Sandra, I remember the explosion. My Dad had quit the mines (at my mother's insistence - she told him she would live in a one room shack and live off bread and water - anything if he would get out of the mines). Thank God he listened! So we were in Memphis - Dad had returned to the Navy during the Korean War and stayed. However, we had so many family members that worked there - it was still a scary time for us. I am also researching the Brown and Whitt lines. Could we be cousins? I have two Mary Browns - one the daughter of John Brown of Wilkes County NC. She married Jonas Sparks The other Mary Brown - daughter of James Brown and Esther Goff (?) married Jeremiah Claypoole. I also have Frank Brown married Martha Sparks, d/o Robert Sparks and Susan (?) in Wilkes County NC. All these Browns or their children ended up in Tazewell. My Whitt connection goes back to Richard Whitt who married Susannah Skaggs. If you see a connection, please contact me and we can share info. Sheila [email protected] Sheila's SURNAMES: Barrett, Beavers, Boling (Bowling), Brown, Claypool, Conley, Crickmer, Godbey, Hankins, Linkous, Skaggs, Sparks, Whitt Don's SURNAMES: Allen, Dawson, Goodwin, Hein