Farmer, Grandfather, Architect
...d the love of music and family within the fibers of my soul. Granddaddy Campbell worked the soil all his life, from sunrise to sunset with the determination of a possessed man. Sun weathered skin and calloused hands were the sign of a hard working farmer and were usually exhibited like a badge of pride or accomplishment. An arduous and continuous undertaking, a farm had plenty of work to complete. When the daily chores were done and bellies were full, music usually filled the night air. Work, worship, music and even strife were always confronted as a family unit. My grandfather most certainly inherited most of his common sense and farming techniques as a birthright. The Campbells were farmers firmly entrenched in Choctaw County, Mississippi before the turn of the century. According to America’s History, James A. Henretta, David Brody, Lynn Dumenil and Susan Ware, Choctaw County was named for its’ early inhabitants of the Native American Choctaw Indians. The Choctaw Indians were primarily farmers, a strong willed and family-oriented people. Their knowledge of the land and farming techniques were improved with each passing generation. William Campbell absorbed this knowledge and used it to forge a life for his growing family. A large family was normal for farms at the turn of the century. William Louis Campbell was one of eleven children and was never allowed to attend school. At the age of twenty-two, my granddaddy married and proceeded to have eight children. He and my grandmother found their little piece of happiness in the richest soil in the country, yet the poorest county in the nation. Everyone was poor back then, yet no one knew it. Everything eaten was grown on the farm. Most all clothes worn were made by hand and the one truck served as transportation for a number of families in the county. In 1965 a major milestone took place on the farm. Granddaddy Campbell was able to install indoor plumbing for the farmhouse, thus leaving the outhouse behind. When something broke, common sense was the only means to fix it or we did without. This type of know-how was exhibited time and time again through the years, as equipment and bones broke. Whether he needed to make a swing for the grandkids from a rubber hose and a loose board or fashion another belt out of a piece of leather for the tractor, his common sense prevailed. Not once did he loose his temper, even when the grandkids would chase after his prized Hog A simply, glaring look was all that was needed to understand. Although slight in stature, he stood taller than the trees in my eyes. He stood a mere 5 feet, 7 inches in his prime and weighed around 150 pounds. He was unassuming, yet he po...