Robert's Childhood Memories Page 5
 I remember going with Papa to this same place when
he was building a water wheel approximately 12 feet in diameter. It furnished power to the
grist mill where people had their corn and wheat ground. Water ground type corn meal is
highly sought after in the market place today. The stones that were turning from the water
wheel power, turned slower. By the stone turning slow, the meal did not get as hot as the
faster driven methods of grinding grain therefore the meal would not get hot enough to
evaporate the oil and change the corn taste. Water ground type meal today is mostly
powered by electricity or combustion engines but the grinding process is slow and set to
match the old water wheel grinding method. The old mills would take a percentage of the
total for their charge.
I remember Circus Day was a big day with the
animals, parade, side shows and the job I did to get a pass to see the Circus. One job was
to carry water to the Elephants from a spring where I caught crawfish. This location was
used for the Circus, baseball games, kite flying and preaching. Traveling Preachers would
set up a tent with wood shavings, benches and a platform where the Preacher would tell it
like it was. This is where I was converted or saved and is one reason I like the old time
preaching. I attended Sunday School and Preaching Services at B.Y.P.U., Franklinton
Baptist Church and sometimes went to the Methodist Church.
I can remember Vashti, my third oldest
sister, getting married to Marvin Kiser from Concord. He was working at the Vann-Moore
Towel Mill. The wedding was held at home in the living room. I also remember Dolly, my
oldest sister, marrying Walter Puckett. He worked at the Vann_Moore Towel Mill and was a
border at our home. They lived in Franklinton until their first child, Catherine, was
born. Soon after, they moved to Charlotte and he worked for Charles H. Stone Chemical
Company as Plant Manager. Ella, the next to the oldest, went to St. Luke's Hospital in
Richmond, Virginia and became a R.N. Ella either took out a mortgage on our house or
assumed it and paid it off and the deed was in her name. All of the children helped during
the depression but Ella was the one that had a good income, was not married and took over
the responsibility. Mama contributed by keeping boarders, running a cannery in the back
yard and teaching people how to sew. The cannery and sewing job were part of F.D.R.'s
"New Deal".
I remember Walter Puckett played golf. I
bored a hole in a piece of hard wood and used a broom handle for the shaft. It hit very
good, in fact I lost a few of Mr. Puckett's golf balls. I used the Masonic emblem on one
of the boarder's cars to draw and cut the square and compass out of a piece of Walnut by
using a brace and bit and a coping saw. the last time I saw it, it was at Dolly's house in
Charlotte. I surely would like to have it back since I was only 12 years old when I made
it.
The Franklinton School was built with funds given
by Mr. Sam Vann, owner of the Cotton Mill where my Mother, Father, sisters and brothers
worked as I remember Mama telling me for 13¢ a day. I remember the dedication
that was held outdoors with the bands playing. I was 5 or 6 years old then.
Prior to 1932, before I left Franklinton, we had a
playhouse up about 15 feet in a huge Wild Cherry tree. We had an old riding saddle on one
of the limbs. When the wild cherries were ripe we would shoot the birds when they came to
feed. People ate Robins, doves and other wild birds in those days. I remember birds and
wild animals being more plentiful then than later on. We played in this tree many hours.
One day I was picking up wild cherries and I felt water falling on me from out of the tree
and when I looked up, I saw Maynard relieving himself. I am sure I was angry but was
afraid that Maynard would cry and tell Mama that "Robert did it" and Maynard,
being Mama's baby, she would probably believe him and I would not only get wet on but also
get a whipping for being under the tree where her baby was relieving himself. Sometimes I
think I have been wet on all my life off and on.
We had a large Apple tree just out from the
kitchen's back window. One of the branches had been sawed off about 20 inches from the
main trunk of the tree. I remember Climbing up and jumping down. Betsy jumped and her
dress caught on the cut off limb and she was hanging upside down swinging. Maynard and I
got her down. If her dress had not been made from flour sacks she could have been injured.
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