Memories of Enterprise

When my grandparents, Arthur Ousley and Elsie Allen, married in March of 1924, they kicked off a journey worthy of its own book. After seeing their seven daughters—Merle, Lucille, Evelyn, Norma Jean, Anne, Frances, and Sharon—off to start their own adventures, Arthur and Elsie settled into Enterprise, Mississippi.

Those seven daughters were fortunate enough to marry seven wonderful men, and the Ousley clan quickly grew. By the 1960s and 70s, most of the seventeen grandchildren had arrived. Because the family was incredibly close, our childhoods were filled with constant opportunities to visit Mamaw and PawPaw in Enterprise. Today, the family has expanded even further, with too many great-grandchildren to count and a growing generation of great-great-grandchildren.

To keep those deep bonds alive, the daughters established an annual family reunion in the early 1990s. Each year, one branch takes the reins to host the gathering, usually pivoting around the "Old South" where most of the family resides.

In 2016, just a few years after my own family (I belong to Frances) returned from living overseas, my wife, children, and I hosted the reunion in Austin, Texas. Looking for a way to capture the spirit of our roots, I asked my cousins to write down their favorite memories of our time in Enterprise. I collected those reflections and shared them with everyone who attended.

Now, I am preserving and sharing those vignettes once again. They are a window into the experiences of kids growing up in a simpler time, a tribute to the place that anchored us, and a celebration of the family that holds us together.