The Wilson home had a radio and was one of the 21 that was in town of Aubrey during the 1930 census. William G. was 67 years old and his wife Lizzie was 59. William G. Wilson’s parents lived in Mississippi when he was born. His occupation was that of a farmer, yet he lived in town. He never served in the military.

Lizzie Wilson’s mother, Susie Lanford, was born in Mississippi and her parents were born in North Carolina and Mississippi.

The boarder, Worth Lillard, was a divorcee; he was 43 years old and was born in Texas like his parents. He was employed as a farm laborer, and he had never served in the military.

The house next door to the Wilson’s was where the Ferguson’s lived. At the time the 1930 census was recorded, Mr. Ferguson was the rural mail carrier. I don’t know how long Mr. Ferguson was the mail carrier before 1930, but I do know that he carried mail into 1959.

Mr. Ferguson was 38 years old, and he was born in Texas. His parents were born in Tennessee. He served in World War I, and they did not indicate that they had a radio. He married Sallie M. in 1919. Sallie was 40 years old and was born in Tennessee. Her parents were also born in Tennessee.

The Ferguson’s had an older son, Charles Noel, who was 7 years old in 1930, and he was born in Texas. They had a daughter Ruby M., age 5, who was born in Texas, and another son Cecil C. who was 2 years and 2 months old, and was also born in Texas.

Mr. Ferguson’s mother, Martha E., lived with them and she was 62 years old. She was a widow and was born in Tennessee – her parents were born in Tennessee as well.

When you begin to calculate the years and ages of the grandparents, it is easy to determine that these people were included in the Trail of Tears.

Families had to take up for each other during this period of time during 1930. Jim Goin was not one to take lightly an offense from anyone when his family and loved ones were involved. It was during this time that providing the essentials for living was something very difficult. Unemployment was at an all time high. Bartering of what one possessed was essential for existence.

The alert and keen eye of the Cherokee blooded Jim Goin showed up frequently when danger was presented. One story that I heard from my brother Buddy last week is worthy of passing on. It was just after the 1930 census was taken and the banks were failing and if the family love was fulfilled it required a call to arms. Others were rough too and this created a keen eye and alert posture.

This event happened when Buddy was a youngster, he is four years older than I am. He remembers that when he was riding in the buggy with our Daddy and other brothers, one of the local thugs pulled out his old chrome 45 and pulled an armed robbery on Jim Goin and his kids. The story goes that the robber pulled the horse that is in this photo over when he jumped out of a bunch of weeds and brush, pulling the horse to a stop. The robber went up into the buggy seat and ordered them all out of the buggy. He took all of the money that Daddy had in his possession. This money was the grocery money to feed the kids.

The robber began to fumble around and poked the gun into our Dad’s ribs. It was at this time that Jim Goin began to stumble around on his feet too and created an unpredictable movement as he was stumbling with the robber. The robber was trying to get out of his stumbling and stomping way. As he was stumbling and stomping around, he leaned over and picked up a stick of wood and came down on the robber’s arm above the wrist. Buddy says the stick of wood was so big that he still can’t see how our Dad was able to pick it up so quickly and hit the robber with it. As he hit the robber’s arm the gun went off, but the bullet went astray and no one was hurt. The robber’s arm was broken so badly that it was dangling above the wrist. The wood stick hit the robber several more times, and he was left to survive any way he could with no help from any party in the buggy.

I asked Buddy, "What did the old mean guy do with the gun?" Buddy said, "Well the robber lost his gun in the buggy and was on it way to bringing us to safety."

The old robber never confronted our dad again. He sent some of his less able friends some months later to rescue his weapon, which turned out to be a beautiful forty-five that stayed in my family until many years later when a friend of my dad’s needed the assistance of the chrome polished gun.

Buddy promises to tell me some more stories of hard times in Aubrey.

The photo is of my Dad, Jim Goin, his brother Joe, and their sister Lillian, in the family buggy in 1910. The buggy was their chief method of transportation. The photo was taken and processed on the Sanford Slaton farm which is the first farm on the right after you turn left on Black Jack Road. The old horse was named Snip. She was ridden in addition to pulling the family buggy.