Joe Carroll

By James Carroll

Anniston, Al.

Joe Carroll was born in 1894. His father, John Carroll, was a farmer. Joe worked in the cast iron industry when he was young. Later on, he was owner of a small grocery store on 12th. St. and Crawford Av. in Anniston, Al.

Joe was married to Bertha Laney. They had three children. Edward, Jo, and Jean.At the age when most people retire, Joe started a pest control route, where he worked until his death at the age of 86.

Back during the early part of World War II, the army started building barracks at Fort McClellan to accommodate the new troops arriving there for training. The army was hiring every carpenter they could find. Uncle Joe went to the hardware store and bought a whole new set of carpenter tools, and took off to Fort McClellan.

The guards at the gate directed him to the job site, where he ask the foreman for a job. The foreman told Uncle Joe he had never seen a real carpenter with all new tools, and declined to hire him.

Not to be denied, Uncle Joe went back to the gate and traded his new tools to another carpenter for his old tools. Then he went back to the job site and found a person with a little authority, and ask him for a job. After discussing it for a few minutes, he hired Uncle Joe as a foreman.

In the picture above, Joe Carroll is on the left. Chester Carroll is on the right.

Joe's favorite saying: Life is but a hop, skip and a jump. If you have anything to do, you'd better do it now.