REMEMBERING THE OZARKS WITH NEW BOLLINGER COUNTY BOOK

George Jr. and Mill Lily Tallent, about 1883.

George Washington Tallent and his wife, Martha, around 1900, were Charles Williams' grandparents.

George and Martha Tallent, with their family, at their home near Scopus about 1889.

Butchering hogs was one of the chores at the Henry Tallent farm, also near Scopus. From left are Henry Tallent, Adaline McCray and daughter, Will Tallent, Marshall Hamilton Williams. Rev. B. Yount and back, Loy McCray.

This is Charles Williams, 1, in 1887.

George Tallent

"I, Charles Hamilton Williams, native Ozarker, was born, according to the entry in my mother's Bible and according to what I have been told, at Mayfield, Bollinger County, Missouri, on Friday, July 2, 1880."

So begins "I Remember the Ozarks" a book written by a man long dead, but only published since last November.

The book is unique in that it not only tells the story of a man, but it tells the story of a community.

"This book is really Charlie giving his family history," said Nelda Wilkinson of Cape Girardeau, who edited the book. But she says if anyone buys the book for a genealogy, he or she will be sorely disappointed.

The book also tells the story of the people in the small town of Mayfield, where Williams grew up.

"It was full of simple little stories. He describes what it was like to live in his community. He almost paints a picture more than he tells a story. If you had never lived on a farm, you can almost see it.

"It's a story about people who care about one another."

Wilkinson who is in no small way responsible for the book seeing print, tells the story of how the book came to be.

"About three years ago, I was searching for pictures of my grandparents, who were also from Bollinger County," Wilkinson said. "While I was researching I came across Charlie's very rough manuscript."

According to Williams' daughter, Helen Emily Peirce, whom Wilkinson got to meet and know, the book was the one big thing in his life.

Williams, who had been a writer for a newspaper and a college professor during his earthly travels, dictated his book to a lady in Marble Hill. He read it to her like a story and Wilkinson said that is reflected in the book.

"He has a unique style of writing and a great sense of humor," Wilkinson said.

And, for some reason or another, he never quite got around to finishing the book. When he died, it somehow came into the hands of his brother-in-law, until Wilkinson got a hold of it.

"While he was working on the book," Wilkinson said, "the people in Bollinger County knew he was working on it. For years after he died, no one said anything about it."

Wilkinson says that Williams was very sensitive about hurting people's feelings when working on the book, twice even changing the names of the real-life characters in the book.

She tells one of the stories:

"There were no dentists in Bollinger County back in the 1880s. This guy had a toothache, so who do you go to? The local doctor. Well the doctor pulls out this bottle of moonshine.

"The doctor tells the guy to take some of it when he needs it and says he will, too, if he needs it. Well, needless to say, they both needed it quite a bit. They got drunk and the guy with the toothache woke up he had more teeth taken out than he intended."

While working on the book, Wilkinson found out who the story was about, contacted one of his descendants, who thought the story was funny, and changed the name back.

"The guy didn't normally drink, that's why the stuff hit him so hard."

All the way through the book, Wilkinson says the values that Williams' parents taught him keep coming through. He often refers back to all that his parents have shown him.

He also talks about social events that were so important to people of the day, including church and the Fourth of July picnics in Patton.

But it's the humor that Wilkinson loves the most about the book.

She laughs out loud while telling the story of how Williams got the idea of riding a pig. He tied one end of a rope around his arm and the other end around the pig.

"That pig took off dragging Charlie across this creek getting him all wet. Can you just imagine that?"

Wilkinson often refers to Williams by his first name because she feels she got to know him while spending the two years on the book.

"I think he was funny and intelligent," she said.

She compiled the book after getting permission from Williams' daughter. The book ended up at 224 pages and over 70 chapters.

"I didn't change or add anything except for those names."

Wilkinson did enhance the book by gathering pictures from Bollinger County residents, which she says she is eternally grateful.

"I did not have one family turn me down," she said. "If they had pictures they gave them.

"I guess I had an honest face."

She says that she's gotten a good response in the couple of months that the book has been out.

"People are taking the book personally in Bollinger County. Maybe because Charlie came from there."

She says she hated to see the work on the book end, but says her family didn't.

"They got tired of hearing me talk about Charlie."