Re: Thomas Wasson Jr of Sedalia Missouri
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In reply to:
Re: Thomas Wasson Jr of Sedalia Missouri
john johnson 6/25/08
Hi Cousin John,
Yes, we're from the same family. My grandfather was James Bryant Wasson who was born in 1893 and died in 1965. My father's name was Joe Wasson also, actually there was a mistake made recording his birth and someone replaced Joseph with Gordon, so legally he was Gordon Wasson, though everyone called him Joe.
We called my grandfather J.B., though I have heard older people call him Jim. I am hampered at the moment by recently losing an external hard drive where I kept all my family information. I am hoping that info can be recovered by an expert. My mother Wanda died in March and while I never met most of J.B.'s family, she used to talk about his sisters who she met after she married Dad in 1949. I have met some of the children of Minnie and Mae. I can remember who was who, but one I believe was named Betty Canaday(?) and she lived up near Detroit and the other was Nettie Miller who lived here in Fort Smith, Arkansas and used to come visit J.B. when he lived with us the last year of his life. Nettie died 2 or 3 years ago at 95 and was probably the last of that generation.
As I recall J.B. also had a brother that was blind and his name was Ryland though I may be spelling it wrong. J.B. was 10 when his mother died and his father wandered off and married another woman. He told me he sat on the hill alone for several days with a chair and a pig. Finally he saw his uncle coming and thought he was saved, but the uncle took the chair and the pig and left him there. In a couple of days he wandered up the road until he found a family that took him in and let him live in the barn for doing chores on the farm.
His father was Jeremiah Richard "Dick" Wasson who apparently wasn't such a great guy. About 1912 or 13, J.B. rode over to his father's house and found him dead in the yard with his head blown off. An investigation and trial later determined this his niece's husband to be had wrestled the shotgun out of Dick's hands and killed him in self defense after Dick came out of the house intending to kill both of them.
On to a nicer subject, my Dad's youngest brother is Bob Wasson who has been Mayor of Sedalia for several terms. Of my Dad's family only Bob, the youngest and Betty Wasson Singer the next to the youngest are still alive. Betty is the family historian and has written a number of books about the Wassons and the cemetery outside of Sedalia where most of the Wassons are buried (going back to 1812) and a couple of books on Sedalia. Betty is the keeper of the flame.
I am assuming you are from the Wassons that lived in or around Miami, Oklahoma. Mom told me about visiting one of J.B.'s sisters there on her honeymoon in 1949.Wish I had my hard drive!I know nothing about your Joe Wasson, but I guess my name comes from him. Mom also kept wondering what happened to a Grant (I think that was the name) Wasson who was a test pilot probably at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. Does that ring any bells?Joe
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Re: Thomas Wasson Jr of Sedalia Missouri
john johnson 6/26/08