Articles have been edited by Suzanne Forte for brevity and to avoid mention of living individuals.

 Thomas Lant Guthrie passed away April 30, 1979

Lant Guthrie has done a lot of living in his 84 years, but his favorite pastime now is relaxing on 137 acres of land between Youth and Center Hill in the area called Waterport.

"Actually", he says, "this area was first called Granite Bluff.  I bought it for $1800 many years ago from a Mrs. Nowell from Monroe.  It's called Waterport because there was a big corn mill which as powered by the water."

Although a life-long resident of Walton County, Mr. Guthrie hasn't always lived at Waterport.  He went to school at Walnut Grove and Sharon and recalls he got frost-bit many times walking to school barefoot.

"I only got one pair of shoes a year and that was at Christmas.  Man times I had to go to school early to start the fire.  We had fireplaces ad not heaters.  Crosscut saws were all we had.  folks would haul wood up to the school and we would cut it to fit the fireplace", he says.

"Two teachers I remember wee Miss Rose Cannon who taught me at Walnut Grove and Grover Woodruff who later taught me at Sharon.  They were good teachers and didn't mind using the hickories if we didn't obey the rules," he laughed.

Mr. Guthrie was married to the late Lucy (Still) Guthrie.  They raised nine children.  He also has 19 grandchildren and 11 great grand children.

Mr. Guthrie has worked hard all his life.  He ran a store at Waterport for several years but closed it because people wouldn't pay back the credit he extended them.  In addition, he raised cattle, farmed, thresher wheat, traded mules, ground cane and sold hogs.

"Life is what you make it, " he concludes.  "My grandmother raised me and one thing she taught me is that your word goes a lot further than your face does."