Porterdale Mill on the Yellow River
NAMED for: Oliver S. Porter, Mill Owner

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DOWN MEMORY LANE
BY Prentis

 Last month we talked about three tiny rooms in which the Ollis family lived.  We have now moved into the town of Porterdale, Georgia and live in three rooms of a six room house.  However, these three rooms were huge compared to the tiny rooms behind the church.  There was at least four or five times the space.  The best news about these three rooms was that we had running water inside the house, we had electric lights, and yes we had a flush commode out on the back porch, along with a bath tub. We were now really living.  The big event here on lower Elm Street was that the Ollis family was again increased by one.  Here was born the cutest little brown eyed baby that the world has ever seen.  This little girl arrived on August 5, 1941, and was named Mary Ann.  Every one talked about her big brown eyes.  I was not all that concerned about her big brown eyes, all I could think about was my income from selling the table scraps was rapidly disappearing.  I had already lost half my income to Jeanette, and there was a little bother, Jackie, getting older every day and we would have to soon share this income with him.  And now what happens?  Another little girl to have to share my table scrap money with.  As it turned out I didn’t have to share table scrap money.  By the time Jack and Mary  Ann were big enough to have money I had moved on to a bigger and better paying job.  Well little Miss Brown Eyes was such a special baby Mother had to have some extra and special help when she was born.  One of Mother’s sister’s, I believe it was Gladys came and lived with us for a while to help Mother out taking care of Mary Ann.  Now with six in the Ollis family and this seventh person moving in, these huge three rooms were getting smaller.  Jackie and I had to give up our bed to Gladys.  However, we all survived without any problems.  While Gladys was there she lost her High School Ring. However, a miracle occurred and many years latter her ring was found and returned to her.  The people that lived there had found the ring out in the yard and traced her through the High School, because her initials were engraved inside the ring.  Obviously everyone did a great job in taking care of “Little Miss Brown Eyes”, since she turned into such a fine woman, or maybe we should ask William.

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