J.W., as he was called by neighbors and friends, was a cotton farmer. In 1914 they were living at Whiteley, now Boxley, Newton County, AR. J.W. decided to double his cotton acreage that year and mortgaged everything he owned to obtain money for seed, hired help and living expenses. Cotton went down to five cents a pound that fall and he lost everything they had, even the milk cows, with a wife, three children: Sarah-7, Charlie-3 and Clarence, less than a year old, to provide for.
He then went to work in his father's sawmill in Pope County, AR for $0.75 per day, walking three miles to work each day, and working from sunup to sundown. By 1916, he had saved enough money to buy train tickets to Mead, OK, where his wife's brother lived. In 1918, he was in Glendale, AZ, where he was ranch foreman for Billy Hiett, the husband of a cousin. By 1919, he was on to Noti, OR, where he picked blackberries for a living. This provided money enough to move on to CA.
By 1922, in CA, he was able to buy a team of mules and rent 40 acres. From this bebinning and by hard work by him and his family, J.W. went from nothing in 1914, to one of the most prosperous and best liked farmers in the Palos Verde Valley, near Blythe. He branched out into alfalfa and cattle, becoming even bigger. He was down to 250 acres of land in Riverside County, when he sold the last ranch and retired to Armona, on 17 acres, in 1950.
(from the 1964 George & Abner Casey family history)
He then went to work in his father's sawmill in Pope County, AR for $0.75 per day, walking three miles to work each day, and working from sunup to sundown. By 1916, he had saved enough money to buy train tickets to Mead, OK, where his wife's brother lived. In 1918, he was in Glendale, AZ, where he was ranch foreman for Billy Hiett, the husband of a cousin. By 1919, he was on to Noti, OR, where he picked blackberries for a living. This provided money enough to move on to CA.
By 1922, in CA, he was able to buy a team of mules and rent 40 acres. From this bebinning and by hard work by him and his family, J.W. went from nothing in 1914, to one of the most prosperous and best liked farmers in the Palos Verde Valley, near Blythe. He branched out into alfalfa and cattle, becoming even bigger. He was down to 250 acres of land in Riverside County, when he sold the last ranch and retired to Armona, on 17 acres, in 1950.
(from the 1964 George & Abner Casey family history)
J.W., as he was called by neighbors and friends, was a cotton farmer. In 1914 they were living at Whiteley, now Boxley, Newton County, AR. J.W. decided to double his cotton acreage that year and mortgaged everything he owned to obtain money for seed, hired help and living expenses. Cotton went down to five cents a pound that fall and he lost everything they had, even the milk cows, with a wife, three children: Sarah-7, Charlie-3 and Clarence, less than a year old, to provide for.
He then went to work in his father's sawmill in Pope County, AR for $0.75 per day, walking three miles to work each day, and working from sunup to sundown. By 1916, he had saved enough money to buy train tickets to Mead, OK, where his wife's brother lived. In 1918, he was in Glendale, AZ, where he was ranch foreman for Billy Hiett, the husband of a cousin. By 1919, he was on to Noti, OR, where he picked blackberries for a living. This provided money enough to move on to CA.
By 1922, in CA, he was able to buy a team of mules and rent 40 acres. From this bebinning and by hard work by him and his family, J.W. went from nothing in 1914, to one of the most prosperous and best liked farmers in the Palos Verde Valley, near Blythe. He branched out into alfalfa and cattle, becoming even bigger. He was down to 250 acres of land in Riverside County, when he sold the last ranch and retired to Armona, on 17 acres, in 1950.
(from the 1964 George & Abner Casey family history)
He then went to work in his father's sawmill in Pope County, AR for $0.75 per day, walking three miles to work each day, and working from sunup to sundown. By 1916, he had saved enough money to buy train tickets to Mead, OK, where his wife's brother lived. In 1918, he was in Glendale, AZ, where he was ranch foreman for Billy Hiett, the husband of a cousin. By 1919, he was on to Noti, OR, where he picked blackberries for a living. This provided money enough to move on to CA.
By 1922, in CA, he was able to buy a team of mules and rent 40 acres. From this bebinning and by hard work by him and his family, J.W. went from nothing in 1914, to one of the most prosperous and best liked farmers in the Palos Verde Valley, near Blythe. He branched out into alfalfa and cattle, becoming even bigger. He was down to 250 acres of land in Riverside County, when he sold the last ranch and retired to Armona, on 17 acres, in 1950.
(from the 1964 George & Abner Casey family history)
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