Delores, thank you for that fascinating story. I KNOW my father worked for Mr. Wilson and thought very highly of him. He always talked about his wealth and what a fine man he was. I also know that my parents were sharecroppers and have heard Daddy talk many times of the hard time that were had by all. I also remember him speaking of the river when it flooded. They lived in Wilson Arkansas in 1930 when my sister was born and in Keiser Arkansas two years later when my oldest brother was born. I think our humble beginings made a better person of me. I was far too young to remember the really tough times my elder siblings had but have heard many horror stories. I wish I had started my research about 20 years ago. ( don't we all? haha) Thanks again for the story. I would appreciate hearing from you privately. mamabear@semo.net. Laura ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dolores" <dharvell@cfl.rr.com> To: <ARMISSIS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 8:50 AM Subject: Re: [ARMISSIS] Re: Lee Wilson and Co. Undertakers and Cemeteries aroundBardstown > Good Morning Susan, > > While I cannot help you with Wilson Undertakers, I thought you might be interested in some first hand history of Wilson. I lived there as a child for a short period of time in the 1930s. It was a dot on the > map and still is. Mr. Wilson owned the town and the townspeople and to my knowledge still does, just a younger generation of Wilsons. > > The people of the town worked in the mills, lumber and alfalfa, and were paid in chits which could be redeemed at the country store for food and/or clothes. The folks of the town really did "owe their souls to > the country store." > > My father, his brother and their father all worked and lived in Wilson. We lived on what is today called Levee Street, just at the foot of the banks of the Mississippi River. You didn't want to be there when > it flooded. > > During my June 1996 visit with cousins, I was remembering this as a "one room tar papered shack". One of my cousins quickly spoke up and said, "It had two rooms!" He and his family had lived in a tent on > down the levee from us where he was born on the floor of that tent. After my father, mother and I moved, he and his family had moved into our previously occupied "mansion". Such humble beginnings for all of > us. We had also lived for a short time, in prefab row houses near the alfalfa mill. > > My grandfather also met the daily train, picked up the mail, took it to the post office for sorting and then did the delivering. > > These were humble beginnings and we've "come a long way, baby." I say to my off springs, "Don't forget your beginnings! We are the "little people." > > Happy Hunting. Dolores > > > > > bsisemore@chek.com wrote: > > > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > > > Classification: Query > > > > Message Board URL: > > > > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/oV.2ADE/1146.1 > > > > Message Board Post: > > > > There's not alot left in that area. Lee wilson and Co are still in business so to speak. They own the town of Wilson and alot of farm land in that area. Wilson was a large plantation (share croppers) area. > > > > There's nothing left in Bardstown at all, the court hose at Osceola (which is just a few miles down the road) has lots of records for this area. Including marriage records. > > > > I'll see if I can dig up an address for you to write to. Are you just looking for their graves, or more record information? > > > > > > -- > dolores SAMONS harvell > > Genealogy - > disturbing the dead, > and irritating the living > > > > ==== ARMISSIS Mailing List ==== > NOTICE: Posting of virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, political announcements, current events, items for sale, personal messages, flames, etc. (in other words - spam) is NOT ALLOWED and will be grounds for removal. Consideration for exceptions, contact Kathleen Burnett kathleenburnett@earthlink.net > > >