One hundred years ago today...

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 02:45:35 GMT

A few weeks ago, my dad surprised me with a one year subscription to The Atkins Chronicle. It's a little weekly newspaper published in Atkins (Pope County), AR.

Atkins has been important to my Burrises for over 170 years.

They may have branched out to work in Russellville, but Atkins was the town closest to where they lived.

The paper has a hometown feel. When two cars belonging to locals collide, readers not only get the facts about the wreck, but a little comment about whose kids these are.

Even if the "kids" in question have been adults themselves for several decades.

There are columns written by the residents of the local townships, in keeping with newspapers of yore.

Those columns are full of "my momma" and "her daddy" and critiques of the organist's performance in church last Sunday.

But my favorite section of the paper is one called Memories.That section contains reprints of snippets of information published by The Atkins Chronicle 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago.

From the files of October 18, 1912:
Born to J D Boen and wife, Oct. 5, a girl.

Born to Wiley Godbey and wife, the 14th, a boy. (My editorial comment...what a trip. "And wife," like she was just incidental to the birth.)

Atkins has thirteen automobiles - someone get another - break the number. (Do we detect some triskaidekaphobia there?)

From the files of October 25, 1912:
Atkins has 17,681 running feet of concrete walk and about 500 feet of walk to house entrances.

I wonder how they decide which memories to publish?

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Shakin' the Family Tree

One hundred years ago today...