell, might have had a hand in it as he operated a sawmill, too, before he moved to Florida. It is all about possibilities, not facts.

Go back.

Footnote 2 The pecan orchard on the Watson farm was located west of the Mark Watson Road and north of the settlement whereas the mulberry trees were across the road (see photo); the pecan orchard on the Sutton farm is shown here. I do not know where the mulberry orchard on the Sutton farm was located. To my knowledge, there are no wild or feral mulberries on either the W.H. Outlaw Farm or the L.S. Watson Farm.

There are also pecan trees in the back yard at the Watson place as well as in the sugar mill yard. Some are too young (seedlings) to be part of the original planting. Larry Watson recalls that his father told him that all the pecan trees on the place were seedlings.

Go back.

Footnote 3 Though not specified, it is probable that the doctor she referred to was L.A. Carter, who completed Samuel W. Watson's death certificate two years later.

Go back.

Footnote 4 The division of property as Mama describes it is as I had heard many times. (I queried from time-to-time because I wondered why Aunt Bertha did not get property.) I have records of property transfers to Uncle Jim Watson, but apparently when he died, everybody ignored them as far as I know (I don't have records of the property being transferred from Jim's estate back to S.W. Watson, but my records may not be perfect. Everything is always a work-in-progress for me and I re-interpret as I go along.)

A nominal two-acre rectangle of property bounded on the west by the Mark Watson Road and on the north by Lot Line 223/192 actually doesn't have a pristine lineage. We always thought of it as going with the Grandma Place (nom 40 acres joining in Lot 192). Notwithstanding, the bifurcation of its lineage joined again at Mark A. Watson, so it is only of academic interest. One of the tenant houses sat on this rectangle--it was a small log house, with a well shelter and mule barn. It may have had more in earlier times--that's all I remember. The last occupants were Aunt Fannie Powell nee Outlaw, and her son Alva and his wife Elizabeth (later, Elizabeth Nicholson?) to the best of my memory. All of this is gone now, except an odd piece of foundation I turn up now and again.

Go back.

Footnote 5 Mama's characterization of her grandfather Fountain is consistent with all I heard about him, in fact, more gentle than I heard from others. He was said not to do well himself, but blame others, and at the same time push his advice on an unreceptive audience. More along these lines are found in a later letter.

Go back.

Footnote 6 She describes this location as "up in the field kindly behind the pond." I don't know for certain what her perspective was--either the old homeplace where she mostly grew up or the Georgian Keeffe house, where she lived as a very small child (up to about age 5). So, what about the ponds? Buck Bay might qualify, but "behind it" from either house would not have been on the S.W. Watson Homeplace. There are two cypress depressions; one sits on the Lot Line 223/192 line and "behind it" from either house would not have been on the S.W. Watson Homeplace. The other cypress depression sits in the south field of the Georgian place. From either perspective, there is land "behind it," and it would have been further away from the homeplace. I think, though, she was probably talking about the red-bay swamp that straddles the 222/223 line. "Behind it" from the old homeplace would have put the house near the junction of 192/193/222/223. This would have been on the S.W. Watson place (lots 223 & 192), where a tobacco barn of fairly recent vintage was in my youth. In addition, there is a cedar tree there--the only one on that land, and it (or parent plant) was probably planted by some never-to-be known plant enthusiast. Likewise, there is a sycamore in that general area. There are no other sycamores aside from saplings on the property to my knowledge. Conjecture, of course, but the preponderance of evidence is all we will ever have.

Go back.

Footnote 7 A full account of this crash is found here.

Go back.

Footnote 8 Mama probably mentioned this connection feeling that whoever might read the notes would know that Pleasant Watson (son of William Henry Watson) was my grandfather Mark A. Watson's first cousin.

Go back.

Footnote 9 Alton Rowan (1927- ) grew up around Deep Ditch community and attended Deep Ditch School through the 3^d grade (when it was consolidated with Nashville soon after this 1934 article in the Nashville Herald; Mama's date is apparently in error). At one time, Alton lived with the WG Avera family (his stepfather Saran Parr's family); for several years, the Parr family lived on the Tom Shaw Place (approx GPS 31° 11' 24.28'' -83° 12' 43.34'') and later on our farm. I interviewed Alton in 2008 and 2012 concerning Deep Ditch School and most following is condensed from those interviews.

A cypress pond/slough lies on the south side of GA 168 just west of the Teeterville Road. To drain this swamp, a 10-feet-deep ditch (as it appears in 2012) was dug, heading north toward Buck Bay (the southern boundary of the Buck Sutton Old Home Place [8 MB pdf]). I don't know whether the ditch terminated in Buck Bay (= Beaver Dam Drain) or was diverted directly to the Ten-mile Creek (the eastern boundary of my farm). Anyhow, the exact location of Deep Ditch School was on the western edge of the ditch, about 100 yards north of 168 (i.e., on the eastern boundary of the mobile-home park now, i.e., 31° 11' 11.1'', -83° 11' 19.8''.) As I write this, I do not know when the ditch was dug or when the school was built, but it was already propped up with poles by 1935-6 or thereabouts when Alton Rowan attended. Because of fear that it might fall, the venue was transferred that year to Ruth Forrester Church (the predecessor to the current building). Sheets were hung to partition the church into rooms, and teachers Floy Harrell (or was she Floy Allen by then?) and Abe Sirmons (principal) continued the task of educating their charges.

Alton Rowan made a sketch of the school as he remembered it (n.b. Alton was several years yonger than Mama). The sketch shows the school to be about 80 ft long; it faced Mark Watson Road and it sat just on the western edge of the ditch, so close that when it leaned eastward, the supporting poles were anchored on the eastern side of the ditch. The exterior was made of clapboard (not logs, to the best of Alton's memory). It was not sealed, i.e., the rooms had no ceiling, so they were open to the underside of the roof. The school was divided into 2-3 rooms. To the northern side of the school was an outhouse for boys. Presumably the outhouse for girls was on the southside. A small roofed structure with cubby holes for lunches was in front of the school.

Ref. The History of Berrien County, 1976, Nashville (GA) Printing and Office Supply: A sketch by John Hawthrone of the "lunch house" and well is found on pg 49. This sketch is very similar to that which Alton drew. Mama wrote a brief history of the school, pg 50, , indicating that originally there was a one-log building and that was where SW Watson attended in 1873 (presently, I do not know how she knew that). Later, a two-room building (which is the one she attended) as described by Alton above was built. Her letters and Alton's reminescences complement her original description.

rev 2012-12-29

Go back.

Footnote 10 By "Outlaw tenant house[s]", I assume she intended Joe Outlaw, who at that time owned the land adjacent to Deep Ditch School as well as another farm up the Teeterville Hiway. My grandfather L.G. Outlaw (brother of Joe) died the year Mama was born, but I can't exclude definitively that she might have been thinking of the L.G. Outlaw Homeplace (where Aunt Lena lived) or the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace (which L.G. owned at his death and which his widow, Della Outlaw, owned at the time about which she writes).

Go back.

Footnote 11 The residence at the Samuel W. Watson homeplace--at least during my lifetime--had four bedrooms. The small front room to the east was the room Granny and Grandpa (Mark & Addie) used as their bedroom; this is where he kept his shotgun The large front room to the west had two beds, but in my lifetime was only used for quilting, pallets for children to take naps on, and visitors. The "side" room to the east and the side room to the west--were smaller and at one time opened onto a porch (which was later closed in and became the den). So, at the time Mama wrote about, there were two couples--the Lindsays boarded, plus Granny & Grandpa; plus, a single widow (Grandma), two girls (Mama and Lucille), and one (or two) boys (Sam (maybe, Herbert) rounded out the inhabitants. It had to have been tight.

Go back.

Footnote 12 The Bob Akins Homeplace joined the Samuel W. Watson Homeplace. As I write, it is a Georgia Centennial Family Farm and is owned by Amelia Matthews nee Akins. The Bob Akins Homeplace is either very near or exactly the site of the homeplace of my 3d greatgrandfather, John E. Connell [grandfather of my grandmother Sutton], who owned all Lot 223 for a period after the war. This land and that joining has been a bust for real-estate agents (The L.G. Outlaw Homeplace, the S.W. Watson Homeplace, the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace are all state-certified Centennial Farms, too; heck, the Buck Sutton New Homeplace is also qualified for certification, but is not located in this cluster of farms.)

Go back.

Footnote 13 Sermon May is discussed at length in Footnote 18 of this link. Great little book that E.C. May left us describing how it was when he was growing up around there in the late 1800s. (rev 2012-10-17)

Go back.

Footnote 14 "Beaver Dam" is, of course, a common name. She referred to Beaver Dam on the Mark Watson Road, which drains into Buck Bay, the southern property boundary for the W.H. Outlaw Farm.

Go back.

Footnote 15 The residence then at the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace was located where our current residence is. The original home (which she alludes to here) burned and was replaced hastily. We removed the replacement (where Mama and Daddy set up housekeeping) to build our house. Leaving Deep Ditch School, one would travel nnw and cross Beaver Dam. Then, the lane to our house is almost due east (see below). However, to get to the Mark A. Watson Homeplace, one would continue on the public road, which sharply curves to the west, ~0.3 miles. That is, Daddy was supposed to go past his house and take Mama on up to her house. I've heard this story many times--Mama enjoyed telling it and I enjoyed hearing it, over and over.

"Lane" was used for the road in front of the Mark A. Watson Homeplace (=S.W. Watson Homeplace). In those days, coming from Deep Ditch School, cows in this lane could not have been seen: view of them would have been blocked by several buildings (large cow barn, mule shelter & lot, two pack houses, and a vehicle shed) on the east side of what-is-now called the Mark Watson Road (which runs almost due north here). Regardless, cows in this lane would not have hindered her on the way home. "Lane" was also used for the spur up to the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace, and I feel she intended this meaning. If the putative unidentified three-path road she talked about intersected with this latter lane just east of our present-day pond--as I think it did--cows would have blocked her way home and she would have been close enough for Granny Della to have heard her cry of distress. (Recall, back then, livestock roamed freely; the city of Nashville, individual residences in the country, and crops were fenced.) (rev 2012-10-17)

Granny Della's place near Lenox was the Buck Sutton New Homeplace. Greatgrandfather Buck sold his old place to my grandfather L.G. Outlaw (his son-in-law) and bought his new place. The land transactions in land lots 192, 193, 222, & 223 are laid out in this link.

Go back.

Footnote 16 Uncle Buren was about a month older than Mama; Daddy was more than five years older than they. This is not the only time that Granny Della whipped Daddy about this walking-home business: once, he let her fall off the footlog at Beaver Dam and get wet.

Go back.

Footnote 17 For a modern reader, interpretation is required. In broad terms, flue-cured tobacco was harvested weekly as the lower (remaining) leaves senesced; harvest lasted about 7 weeks. Thus, the day before "barn-filling day," 3 or more people would remove the cured tobacco, so that the barn would be empty and ready. (This page shows the last barn on our place.) In a typical set-up, four croppers--men in their prime--would snap the leaves off the plants and place the leaves in a crate (aka sled) that was pulled along the rows by an experienced mule. (A sled is behind Grandpa, Carolyn & me in this photo.) Another person--often a young boy--would shuttle the full sled to the barn and leave an empty one for the croppers to refill. At the barn, 2-3 stringers each accompanied by 2 handers would tie small bundles of leaves onto sticks. Finally, another person--often an older man or supervisor--would hang the full sticks on lower tiers. At lunch, the field crew would climb into the barn and space the sticks on upper tiers. The point is, a larger labor force than one family could muster was required on barn-filling day. Commonly, one family would help another on a set day of the week, and vice versa.

Mama did not mention in this note what she so often told me: Uncle Joe was a nuisance at the barn. By this time, his drinking had already begun to overtake him, and he'd come out to the barn. The hands would intimate that he looked ill, and by suggestion, he became so. He would take to bed, allowing work to continue.

Elsewhere, I have addressed Grandpa's respect for animals. Also, I should confirm the essence about Granny Watson ("Mama" in this note). Her forte was keeping everyone in work, and I hasten to add that she did set a good example. She did not like to see idle hands ("every tub needs to set on it own bottom," she'd say). Daddy once told me that the unemployment in this country would be solved if she were made Secretary of Labor, because she'd be sure that everyone was working. I believe it: After I moved to Florida State, she opined that I had moved enough ("a rolling stone collects no moss," another of her sayings). So, unilaterally and without my knowledge, she called around and finally had me lined up for a job on the loading dock at a local (Nashville) concern. Mind you, this was after I thought I was grown and able to fend for myself (married with 2 children).

mfr who see paper file fmi.

Go back.

Footnote 18 Rabies was a scourge in southern Georgia in those days. See this blog.

Go back.

Footnote 19 Small world. Mrs. Ludell Tyson nee Register was my teacher at Nashville Elementary also! Her parents (and later, her mother alone) lived next door to us when I was growing up. One of Daddy's assignments for me was to cut their grass, for which I was paid 25 cents, not much even back them. I don't remember caring much one way or the other; it was just the way it was.

Go back.

Footnote 20 Mama did have an unnatural fear of snakes. The only time she ever really was genuinely angry with me had to do with a snake. See para 2 of this link.

Go back.

Footnote 21 Mama indicates that Daddy was "small," indicating young. Indeed, his father died when he was barely six. The residence at the L.G. Outlaw Homeplace was moved off the road and used as an outbuilding. It was originally located where J. Cornelius and Lena Rowan nee Outlaw built their home, which passed to their daughter Frances Griffin nee Rowan and is now the residence of their granddaugher Sharon Dodds nee Griffin.

N.B. The sequence in Mama's notes is incorrect, but that detracts little from the essence.

Mama hit the nail dead on the head re Daddy's stories to the younger kids as I have mentioned earlier. I should mention, too, that this note provides one of the few insights I have into the personality of my grandfather L.G. I sometimes wonder if Daddy didn't resent him for dying, which put Daddy in a terrible spot. Anyhow, it is a relief to see that he had a playful personality.

Go back.

Footnote 22 Cow Lake is merely a slightly wide spot in the creek.

Go back.

Footnote 23 New Hope is no more. I did attend a few times-- when I was a child--finally it had dwindled down to Grandma and three other members and there was only one service per year. I remember going over with my grandparents and Mama and helping clean the church before the service--scrubbing floors (and, I do mean "scrubbing"), "sweeping" the grounds (the brooms were made by bundling several high-bush gallberry bushes, without leaves (at least, that's what they said, but chances are the brooms were made of titi as well; one swept by holding the broom at an angle to the ground), &c.

Church service was a big and l-o-n-g event. There was preaching, and when the Holy Spirit got ahold of a preacher, there was no letting go. L-o-n-g sermons, a seemingly inexhaustible supply of preachers, one after the other,. . . .and foot washing. There was at least one bored squirming little boy. The light at the end of the tunnel was dinner on the grounds, but after sitting on those wooden pews for hours, I felt sure I earned it, and it might be 3 before I got my pay-off.

I have a few transcripts of the minutes, and I hope to post them sometime. My mind is a little foggy, but I believe that Mama had the originals and loaned them to someone. Anyhow, I don't have much, but am grateful for what I do have.

Imagine sleeping with a horde on makeshift bedding in the cotton house(s) in the first week of August in South Georgia and in which the only ventilation was from the beating of mosquito wings. No lights, no privacy, no water, no santitary facilities, . . . and the list goes on. Just try to imagine.

New Hope Church was located at 31° 13' 21.4'', -83° 10' 36.7'' . All evidence of it is gone now and a trailer home occupies this holy ground. Thanks to Jerry Griffin, whose son owns the surrounding land, for joining me to take an on-site GPS.

Go back.

Footnote 24 One can't read this entry without being reminded of Jimmy Carter's narrative (An Hour before Daylight). I recall Mama's talking about the Watson children and the Gillard children playing together.

In the 1920 Census, a Sam T Gieliord was enumerated. His mother-in-law Caroline Williams (certainly "Aunt Caroline" in Mama's notes) was part of his household. His occupation was given, as best I can tell, as turpentine work. He resided in an area called "colored renters" on the Milltown Road (not sure whether the enumerator meant the road to Lakeland via Ray City or whether he meant Hiway 168=McPherson Street, but probably the latter). In the 1930 Census, Sam Gilliard is shown as a farmer and is enumerated with his wife, Janie, and other household members. At that time, he lived on McPherson Street, near George Norman (i.e., on the very eastern edge of Nashville, perhaps 2 miles fro the SW Watson Place.) In the 1940 Census, he and Janie owned a home on Norman Street. Apparently, the Gilliards lived on the Watson farm for less than ten years. If the mood strikes me, I will analyze the records more carefully sometime.

rev 2012-12-29

Go back.

Footnote 25 Mama forgot the year and marked it out, but probably, it was 1935. See this postcard.

Go back.

Footnote 26 The lard press was an 8-quart Enterprise, which I remember using. We children were assigned to cut cubes of pork fat, which was rendered in two cast-iron pots, each nominally 15-20 gallons, set in a furnace under the wash shed. The cast-iron pots were "bought" by an antique man, who took off lots of stuff--it was late in Granny's life and she was not competent to buy and sell AND she did not have the legal authority (she only had a life-estate in the property and could not sell timber or property, but only collect the rent off annual crops and use pastures for her livestock). Shame on this man. Mama and Lucille were able to recover a little of the stuff he took off, e.g., the dinner bell, which is owned by Virginia Bailey nee Poole. The lard press was not "sold" to the man, but it and the corn sheller were removed from the estate before the property was divided. As a make-do effort, I bought and will keep an indentical press to remind me of those days. I do have the small sausage mill; Grandma Betsy gave it to Mama when she "broke up housekeeping." It is of no value monetarily, but of great sentimental value to me (. . . & I bought another identical one to use in case I relive those days some time).

The "cold storage" Mama referred to was probably the "ice house" seen here.

Go back.

Footnote 27 Mama was right that she gave me additional expenses when she gave me the tractor, but the expenses were welcome. Within a few months, I had spent >$3000, likely more than the market value of the tractor. The tractor was not restored by any means, but it was put in good mechanical order. The fuel system was reconditioned (gas tank removed and lined, fuel cock replaced, rebuilt Marvel carburetor was put on, etc.) as was the electrical system (rebuilt starter and generator, new ammeter, proof meter, distributor parts, ballast, upgrade to 12V etc). Belts, radiator core, etc. It was important to me: it was the vehicle that I learned to drive on. I put a lot of hours on it after school, starting when I was really young (this is another one of those imagine moments: would you put a 10 yo out on farm equipment to operate & this was long before seat belts, ROPSs &c.?). Anyhow, I enjoyed using it in Tallahassee, though it required a lot of upkeep. It was finally put out to pasture at the farm when I bought my Kubota to use in Tallahassee in Spring, 2011.

Likely, the first tractor that Grandpa bought was this tractor, either a John Deere LA or a tractor that looks like one. I never saw this tractor, but I did see his John Deere "tricycle" tractor, an A or B or similar, which he traded for the Workmaster I have. I can't say exactly what the model was, but I do remember the slow putt putt.

Go back.

Footnote 28 A few facts provide context. Overall, in the U.S. (2011 data) white people account for 78% of the population whereas black people account for 13%. Because of slavery, the situation is different in Georgia (31% black, 62% white). In Berrien County (GA), however, where slavery was very limited, the demographics stands in sharp contrast, even to surrounding counties (Berrien: 11% black, 86% white). According to Mark Dixon, the black population actually came primarily from turpentiners' moving in, and was not a residual effect of slavery (I have not examined the relevant census records myself). Thus, Berrien County does not fall in the post-war stereotype of white landowners and black tenant farmers. With this understanding, Sam Gillard's arrangement for his replacement takes on added significance, i.e., indicative of a respectful relationship with Grandpa. The side-by-side working relationship of peoples in Berrien County must have contributed positively to racial relationships compared with other parts of the South.

Go back.

Footnote 29 Although she doesn't explicitly say that she refers to Deep Ditch, and not Nashville, the context indicates so. For example, elsewhere, she indicated that Grandpa always took them to Nashville, so that would not have been a stand-out. In the same vein, she indicated that Grandpa went to Nashville after he got the list of books needed.

Go back.

Footnote 30 Recall, Mama was born in 1918, and this (Historical Notes, Berrien County, 1856-1956) for context: "The first tobacco warehouse in Berrien County was built by Alvah W. Gaskins. It was named the PLANTERS. A big barbecue celebrated its opening in 1919. This was the second warehouse in the State of Georgia." It would appear that Grandpa was not on the first wave of tobacco planting, but soon joined in.

Go back.

Footnote 31 I recall a cattle vat and remember watching cattle moving through it. The one I recall--which looked like this one--was probably the same as she recollects. Thus, her "original land line" probably refers to the 238/239 line (10th Land District, originally Irwin), and the more exact location was just west of the Skeet Range Road perhaps 100 yards south of its junction with 168 (which we now call the Homerville Hiway). Thousands of these vats were paid for by the government beginning ~1906. They used arsenic until the ticks--which carried a fever--became resistant and then switched over to other pesticides. Unfortunately, these chemicals enter groundwater and are a threat to human health. More on this legacy of cattle dipping can be easily found on the www; at least Florida has a program to locate these sites (Georgia's EPD does not have a program re these vats, and my inquiry to Georgia's ag department was not answered). I do not know anything about the current status of the vat under discussion (it is on private land, and I do not trespass). I do not know when the vat was constructed, but it had to have been during our family's ownership of the land--off the cuff, I can't be too specific, but in broad terms, SM Lewis (Daddy's half-sister, Lena's, grandfather and also spouse of Daddy's grandfather Sutton's sister) bought the land in the early 1890s ( I think) and sold it to his daughter Ardelia and her husband, L.G. Outlaw (my grandfather) sometime before early 1907, when Ardelia died (I know). Then, it was owned 3/4 undivided interest by L.G. and 1/4 by Lena, until L.G. died in 1918, after which it was then transferred by agreement to Lena and most of it remains in the hands of her heirs.

Go back.

Footnote 32 More on J.D. Holland and his father-in-law, T.H.T. Sutton, can be found in FN 33 of this link and in this link.

Go back.

Footnote 33 The inclusion of father and son Luther and June Akins as one(s) who helped stump the road stems from a recollection by Samuel L. Watson as told to his son, Larry S. Watson, who relayed it to me. At this writing (2012-10-04), I think that Luther and thus June Akins was a descendant of William Green Akins (see FN 18 of this link) and not descended from or closely related to Bob Akins (FN 12, above). I caution that I do not know these Akins pioneers as well as I hope to one day. Luther and June had places on the Mark Watson Road just north of Hiway 76. (rev 2012-10-18)

Go back.

Footntote 34 Elison Hendley is mentioned in several places in Southern Matters, especially here.

Go back.

Footnote 35 My pilgrimage to Berry is found at this link (This--like all pages on Southern Matters--is under a constant state of revision and correction.)

Go back.

Footnote 36 Lone Star Consolidated School was located on Lone Star School Road, just south of its intersection with Barton Road. A trailer home presently is located there (31° 08' 51.05" 83° 30' 40.43"). As I write (2012-11-04), that family property is owned by Judy Daughtry nee Crosby, sister of Shirley Logan nee Crosby who attended this school and provided the information that led to my visit to this site. Many thanks to her.

Gail Hughes and Valera Clements (both of Cook County Historical Society) provided this image of the school. Many thanks to them.

Miss Minnie Shaw (History of Cook County, mostly written/compliled in 1930-32) had this to say about Lone Star:

In 1928, the three small schools of Center, Union, and Lone Star consolidated forming Lone Star Consolidated School. This fine school is located 7 miles west of Adel. It is another gem of beauty, being built of stucco and modern in every sense of the word. It is nicely furnished and is in a community where the school spirit is as fine as can be.

This school has a fine faculty. Mr. Tom Griffin is superintendent and Misses Lazelle Crosby, Odessa Cannington and Mrs. Finous DeVane compose a splendid faculty. The Lone Star trustees are Messrs. A.L. Crosby, C.M. Howell and J.C. Morris.

In his thesis (A historical study of the organization and consolidation of Cook County Public Schools, 1919-1980, Valdosta State College, 1981), Dillard D. Ensley described Lone Star Consolidate School thus:

This consolidated school began in 1928. It closed in 1950. At first it was a Consolidated Junior High School. When the eighth grade was eliminated it became a Consolidated Grammar School. The school was formed from Lone Star and Center schools, plus the northern Union District area and the southern Evergreen District.

(Thanks to Ms. Hughes and Ms. Clements for access to Ensley's thesis.)

********************************************************************************************

When Daddy taught in Hoboken, there was only one school and it did not have a high school yet. James S. Thornton contributed Chapter 8 ("A school system is formed") in a local 1980 history. His contribution is marvelously revealing of early times in Brantley County (GA) and I think his descriptions could be applied generically in South Georgia. I really do recommend it, which I have assembled into a 5 MB pdf. (n.b. This pdf displays properly on Firefox, but improperly at some magnifications on Chrome.) The 1915 Hoboken school is almost certainly where Daddy taught. mfr who efile image Outlaw-441--Hoboken School Built 1915 Image.jpg

(Many thanks to Mr. Chuck Conners of the Brantley County Historical and Preservation Society , who provided images of Thornton's chapter.)

(rev 2012-11-24)

Go back.

Footnote 37 A brief description of the house the Wades lived in and its location is found in this 19 MB pdf on page 10, C. Historical structures, para A.

Go back.

Footnote 38 The Robinson Place was somewhat northwest of the Alapaha-Lenox Road and is the topic of Slide 45 of this link.

The transaction (JA Hand to BP Outlaw, Oct 3d, 1939) is indexed on one of our deed pages.

Go back.

Footnote 39 Mama did not mention it in this letter, thinking that it should be obvious that she was pregnant with Carolyn at the time; Aunt Bessie was not far behind her--Fayne was born one month to the day after Carolyn. (Thanks to David Outlaw for his father's birthday.)

(rev 2012-10-20)

Go back.

Footnote 40 On the basis of an interview with J. Herbert Watson, I earlier wrote that the Delco-plant installer was Hampp Harrison. Thus, I do not knew whether the name is Harrison or Garrison.

Go back.

Footnote 41 A photo of Poplar Springs School is shown here. mfr who efile abwSupp.

Go back.

Footnote 42 Luther Floyd married Lucinda Boykin, the daughter of my 2^d greatgrandparents John Boykin and Julia Ann Boykin nee Luke. (ref Hux 9:40-41)

rev 2012-12-20

Go back.

Footnote 43 Regrettably, this child apparently died within months. Sad. See the Markers page. The child was buried in a marked grave in the (African American) Connell Cemetery, which is just north of the (Caucasian) Connell Cemetery (31° 10' 56.43''  -83° 16' 29.47''), where some of my earliest Berrien-County ancestors (specifically, James Endleman Connell Jr, 1770-1853, my 4^th greatgrandfather) rest. The infant'sburial is recorded in Sue & Johnny Handcock's Cemeteries of Berrien County, but their days of the month for birth and death do not match the death certificate. Sam Gillard signed the certificate as informant, and Dr. L.A. Carter, as physician.

Go back.

Footnote 44 Ggrandfather SW Watson purchased his homeplace from Uncle Steve and Polly Lewis on Sep 27, 1905. This place was broken up into three pieces, one for his widow (Grandma) and one each for his son (Grandfather MA Watson) and daughter. The first two pieces joined the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace at lot lines 192/193 and 223/222, respectively. One infers from his 1925 deposition and from oral history that Lewis had not "built up" the place, except to make a log cabin, which was later expanded into the extant larger home (owned by Larry S. Watson as this is being written). The purchase of the farm was an important milestone for SW Watson, as indicated by a medallion that he carried. Interestingly, 1905 was the same year that Goldens (Columbus, GA) redesigned their cane mills, calling the new design "New Model." In an image ( top side of bottom plates, New Model on left, "flattop" on right) that I prepared for an essay I might never write, one notes that the design was overhauled substantially; not shown, Goldens began to make solid small rollers for their vertical animal-powered mills. The New Model was indeed better. SW Watson purchased a Goldens No. 2 (New Model), but it was a "transition" mill--stamped with a mark indicating the patent had been applied for (vs. quoting a patent number). The parsimonious interpretation is that he bought the mill immediately after he bought the farm and set about making syrup. That mill remained in annual use during my youth and remained on site on the farm until late 2004, when it was removed to a safer location after the kettle was stolen. One bearing box is broken, which may explain in part the end of the family syrupmaking, but of course times changed. Earlier, the mill was heavily used, being the center of a syrup "factory" run by SW Watson and later MA Watson.

Ggrandfather JS Sutton sold the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace to Grandfather LG Outlaw in 1912, when he bought his new place near Lenox. When he died in 1918, he had a cane mill up there as well as 50 gallons of syrup and 800 stalks of seed cane. Although the lineage cannot be traced adequately, it is probably this mill, a Quitman Foundry and Machine Co. No. 14 (successor company to S&M (Quitman), which itself was a successor to Morven Foundry and Machine Works). When LG Outlaw died, also 1918, there is no evidence that he made syrup (no syrup, no seed cane on hand in December, when the personal-property sale was held). Had he a mill, it would have probably been at his homeplace anyhow, which passed to his daughter Lena Belle Rowan nee Outlaw. In summary, there was probably no syrupmaking facilities on Daddy's place (Buck Sutton Old Homeplace) at that time Mama writes of. (Some probate records are posted on Southern Matters, and more will be added and eventually will be indexed if the mood strikes.)

Altogether, the preceding two paragraphs indicate that the cane was grown on the Buck Sutton Old Homeplace, but the cane was processed into syrup on the joining Watson place. Grandpa was the kind of person who would have helped Mama, I know that. For more information on cane-mill models in general, consult Don Dean's The American Cane Mill, 2008, McFarland. For more information on Goldens itself, follow this link.

Now, imagine 1000 gallons of syrup made in such a primitive system. Louisiana Purple (aka Home Purple, Red) was the most popular variety for making syrup in South Georgia and North Florida as late as 1925. However, it was hit hard by mosaic, and new varieties were produced and several imported varieties were trialed. According to George "Junior" Rowan Jr. and others I have talked to, Cayana was a primary syrup cultivar in the 30s in Berrien County. Folks, Cayana is like rebar--hard, slender, and dry. Though I know at least one operation that relies on Cayana for syrup today, I honestly don't know why. Ok, the cane is hard to get juice out of, and the juice is thin. It is unlikely that a mule could turn a mill and produce much more than 20 gallons/hr of juice (or, more than 3 gallons/hr of syrup) from this cane. So, 1000 gallons amounts to about a month of 14-hr days, not counting cutting the wood, cutting and stripping the cane and all the associated tasks. Even if they were using the better varieties then available (e.g., "Yellow Gal," CP 29-116), making this much syrup with a small animal-powered mill and a small wood-fired kettle is heroic. My hat's off to them. (We have an electric mill, better varieties, and a gas-fired furnace and typically manage to make 7 gallons a year.)

Go back.

Footnote 45 Granny Watson had a seventh-grade education as did all my grandparents. Based on writing samples of my grandparents Outlaw (both died before I was born), I do not feel that a seventh-grade education in that place and time was equivalent to today's. Similarly, for Granny Watson whom I corresponded with frequently when I was in college. Aside from a signature, I do not have a writing sample from my Grandpa Watson, though he did read the paper daily and other publications. (Granny Watson's reading was more-or-less of the Bible, usually aloud, to alert others to her piety.)

Go back.

Footnote 46 Lerine and Mama were first cousins--their mothers were daughters of Mitchell N Fountain and Georgian Fountain nee Thompson--and remained friends for life. She is mentioned on Southern Matters. William took a job as a merchant marine on the Great Lakes; he was prone to drink and prone to show his money and presumably the two together led to his disappearance. Lerine did her best to find what actually happened to him, but without success. William's photograph is the top left of this page of images at my sister's funeral in early Sep, 1944.

Go back.

Footnote 47 Georgian (Georgiann, Georgianne) Thompson Fountain was the daughter of Berry C. Thompson. Mama indicated that she died in 1932. Georgia Death Certificate No. 25619 for Mrs. Georgeann Fountain shows a death date of Nov 2d, 1932, in Berrien Co., GA. Her gravemarker shows a death date of June 23d, 1934. I don't know which is correct and a copy of the full certificate is a little too rich for my blood.

added 2012-12-28

Go back.

Return to Documentation for this page.
Return to Image Workshop home.
Return to Southern Matters home.