102-year-old served with eviction notice, 83-year-old daughter too

[The Straight Story]

102-year-old served with eviction notice
83-year-old daughter too
By Jim Cox

Rosie V. Thornton, 83, and Edna Woodard, 102, outside of their home. Photos by Jim Cox
A 102-year-old woman and her 83-year-old daughter were served with eviction papers at their home near Coffeeville Monday as a long property dispute apparently nears an end.


Edna Woodard lives with her daughter, Rosie V. Thornton in a doublewide mobile home on the West Bend Road.

They have been in litigation with David Wood over the two-acre site for several years. Wood, formerly of Coffeeville has a deed that say he owns the property along with other land in the area.

Woodard said she has owned the property for years and that her father owned it before her. She and Thornton said the deed that Wood has is a fraudulent document.

However, the matter has been through several court proceedings that have always ruled in favor of Wood. The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals rejected an appeal in June 2003.

"Me and my mama have been harassed for years," Thornton told lawmen at her home Monday. "But I know Jesus," she said, her voice rising and a finger lifted to the sky, "and I'm not worried."


She told the officers, "I want to go to jail and I want to go peacefully. I want folks to know that me and my mama were forced out of our home."

http://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/news/2007/0315/Front_Page/002.html

[southerncrone]

1. Another example of a greedy, slimy, bastard taking from the weaker elements of our society!

[napi21]

2. I really feel sorry for those two very old people, but

a little farther down the article is this:

"Woodard owns 10 acres adjacent to the property in dispute. Officers at the scene as well as the Rev. T. L. Douglas of Jackson convinced Thornton Monday to plan to move their mobile home the short distance to that property.

Thornton said she had "three roosters, 13 peacocks and six geese," that also must be relocated.

Efforts were being made this week to work out some kind of solution to the problem."

Why in the world wasn't the mobile home moved before now? I don't mean she and her daughter should have given up the law suit and just give their property away, but for goodness sake, move the home so they still have a place to stay!

I don't understand.

[DemBones DemBones]

4. Most likely because they can't afford to move their mobile home

to adjacent land that they own. I imagine it costs a couple of hundred bucks minimum to have a mobile home moved even a few yards.


Also, it may be, and likely is, a very old mobile home which may fall apart when moved.

EDIT: They will also probably have pens for their chickens and peacocks to move and probably a garden. If they've been keeping a vegetable or flower garden for years there, they'll have improved the soil over the years. In a new spot, they'd be starting from scratch. Hoeing rocky clay by hand, which is likely the soil they have, ain't no fun. Maybe they have a rototiller or can pay someone to come till the land for them -- if they can afford it.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. Someone must help these women. Maybe DUers can?

Haven't read the article yet, just had to comment on what a tragic situation this is.

The other day, CNN had a story of 101 year-old woman in New York who was mugged in the entryway of her building. The mugger hit her in the face for not giving her money ($32, IIRC) quickly enough. I think the cheek bone was fractured.

They showed the security camera video of the event, followed by a comment from the woman, who said "I'm 101, I can't run from a mugger, he could have had my money."

It's open season on extremely old women, I guess. :cry:

[DawgHouse]

5. I suppose this is a survey dispute?

The article didn't give much more information. It does go on to say that Ms. Thorton owns 10 adjacent acres. Hopefully they can move her mobile home there. I hope it works out for them.

[AuntPatsy]

6. No surprise to me, how many of our elderly in this country

are put out to pasture? Quite a few, I have heard far too many individuals say that such people are deserving saying they should have saved up for those hard years...blows my mind, to be honest and not trying to name call but those that have shown such little pity have all been proud members of the republican party, a sad disgrace to this country that our elderly are so easily ignored.