William
Harrison McCranie, best known as "Big
Bill."Today Big Bill McCranie is revered and widely loved more than any other of the McCranie brothers and sisters who lived on 'Cranie Lane.
His nieces adored him unabashedly and named their children after him: William "Buddy" Quincy Evans, William "Billy" Ross Jump, Billie Carol Kimmons, and William James McCranie [there may be more?]
Those of us from ages 40 to 70 plus hold long endearing discourses about the old bachelor who went to town and brought back to 'Cranie Lane giant bags of candies and other goodies. Just easing along in his old pickup truck, Big Bill would stop at every house where his nieces and nephews were living or visiting. As he passed out the little bags of delights, children stuck to him like glue.
That kindest man on earth then would give each smiling child a little bag of the sweeties from town. Looking down from Aunt Belle's and Uncle Jack's house toward Abb's house, Big Bill could see Don, Junior, Buddy, Jeff McCranie, Ruth and Elese either standing in the middle of the dirt road or perched on Abb's fence like so many chickens. Indeed, they awaited their 12-month a year Santa Claus.
Long ago, we watched Big Bill cook lunch in his old wood stove and draw from its oven large golden brown whole cakes ["ho cakes"] of cornbread. Milk, tea and vegetables came with the bread.
At Big Bill's place we could hunt squirrels and birds in the woods, follow his mule round and round the cane mill and drink cane juice 'til we popped.
Big Bill went to World War I and was stationed in France. The photo above was made in 1919.. We are currently trying to gather info about some of that history which will be gone forever if we don't get it NOW.
So, this page will be developed more fully in the weeks ahead as my cousins collect memories of Big Bill from the oldest members of our families.
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Page updated on10/15/99
by the Sitemaster Abbie Donald Evans