Recollections: Legends of Yesterday

­­This is a reprint of original articles by Hugh Woolley, a longtime resident and community leader of Graceville. Woolley published these articles in The Graceville News more than 20 years ago.

Originally published in the March 01, 2001 edition of The Graceville News.

In reference to the last article, Sidney and his wife, Mary, found out Mr. Ezekiel's wife was Harriet Ann Jordan.

Cliff Pelham called my attention to a grave in the ole Collins Mill Cemetery. The grave is that of an Ezekiel Register, born in 1780, which makes him 29 years old at the time that the Marvin Chapel Ezekiel was born. Could this have been Ezekiel Ira Register's father? Cliff and I visited the cemetery last week, there is lots of history out there.

Allen Register, 1891, married Molly Demonia Golden who was the sister of Eagar Barfield's wife, Minnie Golden, and also the sister of the late W.A. Golden, the father of Russell and Warren Golden.

Be ever so careful how you talk about these Florida natives around Graceville or you will be talking about one's kin, which reminds me of the conversation two fellows had about up north. "Yep, I been up there myself and about all I could find were hockey players and prostitutes." "Well," says the other fellow, "My daughter is up there." The other fellow quickly says, "What team does she play on." Quick thinking.

As mentioned before, Mr. Ezekiel owned several acres of land just southeast of Graceville. Mr. Allen decided that he would sell his land that was given to him by his father and go to Blountstown and put up a grist mill. According to Sidney Bush, his people discouraged Allen from going to Calhoun County. He was told that there was a little corn grown down there and most of it was made into whole grain whiskey.

I used to work Calhoun County when I was peddling fertilizer. I had one dealer tell me that his daddy was a moonshiner and said, "I have made enough whiskey in my lifetime to float the Titanic over the Rocky Mountains." (That is a large quantity). He showed me the liquor house where they store it in barrels. One could see the rings on the floor.

Now getting back to Mr. Allen, his enterprise didn't pan out and he came back to Jackson County with all his belongings in one Jersey Wagon. Mr. Allen must have learned a good lesson in economics, as all his children that I knew were thrifty, knew the value of a dollar and were the best of businessmen. This excellent talent, a trait even spilled over in many of his grandchildren. As I have said before Mr. E. told me about them living in the A.J. Crutchfield house.

Mary Carter Bush and Sidney Bush have a favorite story told them by Mr. Rufus, Sidney's granddaddy, while they lived in the A.J. Crutchfield house. One day Mr. Allen and Mrs. Molly left to go to town and warned the children not to go in a certain room while they were gone. Curiosity got the best of the children, so in the forbidden room they went and found a little iron pot full of gold coins. "We all got a whipping for this," said Mr. Rufus.

I knew and met most of the Register boys or sons of Mr. Allen and have said before they all did well. I have written about Mr. Rufus and Mr. E. There were Glenn and Curtis who were very thrifty. They about learned the trade of plastering buildings, sheet rock was unheard of then. Zula married a Bell. Holly died with pneumonia at age nineteen. Glenn married Annie Maxie Dixson. Annie married a Bell, Corine married a Peacock and lived in Columbus, GA. Curtis married Louise Ivey and I knew several of their children, Elton, Ted, Joe, Molly and Peggy.

Wesley married a Williams. I used to sell him fertilizer taught his son, Jack in school. Viola married a Bymun and also lives in Columbus. Otis, the youngest child, married a Shiver and I taught his sons, Norman and Donald, at Graceville High. I failed to mention Glenn's children, Glenn Jr., Eddie, Gwin, and Jimmy. They all turned out to be good businesspeople and are well known in the community.

Photo ID: Allen and Molly Register with three oldest children - Zula, Rufus, and Holly

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