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Note: My father,Carl Wilson Byrd was born February 27, 1888 in New Hebron, Miss. which was located in the northern part of Lawrence County. He was
the second of eight children born to William Wilson Byrd and Sarah Levina
Slater. He attended the Gwinville school along with his two brothers and
five sisters. He and his brothers loved to play baseball and played at
every opportunity. He enjoyed school and excelled at math and english. In
his spare time he helped with the farm chores. As a young man, he was
employed as a barber in the town of New Hebron.
At the outbreak of World War 1, my father was 29 years of age. He
enlisted in the army as private 1st Class July 16, 1917 at Helena,
Arkansas. His service No. was 1604991, his unit, Co. B, 114th Ammunition
Train. He left U.S. Aug. 29, 1918, served in France until his return to
U.S. Jan. 22, 1919. After loyal and honorable service, he was discharged
at Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky February 11, 1919. During his absence, his father decided to move his family to Oak Grove,
Miss., a small community located nine miles west of Hattiesburg, whose
principal industries were farming and timber growing. His younger
brother, Ethel had come to Oak Grove a few years earlier and was married
to the former Zura Crews.
My father's return to Oak Grove was a cause for celebration, and there
was a large party held in his honor at the family's new home, which his
father had purchased scarcely a month before.
The new home which my grandfather had purchased, was a large colonial
style home situated on about 80 acres of farm and timberland. The crops
consisted of corn and cotton, along with assorted fruits and vegetables.
My father worked with his father on the farm and hunted and fished in
the woods and streams around his home. He was 31 years old and enjoying
life.
On July 12, 1924, he married Audie Grace Burns, daughter of John Kervin
Burns and the former Dora Jane Dampeer, a daughter of Stephen T. Dampeer
of Simpson County. The Burns family were new arrivals to the community,
having just left Simpson County. My father's wife to be was in nurse's
training when they married, and by all accounts, a real southern beauty!
The south was just entering the period known as the great depression and
jobs were hard to find. My father had worked at barbering, farming and
as an oil station operator. He also had some experience in carpentry and
construction work.
One of my mother's older sisters, Annie Lee, had met and married Ernest
Smith a few years earlier. Ernest's father was Morris Smith, who had
brought his rather substantial family to Oak Grove in December, 1918. My
father and rnest were close friends and co-workers for several years
prior to his marriage. Annie Lee's younger sisters, Lorie and Eugenia
were also in Oak Grove at this time. Shortly after my father's marriage,
Eugenia married Preston McKinney of Hattiesburg, and Lorie married
Alvin Meaney of Chicago.
It was during this period of time that my father and my uncle Ernest
learned of jobs in construction work available in Belzoni, Miss., a small
town located about sixty miles northwest of Jackson in the Mississippi
Delta. This job would only last for about two years. During this time,
Carl and Grace's first child was born. William Wilson (Billy) Byrd was
born September 17, 1925. My mother could be seen during the fall
afternoons proudly pushing him along the sidewalks of Belzoni in his new
baby carriage. I have heard her remark on several occassions that he was
the most beautiful baby she had ever seen.
The project finished in the delta, my father moved to Hattiesburg, Miss.
where I was born Jan. 22, 1927 in an upstairs apartment on 309 2nd
Avenue. The year 1927 will be remembered for many reasons. This was the
year in which Charles A. Lindbergh made his historic trans atlantic
flight. He took off from Roosevelt Field at 7:52 A.M. May 20 alone in his
monoplane "The Spirit of St. Louis". He reached Le Bourget air field,
Paris at 5:21 P.M. the following day. On a more personal level, scarcely
two months after my birth, my grand father Byrd died of diabetes
complications. After funeral services which were attended by his wife,
Sarah, nine sons and daughters and their families, and numerous friends
and neighbors, Will Byrd was laid to rest in the Ladner Cemetary, Oak
Grove, Miss.
After moving about Hattiesburg for several years, he decided to return to
Oak Grove and try his hand at farming again. He lived here for several
years before moving again, this time to Prentiss, Miss. It was here my
Grandmother Burns passed away in 1936. My father at this time was an on
the road routeman for the Watkins Co.
About three years later, we arrived in Carson, Miss, where Patsy was
born, the first girl in a family of five boys. I was about twelve at
this time and I remember this as a relatively happy time for the family.
We were all making new riends at school and playing among ourselves after
school. We had several visits from members of Dad's and Mother's families.
Dad decided to move again, this time to Whitesand, a small farming
community some six miles northwest of Prentiss. We began farming in
earnest here. Each member of the family had chores assigned to them. Dad
divided is time between farming and travelling. Some time later we moved
to another location in Whitesand, and Dad abandoned his route and turned
to farming full time. I remember there were times when Dad owned a car,
and other times when he did not.
Our next move took us back to Carson to a small farm about four miles
northeast of our former location. We returned to school in Carson as if
there had been no interruption in our school schedule. In Carson at that
time, basketball was king. We were participators and spectators. I
remember one occasion when the Oak Grove team arrived to play our team.
We were too young to participate, but enjoyed watching. I don't remember
who won. Our activities after school were divided between playing
basketball and working in the field.
Our next move took us to the farming community of Clem, Mississippi,
located between Prentiss and Collins. It was here that our baby brother,
Grady was born. Our school activities continued to be dominated by
basketball. Dad continued to work long hours in the field even though it
soon became apparent that his health was failing. Dad had always been a
symbol of strength and security to his family. If he happened to be away
on a trip when nightime came, and especially if the weather was bad,
every anxious eye was on the road waiting for the headlights which would
signal his safe return. The reassuring clump of his footsteps on the
porch meant that all was well and that we could all turn in, safe in the
knowledge that he was home again.
When Dad could no longer ignore the symptoms of his illness, he went in
to Prentiss for a checkup. We learned that he had tuberculosis, and later
that mother also had it. This was a traumatic blow to the family. We were
told that Dad and Mother would both have to leave and receive treatment
in different locations for the disease. Frantic arrangements were
hastily made to place the children in suitable homes. Dad travelled to
the Veterans facility at Oteen, N.C. , Mother to the Sanatorium near
Magee, Miss. Dad would later be transferred to Alexandria, LA. where he
was discharged several years later.
Johnny was relocated to Houston, Texas to live with the Morris family.
Dickie arrived in Houston soon afterwards and lived with our uncle Buford
and aunt Myra. Sammy arrived in 1942 and was also a part of uncle
Buford's household. In 1943 Sammy was moved to Port Arthur, Texaspring of
1945, Johnny and Sammy travelled by train from Texas to visit Mother in
the Sanatorium. I managed to visit her also from time to time. I believe
that Bill, Dickie and I were all working in Hattiesburg at that time.
During one of our visits, Mother's cousin, Henry Dampier had us at his
home just south of the Sanatorium. Johnny and Sammy stayed with Mother's
uncle Dan Dampier. After their visit, they returned to Texas.
After Dad was discharged from the hospital, and Mother was released from
the Sanatorium, Dad located a room on Tombigbee street in Jackson. Mother
had sent for Dickie, Johnny, Sammy and Patsy. I was already working and
living at a boarding house on Capitol Street near our uncle Wade and aunt
Margaret. This was a terrible period for the family. There was no money
to speak of and Dad hit the streets looking for work, even though he was
clearly not able, physically. Dickie found employment at a bakery and
Johnny helped Dad when he could. Bill enlisted in the marines October 30,
1943, and trained at Camp Le Jeune, N.C.
Patsy helped mother at home and they all attended schools in the area. Early one morning, Mother, Dickie and Dad were home, and while Mother was
cooking, a grease fire occurred, setting her house robe on fire. Dickie
sprang up, and without any thought for his own safety, smothered the fire
with his bare hands. Mother suffered extensive burns on her arms and
chest, and Dickie burned both hands. Mother had to be hospitalized and
Dad was left to care for the family. I entered training at the Merchant
Marine Academy at St. Petersburg, Florida at about that time, and Bill
was serving with the Marines in the South Pacific.
Dad had applied for quarters at the housing project located at the old
Air Base. These units were converted Army barracks, but they were roomy
and were an improvement over their present situation. Bill, myself and
Dickie were all in the service at this time. Dad was soon forced to enter
the Veteran's Hospital in Jackson. He was there when we learned that
Dickie had been killed in action in Korea in the fall of 1950. This news
seemed to be more than he could bear, and he passed away on the early
hours of December 14, 1950.
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