At the time I was born, Uncle Bud (Marvin L. Segrest), Daddy’s oldest brother owned a 200 acre farm that adjoined the place where the Little House was built, and lay west of the Little House. Uncle Bud’s place went all the way from the swamp, and the old B&SE railroad right-of-way to the big road. The home that he had built was near the big road, perhaps one hundred yards from the road. I strongly suspect that he had financed the purchase of the place with a Federal Land Bank Loan. I do not know when he bought it and built the house and barn. His mule was named Henry.
Uncle Bud and Aunt Runnie had eight children, and by the time I was born, several of them were already adult, married and not living at their home any longer. But Aaron, Virginia, Franklin, Montez and Zenoma were all still living at home. Juanita may have been there too, but the best I remember, Minnie and Vernon were not there. In any event, Vernon went into the army during World War II. Aaron, if I remember right, went into the Army shortly thereafter.
We did a lot of visiting from and at the Little House with Franklin, Montez and Zenoma. In the summer, there would be watermelons at out house, and Aunt Runie, Montez and Zenoma came often to cut a watermelon. We played house with Montez and Zenoma in the pine thicket between the Little House and Uncle Earl’s house. We raked pine straw into lines for the walls. Dolls were often envolved.
Franklin, Wade and I played baseball. In the absence of a bat or a ball, we improvised with a stick for a bat and tin can for a ball. Franklin and I were one team and Wade the other. The ballpark was in the pasture between the Little House and Uncle Earl’s house.
Uncle Bud had a cane patch down next to the old railroad right of way. He had a cane mill, and “cooked” syrup. I remember going there with Mama to help with the cane grinding and syrup making. I don’t remember the details his cane and syrup operation. I was very small.
Not long after we moved from the Little House, Uncle Bud and Aunt Runnie had to give up there place, either foreclosure or a forced sale. I did not know the details, but Wade and I were big enough to help them move to the Carr place—the large farm owned by Frank Carr, where Uncle Bud lived and worked for him for a while.
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