Some Who Have Passed On

Some of the People I Remember That Have Passed On

 You remember Bob Berry, and his wife Ida?  They lived where Ann Noel now lives.  Then there was Dave Calvert with his wife and children.  His wife was Mary Turley, and she kept her brother Paul, who was a little feeble-minded.  You had to tell him everything to do.  They would send him to town with a note, you would fill the note, then give it to Paul, turn him around and tell him to go home, which he would do.

 Then there was Tom Edward.  His wife Gypsy lived where Mrs. Darsie sold to Charley young.  Then across the road was Lafe Foree, Oliver Griffith, Gipson Farror, Nancy Kidwell and family, Uncle Jack Shirley, e. t. Wilson and Maud, his wife. Earl Robison and family, Pete Robison and family, who father ran the blacksmith shop.  You remember “Bawl Head Snider?” he boarded with Mrs. Riblin.  Then later came the Word Dickerson family.  You remember Jim Bob Morgin?  He was one of the old standbys at the depot when they would pack rabbits for shipment to the east: Baltimore and New York.  You remember Luke Connell?  His first wife was Rose Crouch, had two boys.  One boy joined the Navy, and stayed four years.  He came home in 1916, and started a garage over in Elza Wilson’s old barn.  He worked for a while, then one night he left, and was never heard of again.  His brother married a Calender girl and moved to Indiana, where he died June 7, 1944.  This was Cortney Connelly, and the other boy was Zel Connelly; he was the oldest.  Luke’s second wife was Norsis Dolton; they had no children.  Luke was born January 11, 1871 and died June 15, 1963 at the age of 92.  He was the last of his family to go.  His brothers and sisters were Willie Connelly, Alva Connelly, Tom Connelly and Annie Connelly.

 Let us go up the 2 Mile Branch.  There was the McHatten lived in the house by Jinny Farrar, then Caddie Bickers, then Bill Farrar.  On News Branch was Boonie Roberts, George Bond and family. Up the creek were Bill Garnett, and Joe Tolliver and family.  Then there was Big Dave Sanders.  After he died, Mr. Walter Kennedy ran the farm for the heirs for years.  Then up on the hill were the Bond’s and Lafferty’s.  Our first doctor in Sparta was Dr. Bond, from off the Bond’s hill.  Then there was Aunt Lue Barber, who used to cook at the Sparta Hotel.  Don’t forget Luke Netters, and then there was Vatch Sanders, who lived across from Reg. Lafferty.  And I will always remember Andy Jones and Family.  One year I sold Andy 8 barrels of flour, 80 pounds of coffee and 100 pounds of dried beans.  He lived in the old Truesdale home, which burned years ago.

Here is one I will have to tell you.  You know George Bonds could ask more questions…  Well, this was early one spring morning just before sun up.  George was out to the wood pile getting some wood to cook breakfast.  Joe Tolliver, who lived on up the creek above George, and Willie Garnet lived between George and Joe.  Every time Joe would come by George he says to Joe Tolliver to tell him one.  So this morning Joe was all ready for George, said, “Well, tell me one.”  Joe said “I don’t have time. Mr. Geroge, Willie Garnett just cut his foot real bad with the axe, and I’m going to get Dr. Stallard.”  Well, George ran.  He took his wood into the house and told his wife what happened, and said “I’m going up there and will eat breakfast when I get back.”  It was about a mileup the creek to Willie’s house.  Nobody was outside so George just went right in.  Willie was sitting at the breakfast table drinking coffee.  George asked for it and got it. No hard feelings, he just got beat at his own game.

Earl Spencer lived up on 2 Mile Creek, so did Bill Gross.  The Webbs lived in front of Bill Farrer.  The old Bonds school house was lived in by Stanley Jones.  He lived there and worked for J. R. Bond or fifty cents a day. 

As a baby, Emma Donalson McCune was a little thin long haired girl who would come in to the Hotel every day and Uncle Scott Moore would give her a dime.  But you know she grew up and married Sam Alexander, and was a fine looking woman and a splendid mother.  The cream of the crop.  Jeff joined the Baptist church before he died.  All the children belonged to the church.

 Then there was Mr. J. F. Donalson.  He was married and his wife lived at Warsaw, and Mr. Donalson boarded at the Hotel through the week and go home on Saturday night.  Then, the post office opened at 4 a.m. to receive the morning mail of the No. 2 mail train.  So Mr. Donalson would stop, get his mail at 6 a.m., walk over to the depot, and sit down to read his mail before going to the nursery to get the men started.  He would work as many as 25 men and boys in the summer.  At the depot, there was a man working the last trick, called Little Steave, who at one time was married to Sue Benny Gipson.  Well, Steave would get Mr. Donalson to talking on some of his favorite subjects, mostly hard times and food shortages, and we would stay sometimes until 8:30 or 9:00 a.m., and all his men would be waiting for him, to learn what he wanted them to do.

 Then there was Alfred Baker, Mr. Harry Carver’s chauffer when he was courting Florence Abbott in Warsaw.  Bill Davis was the pumper that pumped water for the trains.  I never saw him cleaned up; he lived over in old Sparta.  In Elza Wilson’s barn, that stood in front of Jeff McCune, he had some rooms fixed up in what we would call loaf. This was after his wife hung herself in an apple tree, and his three children had married and left home. He played cards when he was not pumping water.  He had two boys and a girl.  The last child died January 27, 1971.  He was a conductor, here on the L&N.  His brother was over on the E.K. Division [of the L&N].

Coates, 1913

 Mr. William Bryon Coates, the son of Alma and Verna Wright Coates and also the grandson of Addie Coates, was born on Sunday, October 26, 1913.  He was one of three children.  One died at a very early age.  Now there is just Bill and his sister Margaret left.  Their mother died when the children were very young and Daddy raised them, mostly around Glencoe in his early life.  After he got out of school he met and married Nadine OcConner.  They were married February 16, 1933.

 He farmed for a while and then World War II started and he served in Europe most all of the time.  After that was over he came home and rested for a while, until April 18, 1949, when he got a job as a mail carrier on the two routes that had been run by Charley Brock, and Oliver Griffith; one is Gallatin County, and the other is in Owen County.  Everything went well until today, August 24, 1976, when he was given a reward for his outstanding work towards the birthday of these United States, the Bicentennial.  The celebration will be next Thursday evening, one week from today, July 15, and it will open in a blaze of glory, glorious fireworks, that is.

 There was a real nice crowd.  These are the people that were at the presentation:  Mr. Gary Hildebrand, President of the Sparta Sanders Bank; Mrs. Mariel Kennedy, Cashier of the Farmers State Bank in Warsaw; Mr. Harry Kennedy, who is retired from the Standard Oil bulk plant in Sparta; Mr. Harry Breirsacher, Cashier of the Sparta-Sanders Bank; Mary F. “Tee” Crume, who is the lovely wife of Mr. J. Marvin Crume, owner of our used car lot in Sparta; Mrs. Charles Warnick, wife of the owner of the Gallatin County News, with her son who was taking pictures for the Gallatin Co. paper; Mamie Walters, clerk in the Warsaw Pharmacy, and a member of the planning committee for the celebration of the USA’s birthday; Alberta Craig; Mr. Ed McCormack, the husband of the post master, Mrs. Margie McCormack; Tots Baker, a teller for the Sparta Bank; Anna Noel, the assistant post mistress; Mrs. Ayres from the Owen County paper; Nadine Coates, the wife of Mr. William B. Coates, the man who honor was bestowed upon; Mr. W. B. Coates, the man himself; and Mr. C. N. Varble, just an onlooker taking a few pictures.  This is the first time anything like this has happened in our town.

 Just a little history about our mail carriers:  First was Mr. McHatten around 1900.  Then in 1910, Mr. Grant Samuel drove the mail for some time.  Then Mr. Charley Brock got the route from Sparta, to Warsaw, and on the Vevay, Indiana.  Then Leslie Minor was to get the Owen County route.  You see Mr. Bob Brown at Warsaw had the say so, so Oliver Griffith’s father went to see Mr. Brown, and laid $1,000 in his hand.  You know who got the job.  Well, it worked out all OK for both and everyone was happy.

 Our first mail carriers rode horse back.  Then we got a wagon on four wheels, with a door and some windows; in the winter time they carried a lantern to help keep them warm.  It was in the late 1900 decade that we had a Ford machine to carry the mail, the old Model T, which had wooden spokes and a crank in front to start the motor, if everything went well.  There were curtains on the side to help keep you dry, but not warm in the winter time.  I remember Oliver Griffith carried his pick and shovel in his car all the time so he could dig out in case he went in the ditch or a mud hole.  He also carried a flash light, for some time he ran a little late and had to find the mail box.  Some time in the winter I have seen Mr. Charley Brock ride horse back when the snow would stop the cars.  We had no road men to clean the roads then; you waited for the sun to melt the snow off.  Like the big snows of 1917 and 1918.  It started falling December 7, 1917 and the next spring Owen County paid June Gayle $5,000 to open the road from Sparta to Owenton, also the side roads.  Back in those days that was a lot of money.  It was in March before you could drive a car to Owenton.

A brief history of the Post Office at Sparta, Kentucky

 The U.S. Post Office was first in the depot, run by Cox and company.  Then about 1890 it was moved to B. J. Grant’s store, the one that is run now by Mr. and Mrs. C. N. Varble since January 10, 1933.  The office then a few years later was taken to Mr. Joe Green, the house where Norman Broen Carver did live.  From there it was moved to a building that stood in the corner of the yard now owned by Bill Farrow.  Before him it was Cotton Cob, before him was B. F. Wilson.  When at this location it was run by Norvin Record, but was in the name of Harry, Norvin’s brother.  Norvin had a lady helping him, her name was Ells C_____.  The next move was to B. F. Wilson’s store where it has stayed for 17 years.  E. t. Wilson helped run the post office for B. F.  Why was the post office moved so much? It changed hands the same as the President.  When we got a new President, if you had the pull, you got he post office.  Not so now.

 It was moved back across the street to where Jim Samuel was running his store.  He had a room on the side, making a nice place for it.  I think Norvin Record had it moved, but did not keep it very long.  In 1920 Miss Emma Riley took over the job for two years, and then E. T. Wilson took charge for 12 years.  Then, the office opened at 4 a.m. and closed a 6 p.m.  There were about 5 mails a day, coming in and going out.  At the end of 12 years, Miss Emma got the office back, and kept it for 27 years.  She retired on February 18, 1961.  She died on April 19, 1961.  Bobbie Riley was appointed in place of his mother by an old friend of the Rileys, Brent Spence.  Boby did not like the job and resigned on August 25, 1962, and Margie Riley McCormack was given the office and as of today, September 3, 1976, she’s still the post master, and Anna Noel is the helper.

 After the big fire of 1942, when the restaurant, hardware store, depot, Jimmy Samuel’s store, the post office, and Aunt Tilly’s store burned, it was the old Kell Hotel.  They moved the post office around where Porter Harris had his barber shop for years. The, after Ed ton Bickers, Miss Emma bought the building across the street from Fay Bickers’ store, then when Miss Emma died Norman Brown carver bought the building, and rented it to the government for the post office.  That is how they found that Norman had some money, and had never filed his income tax.  They sold everything he had, and when they went to sell the building where the post office is, Beckham Wilson bought the building.  A few years later Beckham died, and now his wife, Louise, owns this building.