Uncle Lebon

He was the older brother of my granddaddy Frank. And I think at one time he went with my grandmother until the younger brother came home. Anyway he never married and when I was small he stayed with my grandparents. They had an argument and he moved out. I cried that day but he didn't move far, I could still get there. He never drove a car, he drove a mule and wagon for a time till they sold them and bought tractors, which he also never drove. If he couldn't hitch a ride to town with someone he walked. That was about six miles one way. If he wanted to go to the other farm he walked. He knew his roots and he could tell you every county in Ga. He was a tobacco farmer for a while but he leased out his land. He was good at what he called "doodling" tobacco plants when they were set. In this process, after the hand setter dropped the plant someone had to put dirt around it. This was done with a forked stick. He always wore bib overalls with big back pockets. Sometimes he wore and old black felt hat. My brother and I would walk with him sometimes, not on long trips, of course. When we were small we would get on his back and hang on to his shoulders an put our bare feet in his back pockets. As far as I remember his only income was a little social security and what he made off his crops. He really knew how to hold on to money. I use to hear people say he was tight with his money but he had to be. He only got paid when he sold his crops. He lived alone for many years in the house I lived in as a very small child. It had a long porch and a kitchen at the end of that porch. Houses were built like that so if the kitchen caught fire maybe the rest of the house could be saved.

When he got old and feeble and unable to care for himself he went to stay with his niece, yvonne. We would go visit him as often as we could. He lived till long after I was married and come back home to settle down with my family. Since he had no heir his property was sold off and divided among the remaining family members. I think he was a good man and I was honored to have him as my great-uncle.

hugs neon_sapphire