Jacob Edward Swinson, called "Pa" or "Grandpa" by his children and grandchildren, was the third child and third son of Jesse Swinson and Calista Ann Batts. He was born in Onslow County, N.C. about two to four miles from Maple Hill. He was born in an old Swinson family home, which I understand was living quarters for Uncle Jessee Swinson until he died.

Jacob was married three times. His first wife was Clara Susan Casteen. Some time in 1922, Jacob moved to Norma Park, Ga., then moved to Reedy Creek around about 1924. In 1924 he picked his second bride, Elsie Viola Crosb. His third wife was Isadora Melinda Simpson. Jacob and Elsie began having their children in 1925. Their first child, Virginia Christine, didn’t survive, dying in infancy the same year.

Then, in 1926, Jacob moved to Funston, Ga. My father, Joseph, was born there on Oct 29, 1926. He married at 27 years of age to Doris Virginia Edwards. They had three children, two daughters and one son. Joseph farmed some of his life and did some carpenter work, but mostly built boats of all kinds. His home has been as far north as Quitman, Ga., as far south as Bradenton, Fla. and as far east as Melborne, Fla. He plans to make his permanent home in Quitman, Ga. on the land that was once his Pa’s home.

Jacob and Elsie then moved to Colquitt County. Ashley was born there on Dec. 2, 1927. He married Hazel Maire Roberts. Together, they made their home in Bradenton, Fla. They had one daughter and two sons. He mainly worked in an aluminum foundry all his life.

Jacob and Elsie moved again to Meigs, Ga., where Nancy Ann was born, on July 14, 1929 on Green Willis’ farm. Nancy met and married Henton Renfro. They had four children, two daughters and two sons. Nancy went to LPN school and has been a nurse at Brooks County Hospital in Quitman, Ga. most of her life. This is also where they made their home.

Irene was born Jan 24, 1932 in Meigs, Ga. She married Theof Epps Thomas. She worked and managed a Piggly Wiggly grocery store some of her life. She and her husband also owned and operated a motel on the edge of Ghost Town in Maggie Valley, N.C. They had one son and now reside in Columbia, S.C.

Ethel was born Dec. 16, 1933. She married William Tommy Alpin. They were divorced. She remarried, to James Lawson. She’s worked in an insurance company, with the Federal Reserve Bank as a bookkeeper, and with children in a nursery. She’s presently a homemaker. Ethel was the only child who had the opportunity to finish college, which her brothers and sisters are proud of. She and her husband currently reside in Pealer, S.C.

By this time, the couple had moved to Coolidge, Ga. Aaron was born there on Oct. 10, 1935. He joined the Air Force as a young man and married a Grecian girl, Katie, last name unknown. They divorced, and he married Katherine Elaine Krumweide, when he was about 30 years old. They had a daughter and a son. He retired after 20 years and tried working in boats. After that expired he got a job at Cape Kennedy Missle Center. He and Katherine made their home in Melborne, Fla., where they currently reside.

Alfred was born Nov 21, 1937 in Coolidge, Ga. He married Linda Jean Harris. They had two daughters and have always resided in Bradenton, Fla. He joined the Army for about three years. Afterward, he worked in fiberglass boats and partly owned and operated a propane gas company. Then, he went to vocational-technical training to learn air-conditioning and refrigeration.

Alice was born in Nov. 1939 in Coolidge, Ga. She died in Feb. 1940. Elsie was also hospitalized that year. Jacob took his seven living children and moved to Quitman, Ga. in Dec. 1943, where he purchased his 150-acre farm. The land was purchased for $5000.00 - $50.00 per acre. They physically cleared 10 acres of trees and wooded land by hand, felling the trees with a crosscut saw, then using axes and shovels to remove the roots. Everything was done manually, the boys helping in the fields, and the girls cooking the meals using wood stoves. The clothes were washed by hand using a scrub board and they made their own soap; used for bathing, washing clothes, etc. The fields were worked with a team of five mules and plows. Everything was very hard and difficult in those days, but large families worked, and played, and it all worked out.