Out On The Mudline

By W.P. Sissell

I had an interesting letter from Mr. Wilson this past week.  The information is part of a book Mr. Wilson is writing about the early days in  Paris, Mississippi.  It is difficult to imagine all the activity that Mr. Wilson describes in present day Paris.  Of course this is true of many other locations.  

One of my maternal ancestors was postmaster at Banner, Mississippi in those days.  In that information which mentions business (stores) I do not find a Shipp’s Store listed.  My wife’s father, was born in the Paris area and her grandfather, Clovis Lee Shipp, had a general store in Paris in 1899,  moving to Taylor Mississippi in the twenties. Very possibly  her father became interested in the dredge operation when it was working in the Paris area on O’tuckalofa.  

I doubt that Mr. Wilson had any way of knowing that we knew D. F. Hoyle, the Baptist preacher in Paris at the time frame of his book.  Brother Hoyle happens to have been my wife’s step-grandfather.  He tells the following story:   The Baptist Church was in a building program which Brother Hoyle was supervising.  

One morning a gentleman saw the preacher at the building site and walked over to him.  Holding out a handful of money (bills), he said, “Preacher do you want all this money I won in the crap game last night” (it was evident that the man had been drinking)? Brother Hoyle, without hesitation, took the money saying, “Certainly, we’ll take the money for the devil’s had it long enough.”

Where Can You Go From Banner?

When I mentioned the Banner area, above, I remembered a young woman in one of my Anatomy classes telling me that she lived on that little old road that ran from Banner but went nowhere.  She seemed very disconsolate about “where she was from.”  We, in our family, have a story to do away with that feeling.  I related our little story to her:  Up in Fayette County, Tennessee, where my favorite mother-in-law, Miss Nettie Lou grew up, several people were trying to have a  road closed because of lack of use.  Uncle Charles Stafford was called as a witness.  Uncle Charlie was on the witness stand being questioned by a young lawyer.   The young man asked several questions before he got to—“Mr. Stafford, tell me, just were does that road go?”  Uncle Charlie replied in his Tennessee hills drawl, “Young man, you can start on that road and go anywhere in the whole world.”  The young man, slightly startled, said, “No further questions.” When I asked about the young lady several years later I found out that she had taken me very seriously and changed her situation and location.    

Fly’s Mountain

In response to Gran72@aol.com, I refer to CR 152 just to the east of Mr. Roy Fly’s father’s place then.  I am familiar with Taylor Green and his farms approximate location.  Apparently the hill (mountain) you call Bum is directly south of our pre-Enid Reservoir era farms.  I feel sure that you’re right for our south boundary line  was joint with several landowners.   Are you familiar with Sissell’s Pond and McFarland’s Pond and the cemetery between the two. I believe that Mr. Fly’s land was/is on both sides of CR 152 but I could be wrong.   

Thank all of you for the compliments. Our family wishes for your family a happy Thanksgiving—what a wonderful nation it is that takes one of the 365 days to be thankful for all the freedoms that we have.

You can reach me most of the time at 662-563-9879, 23541 Highway 6, Batesville, MS 38606 or at my email address wsissell@bellsouth.net.