MAGGIE BRICE SNELL
BROKER / OWNER / REALTOR®
Turning Houses into Homes!
www.thegeorgiaproperties.net
912-537-8382 | 912-245-8288
discovered that he had an uncle who
served in WWI. His father’s sister Alice
married a Williamson. “Alice died in
childbirth. I found both of their graves
in Normantown,” he said. “I didn’t know
until I saw my Uncle’s tombstone that
he served in WWI.”
Another recent fact about his
father’s family was discovered from an
old political pamphlet for Ed McNatt, a
former sheriff in Vidalia running for a
seat in the Georgia legislature. McNatt’s
pamphlet contained the pictures of the
Vidalia High School football teams from
1933, 1934, and 1935, which McNatt
played on. The caption read: “These
teams were unscored on for three years.”
I don’t know if such a declaration won
McNatt a seat, but the reason William’s
brother had held onto it was that one
of those players was Roy King. “That’s
my daddy’s brother,” he said. “I asked
my brother how they got to be so good
because everybody came home after
school. They had work to do on the farm.
Larson said that they could only practice
during recess.”
Before he saw the pamphlet, all
William knew about his Uncle Roy was
that he and his wife had drowned at a
beach in Florida while trying to save
their baby as she was being carried out
to sea. Miraculously, the baby survived.
“She had on a life jacket, and the waves
eventually carried her back into shore.”
After learning of the connection
between our families, I realized that
each story William shared with me
belonged to my family as well. Whether
related by name or place, these stories
belong to all who call Toombs County
home. We honor the legacy of the lives
before us when we take the time to
listen. History matters for a million
reasons, and each of them is the name
of a grandparent or parent.
Before I left, I stopped by the pen to
see the Tennessee fainting goats. And,
yes, one hit the ground right in front
of me. After a moment, the goat stirred
and stood again to my great relief.
As I drove from North Thompson
back to my home in South Thompson, I
kept thinking of life with no electricity
or running water, outhouses and
plowing fields with a mule. “Life has
been good,” he’d said while I gathered
up the notebooks he offered to loan
me on the Thompson family genealogy.
Perspective is everything, and
everything that’s truly important for
William King is about family, friendship,
and the stories that bind us together.
For the man who drives the old 1950
International blue truck with metal
goats in the back around town, it all
adds up to a wonderful life.
ABOVE William and Jeannine with their two children, Joseph and Dana, and their families.
90 TOOMBS COUNTY MAGAZINE
411 Jackson Street, Vidalia, GA 30474
maggiebsnell@gmail.com
/www.thegeorgiaproperties.net
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