This was my fat Grandpa. He weighed over 300 lbs., and was about 6 ft. tall.  Before he died, he owned nearly 3 sections of land, so he must have been a fairly successful farmer. He raised his living at home - even planted a rice patch. He built his house on the top of a hill, overlooking a public road running between Ebenezer and Eden, dug a deep well at the base of the hill, below his home, and gave water to travelers passing by. As the travelers 
watered their horses and got a drink for themselves, he would ask them for the latest news, for they didn't get to read many newspapers in those days. 

     Grandpa Wyatt went with his Daddy, Grandpa Britain, and his brothers, William and Gideon, to California during the gold rush of 1849. They crossed the Isthmus of Panama, took a steamboat up the coast to California, having already gone by boat to Panama. Gideon died on the trek across Panama, and is buried there. When they arrived in California, all the good claims had been staked out, and the claims they bought up didn't produce much gold. So they didn't stay too long out there. They came back overland with a big wagon train - so big the Indians did not try to attack them. They did see some Indians watching the wagon train go on its way. They arrive in St. 
Louis, took a steamer to Vicksburg, and then home. Grandpa Wyatt was such a portly man, I don't imagine he did very much digging for gold himself. 

     Grandma Sue said he brought home a few pieces of gold to show, and there's no telling what it cost for them to make the trip. When the Civil War broke out, the recruiting officer came by and took Grandpa Wyatt with him. But after a week, they had given up the idea of making a soldier out of him. They told him to go back home and raise as much food as possible for the South, which he did. He also raised horses for the cavalry. Grandpa had a 
hiding place in the canebrake. If he heard that someone was coming, he would hide until it was safe to come out. A little negro boy would come and tell Grandpa when it was safe. Grandpa didn't live too long a life - just 61 
years old when he died. He got sick with what they called acute indigestion, which today would probably be diagnosed as a heart attack. (Probably because of his obesity). Grandma Sue always believed the doctor made a mistake, however, and gave the wrong pills to Grandpa, and killed him. 

by Frank L. Smith