Chapter Twenty Six

April 30, 1939

Nollie Washburn was a few years younger than I. I knew him nearly all of his life. He was a very quiet man and was strictly a business man. He managed to make a great of deal of money and at the time of his death he owned a considerable amount of real estate and a number of stores in the county. Nollie served as county commissioner for two years. He was a steward in Salem Methodist church, and meant more to this church financially than any member of the church: He was very liberal in his contributions.

Nollie married a Miss Norton and they had a family I believe, of four sons and three daughters. His wife and children are still living. Mr. Washburn was among one of the best citizens of the county and was a very useful man in his community and was a great help and a great friend to his neighbors. He died suddenly in New York while on a business trip to that city. He was buried in the cemetery at Salem church.

Mr. Jesse Wells lived about a mile below Washburn’s Cross Road and was an old man when I was a boy. I have been told that at one time he was a road overseer. That was when the work was done by free labor, so one day he had warned his hands and they were working on the road. They made a small dam across a gully on the side of the road and turned the water into a man’s field. After they had gone on some distance the land owner came along and saw the dam. He went on to where the men were at work and told Mr. Wells that he would have to destroy the dam or he would indict him for turning the water into his field. After the man had gone on Mr. Wells said to his men, “We will have to go back and tear that dam place out,” so, some one who did not like Mr. Wells brought this remark up in church and wanted to turn him out for using profane language. Mr. Wells was a good man and a good citizen. Mr. Wells was married twice. His first wife was a Melton and his second wife was Martha Scoggin. His children are all dead but two, Mrs. George Bridges of Bostic and Ed Wells, who lives at the old home place.