LOIS G. B.
4/1977
Mary Elizabeth Crawford - Sept, 1867 - Mar. 1939 -
Married Sept. 18, 1890 - I don’t know where.
Mabel - Oct. 1, 1892 – 1962
Gussie – April, 1894 lived one year, buried in Carbon
Hill. They had her moved to Amory,
Miss. Buried there in 1903. Mama said never again would she move
anymore.
Lois - Dec. 23, 1898 born in Carbon Hill –
Olive – Oct., 1900 – Mar., 1955 – Buried in Imboden.
(Arkansas)
Papa & Mama (Richmond
Virginia Goss & Mary Elizabeth Crawford), Mabel, Olive & Lois
moved to Jasper, Ala. From Carbon Hill and lived there about one yr. until Papa
could build us a big house in Loss Creek, Ala.
He and Grandpa Goss (James W. Goss)
built the store also for the coal miners families to use. Papa Goss (Richmond
Virginia Goss) had run a coal mine in Carbon Hill. He heard of one he could lease in Loss
Creek, so he did.
Eunice was born Sept. 12, 1902 in Loss Creek, Ala. (About
6 mi. out of Jasper). I remember the
day she was born. I was 4 years old and
Mama (Mary Elizabeth Crawford) let me go to the
“one room” school that day with Mabel.
When we came home Eunice was there.
I still remember that day as it was yesterday. Papa (Richmond Virginia Goss) had
a prosperous mine. He let me ride on
the big white mule that pulled the little coal trains out of the mine. That turned out to be the richest coal vein
of any around there anywhere. In 1902
he sold his lease in Loss Creek to the Galloway Coal Co. in Birmingham for a
fabulous price evidently, for Papa never had to work again. All he did the rest of his life were hobbies
- like bees - raising prize chickens and entering them in fairs in Ala. &
Miss. We moved to Amory, Miss. In
1903. He bought stock in the bank
there, built the big brick house. I
started to school there in 1904. Grandpa
Goss (James W. Goss) would come to visit us
from Nauva, Ala. as Grandma Goss (Sara Ann Davis) died
young. Her family, she was Sara Ann
Davis, were related to Pres. Jefferson Davis Family.
Papa Goss (Richmond Virginia
Goss) Dad, James W. Goss died in Ala. born in N. Carolina died at 72
yrs. He was mustered out of Civil War
at Richmond, Va. when Papa was born and that is why he named Papa Goss Richmond
Virginia! His (James
W. Goss or should this be “Her – not His”, Mary Elizabeth Crawford) mother
was Minerva Jane Johnson and she was related to Pres. Andrew Johnson’s
family. She was born in Ala. but died
in Wheatland, Ind. Mama Goss (Mary Elizabeth Crawford) dad Stark Sims Crawford
moved to Vincens, Ind. For a while when Mama was young. As far as I know Papa & Mama met in Ind.
But they all came back south except aunt Gusie
(Spell?) McCord, mama’s sister who still lived in Wheatland, Ind. When Grover and I took her to visit there in
1935 in our new Chevrolet, Mama had Olivia with her and we took Grover Jr.
Mama’s (Mary Elizabeth Crawford)
dad Stark Sims Crawford 1834 – 1915 Born in N. Carolina died &
buried in Gordo, Ala. along side the Carr family, Mama’s sister Mattie Crawford
Carr. Mama took all four of us girls to
visit Grandpa Crawford (Stark Sims Crawford)
and Aunt Mattie Carr in Gordo. I
remember it well, while we lived in Amory.
Grandpa (Stark Sims Crawford) had long
white beard, a typical Southern Gentleman.
Mama Goss (Mary Elizabeth
Crawford) was born in Holly Springs, Miss. Papa Goss (Richmond Virginia Goss) was
born in Birmingham. I know nothing
about their marriage and neither did Mabel.
We talked about it lots. Papa
and Mama always provided a good happy home for all four of us girls. We had plenty of money it seemed. In Amory we had two horses, a surry with the
fringe on top we all rode to S. S. & church. We had a small buggy Mama would drive around town. We moved to Verona, Miss. In 1906 after we
sold the Amory house to a man named Grady.
Verona is now taken in by Tupelo, Miss.
I have a school album that some of Mabel’s friends wrote in for me at
Verona in 1908. Mama took us four girls
to Tupelo (6 mi.) to Ringland Brothers Circus in the buggy. She had a little pistol in her purse,
precaution I guess. So when we stopped
by the side of the road to go, go, in the brush she saw a snake and shot it
dead. At Verona was where we had woods
in back of the house and a big drove of peacocks – just came with the
house. Papa was a restless kind always
looking for something better. He would
buy a big house. He and Mama always
worked in church. He was a Deacon and
Mama into W.M.S. They both read a lot
and studied. We always had an extra
bedroom and most always had the visiting preacher. Help was cheap then in the south so we had lots of company and
lots of good food.
Mabel married when we lived in the Nemick house across
from the Methodist Church. She was 6
yrs. older than me. Oscar would bring
her a box of candy almost every time he came to see her. She would have a time keeping Eunice, Olive,
and me from sneaking out some of it.
Papa (Richmond Virginia Goss) soon built
the house across the river. Mabel and
Oscar lived in the house on McKamey farm.
Then up the river while Martin Goss lived. He (He who?) was born at our
house and so was Wilson Goss (June 10, 1918).
Grover and I were married there Sept.28, 1916, a big wedding. Olive and Edwin were married in Baptist
Church.
Papa (Richmond Virginia Goss) sold
the farm about 1920 and they moved to Florida, Eunice too. He had the shoe store there, as a hobby, for
he and Eunice to run. He died of a
heart attack, only 55 years old. Mama (Mary Elizabeth Crawford) sold the store, the house
they owned. She came back to Imboden
lived at Olive’s. Eunice stayed with me
until she and Carroll married. Grover
Jr. was born in Imboden Aug. 6, 1922.
Papa died that fall Nov. 1922.
The depression during Hoover administration caused us to
loose everything as most every one else in the United States did. We moved to St. Louis. We all worked. My boys are the best. We
have 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grand children. Grover (Bowers) Sr. died Dec. 16,
1973. I’m 78 now. Look back on a happy life. I dearly love my family and all that married
into it.