William Lannie "Willie" Beard was born 1 July 1905 in Columbia, Marion Co. to Charles Edward "Charlie" Beard and Dollie Louella Barnett and died 4 October 1970 New Olreans, LA of unspecified causes. He married Rosa "Mae" Fussell (1907-1991) .
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| James Edward Beard | |||
| Harold Evion Beard | 4 March 1928 Bude, Franklin Co. | 14 December 2007 Covington, St. Tammany Parish | Daisy Vermell Brumfield |
| Willie "Mae" Beard | |||
Residences
Footnotes (including sources)
| ‡ General |
HE MET AND MARRIED MAE FUSSELL WHILE SHE WAS VISITING HER SISTER AND BROTHER-IN-LAW WHO WAS WORKING AT THE SAME LOGGING CAMP AS WILLIE. BEFORE MAE AND WILLIE MARRIED, MAE WORKED IN NEW ORLEANS AT A TIE FACTORY. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS NO BRIDGE TO CROSS THE LAKE, SO SHE CROSSED ON THE "SUSQUEHANNA" OR ONE OF THE OTHER FERRIES. PART OF THE TIME SHE LIVED ON BANKS STREET WITH HER AUNT OLIVIA. AFTER MARRIAGE, WILLIE DID SOME LOGGING WITH THE GREAT SOUTHERN RAILROAD. THEY MOVED FROM PLACE TO PLACE, THIER CHILDREN BEING BORN IN DIFFERENT TOWNS IN MISSISSIPPI. CHARLIE, WILLIE'S DAD, WAS A SUPERVISOR FOR THE RAILROAD. WILLIE RAN THE ENGINE AWHILE AND THEN BEGAN SWITCHING. BY THE TIME WILLIE MAE WAS BORN, WILLIE WAS DOING CARPENTRY WORK. WHEN WORLD WAR II STARTED, WILLIE AND MAE MOVED TO NEW ORLEANS WHERE WILLIE WORKED AT THE DELTA SHIPYARD AND DID SOME CARPENTRY WORK. AMONG SOME OF THE PLACES THEY LIVED IN NEW ORLEANS WERE BANKS STREET, DOWNMAN ROAD, AND FOR YEARS AT 2133 ELYSIAN FIELDS AVE. THEY OWNED THE DUPLEX HOUSE AT 2133 AND 2135 ELISIAN FIELDS. ALL THREE OF THEIR CHILDREN WERE MARRIED WHILE LIVING IN THIS HOME. AFTER WWII, WILLIE WENT TO WORK FOR THE TEXAS AND PACIFIC RAILROAD AS A SWITCHMAN. HE CONTINUED TO WORK THERE UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1970. WHILE LIVING IN THE HOME ON ELYSIAN FIELDS, MAE DID SOME CAFETERIA WORK FOR A SHORT TIME. SHE TOOK CARE OF GRANDSON, JIMMY, JR., DID HOUSE WORK, TOOK IN BOARDERS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY. GRANDPA CHARLIE AND GRANDMA DOLLY LIVED WITH WILLIE AND MAE FOR A WHILE AT THE 2135 ELYSIAN FIELDS ADDRESS. ABOUT THE TIME HAROLD AND DAISY GOT MARRIED, 1946, DOLLY AND CHARLIE MOVED TO AMITE, LA TO BE NEAR THEIR DAUGHTER, HAZEL. THEY HELPED HAZEL AND HER HUSBAND, CHARLIE HUGHES, RUN A CAFE. THEY THEN MOVED TO ROSELAND, LA. TWO APARTMENTS WERE MADE AT THE 2135 ELYSIAN FIELDS ADDRESS, AND HAROLD AND DAISY LIVED IN ONE, WHILE JIMMY AND ALICE LIVED IN THE OTHER. IN ABOUT 1954 JIMMY AND ALICE MOVED TO A LARGER APARTMENT, AND HAROLD AND DAISY AND FAMILY CONTINUED TO LIVE AT THE 2135 ELYSIAN FIELDS ADDRESS UNTIL 1965 WHEN THEY HAD A HOUSE BUILT IN CHALMETTE. ABOUT 1960, MAE WILLIE PURCHASED AN OLD HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET FROM MAE'S SISTER, VIOLET, IN MADISONVILLE, LA. WILLIE REMODELED THE HOUSE, GETTING HELP FROM HIS GRANDCHILDREN DOING EASY CHORES. THEY WOULD GO TO MADISONVILLE EVERY WEEKEND TO WORK ON THE PLACE AND TO GET OUT OF THE CITY. BEFORE THEY COULD COMPLETELY MOVE TO MADISONVILLE, WILLIE DIED SUDDENLY OF A HEART ATTACK AFTER WATCHING A FOOTBALL GAME ON TV. AT THE TIME THEY WERE LIVING AT 2135 AND WILLIE MAE AND ABBIE AT 2133. ABBIE AND MAE BOUGHT THE DUPLEX FROM WILLIE AND MAE. GRANDMA (MAE) EVENTUALLY MOVED ENTIRELY TO THE MADISONVILLE HOUSE UNTIL SHE BECAME TOO ILL TO REMAIN ALONE. SHE STAYED WITH WILLIE MAE AND ABBIE UNTIL HER DEATH BY CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE. HAROLD AND DAISY THEN LIVED IN THE MADISONVILLE HOME AFTER MAE'S DEATH UNTIL NOVEMBER, 2005. |
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