When I submitted my first article on the history of Union to the Newton County Appeal in October 2017, I had no idea that in 2020 I would still be writing. However, searching through all the old Union Appeals beginning in August 1910 and talking with so many present and past Union residents, I have discovered the rich history of our small town.
My mother died in 2012. When I was going through her things, I discovered many old newspaper clippings that she had saved. As I read through them, I began to think about the town as I remembered it as a child and about the changes that I have seen take place, some good, some not so good. And then I wondered about Union 50 years from now, or 100 years. What will people remember about Union? Will the things of this generation and previous generations be forgotten?
I began to toy with the idea of writing something that would be an attempt to save some of Union’s history. I finally decided to research the history of the businesses that have contributed to the building of our town. Then, I realized that if I were to record factual information, my research would have to come basically from newspaper documentation. That’s when my real work began as I spent countless hours searching through newspapers in our town library and then in the Newton County Archives.
I found so much fascinating information that I had never known. As a result, I knew in my heart that there were others who would also be interested in seeing this material. In addition, I wanted the young people to have the opportunity to learn about their town’s past and the older people to reflect on earlier times. Parts of the information would be new while other parts would bring back memories. At any rate, I knew that I wanted a piece of Union’s history to be saved. Therefore, I made the decision to write a few articles for the newspaper and see what kind of response I would get.
After my first article was printed, I got the answer I had expected. Many people did enjoy reading about the past, and I received much encouragement – phone calls, letters, emails, conversations in the grocery store. Better yet, people began to share their own memories of the town and of their lives growing up in it. That’s when I knew I must ask for memories from readers. In turn, former Union residents now living from Pennsylvania to Georgia to Texas have responded to my plea by sending me their precious childhood memories of a time long-past in a small town in central Mississippi.
Then after adding articles based on these delightful responses, I asked several readers, “Which type of my articles do you enjoy the most, the history of Union or the memories of readers?” Many said, “The memories.” I agree; I love the stories. That’s the real Union.
When I was doing an interview with one older man, I said to him, “Your information is so important to the history of Union. Why don’t you write about the things you remember?” He responded, “I don’t think about them until you ask me questions.” I understand. We get so busy with our lives that we sometimes forget days gone by until we get a quick reminder. Then we fondly remember the stories.
In this day of social media, communication might be at its greatest point, for example, Facebook and “Remember When Union.” However, this is not a permanent form. Erase it, and it’s gone. As a former teacher of literature, I learned that throughout the ages, many stories were passed down through oral tradition before finally, finally someone, somewhere took the time to write them. At the same time, we’ll never know how many more stories were lost because no one made the effort to put them in writing.
I’m sure you have probably guessed by now that this is the last of my articles on Union. I have loved writing every one, all 118 of them, for more reasons than one. I personally have learned so much about our town, but I cannot describe the warm feeling of being able to share the information with others who are also interested in early Union. I have had telephone calls and emails from people I would never have talked with otherwise. I have met new friends over the internet that I will never see. Even readers who have no connection to Union have responded. Why? Because early life in small towns was similar, regardless of the town. People become nostalgic – recalling their individual memories of an earlier time and of loved ones who are gone.
While doing interviews, I’ve had so many people say to me, “Daddy would have known that” or “I wish I had asked my mother. Now it’s too late” or maybe “I heard those stories my dad told about his family. I wish he had written them down.” We have probably all had those same feelings, yet each of us can prevent that same thing from happening to our own children. Now is the time to act. I challenge you to make the time to build a family tree, identify pictures and record your stories. Don’t just tell them; write them or have someone write your recollections for you.
In closing, I want to thank my husband, Robert, for allowing me to have a work corner all this time and never complaining about my mess; he was also my proofreader. In addition, I send a thank you to my go-to friends Mr. Harold Carleton and Mary and Benny Ware. Next, the Newton County Appeal staff shared many of their old pictures with us. Finally, I appreciate all the readers, especially those who allowed me to print your memories. You made this column successful!
I leave you with this note: I hope that in some way this column will help to preserve our town’s history. However, more importantly, I encourage each of you to make your own permanent records so that one day, your descendants won’t have to say, “I wish I knew…” Your memories are a valuable piece of history. Don’t rely on saving them by word of mouth; your memories will be lost. Put them on paper and allow your memories to live after you. Write them - while you can.
