(Transcribed from The Opp Messenger (Opp, Alabama) September 2, 1921 published by Mrs. J. C. Foster, editor)
I married my first wife two
miles on the south side of Lake Jackson on the 26th day of
April, 1866. She tucked up her apron and took her knitting and our
bridal trip was a two-mile walk home. The first thing she die was to
get dinner. After dinner we stripped off the old roof and put on a
new roof, the old way, the boards were four feet long. We put them on
without nails and put weight poles on top of the boards to hold them
down.
Poor are trying to live
as if they were rich.
Our good time was spent in
going to work. The pleasures of my life was to do and have something
in my old age. God has blessed me and given me something to live on
in my old age. Another pleasure of my life is to be able to live and
help other live. The good Lord has given us a talent and I feel like
I have improved my talent by these blessings he has given me. The
great trouble today is that the poor are trying to live as if they
were rich. That won’t do.
Started a store
I had to go up to Andalusia
to court. The only way to go was to walk. I served all the week and
they paid me off with county script. I went to Mr. Salter, a
merchant, and told him that if he would pay my board bill I would
trade out the balance with him. So he did. I bought some needles,
pins and thimbles and tied them up in a handkerchief and walked home.
I put them in a box and started me a store. I and My wife went to
Lake Jackson, gathered some moss from the trees and made some
mattresses. I carried them to Milton, Fla., sold them and got some
powder, shot, caps, and lead to sell in my store. In this way I went
on and got as much as $150.00 and went to Troy, Ala., the last of
January. With the money I bought a general assortment of goods that
are needed in a thinly settled country like this was at that time.
I built a log
storehouse
I had built me a log house
with a eight foot piazza on the front side and made me a storehouse
on the front porch. Here I put all my goods and sold that year
$1,500.00 worth of goods which I hauled and made my crop all myself,
with my wife to help and babies to care for and cooking and washing
and ironing all done by my wife. This is the way we started out in
the world to make a living. If you will do this and believe in the
good Lord, and put your trust in Him, He will do the balance for you.
“Blessed is he that endureth to the end for he shall inherit
eternal life,” so says the good Book of the Lord.
Split rails to make a
fence
When I
came home out of the Civil war, I had but very little as you see. I
went to a neighbor who gave me an axe. With this I split rails to
fence me a field. I got my neighbor Jordan to haul the rails around
the field to make the fence. I worked two days for one to pay him for
hauling the rails. That was the only way I could do.
In the
summer my corn gave out. I walked eight miles to a neighbor’s and
borrowed a team to go to Milton, Fla., to get a sack of corn for
bread. I traveled 60 miles each way and paid two ferrages, $2.40.
Some of my friends say to me, “No wonder you made a success, you had no opposition then.” I say “No, no, opportunity then either, but to-day is the time to start if you want some thing.”
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