Joseph Robert "Bob" Hastings was married two times. His first wife was Ollie May Dunnivant, dau of Samuel Merrit Dunnavant and Adeline C. Smith. "Bob" and Ollie had seven children before she died in 1920. Only three of Bob and Ollie's children lived past their 20's. After Ollie's death Bob married a widow, Ella Fudge Leonard, daughter of William Henry Fudge and Mary Jane Weatherford. Bob and Ella had one child who died during early childhood. Only one of Ella's children by Mr. Leonard survived to adulthood. In 1931 Bob and Ella's house at Epheus, Limestone Co., AL, burned. The Alabama Courier, Thursday, June 25, 1931 Athens, Alabama EPHESUS - Mr. Robert Hastings' home burned Sunday morning. Everything was burned, nothing saved. No one was at home at the time of the fire. It is understood that there is some insurance. The fire apparently was the beginning of J.R. "Bob" Hastings' struggle with mental health issues. Limestone county records reveal he spent the rest of his life in and out of an Alabama state mental facility. Most of the records are lost, but enough remain to suggest that he and his neighbors would successfully gain his release. Then not long after each discharge, his wife would request a sanity hearing and he'd be recommitted to the hospital. Bob would appeal the court decision, win his release and the whole scenario would repeat its self. While in the state hospital he was subjected to shock treatments. Here is a letter Bob wrote on one of those occasions he was "out" of the state hospital. The letter was wrriten in response to a plea by the newspaper editor to hear from his readers about their farming successes. Alabama Courier, April 16, 1942 , p.3 A Letter to the Editor - Athens, Alabama This March 29, 1942 To the Editor of the Alabama Courier: I am writing a letter to tell the people of this county in which I live five miles from Athens on the Upper Elkton road, one-fourth mile from the Piney Chapel school, due west to my place. I am going to tell you all what a garden I have at this time of the year. I have mustard large enough to eat, also onions and cabbage and lettuce and English peas. Beets, turnips, spinach, carrots and it won't be long until I will have sweet potato slips up on my potato bed and also have corn up and Irish potatoes up. 1 have four acres of Kudzu planted and one acre of it will do to graze this year and also between 1,000 or more Black Locust trees growing. Some few of them are half large enough for posts and they were put out three years ago this spring. I have lots of other things too numerous to mention at this time. I will close for this time so if anyone wishes to see my little farm of 62 acres, come one and all farmers, merchants and all business men who wish to see what a man can do if he will do it. So I remain, as ever the friend to everybody, Yours very truly, J. R. Hastings, Athens, Ala., Rt. 1 In September or October 1951 Bob was discharged from the state hospital. In November 1951, something happened to cause his wife have the sheriff pick him up and put him in jail. Ninety plus neighbors and friends signed a petition for his release, stating that they knew of no reason why he should be in jail or readmitted to the state mental hospital. While awaiting the sainity hearing, J.R. "Bob" Hastings died in jail of a heart attack on November 26, 1951. Ruth Hasten Walsh