Dear Sirs: _ As a contribution to your Wanderers’ Annual, this letter may not be exactly what you prefer and if not you may use any part you think worthwhile. Am a descendant of some of Pope County’s early settlers, a son of Green W. and India Ann Hazel, a grandson of Alfred Hazel, who was born 1809 in Tennessee and came with his parents at an early age settling near Dixon Springs. Grandma Hazel before her marriage was a Dixon, sister of Bill Dixon who at one time was owner of what is now Dixon Springs and from whom it got its name.
My great-grandfather, King Hazel, was born 1778 and he and grandpa and my father are buried in the Hazel Cemetery at Dixon Springs.
Mother’s parents came from Dekalb County, Tennessee before the Civil War, settling near Dixon Springs, where mother was born in 1860. Her father, John Kinnamon, died in the service of the Union Army and is buried at Corinth, Miss. Mother still lives on the old home place two miles northwest of Dixon Springs.
Ours was a family of twelve children. Four dying in infancy and the eight living being in various places as follows: Tula near Ganntown, Ill., Mrs. Bertha Evans, Dixon Springs, Mrs. Ethel Evans and Mrs. Jessie Fisher, Kankakee, Ill., Mrs. Opal Harrell, Joliet, Ill., Thomas F. in Lapeer, Mich., Chester M. in Salem, Oregon and myself out here where the tall corn grows.
During the summer of 1892 the present school house at Walnut Grove was erected, replacing the old log house located one-half mile farther north.
On January 20^th, 1893, having reached my sixth birthday, I began attending school at the new school house with Alonzo Givins as teacher. I attended all succeeding terms there until about 1906.
During all those years we had men teachers only and although I may not remember all of them, I do recall A. J. Bullock, Marlow Holliway, James Lunn, J. D. Clemens, Otto Sistler, William Grisham, B. O. Henley, Edd Austin and George Bateman.
Some of them no doubt, can remember occasions when it became necessary to execute some very deserved punishment on me for infraction of rules and regardless of any feelings that I may have had at the time, I now revere the memory of each of them.
W. C. Cox was also my teacher at two summer normals held at Brownfield and Temple Hill. In the autumn of 1907 I began teaching at Old Brownfield, taught Walnut Grove 1908 and 1909 and Stony Point 1909 1910. In the spring of 1910 I left Pope county for Valparaiso, Indiana, to attend school. Walter Lawrence of Glendale was also attending school there.
The following year my finances got a little too low for comfort and I accepted a position in a State institution for mental cases in the state.
I have been working in State Institutions in Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri since that time except for two brief periods that I lived on the farm near Dixon Springs and taught Lincoln school.
A very large percent of the employees of State Institutions throughout the central and western states are people from Southern Illinois and Pope county has not been derelict in furnishing her quota.
My wife and I have been employed here in the State School for the Feeble-minded children since May, 1923.
Mrs. Louise Evans, who before her marriage was Laura Phelps of Pope County, a granddaughter of Uncle Till Phelps, worked here for 17 years in various capacities. She now lives in Council Bluffs, Iowa, near here and frequently visits us and other friends here. Her daughter Alma married a Pope county boy, James Aplin, and they also live in Council Bluffs where Jim is employed in railroad work.
Perry King from near Eddyville was employed here for some time, also "Doc" Martin of Cave-in-Rock. Willie Bush, Wayne Craig and Coy Craig of Dixon Springs are former employees of this institution.
With very best regards, I am,
Very truly yours,
G. A. HAZEL