Coal Hill, Arkansas during the 1970's

History of the Weathers Family & Coal Hill

Coal Hill, Johnson County, Arkansas

Coal Hill, Arkansas during the 1970's

In 1970, I built a big birdhouse for my parakeets. I bought another lot off of my grandmother, Nora and built a 24 by 48 building. This enabled me to expand my parakeets and I did real good on them. In 1973, my daughters, Donna and Ronda wanted a bedroom a piece. I bought a building at Clarksville and tore it down. Ted, Jackie, Howard, Johnny, and I tore it down and hauled the lumber back to Coal Hill. I used the lumber to build two new rooms on the house. Donna and Ronda helped build their own bedrooms. They helped by nailing the siding on the house and nailing the decking on the roof, and handed us shingles when we roofed it. They were 10 and 12 years old at the time.

Johnny and Howard helped me build these rooms. I had to go bail Howard out of Jail so he could finish painting the outside of the two new rooms.

When we poured the cement floor for the rooms, we also poured cement for a basketball court in the back yard. I worked with the girls on their basketball and they both made good basketball players. Donna was a better guard and Ronda was a better forward, but they were both good on their ends of the court. One time their mother, Shirley got into an argument with the Altus coach, Stacy Wilson. Stacy said he had a guard to stop Ronda and a girl to outscore her on the other end. Shirley said that a girl from Altus wouldn’t stop her daughter and her daughter would stop the Altus forward from scoring. Stacy then said, "Your daughter can’t play both ends of the court". Then Shirley said, " I have a daughter on both ends." When they played Shirley was right,

and we beat Altus. Some movie films were made of them playing ball. Ronda had a 22 point average in the 8^th grade, a 23 point in the 9^th, a 28 point in10th, and a 23 point in the 11^th.

One of Donna’s hobbies is crocheting. She made a bedspread when she was 9 years old. She recently made a pink bedspread and gave it to her mother, Shirley. The one she made when she was 9, won a blue ribbon in the county fair. These bedspreads will probably be in the family for years.

In June of 1976, Ted got sick and was sent to Sparks Hospital in Fort Smith. Ted had lost one kidney in 1958and the other kidney had ceased to function. He was put on a dialysis machine and was able to live about 8 months. Ted was not able to eat, so he spent most of his last 8 months in the hospital. He did get to spend his last Christmas

at home. He had to be taken to Fort Smith three times a week to be put on the machine even if he was at home. Ted bought a new 1976 Oldsmobile for the trips to Fort Smith. Claudine drove him up there and back most of the time. After Christmas in 1976, Ted got worse and had to be taken back to the hospital. Jackie and I took him

back to the hospital that last time. I was driving and knew he was hurting so at the Mulberry exit I was doing 90 mph. Ted told us to hurry up so I started driving 100. We were there in no time, but I know it seemed like a long time to Ted.

The next day it came a 14-inch snow in Coal Hill and the surrounding area. This made it difficult to get to the hospital to see him. I did manage to see him a few time during the ice storm and take him some clean PJ’s. Ted passed away at Sparks hospital on January 31, 1977. Claudine and Jack was with him, but I stayed with mother that day.

In February, I bought the house I was born in off of Price and Jean Oliphant. I gave $1500 for it, but it was in real bad shape and it cost another $2000 to fix it up. Jackie and I did a lot of work on it. We didn’t know it at the time, but this was the second time the Weathers’ brothers had worked on this house. Jerry Morgan and Howard Satterfield

also helped me on the house. Donna and her husband, Jerry Morgan moved in the house after we fixed it up. On August 28, 1977, Donna gave birth to a daughter and named her Mandy LaDawn.

In January of 1978, I bought the old Weathers house and started fixing it up to rent. I gave $4000.00 for it, but it cost another $2000.00 to fix it up. Jerry Morgan, Howard Satterfield, and I worked on the house fixing it up. We started in the attic cleaning it up. There we found some old pictures. I started trying to find out who these people were in these pictures. Finally mother, told me that the man was Josh Weathers and to go to Perts and see some of the pictures he had. I went to Perts and he had some big pictures of Josh and Tenny. I had found two pictures of my great-grandparents (Josh and Tenny). I found a tintype that I believe to be Henry and Fieldon.

From left to right: Lee Roy, Shirley, Steven, and Ronda. This picture was taken just before we went to the athletic banquet. Ronda won 4 trophies that night. All county, all district, highest point average, and best free throw shooter. This picture was taken in 1979 especially for this booklet.

I asked Pert where these people were buried, because I knew they were not buried in the Coal Hill Cemetery with the rest of the Weathers family. Pert, Steven, and I set out one Sunday afternoon to find the cemetery where they were buried. We went out and crossed I-40 at the 47-mile marker and went on the old wire road. We tried to get over to where they were buried, but couldn’t seem to find the right road. It started to rain and turned dark. We were going through the woods and this made it even darker. Steven was only 9 and began to get scared. Maybe because we were looking for a cemetery in the first place. We turned back without finding it, but came back the next Sunday with my brother, Jack. We crossed the interstate at the 47-mile marker and went on to the wire road and turned right. We went about 3 miles to the Mt. Vernon cemetery and turned south. We then went under the interstate and turned back west for about a half mile. We then turned south and we went up the hill. At the top of the hill there was a gate and we parked the car. We walked about 500 yards down the other side of this hill and Pert got off of the

road on the west side and started looking for the place. Jackie was sure there wouldn’t be any tombstones for he had hunted this area quite often and had never seen them. Pert found them after a short time and the tombstones were still there. Josh, Tenny, Elizabeth, and Henry Weathers were still standing. After this, I knew I wanted to do something

but didn’t know just what. This book is what I came up with.

In 1978, at Christmas time Woodrow made a speech at a church in Coal Hill, 100 years to the day after the first Christmas tree was held in town. This is the speech he made.

According to Dale Carnegie, who teaches "How to Win Friends and Influence People", the first thing you do when you are telling something is to give a date and tell it like it is. In other words, tell the truth. Of course that is no problem for me. I am known at "Honest George".

It all began May 28, 1909. On this date, Chock and Nora called Dr. Blakely and said "Hurry Doc, George Woodrow Weathers is on his way!" Doc stopped by the cabbage patch and picked up Woody and brought him to the Weathers. They said, "Didn’t you make a mistake? You brought a head of cabbage instead of a baby boy." Dad asked Dr.

Blakely how much he owed him, and he said, "not much because he doesn’t look as thought he will ever amount to much". Truer words were never spoken. Dr. Blakely knew what he was talking about. Dad said he would give a rusty old cultivator. Doc Blakely said " I will take it, but you are getting cheated. You are getting the bad end of the deal."

I grew up to the age of 5 ½ and Mr. I.V. Wells came by and told my Dad to start me in school. He said, "That boy is old enough to eat hay and dumb enough to enjoy it". I went on to school until I was 13 and Mr. Jim Boen said "Hey Woody, have you noticed that little blonde Ferguson girl?" He said "I think you should start going with her" so I did. I got a job dusting the seats at the Joyland Theater so I could keep an eye on her.

November 22, 1930, I asked that little blonde doll to marry me and she did. Living from pillar to post, we did not have a pot which was alright with us because we did not even have a window.

Finally came December 12, 1942 (age 33). Uncle Sam said "I want you". After looking at me, he said " I don’t know why I want you, but I can’t change my mind now. Ha, Ha, Ha." Wasn’t too funny to me, but Uncle Sam seemed to get a kick out of it.

The fellow who wrote the song "There’s No Place Like Home" certainly knew what he was talking about. I was real homesick and I wrote home to my folks telling them how much I missed my friends, how much I missed my mom’s cooking. I even told them how much I missed the little pot under the bed. My mom wrote back and said

"Son, you always did miss the little pot under the bed".

Now I have mentioned several dates in the last two minutes. Now this most important date we will always remember. Nearly two thousand years ago, a Baby was born. Wise men from afar came bringing him gifts. They bowed down and worshipped him, and since that December 25^th, people all over the world have celebrated His birthday. That

is the reason we are here tonight. Each year we come together, meet our dear friends and wish each other the best, and you know it is not just words when you with your friends a happy holiday. You really mean it.

All of these 69 years, life had been good to me. I have been blessed with good parents, good companion, good friends. If I could change one thing, I would not.

I am proud to have been a son-in-law of Mr. And Mrs. Ferguson. I think a lot of you are proud to have known them too, because you have built this beautiful church as a memorial in their honor.

In closing, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Woodrow Weathers

Woodrow moved to Fort Smith in the 1940’s and became the manager of the Rodgers Furniture Store. He was the manager for almost 30 years, before he retired in 1977. He has been a member of the Rodeo Chamber of Commerce for years. He is now retired and living at his home in Fort Smith. He and Helen have been married for years and

they are still very much in love.

Woodrow told me, not to long ago, that he and Helen have made a will leaving everything they have to crippled children.

I have owned three new cars up until now: a 1965 Ford, a 1976 Ford, and I recently bought a 1979 Ford Fairmont.

We have had two of our Weathers pictured in the newspaper this year. They are below and self-explanatory. In conclusion, I want to say that every one of these 70 pages are blank on the back. If you want to add anything to this book over the years, write on the back of these pages. If I live 20 more years, I expect to write my memoirs.

I would like to express my thanks to Lora, Pert, Edith, Celia, Claudine, Woodrow, Helen, Shirley, Geni Myers, Greta Roberson, and many others, who have helped me with this book.

Rhonda Weathers

Robert Weathers

Johnson County, Arkansas | Cover Page | Table of Contents | Name Index