b. November 4, 1915m. October 7, 1939, Mary Selma Rivers
Samuel Watlington was an alert child and shared in the active home life of the family. He was the fourth living child, the third son of the growing family. It was a plus for him to have had the company of both grandfathers as he grew up, with Grandpa Watlington sharing in the daily labors of the home and family. His Grandpa Hammond was more elderly but still active and lived as a close neighbor with Emma Mai, his mother's younger sister. Sam was different enough from the other children that the story was circulated that when he fell in the rain-swollen stream near the home ``he floated upstream.'' The wonder is that he floated long enough for Clara Mai to call for his Mother to come rescue him. And as one sibling reported it, ``She went in, new shoes and all to pull him out.''
Sam either started to school early, or advanced two grades in one, and finished high school at Malesus in May 1933, just one year behind his brother Kenneth. He made the basketball team his last two years in high school and finished second in his class at graduation. Being in the midst of the Depression years, Sam farmed with the family the remainder of 1933, and until the summer of 1935. He found seasonal work with the State Forestry Nursery nearby, and he and Kenneth operated an old time, mule powered hay-baler for the family and neighboring farms.
In the summer of 1935 Sam accepted an invitation from his mother's first cousin in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, to come and work as a hired hand for them on their family farm near Hanover. Cousins Irene and Paul Jameson, both single, had more work than they could handle in operating a livestock farm on their part of the old Samuel Jameson homestead. Sam worked well enough with them that he was invited to stay with them through 1936. He was given room and board and a small monthly wage. This also gave Sam an early look into how others live in a different climate. It was an eye-opener for him, and he also came to know more of his Mother's ancestry and stories of the Hale, Hammond, Craig and Jamesons of northern parts. By that time many of the Craigs had migrated to Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska but he learned of them, too. After helping plant and cultivate a crop at home in early 1937, Sam went north again to work in the wheat harvest of 1937 with Craig family relatives in Pawnee City, Nebraska, and Summerfield, Kansas.
Before making that trip though, West Tennessee and much of the nation witnessed one of the most devastating floods ever in the Mississippi River Valley. Paducah, Ky., was under five feet of water at Broadway Methodist Church in downtown Paducah. Dyersburg, Tenn., Tiptonville and Memphis were all damaged by the record high waters of March 1937.
Sam describes his 1937 experience in Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota as ``an experience in farm survival during a depression.'' While he had work in Kansas with the Van Lew family during their rush season, their son Bill then joined him in an excursion farther north and west looking for work in the potato harvest. They also helped plant winter wheat in one place. Sam discovered that West Tennessee was not the only place experiencing depression.
By October Sam was back at home in Tennessee and since the Rural Electrification Project had reached the home in mid-summer, Sam and Dude Grantham joined with others to install acceptable electric wiring for the 40 year old home. It was a great big step into the modern world, and one of the greatest aids seemed to be to have an electric iron. But the economists say that with electricity you can get more work out of people because they can work winter and summer, night and day. Business picks up with a new source of light and power.
Lights to read and study by. Electric irons didn't heat up the whole house in order to do the family clothes, and when Christmas came a Montgomery Ward radio became a fixture in the farm home, and Eugene Watlington came out to help install an exterior antenna so we could receive more stations.
Sam helped gather the crop and with others helped cut wood to sell for some cash as well as wood for the family.
In 1938, Sam turned his attention more definitely to Grandpa Hammond's fine box of carpenter tools and to the building trades. He was twenty-two years of age and had seen a great stretch of the U.S.A, but work that paid was hard to come by. The older Murchison brothers, neighbors and friends, were into carpentry work and Sam wanted to join them in order to learn. He accepted work with Walter Murchison as a carpenter helper. One of the jobs was building the Newman home next door to where Sam later built his home. Then he worked with Everett and Liston Murchison on other small jobs. Wash Wyatt supervised some of these jobs. Then the Murchison Brothers got some contracts on Federal housing jobs at Stanton, Tenn. and in Kentucky. Wash Wyatt helped Sam get an apprentice carpenter's card with the Carpenter's Union in Jackson, Tenn., so he could continue to work with them. Through the Carpenter's Union he became aware of the great variety of work involved with carpentry.
Sometime in 1939 Mr. H. A. (Gus) Thompson, a carpenter neighbor, knew that Piggly Wiggly factory was taking on new men, and he and Otha Clampitt recommended Sam for a carpenter job at the Piggly Wiggly Factory in Jackson, Tenn. This was the first steady carpenter job Sam had had, so now he could look at marriage. He had saved a few dollars and had bought better clothes and tools. In October 1939 he and Mary Rivers were married at the Rivers home on Hart's Bridge Road. Their first home was a second floor apartment on East Chester in Jackson, close enough that Sam could walk to his job if need be.
It was also close to the Carpenter's union offices and classrooms where classes were taught for apprentice carpenters. The Union called their classes a ``Union Apprentice School.'' It was here that Sam improved his carpenter mathematics and studied reading blueprints and other skills for contracting. He was already looking toward building a house and in 1940 bought three acres on Watlington Road where Kay Collins later built. When it became evident that there were no county plans to improve that road soon, he purchased his present home site on Old Pinson Road.
Sometime in the fall of 1940 or early 1941 Sam and family members laid the foundation for the first rooms of his home at 363 Old Pinson Raod. The land was purchased from Mr. J. W. Hamlett and was a part of the old Hardin land, the same as the Hammond farm further west. Sam was working eight hour days at Piggly Wiggly and could only get in a few days occasionally on the house. But since they were expecting a baby soon there was more reason to hurry and the house was built and a well put in before Sam Stephens, Jr. was born July 1st, 1941. When Mary and the baby were brought home from the hospital they were able to go into the house, though still unfinished.
Shortly after Steve was born some defense projects were opening up and Sam, Mack and Paul were all anxious to get into these projects which paid union scale for their labor. Sam and M. A. Dees left the security of a job at Piggly Wiggly factory to try their hand at construction jobs at Paris, Tenn., where they built the facilities for Camp Tyson. Lucille Land, the executive secretary at the Union office was able to send them to work early and help Paul and Mack with their Union membership also.
After some months of work in 1941 and 1942 at Paris, Tenn. (where they had to board during the work-week) many of the workers shifted to construction sites around Dothan, Alabama, and in the Panhandle of Florida. When it looked like a long time job there, they looked for an apartment or house where Mary and Steve could join them, and cook and wash for the men. In this way they got involved with some big construction projects and Sam was advanced to foreman and before leaving Florida was assistant superintendent on some projects with the Jones Construction Company. Mack was drafted April 4, 1942 so did not continue into South Florida, but Mary, Sam and Paul worked many months before Paul's draft call came in March 1943. By this time Sam's work was more in Central Florida and as Paul did some of his training at Drew Field, Tampa, he was able to visit them on some weekends. Sam continued to work, even though he expected to go into service also, through 1943 and into the Spring of 1944.
At that time it was obvious that he would be drafted, and even more obvious that Mary was going to have another child. They decided to come home to Tennessee for the birth of Charles Lee, May 9th and to give Sam time to get the house in better condition for Mary and the children while he was in the service. They returned in the Spring and Sam returned to work at the Piggly Wiggly Factory until he was called to Army Service in Feb. 1945. These months at home again before going into service helped renew their work and family ties during the war years. Sam could not get into a contracting business in Tennessee during these months because he could not know when he would be drafted.
Sam's experience with supervision of workmen and construction continued in the U.S. Army Engineers as they worked on buildings for the Army Air Corps in Seoul, Korea. Opting to return as soon as possible to Tennessee still gave Sam nearly a full year of construction experience in U.S. Army service.
Even in Okinawa in September 1945 Sam and Mack were already talking plans for their return to carpenter work in Tennessee or Florida. Charles Jones of Flordia, with whom Sam had worked, was eager for him to return and work with him in a booming post-war Florida. They had traveled enough to know there were multiple opportunities once the War had ended. But as late as the winter of '46-'47 they still had not committed themselves, and knew that they did not have the capital backing them to begin anything in a big way. But Mack argued that one needed to decide where he wanted to be, to stay, and build around that over a long period. He really wasn't encouraged to try Florida again unless they really intended to transplant their homes there permanently.
Hence, by March 1947, they were making a decision to go into partnership and to stay put in Madison Co., Tenn. They both had jobs working with other contractors, but if they were to start out for themselves they needed to take the risk of low incomes for several years as they went it alone. Something of the story of the Watlington Bros. General Contractors is told elsewhere, so will not be repeated here. But the decision to put down roots in Madison Co. for the development of their life work was a basic. And in making it their wives were taking a risk and making a decision along with them.
Sam and Mary had purchased about 4 1/2 acres of land for their home, and now that they were settling down, Sam fenced his land, separated a garden plot, and bought a milk cow to have milk and butter for the family. Both Mary and Sam knew how to care for cows, calves, milk and cream. It was just one more way of living through a depression. They knew how to care for a vegetable garden, chickens and pigs also. But the cow became a fixture to provide adequate fresh milk for the family, and a third son, born in February 1949.
Mary's aging parents lived not far away and at times she needed to help them. In fact she had lived part of the time Sam was in service with them more than at home although she could move between the two. In turn they could help keep the children while she ran errands for the construction company. Having both sets of grandparents nearby helped mutually and the ``grandchildren'' had more than one place where they felt at home.
Sam and Mary both had a place in the life of the Methodist Church at Malesus and as the family grew they counted on the church to help ``raise the boys.'' Sunday School, scouting activities, ball games, Easter egg hunts, and family friends all contributed. As others have put it, ``It takes a whole village to raise children.'' Sam and Mack both picked up strongly on the scouting program, at the local troop and also as district scouting leaders. Both earned the Silver Beaver Award for supportive adults in the program and Sam's family has continued to work with grandchildren and youth of the community in scouting. Church School, Scouts, and community organization were all a part of their life and their contribution to the community of Malesus, in south Madison County.
As the Watlington Bros. work opportunities expanded, Sam's responsibilities multiplied faster than the support staff, and he and Mary were running sixteen hour days. Their family phone was the company number also. Health concerns entered as Sam developed the symptoms of a gastric ulcer. Fortunately the diagnosis, treatment and medical recommendation was adequate to get his full attention. The prescription was to play more, to relax some, to ease up. At this point they were in financial condition to do so, but the work was exciting and fulfilling. It wasn't just a job, but a vocation, a dream come true.
Sam had learned to fish, and did fish and hunt at times. Now that the medical prescription was ``to ease up,'' he began to see that recreation was necessary. Some of the time it could be with the boys and their recreation at school and home, but at other times it needed to be away from the phone, the office and even the family. He became an avid fisherman and bird hunter. The fishing took him out for a day or more away from business. The hunting involved carrying for and training quail hunting dogs which was a year round job. The hunting was only for a few months a year.
So now it was the dogs that replaced the milk cow--and at times it was both. But building hunting and fishing into his busy schedule kept him active and outdoors, including some walking to stay in shape for hunting. The Company cabin at Saltillo was a part of this need for recreation, and also a place that could be shared with work associates and family friends. Later a fishing camp was established at another place on the river.
Many people probably never knew that Sam ever had any health crisis, but most did discover that his hunting and fishing interests grew, without any hint of the basic causes.
Youth Town of Tennessee, at Pinson, is another community project in which Sam, Mary and Watlington Bros., Inc., have participated. Youth Town was created by citizens of Jackson to be a ``second chance'' or alternate home for troubled youths who lacked careful, supportive families. Sam was on the Board of Directors in 1962, and he encouraged Hubert Williams to get involved also. Recently both Sam and Hubert were made honorary lifetime members of the Board of Directors.
Sam and members of local churches were encouraged to help ``father'' these boys and give them some adult male role models, as well as activities outside of their group life in the Youth Town Village. For many years Sam spent some time and considerable money in being supportive to a succession of boys at Youth Town. Here his own need to get his mind off his work and the needs of the boys complemented one another. It was a win-win-win situation; good for the boys, good for Sam and good for the community, although hard on Mary at times.
Sam became an active member of the Rotary Club of Jackson, Tenn. in 1966 and he encouraged Club members and the Club itself to get actively involved in Youth Town. He has continued to be active in the Rotary Club where his brother Kenneth also is a member. Sam and his brother Mack are credited with getting Mrs. Florence Pacaud Patton (A.V. Patton) interested in Youth Town and securing her chief contribution which financed the construction of the Youth Town Activity Center. Mrs. Patton was a step-daughter to Mack Rob Watlington in his second marriage and continued as a life-long friend of the Ulrich Watlington family.
Sam, his three sons and four grandsons were pictured in an article on scouting in the ``Jackson Sun'' on December 22, 1989 as Sam was involved in the West Tennessee Council's Capital Funds Campaign to secure over two million dollars for funding improvements in the camping facilities for scouts in the region. Not only have the boys all been scouts, they have all achieved Eagle Scout rank as they took part in scouting. One of the sons continues to be a volunteer leader with the scouting program in the community of Malesus.
At a confessed eighty years of age Sam still has some opportunities for fishing and hunting; and he still keeps an office at Watlington Bros. Construction Company. When his brother Mack died in 1976 Sam arranged to purchase his part in the incorporated ``Watlington Brothers Construction Co., Inc.'' to reserve for his children control of the enterprise. By this time all three sons were working in aspects of the Company, with Samuel Stephens, Jr., moving toward General Manager. Guiding them into leadership in the Company reduced Sam and Mary's responsibilities but they kept active in the affairs of the Company, the Church and Community. He has continued to be available and alert to contacts and trends in the construction business. Their three sons have become leaders in various aspects of business and community life in Madison County, Tennessee.
In the early 1930's people were building new houses along U.S. Highway 45, and Highway 18 toward Malesus and Medon. One of those new neighbors was Charles D. Rivers and family who moved there in 1933. The family was originally from Gibson County, north of Jackson, but Mr. Rivers and son Douglas were operating a contract mail service, getting the U.S. mail to and from the mail trains and the Jackson Post Office. They needed to be nearby and meet the train on time everytime.
The Watlingtons got acquainted with them quickly because they were Methodists and were soon taking part in the Malesus ``Ebenezer'' Methodist Church. There were seven children, the oldest two nearly grown and the rest in school and church with the family. About this time also Mr. River's sister-in-law, Lula, (Mrs. William R. Rivers) came with two of her sons to Madison Co. from southern Illinois.
Sam Watlington made special efforts to help the family feel at home in the community and years later he and Mary Selma Rivers married--the first marriage in both families. Alf was in the high school class with John William, and Zelma and Lela Mae were near the age of Paul; Arnold and Elton shared at least six years of school together.
Mr. C. D. (Charley) River's parents had reared their family of two sons and one daughter, Rosa in Gibson County between Medina and Humboldt. Mr. Rivers married in 1911 Miss Angie Lee Fulghum whose family farmed near Humboldt, Tenn. The Fulghums had a large farm and tenant families producing truck crops for the Humboldt market. Charlie and Angie began farming in Gibson County and later moved with their three older children to rural Chester Co., Tenn. for two years and then by 1921 moved to Madison Co. where he bought a farm on Johnson Loop Road near the Big Springs community. He ran a dairy farm and also moved houses. He used this skill in helping to remodel the Ebenezer Methodist Church in 1936 when a part of the building had to be moved to the other side of the church.
A few years after building their home on U.S. Highway 45 the family purchased a farm on the Hart's Bridge Road and built a modern dairy barn and milk house on it. They operated a dairy there for several years while the children were still at home to help. The family continued to attend the Malesus High School and Methodist Church there. Doug Rivers operated a school bus serving Malesus School for several years also when school buses were privately owned and operated. In his later years Mr. Rivers joined the Lester's Chapel Methodist Church closer to his farm and home. He was a good steward and the church and community had a very important place in his life and home.
During World War II, Alf was not able to go to military duty for physical reasons, but he filled a very important role in telecommunications with Southern Bell Telephone Co. at Jackson and Dyersburg, Tenn. Douglas and Arnold were both called into military service. Doug suffered some severe injuries in military training and was discharged for medical reasons because of the injuries which persisted to trouble him the rest of his life. Arnold served with the Army Air Corps as a crew member on bombers and returned home safely. He later worked many years with Southern Bell Telephone Co., at Jackson, Tenn. Zelma found work with the Tennessee Valley Authority, working most of her years in or near Chattanooga, Tenn. Lela Mae and Lois found work in Memphis, Tenn. and Lela Mae married and reared her family in the Memphis area. Mary and Sam Watlington were involved with military construction projects in the early war years and then Sam served with the Army Engineers in construction work in Korea after the war.