This story is told by him many time and related by his children. About this same time period he lived with a family named Keys. "Just about everyday we ate salt fish!" He learned to hate it. One day he looked into the barrel and to his surprise and delight it was almost empty. He was excited as he knew soon they wouldn't be eating anymore salt fish. Later that same day he saw Mr. Keys driving the horse and wagon up the road. When he got to the house, he yelled for Waddie to lend a hand unloading another barrel of SALT FISH!

When he first met and married Augusta, he was working at a sawmill in Lynch Station, Virginia for a man named L.C. Hayden who owned the mill. When Mr. Hayden found out Waddie was getting married he must have thought he would leave the mill so he had a two room shanty built near the mill for Waddie and Augusta. He had his workmen build them a table, chairs and a bed from rough cut lumber. He also gave them pots and pans. When they moved in there were wood shavings and sawdust still all over the floor.

At the Bedford County Courthouse in Bedford, Virginia, where they applied for their marriage license, I almost missed finding it because Waddie's name is misspelled! The license is hand written in the register book and is spelled, Waddy Simon.

They later moved to Roanoke, Virginia where he went to work at the railroad shops for several years. After this they moved back to Campbell County, Virginia at which time he went to work at the Tomahawk Grist Mill. (Now called Graves Mill)

The following story is told by Paul Graves, nephew of Harvey Graves.

While working there he had trouble with Harvey. It is said that Waddie and Harvey never could get along. Neither one ever liked each other.

One day Waddie was driving a team of mules and wagon back to the mill from Lynchburg and he picked up a man walking and gave him a ride to the mill. When the man got down off the wagon he gave Waddie 50 cent for the ride. Harvey saw this and demanded the 50 cent saying it was his as the mules and wagon were his. Waddie and Harvey got into a fight and Waddie quit and went to work for a Doctor Tom Terrell on the railroad.

While working on the railroad, they lived in a shack near where they were working. The contractor was using dynamite to blast cuts in the hills. One charge they set off caused a big rock to come through the roof of their shack. Augusta and Gilford (a baby at this time) were home when this happened. When he heard about it, Waddie made it very clear that if it happened again, he would kill someone. He was bad tempered as a young man and probably meant it! Needless to say, it never did.

At some later date he went back to work at the Tomahawk Grist Mill. He was given a house for him and his family to live in and promised by the Graves that he and his family would always have a place to live. This promise was never broken. He worked at the mill for over 50 years. Eight of their ten children were born in the same house.

The mill officially closed in 1958, but on occasion Waddie would open it and grind corn into meal or flour for someone. The last time was about 1962.

There was a store in Lynchburg on Fort Avenue where he would buy most of what he needed for his family. He bought everything in bulk, such as fifty pounds of beans, whole cowhides and a box of shoe heels. He did all the shoe repair himself. Most of there food they grew themselves.

When there 2nd son, Gilford died, he went down to the mill and cut foot stones for Gilford and William's graves. When asked why he was doing this, his answer was, "Because it's my penance for not raising those two boys right".

He will always be remember by those who knew him as a well educated man. Never finishing school he was self taught. He loved to read and would read everything from westerns to classics. He religiously read every word of the daily newspaper everyday to keep up with what was going on in the world. Until his death his mind and memory were always clear. Two things you never could win an argument with him about were baseball and politics. His memory of such facts were unbelievable!

He was known as a very strict person as remembered by his children and grandchildren. But known and loved very much by everyone. It was a tradition to go to their house every Sunday after church and stay until about 9:00 p.m. The adults would always play croquet till suppertime and the children were always required to play elsewhere or be very quiet. At suppertime, all the grandchildren would be put into a room to eat by themselves.

After supper was over, the adults played a game called Po-Ke-No" (A game similar to Bingo) at the kitchen table until it was time to go home. No children were ever allowed to play.

At the Shiloh United Methodist Church in Forest, Virginia, where Waddie and Augusta attended for many years and are buried, there is a stained glass window towards the front of the church on the right-hand side that is dedicated to their memory. Their names are at the bottom of this window.

On their 75th wedding anniversary they were living in the small cottage between the old grist mill and Paul Graves. They had a large party with most of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren there. There anniversary was even announced on the world famous "Paul Harvey" radio program.

The cottage had been remodeled a bit by Paul Graves with electric heat, electric stove, etc. One of their great grandchildren (Sylvia Sowell) asked Augusta, "Grandma, how do you like your new electric stove?" She replied, "Well honey, I like it just fine but I'm so afraid Papa is going to spit in it". This was her first electric stove. She had never cooked on anything but a wood burning one her entire life.

Birth dates and locations taken from the SALMON family bible currently held by Florence Reynolds Salmon in Texas. Stories are first hand knowledge and from Waddie and Augusta, their children and Paul Graves.

At the time of his death, Waddie was 5' 6" tall - Weight: 110 pounds. Date of death taken from Death Certificate and The News & Advance newspaper in Lynchburg.