The Quarterman estate was originally all of that area from John Mann road on the western side to my families homestead on the eastern side. The Old Sunbury Road was the boundary on the southern side and the Goshen swamp surrounded the northern side. The Quarterman family divided the property and Mr. Henry Rahn, who married Helen Quarterman and thus was son-in-law to the Quartermans, became owner of the western portion of the estate. They divided some of their land and there were four homestead sites created. From the highway on John Mann road the first homestead was owned by Herbert and Guy Down's parents. Herbert was a year or so older than me and Guy was exactly one year younger than me as we were both born on the third of April.
     The second homestead was the Bill Peyton family who were my Aunt and Uncle. They had four children John L., Virginia, Allison and Diane. Behind aunt Netherae's (Bill Peyton's) was the home of the Easton family and then the Selph family. Beyond that was the sandpit and as the road twisted and turned into a virtual causeway as it crossed the channel of the Goshen. There were two bridges constructed of logs taken from cypress trees in the swamp. The sandpit was our playground and beyond that was the ever beautiful swamp. I regret that the swamp was drained in the name of progress in 1973 and 74. Until that time the swamp had never (in my lifetime) been dry. However at the time of the draining of the Goshen it had ceased to hold as much water because the many flowing wells in our area had gradually ceased to flow naturally after Interstate Paper Co. opened in the late sixties.   
     The area was always wet and standing water  was a constant battle for residents. My very earliest memories are of watching Daddy digging shallow trenches connecting all of the puddles and ultimately directing the runoff to the ditch alongside the highway. The big red Quarterman house was positioned on the highest point of elevation and the sea level dropped steadily in our direction as our house was positioned on the lowest elevation of the four one acre lots on the eastern part of the Quarterman property.