George Dewey Ledwell

Dewey Ledwell owned the property across from Mitchell United Methodist church. He had over 90 acres of land at the time of his death.

Let me start by telling you a little about this uncle. First and far most he loved children, especially baby girls. I recall at the age of 4 or 5 I was to receive a tricycle for Christmas. Each day he would come down to the house for a cup of coffee and give me my daily quarter. I had to work to find that quarter because of him always wearing a jacket with many pockets. The pleasure he had was for me to locate my quarter. Each day that quarter went into a giant pink piggy bank that he had purchased for me. Back to my tricycle, daily I was told I must be good, or Santa was not going to bring me my most wanted gift. My mother would say, "Dewey be careful." It took me quite a few years to comprehend what she was telling him. Well, uncle Dewey was not known for keeping secrets, and she was afraid he would slip up and let me know Santa had placed that tricycle in his barn.

Now about the man, Dewey Ledwell. Dewey was the smallest of the Ledwell men standing about 5'7". He was most definitely the strongest of these men. He was fearless when it came to confrontation be it man or beast. His horses were so trained or shall I say afraid that they would go to him just by the rise of his voice. At one point he had fenced in his house and yard with honest to God very vicious bulls. Some nights my father would ask my brothers to follow him home to make sure he got in the house safely. Those bulls knew better than to mess with him.

Dewey Ledwell was a single man with an eye for farming. He bought all the necessary equipment needed to care for his property. Around the age of 60 years, he married his longtime sweetheart, Alberta Goldston. His marriage changed my relationship with him. I no longer could run freely to him when I needed a break from my parents or for him to defend me when I had done something that would surely get an eyebrow raised from my parents.

At present, the current landowners have a for sale sign on the property. I so wish my family could purchase that property and bring it back under the Ledwell umbrella.