Millikin Street

This is me standing next to the sign for Millikin St. I was pretty excited to find it. This picture was taken in Lake Providence, Louisiana in East Carroll Parish in August 2008.

As with the last post, Chris Hansen sent me a tidbit of information about life back when, that relates to the Millikin and Cawthon families.

The following family lore was in a letter from a Griffin descendant of Baton Rouge, LA dated 3 Aug 1998:

Rachel Osbon married Mack Cleary when she was 15 years old. The marriage lasted approximately one year. She married William "Bill Griffin II in 1908 and they had 10 children. Rachel was Jeanette Griffin Hansen's grandmother.

She lived with the following families in the period between her two marriages: She first lived with her brother Clay Osbon for one year; then second, with the Chambliss family of Oak Grove for about one year; then third, in about 1906, with the Milliken family of Darnell for about one year, there were six boys and one girl in this family; and fourth with the Cawthon family on Unity Road for about two years. Her job was to take care of Mrs. Cawthon, who had suffered from serious memory loss. Mr. Cawthon was a farmer with no children.

Her responsibilities with each of the families was to keep house (cook, clean, wash, etc.). Her compensation or terms of the agreement with each family per year: two work dresses and two Sunday dresses, two pair of work shoes and one pair of Sunday shoes, plus room and board. No monetary compensation, although each family would on occasion give her small amounts of money, especially when they would occasionally taker her to town. The most generous were the Cawthons. There were no given names for the Milliken or Cawthon families stated in the letter.

Civilian Conservation Corp - Leo Williamson in the CCC

Chris Hansen sent me the following about CCC camps during the depression, and I'm finally getting around to putting it on my blog. Sorry it took so long Chris!

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Roosevelt Administration established the Civilian Conservation Corp aka CCC. The purpose was to aid poverty stricken depression families by employing their sons in reclamation and construction programs across the nation. The CCC was run by Reserved Army Officers and Non-commissioned Officers and was a Para-military organization and did give the US Army a supply of cadre for WWII. Over 3 million men participated in the CCC program from 1933-1942. Peak numbers came in August 1935 with 505,000 enrollees in 2,650 camps. There were similar programs for young daughters called the NYA, the National Youth Administration and another for adults called the WPA or Works Projects Administration. The NYA and the WPA kept members close to their homes. Unlike government programs of today, people worked very hard for their money in these programs.

Leo Williamson joined the CCCs in 1933 at 18 years old. He was sent to Camp Beauregard near Alexandria, Louisiana for training and there he was outfitted with two suits of denim uniforms, underwear, socks, and army boots. Then he was sent to a forest cleanup project north of Bastrop, Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. When they arrived at the cleanup site they had to pitch tents, build wooden floors for the tents, dig latrines and water wells. Drinking and bathing water were in short supply. Water was brought to the camp in Rail tank cars from Crossett, Arkansas until the wells were completed. The hard work did not bother Leo because he had worked hard since he was a small boy on the farm, but being covered with red-bugs and ticks did. He stayed there for one year and after a brief stay at home, re-enlisted for another year and was sent to Chatham, Jackson Parish, Louisiana. Everyone was paid $5 per month and $25 per month was sent home to their parents. Leo's mother, Lela McElrath Williamson and his five siblings were living on a subsistence farm in West Carroll Parish and $25 per month was adequate for staples like: flour, sugar, coffee, etc.

Leo Williamson worked as a heavy equipment operator mostly in South Texas where he lives today in 2008 at the age of 92. He lives in his own house on a ranch owned by his daughter and son-in-law. The above is from a taped interview in 1996.

One of Leo's younger brothers, Bert Williamson, also served in the CCCs in Truckee, California. After a short time he left Truckee and rode on freight trains back to Louisiana. He died in August of 1987 at the age of 66.

Louisiana Trip

I recently visited West Carroll Parish for the first time. It was wonderful visiting Bayou Macon Cemetery where many of my ancestors were buried. It was evening when I arrived, and it was a little eerie to hear all the bug noises and see bugs flying everywhere. I'm used to bugs, but not that many.
I visited Old Floyd and had a hard time imagining what it must have been like when it was the county seat. Only a few homes remain. I also visited both East Carroll and West Carroll courthouses. I could have stayed for days just looking through old records. But I didn't have time for that. Maybe next time, and there will be a next time, although I think I'll go at another time of the year when it's not so hot and humid.
I did find a record that said my great grandmother, Mary Cummins, was the 'issue' of James Cummins and his wife Mary rather than John Cummins and Joanna Robbins (Roberts), so I was happy about that. I still don't know the real story, but will believe this one until I find out differently. I've written about this before, so if anyone is interested, just read my previous blogs. I think it was Thanksgiving 2007 that I wrote about them.
I received a blog comment today about a cemetery in Millikin, Louisiana. I was just there, but didn't know there was a cemetery there! I hope I make contact with this person again. I would love to know if any of my ancestors are buried there.
Next time I write, I'll post some pictures from my trip.

1927 Mississippi River Flood

I received the following information from Chris Hansen of California about the devastating flood in 1927 that affected West Carroll Parish, as well as surrounding areas. My father also told me about this flood, but his information came from other people as he was not born until about two years later.

Ethelyn Williamson Griffin, age 93, was interviewed in Orange, California, September 9, 2007 about the the 1927 flood. Her brother, Leo Williamson, age 92, was interviewed June 7, 1996. He was 81 when he was interviewed in Victoria, Texas. They are the oldest and the only two of seven Williamson siblings still living.

The Williamson Farm was located near what is now Highway 577 and the Plum Grove Road. At the time of the 1927 flood, Highway 577 was a railroad track, in fact the eastern-most section of what is now Highway 577 is called Dummyline Road today.

Leo said that he and his father, Ward Dell Williamson, heard about the flood the day before it actually reached the Williamson farm. Later that night, they heard the roaring of water flowing over the railroad crossties and the cries of the farm animals as the water got deeper. Their house was built 4 feet off the ground, and it survived until the water started rushing out of the area and the foundation collapsed. During the flood, 3 acres did not flood, so they took refuge on "Little Colewa Mount" along with neighbors, animals, and many Copperhead Snakes. Fortunately, no one was bitten by the snakes. The water did not recede from the Williamson farm for about 4 - 5 weeks. during this time Ethelyn was sent to live with the Blackman family so she could continue her schooling in Pioneer. Leo, his father, Ward Williamson, his mother, Lela McElrath Williamson, and the younger siblings stayed on the farm.

The main field of the farm was covered with logs and other debris that had floated in during the flood. Ward Dell Williamson was seriously ill during this time and died at the age of 34 later in 1927. As soon as the ground dried, cleanup was left to 12-year-old Leo Williamson; he borrowed two mules from a neighbor, Dave Pierce, and started dragging the logs out of the fields, but too late to grow a crop in 1927. In the spring of 1928, many of the neighbors came over and plowed the fields to prepare for planting, and they did make a good cotton crop in 1928.

Waiting for Turkey

As I sit and wait for our Thanksgiving dinner to cook, I can't help but think about family past and present. I wish I had someone's diary or journal that would tell me how my ancestors from West Carroll Parish celebrated Thanksgiving 100 plus years ago. Did they have turkey or something else? Maybe they had ham because of all the pigs in the area roaming around.

Today I am thinking about my great grandmother Mary (Cummins) Millikin. They called her "Aunt Pinkie," but I have no idea why. Maybe it was because she was so small. I am in the process of trying to verify who her parents really were. She is either a product of a yours mine and ours situation or born out-of-wedlock. Her death certificate says she is the daughter of John Cummins and Johanna Robbins (Roberts), which means her parents were very young, step siblings, and probably not married when she was born. Some relatives believe she is the daughter of the parents of those two young people, James Cummins and Mary Moore Dempsey Roberts Cummins. That's what I would like to believe because it would make things so much less complicated. I do know that information on death certificates is not always right, but someone obviously believed she was born of those two step siblings or it wouldn't be on her death certificate. Of course, the informant is no longer alive. In 1870, they were living in the same house, so it is possible. I don't know if I'll ever find out for sure after all this time, but I'm hoping I will. I have someone checking on it for me, so we'll see. If anyone out there knows the story, I would love to hear from you. I don't really care what the real situation was, I would just like to know. All of us make mistakes. On this day, I am just greatful for family and all they went through so that I can be here now.

1870 Census West Carroll Parish - Pg 27
Family 222

Mary Cummins 48 F Keeps House
* John Cummins 19 M Laborer
James Cummins 10 M "
Eugenia Cummins 6 F
Mary Cummins 3 F
James Roberts 22 M Laborer
Margaret Roberts 19 F
* Jo Anna Roberts 15 F

My great grandmother was the 3 year-old Mary. The older Mary Cummins was a widow again. Her husband, James Cummins, died in 1867.