General Notes

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Vernie M. McEwen was born 20 Sep 1886, nine miles north of Rockford,
Coosa Co., AL. He received his elementary and high school education at
Bell Rattle and Hanover Schools, later taking a graduate course in
bookkeeping at Massey Business College, Birmingham, Alabama.
The first twenty years of his life were spent at home with his
parents. The next three years were spent in Oklahoma - farming. He then
returned to Alabama and for three years was employed by Sylacauga
Mercantile Co. as a Bookkeeper.
Later Vernie accepted a position as Bookkeeper with the Wester Grain
Company, Fort Smith, Arkansas. After being there only a few months he was
called into the Service in World War I. His "dog tag" read: V.M. MCEWEN,
PVT. 30032, 643 Aero. U.S.A.  In this he served nearly two years and
seventeen months of which were spent overseas as Sergeant in the Aviation
Salvaging Dept.  Airplanes were in very short supply in the U. S.
military, yet were proven to be strategic weapons. Because of the limited
supply of airplanes and surplus of trained pilots, whenever a plane went
down and was not destroyed, a unit was sent in to recover it, even behind
enemy lines. Vernie was a part of this type of unit.
Since returning to civilian life he has worked in the Rubber Plant,
Akron OH, oil fields of OK, and as carpenter and concrete finisher in
construction work at Mitchel Dam; Upper Tallassee; Cherokee (Martin Dam);
Lock 18 (Jordan Dam); a steam plant at Mobile, AL; hydro-electric plants
at Millegeville, GA and Eldon, Missouri; bridge work at Wetumpka, AL and
Fulton, MS.
He bought a home and small farm 24 Oct 1928 near Lock 18 - five miles
northwest of Wetumpka on the Wetumpka-Birmingham Hwy by Holtville. During
the Depression years his family has plenty of  food grown and raised by
him and his wife, and they enjoyed the fine home they lived in. He was a
member of the Baptist Church, Wetumpka, member of the American Legion
Post No. 7, Wetumpka; W. O. W. Camp Granfield, OK; and Shrine, Alcazar
Temple.
On 8 Oct 1933, his wife Fay died.  After almost eight and a half
years, Vernie married Joise Alma Evans on 8 Mary1942, continuing the
truck farm on the Coosa River, between Wetumpka and Slapout, AL. Alam,
the daughter of Melissa Beatrice Mullins Evans (called Granpothie by the
children) and Jessie Lee Evans. After Granpotchie lived with Vernie and
Alma at the farm.
Vernie died on 11 Aug 1967 at the age of 80. Alma continued to live
on the farm until she died a few years later on 10 Aug 1970 at the age of
65. John Paul, Fay, Vernie, and Alma are buried in the Cears Chapel
Cemetery, north of Rockford, Coosa Co., AL on highway 231.
The farm is still owned by William Vernie McEwen.  All of the
following children lived at the farm at one time or another: Bill, Ruby,
Wyatt, Lucy, Bertie Ruth, Willie Perl, Martha Edith, and Effie Fay.  The
last four are daughters of James B. and Georgia P. McEwen.