b. September 28, 1917m. December 18, 1954, Lonnie Bennett Black
(b. March 4, 1916, d. March 11, 1992)
Evelyn Sophronia, the middle sister of the Watlington-Hammond family, made a great contribution to the growing family as she stayed at home after graduation from high school in 1935 to help her mother and Aunt Mai provide for the needs of the maturing family. We had ``two mothers'' as Joe Conrad insisted on reporting to one of his school teachers, ``Aunt Mai and Mama.'' Even two mothers were still short-handed for farm living when the basic livelihood for the family had to come from the farm, barn and garden. All food had to be grown, cleaned, stored and prepared for the household of up to fifteen people, including Grandpa Watlington and Aunt Mai. At times two or more were not at home, but then we had cousins and friends who could drop by for a meal also.
Sam, Mack and Herman worked away from home several of the years but until the 1940's we had to ``set table'' for ten to twelve people, which required a large garden, dairy products, home grown and prepared meats and lots of rice, flour, peas and potatoes.
In an accompanying article Evelyn tells something of the washing, ironing and canning that homemaking in the 1930's required but some word of recognition needs to be said also. She was there through the kitchen reconstruction project and the death of our mother Jennie in August of 1941. As the family became more dispersed in late 1941 and 1942 the home duties were not so intense and she was ``freed up'' to continue her studies for her working career. In 1942 she was offered an introductory scholarship to Mr. Padgett's Business School in Jackson, Tenn. which she accepted with help from the family so she could attend.
As she improved her secretarial skills at business school she watched for job opportunities and found that Western Union was looking for additional operators. She qualified for their training program except for the physical tests: her teeth had been neglected, and she needed eye glasses. While caring for others her own health had been neglected. After remedies for those needed health items she was ready for Western Union Training School at Gainesville, GA in late 1942. Western Union needed extra operators with increasing wartime business and she qualified as a ``relief operator'' for West Tennessee. Being more mature qualified her for this task in small stations where she was often the only operator on duty. As the years passed she continued with Western Union and became the principal bookkeeper for the larger Jackson office.
Rachel Weir, classmate of Elton, and sweetheart of her brother Paul, went to work for Western Union during the war years also and in later years they worked in the same office in Jackson. It was there that she came to know Lonnnie Black, a brother to Mrs. Lucile Ricketts, manager of the Western Union office in Jackson, whom she married December 18, 1954.
Lonnie had grown up in Jackson though the family was from Jones County Mississippi. He had worked in service stations and truck driving and during World War II he worked at a U.S. Army Airfield where B-29 bombers were being tested near Birmingham, Ala. For some years following World War II he worked at service stations and in 1954 had returned home after a nervous breakdown for recuperation. In Jackson he helped his brother in a carpet company.
After their marriage they lived several years in a home Evelyn had purchased on Hwy. 45 near her father's home. Later the Watlington Brothers Construction Co. chose to expand their office space and purchased the house and lot and others nearby for a new development along the highway. At that time Lonnie and Evelyn purchased a house at 1648 Westover Road where Evelyn continues to live. Evelyn continued to work at Western Union until they closed the regular Jackson office in 1972. Soon afterward Lonnie and Evelyn went into a Lion Oil Co. service station business on Airways Blvd. They worked together there about six years after which Lonnie worked at various jobs, including working in security and maintenance work with Daniels Construction Co. while they constructed the Owen-Corning Fiber Glass plant and the Proctor and Gamble Potato chip plant in Jackson, Tenn.
Lonnie's health began to fail in his retirement, aggravated by a broken hip in the Fall of 1991. He and Evelyn had enjoyed fishing the Tennessee River at Saltillo and they continued to enjoy gardening and fishing together until his death March 10, 1992. He was buried near relatives in the Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson.
Evelyn has continued to participate actively in the small Oak Grove United Methodist Church and enjoys her garden and home in Westover. She also has had the health to enjoy some traveling and renewing of contacts with family and friends at Malesus. Though troubled by cataracts and eyesight problems, she also enjoys reading, television, and visits to less fortunate relatives.
Lon died peacefully at his home at noon on Wednesday March 11, 1992. He was 76 years and one week old. In June 1991 he had broken a hip and although he had regained considerable mobility he had never fully recovered from that infirmity.
He has only one sister surviving him, Hazel Black Sousa of Waynesville, N.C. who was not able to attend the funeral. Other than his widow, he leaves his sister Hazel, and one nephew, Phillip Sousa of North Carolina.
His parents both lived in Jackson, Tenn. for many years but they were from near Laurel, Mississippi, and were buried there. Lon was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson near one of his sisters. Griffin Funeral Home took care of the arrangements and Rev. Jerry Barker, pastor of First Baptist Church of Alamo, led the graveside services on Friday morning, March 13, with the presence of family and friends.
Lon had worked at several different jobs which included managing service stations, trucking escort service, and security work. He worked several years in security service with Proctor and Gamble Corporation in Jackson and also several years in security work for the Owens-Corning Fiber Glass plant off Highway 70W at Jackson, near his home.