IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. By Jess Wilson I grew up knowing that my grandfather, Alfred Wilson had lived in Owsley County before he moved to Clay County. In my family we talked about who was related to whom more often that about who won the ball game. When I began work in Owsley County I soon found that in dealing with people that as soon as I said that I was a Wilson, I was one of them. Often people would be standing by their gate when my survey party came up the road. They wanted to talk "kinfolk talk". Almost every one I met that had a Wilson connection said that I should see James Bowman. At that time James Bowman was living at Corbin about ten miles from where we were living in Laurel County. I kept putting off to go see him. Then he moved to Covington then to Bowling Green in the western part of the state. One Tuesday, years later I was talking to Fred Gabbard in Booneville. Fred was Superintendent of Schools in Owsley County. I remarked to Fred that I had heard that James Bowman had retired and moved back home. I asked where he lived because I wanted to visit him on my way back to McKee. Fred said, "We buried him Saturday." He had been mowing on a hill side and the tractor overturned. When I began writing about the Clay County feuds and the Baker`s involvement, Mrs Bill Baker wrote me that Bill wanted to talk with me. With other duties I kept putting off going to see Bill. When I did go to his home he was in the hospital and died the next day. Tom Walters in Florida sent me a copy of some family information that Asbury Johnson had collected. Then I learned that a Mr. Johnson that lived at Lerose near our Booneville substation had some information about Asbury Johnson. I did not go see him for some weeks. One day before I left work I made preparation to go see Mr. Johnson the next day. Before going home I drove over to our garage to gas up my truck. As I drove up to the pump, Howard McQueen drove up to the other side of the pump. As he got out he said, 'Jess, know that old man Johnson that lived beside the Booneville substation? He came out this morning and was talking to us and dropped dead." I had spent part of an afternoon talking with 82 year old Lewis Johnson when he said, "My grandfather, John Wesley Gabbard, married three times and fathered 21 children. Want me to name them?" I saw that the old man was tired, so I said that I had been making a list of those children and that I should have the list to see if I had them right. I promised to come back in a day or two and bring that list. I put it off too long. One Friday I gathered up my list and drove the less than two miles to his house. The people that lived with him told me that they had taken him to the hospital the night before. He died on Monday. I was relating these matter to someone one time. After these and a couple more, my listened walked away saying, "Jess, I don`t want you to plan to come see me." Of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been.