More than you ever wanted to know about Alabama native Joe Watts
Went home to Octagon, Alabama over the weekend. Among other things, I did a bit of rummaging for old family photos. I brought back quite a few–still many more to go through. I’ve only scanned a couple, but thought this interesting, and in keeping with the other family gathering photos I’ve posted lately. This one is unlabeled, but I’d guess a late 1920’s date by the age of my mom.
That’s the inscription on the back, along with a date stamp of August 26, 1941.
WIlliam Sylvester Skinner, Joseph Gustavus Watts, William Lauren Skinner, William Skinner Watts, Annie Townsend Skinner Watts, Clark Etheldred Watts, Barvel Haddox Watts
Photo taken in 1934. This was found in an envelope with the names of all those in the photo listed. Let this be a reminder to you, IF YOU HAVE PHOTOS, BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE NAMES OF PEOPLE IN THEM!
How exciting. I got my new scanner hooked up today. I should be working, but I just couldn’t resist taking a few minutes to play with it (it is, by the way, great so far).
This is the last photo I have of Mama, taken Christmas 2006 after everyone was gone home but Ann and me. We stayed and visited and watched Mama do her crossword–no one stopped her from completing her crossword every day. She firmly believed in exercise–both body and mind-and would do those crosswords every day as religiously as she would do her morning exercises in bed before getting up. I wish I had her tenacity.I love old photos. I love old family photos, particularly. This is a photo from World War II of my Uncle Bud (my mother’s brother who died of lung cancer when I was very young). When I was younger, I didn’t really understand the importance of family. It seemed that friends were much more valuable. You could choose your friends, so, for the most part, they were most like you.
What I failed to understand was that friends come and go, but family is forever–or at least it should be. I put this photo of Uncle Bud here for a reason. His son, Nollie, has really proven that family is forever. When I was growing up, I hardly knew Nollie. Then, I went off to college and really lost touch with everyone in Marengo County other than my parents. In recent years, I’ve made some inroads back into the community. I probably know more people now than I did growing up.
I’m involved with www.alabamasfrontporches.com, the Ala-Tom RC&D, Clarke County Development Foundation and several other projects. I’m in the Black Belt at least once every couple of months working on something. And I always run into people who knew me when I was young–if they don’t know me, they certainly know some of my family. Mama would be pleased that I was getting back, at least a little, to my rural roots.
But business relationships aside, I have a stronger bond to family than I ever have before. I just can’t imagine going through life without a strong connection to my siblings. Having a place to go, to visit, to have Christmas and birthdays and just good times is key to this. Going home to Octagon has allowed me to connect to Nollie, It has given me a place to connect to my nieces and nephews and brother-in-laws. This tight bond would never exist without Octagon, the place that lets us all get together and be, well, a family.
