William Parnell Owens(WP or Will)worked many jobs to keep his family going. He was a blacksmith, farmer, school bus driver and garage mechanic. Geraldine Owens Hinely described a typical day in their lives when she was an early teen. "Papa would get up before dawn and run two school bus routes, one was a long route, which included the Owens children. After they were at school, WP would go on the second shorter route to get some other children."
After the morning bus routes he would go to work at McDonald's garage and work all day as a mechanic. The afternoon bus collected children at school at 4 PM and many times it was dark when all the childten were delivered to their homes and WP and his children were back home. At this point there were chores to do on the farm. Feeding the animals, milking the cows, whatever had to be done. He had a 40 acre farm and raised their food,milk, meat,vegetables, and food for the animals. Crops included corn for fodder and peanuts to feed the animals.
The bus drivers would go to Michigan and get the truck beds to build their own school buses.
WP always planted 2 or 3 rows of sugar cane to use for making syrup. At cane grinding time the horse was tied to the pole of the grinder and he would walk around and around to power the grinder. Over time WP got to feel sorry for the horse and rigged up the Model T car to do this job. He tied the steering wheel in place and got the car to go around and power the grinder. Geraldine remembers how fast she had to feed the cane into the grinder when the car was attached.
After Melvin was born, Minnie almost died and the family moved in with WP's family. Minnie was not too happy with the arrangement and asked God to please let her live long enough to raise her children(Nellie, Ernest and Melvin at the time). She was given assurance that God would allow this and she recovered. Later she told Geraldine that she had assurance from God that she would see the first three children grown, but she did not have a promise of being there for Sallie Rae and Geraldine. As it turned out she died just before geraldine graduated from high school. Geraladine really wanted a watch for graduation and even though she was sick, Minnie secretly arranged to sell a cow in order to buy a nice watch for Geri's graduation. Minnie told Nellie that if anything happened to her she was to make sure Geri got the watch. Minnie died and Nellie gave the watch to Geraldine as promised. Geraldine still has the watch.
Minnie died in February of 1937 and WP remarried in October. He did not tell anyone that he was getting married. He just brought home his new wife, Julia Annie. She was a widow with one son who was working as a waitress in Jasper. Seems that both WP and Annie needed some help. The marriage upset the Owens children very much but later they came to accept 'Miss Annie'.
WP died in 1965. Miss Annie died in Gainesville at Sallie Rae's home in the late 1960's.
After the morning bus routes he would go to work at McDonald's garage and work all day as a mechanic. The afternoon bus collected children at school at 4 PM and many times it was dark when all the childten were delivered to their homes and WP and his children were back home. At this point there were chores to do on the farm. Feeding the animals, milking the cows, whatever had to be done. He had a 40 acre farm and raised their food,milk, meat,vegetables, and food for the animals. Crops included corn for fodder and peanuts to feed the animals.
The bus drivers would go to Michigan and get the truck beds to build their own school buses.
WP always planted 2 or 3 rows of sugar cane to use for making syrup. At cane grinding time the horse was tied to the pole of the grinder and he would walk around and around to power the grinder. Over time WP got to feel sorry for the horse and rigged up the Model T car to do this job. He tied the steering wheel in place and got the car to go around and power the grinder. Geraldine remembers how fast she had to feed the cane into the grinder when the car was attached.
After Melvin was born, Minnie almost died and the family moved in with WP's family. Minnie was not too happy with the arrangement and asked God to please let her live long enough to raise her children(Nellie, Ernest and Melvin at the time). She was given assurance that God would allow this and she recovered. Later she told Geraldine that she had assurance from God that she would see the first three children grown, but she did not have a promise of being there for Sallie Rae and Geraldine. As it turned out she died just before geraldine graduated from high school. Geraladine really wanted a watch for graduation and even though she was sick, Minnie secretly arranged to sell a cow in order to buy a nice watch for Geri's graduation. Minnie told Nellie that if anything happened to her she was to make sure Geri got the watch. Minnie died and Nellie gave the watch to Geraldine as promised. Geraldine still has the watch.
Minnie died in February of 1937 and WP remarried in October. He did not tell anyone that he was getting married. He just brought home his new wife, Julia Annie. She was a widow with one son who was working as a waitress in Jasper. Seems that both WP and Annie needed some help. The marriage upset the Owens children very much but later they came to accept 'Miss Annie'.
WP died in 1965. Miss Annie died in Gainesville at Sallie Rae's home in the late 1960's.
William Parnell Owens(WP or Will)worked many jobs to keep his family going. He was a blacksmith, farmer, school bus driver and garage mechanic. Geraldine Owens Hinely described a typical day in their lives when she was an early teen. "Papa would get up before dawn and run two school bus routes, one was a long route, which included the Owens children. After they were at school, WP would go on the second shorter route to get some other children."
After the morning bus routes he would go to work at McDonald's garage and work all day as a mechanic. The afternoon bus collected children at school at 4 PM and many times it was dark when all the childten were delivered to their homes and WP and his children were back home. At this point there were chores to do on the farm. Feeding the animals, milking the cows, whatever had to be done. He had a 40 acre farm and raised their food,milk, meat,vegetables, and food for the animals. Crops included corn for fodder and peanuts to feed the animals.
The bus drivers would go to Michigan and get the truck beds to build their own school buses.
WP always planted 2 or 3 rows of sugar cane to use for making syrup. At cane grinding time the horse was tied to the pole of the grinder and he would walk around and around to power the grinder. Over time WP got to feel sorry for the horse and rigged up the Model T car to do this job. He tied the steering wheel in place and got the car to go around and power the grinder. Geraldine remembers how fast she had to feed the cane into the grinder when the car was attached.
After Melvin was born, Minnie almost died and the family moved in with WP's family. Minnie was not too happy with the arrangement and asked God to please let her live long enough to raise her children(Nellie, Ernest and Melvin at the time). She was given assurance that God would allow this and she recovered. Later she told Geraldine that she had assurance from God that she would see the first three children grown, but she did not have a promise of being there for Sallie Rae and Geraldine. As it turned out she died just before geraldine graduated from high school. Geraladine really wanted a watch for graduation and even though she was sick, Minnie secretly arranged to sell a cow in order to buy a nice watch for Geri's graduation. Minnie told Nellie that if anything happened to her she was to make sure Geri got the watch. Minnie died and Nellie gave the watch to Geraldine as promised. Geraldine still has the watch.
Minnie died in February of 1937 and WP remarried in October. He did not tell anyone that he was getting married. He just brought home his new wife, Julia Annie. She was a widow with one son who was working as a waitress in Jasper. Seems that both WP and Annie needed some help. The marriage upset the Owens children very much but later they came to accept 'Miss Annie'.
WP died in 1965. Miss Annie died in Gainesville at Sallie Rae's home in the late 1960's.
After the morning bus routes he would go to work at McDonald's garage and work all day as a mechanic. The afternoon bus collected children at school at 4 PM and many times it was dark when all the childten were delivered to their homes and WP and his children were back home. At this point there were chores to do on the farm. Feeding the animals, milking the cows, whatever had to be done. He had a 40 acre farm and raised their food,milk, meat,vegetables, and food for the animals. Crops included corn for fodder and peanuts to feed the animals.
The bus drivers would go to Michigan and get the truck beds to build their own school buses.
WP always planted 2 or 3 rows of sugar cane to use for making syrup. At cane grinding time the horse was tied to the pole of the grinder and he would walk around and around to power the grinder. Over time WP got to feel sorry for the horse and rigged up the Model T car to do this job. He tied the steering wheel in place and got the car to go around and power the grinder. Geraldine remembers how fast she had to feed the cane into the grinder when the car was attached.
After Melvin was born, Minnie almost died and the family moved in with WP's family. Minnie was not too happy with the arrangement and asked God to please let her live long enough to raise her children(Nellie, Ernest and Melvin at the time). She was given assurance that God would allow this and she recovered. Later she told Geraldine that she had assurance from God that she would see the first three children grown, but she did not have a promise of being there for Sallie Rae and Geraldine. As it turned out she died just before geraldine graduated from high school. Geraladine really wanted a watch for graduation and even though she was sick, Minnie secretly arranged to sell a cow in order to buy a nice watch for Geri's graduation. Minnie told Nellie that if anything happened to her she was to make sure Geri got the watch. Minnie died and Nellie gave the watch to Geraldine as promised. Geraldine still has the watch.
Minnie died in February of 1937 and WP remarried in October. He did not tell anyone that he was getting married. He just brought home his new wife, Julia Annie. She was a widow with one son who was working as a waitress in Jasper. Seems that both WP and Annie needed some help. The marriage upset the Owens children very much but later they came to accept 'Miss Annie'.
WP died in 1965. Miss Annie died in Gainesville at Sallie Rae's home in the late 1960's.
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