The Dallas Journal, Volume 46, 2000 Page: 2

Autobiography of Charles V. Compton by Don Raney
I remember a large pond down a slope were we waded in the summer and skated in the winter. I remember that we built
a fence across the end of the pond in the dry season. Later, the rains came and the water reached the lower connection
rails. I slipped away from home one fine day and crawled out on the fence and was almost half across when I fell in the
water, but held on to the lower rail and began letting out yells for Billie (William Taylor Compton), my brother, two
years my senior, who was playing at the top of the slope. As I would cry "run Billie" he would answer, "Bless your
sweet heart." Again the same cry and again the same answer. Finally, he waded along holding to the fence and fished
me out.
No shipwrecked sailor ever feared his fate greater or appreciated his rescue more than I did at that time. As we ascended
the hill hand-in-hand, my heart still swelled with gratitude. I said, "Billie, you may sing my song." Each of us had a
song, all of our own and woe be to any one who sang it without our permission. Mine was "Sugar Betty Ann."
I'm a goin' to marry, Yes I am,
I'm a goin' to marry Sugar Betty Ann
Put on the teapot, Put on the pan
for I'm goin' to marry Sugar Betty Ann.
Billie's song was "Billie Boy."
O! Where have you been Billie boy, Billie boy?
O! Where have you been, son Billie?
I've been looking for my wife, she's the joy of my life,
But she's a little young thing, too young to leave her mammy.
Can she bake a cherry pie, Billie boy, Billie boy?
Can she bake a cherry pie, son Billie?
She can bake a cherry pie quick as a cat can blink it's eye,
But she's a little young thing, too young to leave her mammy.
Soon after my tragic water episode, we moved to our newly painted house a short distance away on the public road.
Painted houses were few and far between. It was the first that I had ever seen. Most of the houses int that part of
Kentucky were built of logs, gathered from the surrounding forests, then hewed by the builders. When the sides were
made smooth they were bound together by mud, which resembled cement and made the buildings almost air tight. At
the end of the houses were chimneys constructed out of sticks and dirt. On the inside were the large fireplaces that
served for heating, cooking and lighting. Large flat smooth rocks were placed in front of the fireplaces to hold the
andirons. Attached to the inner part of the chimney was a pendulum-like iron rod with a hook at the bottom to hold the
pots.
Lamps were few; most of our light, save for the fireplace, came from the little round tin lamps with round wicks. There
were no lamp chimneys. As wood was cheaper than oil, the lamps were not extravagantly used. As a substitute, many
families relied on a dish filled with grease in which a wick was laid that extended over the side. Many of Kentucky's
great scholars - and there were many of them - gathered their knowledge in front of the fireplaces, burning boards and
wood for light.
Well do I remember Grandma Compton's (Margaret Rexroat, wife of Micajah Compton) quaint log house, and the well-
filled smoke house that was only a short distance from the house. In fact, smoke houses usually accompanied the
residences. Down the road a short distance was our new house. I was impressed by the big apple tree in our front yard.
We had a little dog named Trusty, who could always be depended upon to keep the stock away from us.
At the rear of the house was the rocked-in spring that not only furnished our water supply, but also served as a
refrigerator for our milk and butter. The water from the spring emptied into Fall Branch, a small stream that skirted our
farm and furnished water for our stock and provided a wading and swimming place and was known as the "Old Mill
Stream." The mill was about one mile away. Farmers, for quite a distance, brought their turns of corn and sat around the
slow grinding mill which was propelled by water emptying on a revolving wheel - yes it was a slow process.
One of my father's funny stories was of a complaining customer who said to the miller: "Bill, I can eat this meal as fast

as your mill can grind it." Bill said, "Yes, but for how long?" "Until I starved to death," he answered. Bill said it was
not uncommon for the men from the backwoods to bring their corn on a horse or mule with corn on one side and a rock
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