The following information, mostly abstracted from public records such as the Federal Census, is in no way represented as the sum of Uncle Joe's and Aunt Bertha's lives. There might even be additional information on Southern Matters. I have given myself free rein in writing these profiles--I simply follow my thoughts and let construction, prose and grammar, and, most unfortunately, organization, fall by the wayside. To get the most out of any profile, one must read those written previously; I have generally eliminated redundancy when I have noticed it. . . . or not. I will not let Southern Matters become work.
My paternal grandfather Lucius (Lucious) Galveston Outlaw (1873-1918) was the middle of seven children. I did not know him or his older siblings, but I do remember his younger siblings, particularly Joseph Newton Outlaw, here profiled. My maternal grandfather Mark Ancil Watson (1896-1959) was the third of four surviving children. He was a big part of my childhood, and I knew well his half-sister, Bertha Lulu Watson, here profiled, as well as his younger sister, Georgian, who will be profiled sometime, maybe.
Elsewhere on Southern Matters, I discussed how my Outlaw line came to Berrien County (originally Irwin). In brief, the James Outlaw family and the Dawson Webb family lived in Wilkinson County, GA. James’ son Alexander married Pillie Webb (possibly Dawson's daughter), logically before the Outlaws migrated to Dale County, Alabama (before the 1840 FC when Alexander’s household =7 & enumerated adjacently, James' household=5), and before the Dawson Webbs migrated to Berrien County (then Lowndes) in 1844-1846 according to my reckoning. Other sources put it as much as 10 years later. Pillie Outlaw died and her son, W.H.H.Outlaw (1840-1910), my greatgrandfather, was removed from Dale County, Alabama, and reared by the Webbs in present-day Berrien (oral history and 1850 Lowndes FC). Sometime, I’ll return to the Dawson Webbs, my 4th greatgrandparents via the daughter who married Moses G. Sutton Jr. (profiled Huxford 4:291). My greatgrandmother Outlaw was Mary Frances née Carroll, d/o Claiborne, who moved to Lowndes in 1832. Fmi see also Outlaw-473 esp. the supplemental chart. Presently, I wish to add similar context to the Watson line, which was the first of my ancestors to move into what became Old Berrien.
In 1820, non-coastal deep South Georgia was essentially unoccupied by U.S. citizens (≤ 2 mi-2)1 with the exception of a small and very sparsely populated region plotted on 31.2, -83.4; I speculate that that plot was intended as a rough approximation, and the area would have actually been somewhat north, which seems to better fit the date, 1820, of the organization of Irwin County, following the concessions in 1814 by the indigenous people, and the formation of the original counties of Early, Irwin, and Appling in 1818 by the Georgia Legislature (Clements, J.B. The History of Irwin County, 1932). The south-central area of the state filled slowly, <6 mi-2 in 1850, though the better land in the Red Hills Bioregion to the south and better land to the west attracted settlers (incl. my 3d greatgrandfather James Outlaw, as mentioned above). My 5th greatgrandfather Henry C. Tucker had come earlier, being the first white to build a house in Tallahassee, but that is a somewhat peripheral point to the less desirable lands in much of Berrien County, GA.
In 1820, there was only one white family in all the area now encompassed by Lanier County, GA. (The part of present-day Lanier that interests us most is Watson Grade, which was part of Old Berrien, near Empire Church.) Two more families arrived in present-day Lanier in 1822; one was the Josiah Sirmans clan (profiled Huxford I: 254; external genealogy 2, Clinch_County_News_1937-02-05). Thus, son Jonathan Sirmans (b. 1800, Emanuel County, GA) and his spouse, Martha Patsy née Rouse, b. ~1787 (gravemarker) in Barnwell, SC?, immigrated; the question mark signifies some uncertainty—she is reported in the 1850, 1860, 1870 FCs as having been born in Georgia (with a calculated birth year of 1791), but her son Mark reports her birthplace to be South Carolina in the 1880 FC). After a brief settlement in Clinch County, Jonathan and Martha came to Old Berrien with their children and Patsy’s children by three former relationships (Nell Patten Roquemore, Lanier County. The Land and its People. 2000). One of the stepchildren was six-year-old Mark R. Watson (1816-1898, profiled Huxford 5:493), my second greatgrandfather. Oral history indicated that Martha was not married to Mark’s father (whoever he might have been—of what I have seen, I only accept his birthplace to be South Carolina, as reported by Mark R. in the FC). Extant records, however, are consistent with her marriage to my 3d greatgrandfather Watson, who--for whatever reason--was not with her in 1820. Thus, the 1820 FC--but not the 1830 FC ("our" Martha had married and moved south by 1830)--for Emanuel Co., GA, enumerates a Martha Watson, as head of a household with one female age 16-25 (consistent with her self-reported age of 79 on the 1870 FC when she lived with son Abner in Berrien Co.). The household also had one female under 10 (presumably Malissa), and two boys under 10 (presumably Mark R. Watson and J.L. Kirkland). These household demographics are consistent with the enumeration on her marker, but leave the question of an additional son (Daniel) by R.W. Kirkland, which I cannot reconcile with what I have found (the Kirkland line has apparently been confused early on because of similarly named people; that argument is not for me). This information kicks the can down the road, as it raises yet another question: why was her surname not Kirkland, the name of her most recent child? . . . but, maybe her surname was not a big issue with her--she is listed as Martha Rouse when she married Jonathan Sirmans in 1820. In brief and tentative summary, the starting point for my Watson line is Martha née Rouse, born abt 1790, probably in SC, but removed to Emanuel County, GA, at an early age, then to Old Berrien in 1822; the father of her son Mark R. Watson is unknown, not withstanding some undocumented claims.
The assertion on the web that Martha Rouse was a full-blooded Native American is made without documentation and is highly unlikely statistically. Were she, I would be >3%, and with the extraordinary number of SNPs tested, something would have shown up in my genetic analysis. Nada.
Martha's life was not easy: she was dismissed from Union Church on the charge of adultery.
Note McMillan, pg 340, states that Malissa Rouse was the daughter of Clayton Rouse? No documentation was given, so an evaluation cannot be made. Malissa (various spellings) was first married to Clayton Jones, who died young from a fire and, according to the Griffin Papers, was the first person to be buried at Empire. She second married Harmon Gaskins. Through Malissa, I am related to a large number of current Berrien citizens (e.g. Ronnie & Evon Gaskins through Malissa's son John A.; Jerry and the late Robert Earl Griffin through Mallisa's daughter Nancy; going back to Martha, many more, e.g. Patricia Miller through Martha's son Hardeman).
Jonathan Sirmons, recall: Mark R. Watson's stepfather, died in February, 1850. Over the years, his death has been variously redescribed ("sanitized"), but the mortality schedule is unabiguous--his cause of death was "Burned (Drunk)."
Oral history indicates that Mark grew up in the household of a Newbern (although how that came to be could not have been as related by Solomon Watson to my mother, her recollections). In the 1830 FC, Dred Newbern is enumerated 2 residences away from Jonathon Sirmans; neither had a 14-yo male. The enumerated “Dred” Newbern was likely the same as “Dryden” Newbern (profiled by Huxford 2:225), who was married to Jonathon’s sister Elizabeth and whose daughter Martha née Newbern Guthrie was the mother of Samuel W. Watson’s first wife, as discussed later. Early Newberns confuse me, however, and the reader is cautioned to pay attention to this caveat. Over his life, Mark R. acquired considerable wealth. Living next to his mother in 1860, he owned 40 acres of improved land (building up from 25 acres in 1850) and 2165 acres of unimproved land (down somewhat from 1850). I've never found a schedule indicating--despite his holdings--that he owned slaves. He may have been content, as his grandson Mark was, to simply take care of what he had.
According to Huxford (profile, op. cit.), Rachel P. Slaughter (b. Apr 1, 1822, in Baldwin County, GA, the daughter of Major Samuel Slaughter [incorrect, I believe, see later]) and Mark R. Watson married in 1840 in Lowndes County. Huxford further incorrectly indicated the family migrated to Lowndes in the 1830s. In this profile, Huxford implies that Mark’s mother was married to a Rouse, but Rouse was probably her maiden name. I did find a Samuel Slaughter in the Baldwin 1820 FC (a white couple over 45 with a girl between 10 and 16, plus 11 slaves), but the demographics did not match the Samuel Slaughter in Lowndes in 1830 (a younger family with 5 children and no slaves). The Samuel Slaughter family grew to 11 members by the 1840 Lowndes FC. Samuel Slaughter next appears as a witness in the senseless murder of his nephew William Slaughter in 1843 (https://raycityhistory.wordpress.com/tag/samuel-slaughter/); this account and that by Shelton (op. cit.) put the Slaughters near the Ten-mile Creek, i.e. in the vicinity of Mark R. Watson. (This detail about location is important as the land records for Lowndes were destroyed by fire.)
From various public records, some as discussed above, I suspect that Moses Slaughter (b. 1794?—who is enumerated in 1840 adjacent to Jonathan Sirmans), John Slaughter (b. 1798?), and Samuel Slaughter were part of the same clan. Subsequent to these inferences, I found (undocumented) posts (e.g., http://boards.ancestry.com.au/surnames.slaughter/1186/mb.ashx) that indicate that Moses, John and Samuel were brothers who migrated from Beaufort, SC, perhaps via Montogomery Co, GA, to Lowndes County in the early 1800s. I also found that Moses later emigrated to Alaucha County, FL, and Samuel, to Florida. In corroboration, Samuel Slaughter does not appear in the Lowndes 1850 FC, but a Samuel Slaughter of his approx. age (b. 1803 in South Carolina) appears in Jefferson County, FL. (Present-day Lowndes County and Jefferson County are near, both on the GA/FL line.) The military title used by Huxford was attributed on an undocumented internet forum as resulting from service in the Second Seminole War, but a Samuel Slaughter does not show up in the Lowndes rosters (two sources examined, including http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/creek-indian-wars.htm); however, Moses and John were both in Levi Knight’s company. The most complete Berrien-Slaughter genealogy (http://boards.ancestry.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=326&p=surnames.slaughter) that I found does not list “our” Rachel, but her dob would fit in as “not listed” as one of Moses’s many children. It would be odd to me were Samuel to have two daughters named Rachel, and also unlikely that John would have a child when his wife was only 13. Of course, it is equally possible that she was a sister of the Slaughter brothers. A better than my understanding could be had. In summary, at present, applying Occam’s Razor and limiting the precision of the conclusion, I presently believe that she was part of the Slaughter clan that arrived in present-day Berrien by 1830.
As alluded to above, tragedy struck the Mark R. Watson family in 1843-44. His brother-in-law Samuel Maddox was hung for the murder of Moses’ Slaughter’s son William. A spectacle for the public, the hanging was the loss of a second young man for the family.
Tragedy again struck the Mark R. Watson family in 1864, when son Isaac J. was a casualty of the American Civil War. Merely a teenager, he was sacrificed to the cause known to be lost more than a year earlier, i.e. at Gettysburg.
Overall, Samuel W. Watson, my greatgrandfather, was born into a family of relatively good means though in sorrowful times when many husbands, sons, and brothers were lost in the war. His primary familial influence was from his father’s side as the Slaughters had emigrated long before his birth.
On Oct 25, 1874, 52-yo Rachel died. Eleven-year-old Samuel, the youngest child, was without the loving arms of a mother.
On Aug 31, 1880, a M.R. Watson of Berrien County is reported to have married, W.H. Snead, officiating. (original Georgia license and certificate (on Ancestry); also original Berrien Book of Marriages (State of Georgia). The bride was G. L. Price (?) or Prior. Ancestry transcribes the given name as Gineyam; I, as GineyAnn or Gincey Ann. On another certificate (abstracted, but not available for free viewing), the date of marriage is given as 3 August, 1880, and the bride as Jincy Ann L. Rice. Search as I might—including possible permutations such as Prior, Fryer &c.--I did not find further information. Here, the absence of the 1890 FC was especially a hindrance.
The Watson story is not linear, however, as both Mark R. and his son, Samuel, moved to Irwin County, which is not part of the oral history that I learned. Thus, I will attempt to identify the time frame in which they lived in Irwin, which is the single purpose of this paragraph (many of these facts are elaborated on elsewhere in this essay). There are knowable facts that I don’t have, but there are also unknowable facts (the first three deed books in Irwin County were lost when the county seat moved from Irwinville to Ocilla in 1907). In the 1880 FC, Mark R. Watson is enumerated in GMD 1148, Berrien County. His 17-yo son Samuel was a member of his household. (This family was enumerated in GMD 1144 in 1870.) On Sep 3, 1888, Mark R. was identified as a citizen of Berrien (F/510 Irwin County Clerk’s Office.) On Feb 22, 1892, Mark R. was identified as a citizen of Irwin and Samuel, of Berrien (Q/627 Berrien County Clerk’s Office). On Jan 27, 1895, Mark R. is identified as a citizen of Irwin (B.B./183 Irwin County Clerk’s Office). On Sep 21, 1898, Mark R. died (gravemarker). On Jul 30, 1898, Samuel is identified as a citizen of Berrien (Q/72 Irwin County Clerk’s Office). On Oct 13, 1900, Samuel lived in Irwin (birth certificate of daughter, Georgian Elizabeth née Watson). On Sep 21, 1905, Samuel is identified as a citizen of Irwin. (D.D./523, Irwin County Clerk’s Office). On Sep 27, 1905, Samuel is identified as a citizen of Berrien (Y/295, Berrien County Clerk’s Office). On Oct 18, 1905, Samuel was identified as a citizen of Irwin (a.a./447 Irwin County Clerk’s Office). It appears that Mark R. and Samuel W. Watson enjoyed "citizenship" in both counties for a good while. Mark R. bought property in Irwin in 1888 and Samuel W., later. My working hypothesis is that Mark R. moved to Irwin first (because of marriage?), and Samuel W. followed. After the latter's spouse died, he married a local, my great grandmother, Elizabeth Boykin.
The profile per se begins by noting that Joseph Newton Outlaw was born Nov 4, 1882. As described in the profile of his older brother, James S., the Outlaws were properous. However, Uncle Joe barely survived childhood, as the Tifton Gazette (May 5, 1893) ran an article that indicated that he had so severely been kicked by a mule that he was not expected to live. (I had always wondered about his jaw deformity!)
On Mar 25, 1886, Samuel W. Watson was married to Martha Guthrie by D.P. Luke (Marriage Certificate). She was the daughter of Samuel Guthrie (profiled Huxford 6:97) and Martha née Newbern, d/o Dred (as mentioned, apparently used interchangeably with “Dryden” in Huxford and not to be confused with the son Dred). (http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/berrien/vitals/marriages/brd1851001.txt) Calculating from the dates on her gravemarker, I note she would have been 14 yo (± 6 mo) at the time of her marriage. (Huxford incorrectly places her birth at 1858 (a date that has gained traction on the internets), but she had not been born yet by the 1860 FC, household of Samuel Gutheil or by the 1870 FC, household of Samuel Guthrey).
In 1887, Aunt Bertha’s brother S.B. was born and died. Aside from his gravemarker in Guthrie Cemetery, I know nothing of him and he will not be profiled, though a sibling of my grandfather Mark A. Watson.
Bertha Lulu Watson was born Oct 25, 1889.
Aunt Bertha’s brother, James Malcum Watson was born Sept 29, 1891. Single and engaged in farming, he died May 29, 1923, of apoplexy at age 31, Dr. Tally certifying the certificate (Georgia Death Certificate). He was enumerated in the FC and was involved in within-family land transactions (Berrien County Clerk’s Office), but otherwise did not leave a legacy and will not be profiled. My five-year-old mother rode the plowstock the round before he died; apparently, she was pampered as the first granddaughter of Samuel W. Watson.
Aunt Bertha’s mother Martha née Guthrie died Sep 3, 1894.
In the mid 1890s, Uncle Joe's father W.H.H. became unable to work and at some point depended on his children--which I presume would include Uncle Joe--for support. On his pension application, October 1, 1903: "Became infirm from wounds and other causes contracted during service in the war and have caused my complete infirmity for more than 10 years. Wounds consisting of ruptures caused by lifting heavy iron on gun boats." [Pension application.] On December 1, 1896, Joseph N. and James S. Outlaw, merely lads by today's standards, bought their father's farm, 200 acres, in Lot 419, just west of Ray City. The deed (P:578, Berrien Clerk's Office) had an unusual exception, that is, that W.H.H. could continue to live there as long as he wished. Apparently, this was a mechanism to provide some cash to their disabled father.
The 1900 FC (GMD 1421, Irwin Co.), indicated that Samuel and Elizabeth née Boykin Watson married in 1894, and that both were literate. I have been unable to find a record of their marriage (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1927197 and other places), though I did find her sisters’ (Lucinda to Luther Floyd and Catherine to James Rabon) marriage records in 1895. The Watsons were enumerated on the same page as John Boykin (Elizabeth’s father) and Mary Sermans (Elizabeth’s sister) and adjacent to Reason Boykin (Elizabeth’s brother). Grandpa Sam was a farmer and owned his farm, free and clear. Aunt Bertha attended school. Neither Grandpa John nor his spouse could read or write; Uncle Reason could read and write, but his spouse couldn’t. Aunt Mary and her husband, a landowner, were literate. Uncle Bill, then 19, was single and lived alone as the head of his house.
The May 27, 1904, issue of the Tifton Gazette—Tifton was part of Berrien at that time—noted that Sam Watson of Irwin was looking for land in “this section” [=Watson Grade]. (https://raycityhistory.wordpress.com/tag/empire-cemetery/). He concluded that transaction (http://www.southernmatters.com/image-database/upload/Outlaw/Outlaw-366d_red.jpg) on September 27, 1907, by buying the place of Stephen M. Lewis (h/o Polly née Sutton, my greatgrandfather Sutton’s sister). The Lewis place joined my greatgrandfather Sutton’s place on the 222/223 line, 10th land district. The Sutton place and a part of the Lewis place make up the present W.H. Outlaw Farm (where Nedra and I hold court).
On November 25, 1905, Uncle Joe's mother, Mary Frances, died.
On December 29, 1906, Joseph N. Outlaw purchased his homeplace from my grandfather, L.G. Outlaw and his first wife, Ardelia nee Lewis Outlaw (27:104, Berrien County Clerk's Office). About a year later, Joe mortgaged his place back to L.G.; this debt was satisfied, but I can't read the record. This land had previously belonged to Ardelia's father, Stephen M. Lewis. See T:179, Clerk's office, again. The land, which joins the W.H. Outlaw Farm, is presently owned mostly by the Guthrie/Roberts Trust; the home and some land around it became the residence of Floyd Griner and is still in their family.
Aunt Bertha’s half sister, unnamed, was born and died on Jul 5, 1907. This sibling will not be profiled.
The Nov 27, 1908, issue of the Nashville Herald (via Dashers' “Clippings . .. . ") reported that Uncle Joe and Aunt Bertha married the previous Sunday and that Judge John Hardee Hull performed the ceremony. The date given by Paulk op. cit., namely Nov 22, 1914, is incorrect. The original marriage license was issued by J.W. Patterson on Nov 8, 1908, and the marriage officiated by J. H. Hull N.P. ex off J.P. The marriage was recorded Sep 29, 1914, by Mr. Norwood, Ordinary. Probably the delay in recording is the basis for Paulk’s error.
On July 7, 1910, Uncle Joe's father, W.H.H. "Dick", died. (Grandpa Dick was living with my grandfather, Lucious, at the time and on property joining Uncle Joe's.)
In an article about Deep Ditch School, the Aug 1, 1913, issue of the Nashville Herald referred to Grandpa Sam as a prominent citizen and leading taxpayer. (abstracted from the Dashers' Clippings . . . . , v12)
The January 9, 1914, issue of the Nashville Herald indicates that Aunt Bertha's father, Sam W. Watson, had just shipped a carload of corn, about 300 bushels, to Ocilla. He said that he had made enough for his own use for about 3 years. (abstracted from the Dasher’s Clippings . . . . v12). I don't know whether his shipping corn to Ocilla, by then the Irwin county seat, was coincidental or whether he had maintained ties.
On August 27, 1914, a son of Joe and Bertha was born and died. More information was not found.
On August 17, 1917, son Melvin L. was born.
When in his 30s, Uncle Joe fell from a riding cultivator and injured his hip. Possibly, this second accident3 put things into perspective for Uncle Joe. Aunt Bertha told grandson Eston W. Outlaw, who lived with them, that Uncle Joe never did a good day's work after that. He spent his time on his porch drinking wine, but nevertheless died a property owner, free and clear of debt. My mother--in a humorous vein--indicated that Uncle Joe could be a hinderance to work.
Uncle Joe's brother and my grandfather L.G. Outlaw died intestate October 21, 1918. Uncle Joe was appointed executor of the estate, but did not undertake the duty responsibly and land ownership was subsequently established by depositions and agreements among the heirs. For reasons that have never been explained to me, Uncle Joe and my grandfather, though they lived on adjacent farms, as mentioned, did not speak for seven years. I do not know whether they were still estranged when my grandfather died. My grandfather also had some severe difficulties with another man and always carried his pistol, I was told. The reason for this difficulty was not described to me directly, but I was free to infer that the man's wife was at the center.
On September 12, 1918, tall, slender, blue-eyed, dark-headed Joseph N. Outlaw registered for the draft for WWI. He signed the simple form, but oddly gave his birth year as 1881. Registration for the draft was required and his brother L.G. had done so on the day he died. Oral history indicated that Grandpa did not heed his doctor's warning about drinking and died on the way home from registration.
On February 1, 1920, son Wilbern V. "Bud"was born.
On Feb 18, 1925, a son of Joe and Bertha was born dead of undetermined causes. Dr. P.H. Askew was the physician in attendance; no undertaker was used, and the infant was buried at Empire the same day. (Georgia Archives, Death Certificates; also gravemarker at Empire in S.W. Watson plot)
On Oct 24, 1925, Bertha’s father, Samuel W. Watson died, “edema of the lung,” Dr. L.A. Carter, attending (Georgia Archives, Death Certificates), and on Oct 27, 1927, Bertha’s stepmother, Betsey remarried (to Marcus L. Gaskins).
In December, 1925, Aunt Bertha bought the O'Steen Place (47:358, Berrien County Clerk's Office). Just down Teeterville Road from Uncle Joe's, this 133-acre tract joined the Bob Akins Place (present owned by Amellia nee Akins Matthews) and the Stodgill place (presently owned, at least largely, by Patricia nee Rowan Ford, my first cousin). When Grandpa Sam died, his homeplace went to my grandfather Mark A. Watson, the nominally 40 acres in Lot 192/10th Land District and a couple of acres with a house on it in lot 223 went to his widow thence to my grandfather and the land in the nw portion of lot 223 went to Grandpa Mark's sister, Georgian,who was married to Lewis Keeffe. According to my mother, Aunt Bertha was given cash and used it to buy the O'Steen Place.
Uncle Joe circumvented Prohibition by use of a still he had set up on the stove in the kitchen, according to my father. Eston relayed to me that his buck was in the woods near the little field north of the homestead. His hogs got into it once and went on a drunk.
During this period, my father lived intermittently with Uncle Joe and Aunt Bertha while he attended high school in Nashville (graduation: 1931). Mostly, however, he lived with Aunt Lena and Uncle Cornelius after he quit Lenox.
On Mar 28, 1930, the means by which Uncle Joe came to the aid of his nephew Alvah Powell was recorded (Berrien County Clerk’s Office). I have elaborated elsewhere (Powell-002), so I just mention that he stood good for Alvah and kept him out of prison for three charges, viz. Using Obscene and Profane Language, Operating Car While Under the Influence of Liquor, and Public Drunkenness. (The next case on the docket was similar, against another relative, but I’ll pass over it.) Unfortunately and for whatever reason, Alvah could not walk the straight and narrow. I remember as yesterday Alvah sitting in the back of the sheriff's car used for transport to the mental hospital in Milledgeville. The decline in the Powell family is of tragic proportions.
Son Melvin and his growing family were enumerated on the 1940 FC in Massee (Cook County, which was in whole cut from Berrien) on the same page as his Uncle Jim Outlaw.
According to Eston, the Melvin Outlaws lived on the farm that Uncle Jim had owned and which Uncle Joe had acquired. Melvin was discontented to be so far from home and moved back and lived on the O'steen Place when he died.
Son Wilbern enlisted in the regular army on November 27, 1941, at Fort McPhearson [Enlistment Record], and was discharged October 11, 1945 [VA death files]. Oral history indicates that Daddy's brother, Buren, was stationed close enough in the European WW2 Theatre to Bud that they visited, at least once, when Bud appropriated a motocycle from a civilian in France. Oral history is consistent with his assignment in England, too, as an English woman traveled to America after the war as his fiance, but that relationship did not result in marriage.
On August 31, 1948, son Melvin L. died in an automobile accident.
During the mid 1950s, I regularly accompanied Daddy to visit Uncle Joe and Aunt Bertha. By this time, the prosperity that they had enjoyed earlier was diminished--they did not have running water and heated with a fireplace. I vividly remember that Uncle Joe took a great interest in me and delighted in having me sit in his lap while he repeated tongue-twisters. Though uneducated and often impaired, he had a sharp mind when it was in his interest. According to the late Johnny Pat Webb, he could instantly return in his head the value of a pile of cotton (cents/pound x pounds). Quick: what is 18 cents x 322 pounds?
On June 16, 1963, Uncle Joe died, one day after his brother Jim. Only days earlier, I had left home for college.
On June 2, 1975, son Wilbern V. died.
On December 24, 1978, Aunt Bertha died. Living in Missouri then, my family was visiting with my parents. I pitched in with several other cousins and cleaned Granny Watson's home where the body laid for visitation until the funeral.
Odell nee Walker Outlaw Brogdon (Melvin's widow, b. July 19, 1916), from Berrien County, GA, died April 5, 2006. Children: Finous (then deceased), Eston ("E.W."), Gary and Roland E. ("REO"); step-children: Martha Kucrea, Annie Lee Brogdon, Robert Lee Brogdon (then deceased). [Lovein Funeral Home obituaries] Odell was admired by many, not least my mother.
Grace Outlaw (Wilbern's widow, b. January 3, 1938 ), from Bacon County, GA, died Dec 24, 2012. Children: Robert Vinson, Keith, Gerald, and Wilber Jean. [Lovein Funeral Home obituaries]
Last edit: 2017-04-19
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