If I were to write a book about Blair (and who knows only one more year to retirement), I would have to cast Willard and his wife Becky as central characters. They had a house and a general store smack dab in the middle of Blair.They would always take the time to talk with you even if you were a kid and you only had a nickel for milk duds from the big oak candy case. Willard and his prominent white hair and blue eyes (very Burgess indeed) and Becky w/ her dark hair in it's tightly curled perpetual permanent wave. And yes I remember, Becky was always cooking something back in the little kitchen behind the counter. Something that was mouthwatering to a hungry kid breezing in from three games of marbles, hide-and-go-seek, and racing backside down the slate dump. And I remember how slowly Willard would slice the slab bacon or lunch meat, weigh it precisely on an old scale and finally wrap it carefully in brown paper and tie it with a string. With a pencil, Willard would then carefully record each item on a store order, and file it in the big ledger attached to the wall. Everyone in Blair had bills in that ledger and you didn't have to pay until your check arrived on the first of the month. I have pleasant memories of Becky in her starched flowered housedress with apron and Willard with his white hair and blue eyes and I suspect most folks from Blair do as well. Interestingly, as a kid I didn't even know we were related but I suppose I knew at some level even though it was never mentioned.

This is what we need for our family history books. Tell us about people you remember in Logan. I lived in McConnell West Virginia when I was five years old. The Guyandotte river ran by the very small town. There was an old man whose name was Ed Browning who visited frequently with my father. Ed seemed like a giant to me. I remember that he always wore coveralls. He was a very quiet man. He lived accross the river and had a boat that he pushed with a stick in the water to get accross the river. One day he asked if I would like to ride accross the river and back. My Dad said that I could. I remember being scared to death as I got into that long flat boat, and then we crossed the Guydandotte River. When I came back to McConnell I was thrilled that I made the trip successfully. Ed took me up to a very small wod My Dad called him "Uncle Ed". My Dad did not have an Uncle Ed. I guess everyone was For Christmas Ed brought me a beautiful box of candy with round colorful pieces of candy. I was really excited ---- until I took a bite of the candy. It tasted awful. I did not know what I was eating -- I asked my mom and she said it was coconut. To this day I hate coconut. Sure wish I could meet Uncle Ed Browning again. Would love to talk to him about our family history. Jim Burgess -----Original Message----- From: EKutn@aol.com [mailto:EKutn@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 3:56 PM To: WVLOGAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [WVLOGAN] Willard Burgess If I were to write a book about Blair (and who knows only one more year to retirement), I would have to cast Willard and his wife Becky as central characters. They had a house and a general store smack dab in the middle of Blair.They would always take the time to talk with you even if you were a kid and you only had a nickel for milk duds from the big oak candy case. Willard and his prominent white hair and blue eyes (very Burgess indeed) and Becky w/ her dark hair in it's tightly curled perpetual permanent wave. And yes I remember, Becky was always cooking something back in the little kitchen behind the counter. Something that was mouthwatering to a hungry kid breezing in from three games of marbles, hide-and-go-seek, and racing backside down the slate dump. And I remember how slowly Willard would slice the slab bacon or lunch meat, weigh it precisely on an old scale and finally wrap it carefully in brown paper and tie it with a string. With a pencil, Willard would then carefully record each item on a store order, and file it in the big ledger attached to the wall. Everyone in Blair had bills in that ledger and you didn't have to pay until your check arrived on the first of the month. I have pleasant memories of Becky in her starched flowered housedress with apron and Willard with his white hair and blue eyes and I suspect most folks from Blair do as well. Interestingly, as a kid I didn't even know we were related but I suppose I knew at some level even though it was never mentioned. ============================== View and search Historical Newspapers. Read about your ancestors, find marriage announcements and more. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13969/rd.ashx