| Notes |
- William Wilson was a farmer and owned 160 acres of land on the S. E. 1/4 of Section 4, Township 22, Range 24. Levi D. Titus had originally received this land on a Patent Deed from T. Roosevelt, President.
Several of Nettie's relatives had moved to Oroville, California, and there was a lot of talk about the pot at the end of the rainbow. William said that he would like to take off for a year of working vacation, and he made arrangements with his brother, James, to look after the farm.
Three families: William and Nettie wilson, Furman and Amanda Knight, and the Chastain's who were friends, each bought a brand new 1923 Model-T Ford in preparation for their 2,000 mile trip.
As Helen Barnes put it: "It must have taken a great deal of courage for three country families to leave their homes and community of 300 for such an adventurous tri0p, camping out at night and cooking over an open fire. They arrived in Lodi, California, where they all got jobs in the packing sheds. From there, they continued on to their destination."
After a year or so, word arrived from James in Missouri that cholera was rampant in the hogs and was beginning to affect the cattle, and they were about to lose the farm. William and family packed as quickly as they could and were on their way back home.
There is a photograph of William and Nettie Wilson on p. 571 Stone County History Book.
p. 571-572
Leonard Carey
Stone County Missouri History Book
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1873 - 1950 (76 years)