MY VISIT BACK HOME

My visit back to my old home of Chilton County, Alabama, after 27 years of absence, began when I landed in Thorsby, Alabama on the third day of July, 1930 at ll:00. This is a small village on the L & N Railroad, where my father lived fifty years ago (1880), and I was seven years old. I can remember my father had a big saw mill that would cut seventy-five thousand feet of lumber per day. When I got off the bus, I left my suitcase in the station and took a stroll for three hours. I located the places where we lived when I was a seven year old boy where I roamed and wandered over the hills and valleys and thru this village. Ah, my mind was completely lost in the vision of my young boyhood days, still I did not try to know anybody. I was a stranger to everybody, and everybody was a stranger to me.

So I went to the passenger depot and sat down on a bench and dreamed of my young life that had passed 50 years ago. I thought I would look around and see if I could find anybody I knew. The first place of business I went into was a butcher market and as I stepped in the door Bob Marttin, my own cousin, said-if there aint O.L. Robinson, and started at me with a butcher knife in his hand. I said-Put down your knife, I'm not mad, and he threw it down and grabbed me and said-O.L., I did not know that I ever would meet you again, I'm so glad to see you once more. He was the proprietor of that business. I asked him if there was anymore of my kinfolks in this town and he said-Yes, you will find Andrew Bean down the street.

So I went on down and walked into his place of business and went in as a stranger. There was 3 or 4 customers, so I stood around awhile. He didn't recognize me so I said-Andrew, seems like business is good and I started out. He looked at me again and said-hold on there. Come back here. He looked at me with a sorprised Look for a minute and said-If this aint O.L. Robinson, I'm fooled bad. I said-You guessed it, so he started to hit me and grabbed me and said-Why didn't you make yourself know, old boy? I'm sure glad to see you once more. After a short visit with Andrew, I told him I had to get to my brother J.B.'s

I left my suitcase in the bus station and started on down the railroad track toward J.B.'s, two miles out of town. When I got out to the edge of town, I came to fathers old saw mill place. There was nothing there but a pile of saw dust as big as a large house. I climed up to the top of the pile of sawdust where I had played with my playmates when I was 7 or 8 years old. As I Sat there thinking back 50 years ago to the different ones that I played with, I wondered if I would meet some of them on this visit. Oh, how sad it was as I sat there thinking of my happy boyhood days so many years ago. I could hardly leave that old sawdust pile.

It was getting late and it was a mile on over to brother J.B.'s so I started on. As I looked back at the old deserted mill of my fathers work, I wept. As I go on, you will see on this visit I come to places that I weep and places that I rejoice. As I go on, I see places and things that come back to me in my memory as real as if it was a week ago.

As I go up to my brother J.B.'s place, I see him and his wife and daughter sitting on the front porch. It was very warm so I stopped at the gate and asked if I could have a drink of water. Brother said-Yes, come on in an we'll go around to the rear and draw some cool water. So we went on around and got a drink. We talked on as strangers and he didn't seem like he recognized me at all. I tried to talk about something that would make him recognize me so I said-This country don't look like it used to. He said-No, there has been quite a change as to what it was several years ago. Still he didn't know me, but as we talked on different subjects, he set his eyes on me and began to look kinda surprised. He kept his eyes set on me, it seemed like it was getting serious with him so I said-Crops are not very good where I live. I saw a kind of smile on his face and I knew he just about located me as he kept getting closer to me and asked where I lived. When I told him Los Angeles, Calif, he was so closed he jumped on me and said-Old boy, I got you located now--you can't fool me any longer. I thought he was going to pick me up, we were laughing so. He called Lilor, his wife, and daughter out where we were and asked them if they knew me. Lilor said-No, I don't. J.B. told them-This is Mr. O.L. Robinson, my brother from Los Angeles, Calif. Lilor said-Oh, no, J.B. This isn't Oscar, surely not. Well, Oscar. I never would of recognized you in the world. You sure don't look like yourself. We had a good time getting acquainted with each other.

The next day was the 4th of July and J.B. has six boys and one girl and they all come home for the 4th. We sure did have a good time eating ice cream and watermellon and fruits of all kinds. I sure did enjoy myself. Brother J.B. has a fine bunch of boys. After the 4th I said to J.B.-You know that I am here on a visit to see everybody and everything, so I want to go on over to Brother John's. So I started down the old road that I had traveled so many times when a boy, traveled over valley and hills. The old road looked natural as I go on. I come to the rail road grade that I ran a log dinky when I was 12 years old, all grown up in brush. I will mention later about the log hauling. So I moved on, looking and wondering about the times I had traveled this old road. Oh, how sad some things and some places look. As I go on looking at old homes and old farms turned out and grew up in large timbers, I can look back and remember when they were in cultivation. I go on a little farther and come on to the highway that leads from Clanton, Ala., the county seat, to Rock Dam across the Alabama River where the biggest power plant in the U.S. furnished power for six different states.

Well, as I am now in the district where I was partly raised and went to school, as I go to Brother John's I see them comming out. When I get to the gate he and his wife were at the gate. John said-Old boy, you may fool some folks, but you can't fool me. And he broke down. When I got to where I could speak, I said- Brother, if yuo had not known I was in the county, you wouldn't have known me. He said-Oh, yes I would of known your walk anywhere in the world. So we rejoiced and had a good time.

It wasn't long until his boys came in, of course they did not know who I was, but they wasn't long getting acquainted with me and we had a good time. Gertrude Littlefield, his daughter, lived just a little ways, so I said to Brother that I'll go down and see her house and went to the door and knocked and her daughter came to the door. I asked if the man of the house was in and she said-Yes, he is at the barn feeding his mules, and said-Come in, he will be in soon. She went in the dining room and told her mother some one at the front door wanted to see father. Gertrude came in, she spoke as a stranger.. I said-it is a fine, warm day. She said-It sure is. We talked on a little and she kept her eyes on me as we talked. She looked like she had seen me somewhere, so I said- Gertrude, you said you believed you would know me anywhere. She threw up both hands and said-Oh, if this isn't Uncle Oscar. Uncle, I thought I knew you, but I was afraid that I was mistaken. Uncle, I'm sure glad to see you. She ran out and called her husband. He came in, and she made us acquainted as I had not met him before.

They insisted I stay with them til after supper but I said-I got to get back to Johns as I hadn't been with them but a little while. I go back.

The next day was Saturday and all of his neighbors came in. They sure are a fine set of folks and we had a fine time. I am in the part of the country where we lived when I was 9 or 10 years old. The cain break church and school house are in sight of Brother John's. The old school I went to over 45 years ago. There is a revival meeting going on at the church so I go today as it is Sunday. As I approach the old church and school ground and the very spot where I played when I was 9 or 10 years old. Of course, the church and school house have since been rebuilt anew, but the surroundings and the location look natural. I go on down to the old spring the very same old spring where I drank out of 45 years ago. Oh, it was the best water I think I ever drank, so I sat down on a big rock and as I sat there and looked around at the location, my memory ran back to my school days. As I sit there everything I ever did in my school days came back in my memory. I looked up to the old church and the crowd was gathering so I made my way back to the church.

By the time I got there, the services had commenced. The house was full. I stepped in the door and started looking for a seat so I made my way up the aisle to the front and got a seat. It seemed like everyone in the house had their eyes on me. As I sit there looking around the congregation to see if there was anybody I knew, but there was not. Surely there was some there that I had known, that I had grew up with and went to school with, but they were strangers to me. Their young faces had grown old and their young expressions on their faces had faded away.

I sat there dreaming as my mind went out over the hills and valleys and bringing back in my memory things and incidences that happened in my boy life. Oh, my mind was so completely lost in a vision till I hardly understood anything the Preacher said. As the services came to a close I got outside as soon as I could. As they came out, Brother John and I was standing a little ways from the door, they commenced to gather round us to see who the stranger was. Brother says to me-Do you remember this gentleman, this lady, so I commenced getting re-acquainted with some that I was partly raised up with and the young generation that has grown up since I left this country, I enjoyed myself meeting so many folks I use to know so well. So I attended the meetings for 10 days, meeting friends and visiting folks that I haven't seen in so long. As this meeting comes to a close, there is another meeting starting just 3 or 4 miles from here, another church I used to attend. So I go over for a few days and go to church and get re-acquainted with some more folks that I was raised up with.

I went home with a good many and talked with so many of the friends I was raised up with and I sure did have a good time. I go back to Brother John's.

When my father moved away from this community, I was 11 or 12 years old, so I go over in another part of the country where my father owned and operated another big saw mill and this is in the part of the country where my grandfather lived. So I said to John- I'll go over to grandfathers old home and my old home. John wanted to carry me around in his car but I told him I wanted to travel by myself as I could see more. So I started out across the country afoot for about 8 miles. I traveled the same old road I used to travel so much and as I go on I see so many places and so many things that make me think back so many years ago.

I go on and come to the old Yellow Leaf Creek, the creek that grandfathers old grist mill was on. I stopped to rest as it was very warm. I sat under some beautiful shade trees on the bank of this beautiful stream which was clear as crystal, my memories go back as a 12 or 13 year old boy. How many times I sat around this old bridge across this beautiful stream and fished and went swimming. It made me sad to sit there dream of old times, my mind would race so far back in years, I would be completely lost in thought. Just like a dream to me.

As I go on a little farther to the top of the hill I come to the old place where I went to school when I was 12 or 13 years old. There was not anything, no school house, nothing by the spot where the school house stood. The ground was grown over and large timbers stood there. I stopped awhile and rested in this spot where I played and roamed so many times, when I used to stay with my grandfather and to go to school in this place.

Now I go on a little farther and I come in sight of grandfathers old home and such sadness began to come over my heart. I could see some old buildings which was built when I was a boy as I approached the old place and enter the yard by the gate. The lady of the house came to the door and I spoke to her and asked for a drink of water. She said-Come in and I'll draw a cool bucket of water. I offered to draw the water so I let the bucket down in the old well and drew water out as I did 45 years ago. I drank the water and it tasted the same as I remembered it to be. I looked around the old place.

The lady sat on the porch and looked at me as I looked around the place and I was so overcome I could not talk with the lady. After a while I said-Lady, this is my grandfathers old place. Do you mind if I look over the place as I haven't seen it in 37 years? She said-Sure you can. She smiled and said-Help yourself. I think she just about had me located in her mind and about this time her husband came in. I spoke to him and said I would like to see the old place after so many years. They both showed me all over the place. What good times I had when I was a boy. I noticed the lady kept smiling and I said its getting late and the sun is down, I had better be going. The man said-No, you are going to stay a night with us. I could not recognize either one of them. At last the lady said-Isn't this Mr. Oscar Robinson? I said-Yes, mam. She said-I thought I knew you. Don't you remember me? I certainly don't-I said. She said-Our name is Kennedy, but my maiden name is Ellison. I Said-Then this is Lola, isn't it. You are Preacher Ellison's daughter, sure I remember you now. I have been in your house several times, Her Husband is a fine fellow and full of fun. He said-I'm sure glad you are stopping over with us. You say you have been gone from here 37 years? You must tell us a story of your absence while Mrs. Kenedy fixes us a supper...We ate and talked until midnight and had a fine time. I enjoyed myself, and to think I would be spending the night in grandfathers old home! I was so thrilled, and would see some things I would recognize and some things I would not.

This is Friday night, next day. Mr. & Mrs. Kenedy said-If you will stay all day we would be delighted to take you around over the old farm and to see the old gristmill. So we started out on foot looking over the old farm. Some of the old land has been in cultivation for 60 years or more.

We go on down to the Creek where grandfathers old flour and corn mill was. We come to the old shop where grandfather made guns and other things. There was nothing left but the spot where the old shop stood, where I spent the best part of my boyhood life when I would help grandfather in his shop. As I think back so many years, and now looking over this old deserted ruins of my forefathers, my fathers grandfather and grandmother, where they have roamed so many times, where father was raised--it makes me so sad.

As we go on to the old mill site and we start across the Creek where the old dam was, on the bank of the creek there was a big rock. As I stepped on this old rock I thought of the many times grandfather & I had sat on this old rock and fished. As I stood there oh how I wished for a hook and line, that I might drop it in this old and beautiful stream once more and see if I could pull out a fish like we used to do so many, many years ago.

We go on across this old stream I loved so well we come to the old mill just the old hull of the mill house where the roof is getting so rotten it was falling in. Oh, how many times I went fishing in this old mill pond and how I helped grandfather in the old place and grind at the mill. Oh, those good old days are gone forever.

As I stood there, no doubt in my mind that my friends who were with me could see the tears rolling down my cheeks as I stood sobbing. I dropped down on my knees and thanked God and praised Him for salvation. I prayed: Oh, Dear Lord, how I do thank you for your guidance and for the way you directed and guided my life. how I thank you for protecting me on my journey. Oh, Lord, thank you for the safe landing back in the old home and country of my fathers. I am so glad you have spared my life to be here where I was born. I want to thank you for watching over me and caring for me when I was a young boy. Oh, Lord, thank you for sparing my life so many times. You delivered me out of danger and I haven't thanked you for it. Dear Lord, after I came to the years of accountability, you still had mercy and looked over and cared for and delivered me out of great danger. Oh, how I thank you. Dear Lord, when I was a 16 year old engineer boy on the great L & N Railroad I would get in great danger and my way would look so dark and great fear would come over me and as I sat on my seat gripping my throttle, Lord, you would stand by my side and make it possible for me to go through. I thank you for protecting me as a working, unsaved boy. You did deliver me out of so many dangerous places. As I am here in the land where I was born Dear Lord, I am so burdened and feel so much constraint and so sorrowful in my heart for my kindred that are in the flesh. Oh, Lord, as I go on my journey I pray that you will go with me and guide and direct my life, as I need your guidance. I ask it all in thy Great Name. Amen.

When my prayer was ended I raised up and looked and my friends were weeping and great tears streaming down their cheeks and I said-Oh, it pays to obey and trust the true and living Almighty God. My friends were Baptist folks, but my prayers seemed to get hold of their hearts.