Obituaries: M. Monroe Dickerson, 1940, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: February 1 & 15, 1940 Winn Parish Enterprise Last Rites For M. M. Dickerson Held Last Sunday Former Resident of Winn Parish Succumbs At Shreveport M. M. Dickerson, 79, retired farmer and former Caddo Parish deputy sheriff, died in Shreveport at the home of a sister, Mrs. H. L. Brian, 2627 Dillard Street, at 8 p.m., January 27, 1940. Funeral services were conducted at the Jerusalem Cemetery, Winn Parish, Sunday with the Rev. Alwin Stokes pastor of the Winnfield Presbyterian Church, officiating. Mr. Dickerson, a native of Winnfield, is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Nora Lee Ray, Long Beach, Calif., and Mrs. A. J. Fowler, Shreveport; three sons, F. L. Dickerson, Lufkin, Texas; H. R. Dickerson and A. M. Dickerson, Shreveport; and four sisters, Mrs. H. L. Brian, Shreveport; Mrs. George M. Wyatt, St. Maurice, La., Mrs. B. W. Bailey and Mrs. J. R. Hall, Winnfield. In Memory of M. M. Dickerson Born January 15, 1862 near Winnfield, La., son of John J. and Mary Jackson Dickerson, died January 27, 1940 in Shreveport, La., buried at the Old Jerusalem Cemetery, four miles west of Winnfield, Sunday, January 28, at 3 p.m. Rev. Alwin Stokes and Rev. G. A. Morgan, Winnfield pastors, officiated. His parents, three brothers, wife and three eldest children preceded him in death, leaving four sisters, three sons, two daughters, sixteen grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and many other relatives behind. Born during the war between the states, in which his father fought for the Lost Cause, he grew up under the riggers of reconstruction, which set the South back to pioneer days in which the women spun, wove, and knit their clothes, and a calico dress or a white bleached shirt was a prized possession. The men cleared the forest, hewed out their log houses with the broadax, riving the boards with the "froe". How many of the present generation ever saw these old tools, the cards, the spinning wheel, the loom with its treadless sleigh, shuttle and harness, which took both hands and both feet to run, and the knitting needles and the darning gourd and the open fire place with its broad hearth, where the three legged skillet or over were set over the coals and more coals were heaped on the lids to bake the cornbread, biscuits and potatoes and sometimes a cake, a pudding, or a chicken pie while the dinner pot boiled merrily where it swung from its hook over the fire; how many would know the broadax, the froe, the draw horse, and drawing knife, the iron wedge, the wooden gluts, the maul for splitting rails, the square nails, the mortise and tenon for framing, and the old blacksmith shop with its forge and bellows, anvil, and hammer, tongs and slacktub. With such tools and amid such surroundings our friend and his parents housed, clothed, and fed themselves and got peace and happiness out of life. Their sons often drowned the hum of the spinning wheel and the rattle of the loom, the noise of the forge and the sound of the ax. Their meat grew and fattened in the woods and was far more nutritious and palatable than our cornfed products of today. They lived close to nature and to God. If they made debts it was by word of mouth and was a matter of honor which was seldom tarnished. They knew little of tricks in trade or notes or mortgages and bonds. I met Monroe Dickerson for the first time in October, 1884, and married his oldest sister in October, 1886 and have been intimate as a brother ever since. In all the nearly 56 years I have never had a harsh word from him nor occasion of anger towards him. He was very firm in his beliefs and attitudes but was reasonable and patient in his dealings with friends and neighbors. He never had a case in court, neither civil nor criminal. He farmed for his living until too old to work, except four years as a deputy sheriff of Winn Parish. During the last ten years of his life he lived with his children in Shreveport, most of the time with his son, Heron L. Dickerson, who furnished him everything money could buy. Among his friends and relatives other than his immediate family, in and around Winnfield, were: Matt, Him, and Wyatt Jackson; Uncle Bill, Willie, and Wesley Dickerson; John M. and Perry Abel; Bill "Red" Williams; Ace, Gus, Willie, Jesse, Buck, Ginger, Willis, Little Ben, and Big Ben Teddlie; John and Charley Mathis; John Teagle; John Martin; George, Billy, Tandy, and Tom Harlan; John Tee, Willie, and Dr. Neal; John D. Williams; Lem Cox; Jack Franks; Jim Bob and Cal Carter; Bill Cockerham; Gill, Pick, John, Dennis, Andrew, Jep, John, Sr., Matt, and Blood Milam; Dennis Parsons, Antoine, and Dr. Radescich; Dennis Mackie; Jim Warner; Joseph, John, and Manuel Rudd; Jesse, Abe, and Tom Womack; Joe, Ben and Jesse Fox; John and Bill Jordan; Bill, John, Theo, Lee, Charley, and Wesley Jones; Felix Walker, Cicero Hatten; Bill, John, and Dave Gaar; N. C., Jap, Ben, and John Sowers; Ace, Oscar, Leonard, Jehu, Lum, and Walter Allen; Bill, Matt, Jap, Wesley, and Horace Boyett; John, Hugh, Will, Mike, Jim, Albert, Tom, and George Long; Thomas, Sr., Thomas, Jr., and Bob Milling; Dr. John, George A., Dan, and John Kelly; Jake, Orrin, and L. E. J. Grisham; Iley, Morgan, Dr. and Hardy Brian; Dave Dunn, Joe Smith, Buck Stevens; Willis Fogle; Ira Wallis, Jim, Will, Tom, and George Wallace; Bob and Crockett Jones; Judge Wear; Fort and Monroe Tannehill; Morris, Henry, Albert, and Julian Bernstein; Judge, Willie, John, and Earl Roberts; Riley, Bill, Rarden, Pete and Willie Bevill; Judge, Bill, and Ed Shumate; Berrien, Sr., Berrien, Jr., B. W. and Buford Bailey; Proff and Ollie Cole; Dr. Wade, Dr. Cook; Malcolm, Auselin and N. J. Little; Frank, Pink, Turner, Henry, and Judge Machen; Tillet, Ibzan, and Rarden Porter; S. J. Harper; J. H. Crawford; Frank Shaw; John and Jim DeLoach; Jim, Dr. Joe, Spence, Pat, Sr., Pat, Jr., Smith; Ted, Sr., Ted, Jr., Harry, Frank, Jim, and Willie Eagles; Quin, Mac, W. D., Marion, and Edgar Melton; F. M., John, Jim, and Dick Britt; Jim, Wade, John, and Dr. Wright; Geo. Wyatt; Bob Hall; J. D. Pace, Mac Branch; R. W. Oglesby; E. K., Bede, Cyrus, and Hershel McGinty; Gus, Dr. John, Lawson, and Willie McDonald; Bill, George, Crow, and Bob Fletcher; W. T. Norman; Bill Heflin; Levi Bridges; Jim McBride; Tom Silman; J. M. Jennings; Jim Philan; Jim, Sr., J. L., Tom, John, Pink, ?. B., W. F., Shell, Joab, and Abner Durham; Ab, Tess, and Lige Martin; John Keiffer; Crawford Hunt; Sam and Dan Barr; Rich, Henry, John, and Dr. Williams. Time and space would fail me to name more of the Fletchers, O'Quins, Drewetts, Weavers, Calhouns, Purvis', Mcmanus', Langs, Poole, Shaws, Davisons, Mixons, McLamore, Shumates, Paynes, Roes, Walkers, Durbins, Cliftons, Moffetts, Wassons, Stovalls, and many others, most of whom have fallen asleep waiting for the resurrection of the dead, when, "all that are in their graves shall hear my voice and come forth, they that have done evil, for God will have all men to be saved (resurrected) and come to a knowledge of the truth" and "the truth shall make you free from the law of sin and death". May the glad time soon come when God will call them forth and restore them to their waiting loved ones. Won't there be joy then and God be glorified? Till then rest in peace, my brother. H. L. Brian, Shreveport, La.