Albert Eugene Watlington, the youngest child of Michael Roberts Armstrong and Eula Daniel Watlington, was born June 28, 1896 near Pinson, Tennessee. Not much is known of his early years, except that he had the usual childhood illnesses, including typhoid, and was largely cared for by his oldest sister, Mable Lee, their mother being in poor health.
After the death of the mother and a few lapsed years, Mac Rob married Mrs. Ella Pacaud and remained on her farm with the Pacaud family until it became not a little uncomfortable for him. Mable, who had married, took Albert to live with her and her husband, Will Stephens. Aunt Mable (Nanty) and Uncle Will (Brother Will to Albert) cared for him as they would a son; in fact Albert was to be the only son they ever had. He was well provided for and entered into College Street School, which then had grades one thru twelve. Uncle Will built and operated general stores and built a house nearby, so Albert had adequate chores.
As a young man, Albert met and soon married (on June 10, 1917) Antoinette Glover, daughter of Robert Alexander Glover and Frances Morris Glover, who had come to Jackson from the Whiteville-Somerville area some year before. Albert and Annette had arranged to be married at the parsonage, with only a couple in attendance, but when they arrived the preacher came out to the car to meet them and mentioned that there were quite a number of their friends inside. They asked if he could just marry them there, which he did--in the car.
The Stephens-Watlington family became four and lived and worked together for a number of years, operating a restaurant on South Royal and later a farm at Westover--known then as Petersville. That soon became too much, so Uncle Will opened another store in town and Albert, Annette and their sons, William Eugene (b. 1918) and James L. (b. 1922), rented a place on Tomlin Street until Uncle Will found them a little house, built by Brother Camp on Chester Street just two doors up from him and Nanty. Albert had been working in Mrs. House's Grocery on South Royal and on the extra board at the Jackson Water Works, the latter becoming a full time career in the late twenties. He became chief operator and retired after thirty-six years.
Life was not all ease in those depression years but there was always food on the table, sometimes simple but always good. Annette had learned to cook from Nanty and that can't be beat. For a long time there was no running water nor electricity and a wood stove; later a kerosene stove were used for cooking, with grate and coal circulating stove for heating.
The family began increasing in 1934 when Bobby Mack came along, followed by Anne in 1936 and Donald Ray in 1937. Donald lived only five months, dying the same year that his Grandfather Mac Rob died.
Albert and Annette enjoyed life--their friends, relatives, children, church, the movies, the St. Louis Cardinals and later even the New York Yankees, and especially visits to Uncle Will's and Nanty's most every Sunday and Christmas and to our family south of town--Grandpa, Uncle Ulrich, Aunt Jenny, Aunt Mai and the cousins.
Albert and Annette had spent a couple of years in Pineville, La. where James was born in 1922. Albert's brother John had helped him get a job on the railroad where he worked, but not too much time passed before Albert's leg was broken by a log on a railroad car. In late 1922 Uncle Will and Nanty decided it was time ``the children'' (Albert and Annette) came home.
Albert died at Jackson-Madison County Hospital following surgery and
complications. He, Donald, Uncle Will and Nanty are buried on the
same lot in Hollywood, Cemetery, Jackson, Tenn.
They lived at 1313 East Chester St.
in East Jackson from 1927 until long after the death
of Albert in 1965. Annette continued to live there until about 1980
when she sold and purchased a home at 100 Morningside Drive. The
family home had the Forbis family as neighbors many of these years.
The parents and several siblings of Annette moved to Oklahoma and died
there. Albert and Annette have seventeen grandchildren and several great
grandchildren in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Florida.
As Will and Mable Stephens cared for Albert and Annette in their early years, so did Albert and Annette care for Will and Mable in the later years. Indeed, they lived and cared for one another as family in three generations.