Story of Dreaming Big from My Great Grandfather

My Great Grandfather, Charles S. Wassum was born in the 1870's on a farm in Atkins, VA. Atkins was a town of about 100 people at that time. When he was a child he didn't think that many cities could be much bigger than the neighboring Marion, VA, which itself had about 3,000 inhabitants. He was even intimidated going to school in Marion because so many of the other kids seemed to be much better off financially than himself. He would often get to school after the long horse ride from Atkins to Marion with dirty clothes from all the mud on the trek. He would see some of the kids in Marion get dropped off at school in their family's nice carriages. Finally, he quit going to school in Marion because "the embarressment and humiliation was just too much for [his]inferior complex."

However, he was still dreaming of something bigger. When he was under 14 years old he saw a gathering of Gypsies close to his town. It was common knowledge at that time to not ever trust a Gypsie because they would cheat you out of money or property and people warned Charles to stay far away from them. But, Charles was fascinated with the Gypsies. He watched them often and thought that "they were the happiest people that could be." He saw them dancing and singing in a way that he had never seen before. Seeing them put "a roving nature into [him]."

Even though he managed to have his own share of fun fishing and playing with friends he began to think that there was a whole world outside of Atkins, VA to see. He decided to leave Atkins.

Day after day he would beg his father to let him leave. When he was 14 years old, Charles left home with $4 dollars and was on his way to find adventure. His parents thought he would be gone for only a couple weeks before coming back to his senses and to the family farm, but he didn't come back for years. He saw much of the United States as a mail delivery boy, dishwasher and announcer for a circus, and railroad worker. His vision was too big for Atkins, VA and led him to leave in search of adventure. And he found it.