Hubert Petty: The Story of Clyde May's First Assistant
In Brewton, Alabama lies an unpaved county road that is named after the oldest living residents on that stretch of road.
When searching for this road the only thing that lets a non-local know they are in the right place is an old sign with an arrow that reads "Petty Welding." Follow that arrow and you happen upon a log cabin style home with a couple of buildings that stand next to it.
Hubert Petty and his wife Lou Jean call this place on Petty Road their home. Hubert's home and his business are a product of a lifetime of hard work.
Hubert was Mary Cynthia's (Clyde's wife) youngest sibling. There was a pretty significant age gap between him and his sister and, because of that, he always considered Mary C. to be more like a mother.
Hubert, Mary C., and their four brothers did not have a whole lot growing up. Their parents were sharecroppers in rural America and had to save every penny just to help keep food on the table.
As the youngest, Hubert and one his brothers were the only ones left with their parents as he aged. When he was 11 years old, his parents decided to move to Gilberttown, Alabama, a move that Hubert was not very fond of.
One day Hubert and his parents decided to make a trip to Bullock County to visit Mary C. and her husband Clyde. After an evening of relaxation and talking, it was time for Hubert and his family to go back to Gilberttown; however, Hubert was no where to be found. Mary C. assured her parents that they would find him, and that he could stay with them. Hubert, who had been hiding in the woods all along, appeared once he knew that they had left him.
Although this occurred many years ago, Hubert still remembers the events of that day very well.
"Clyde looked at me and said, 'Hubert, why were you hiding from us?' I looked back and told him that I did not like Gilberttown and wanted to stay with him and Mary C."
So that is exactly what he did. Clyde did not think twice about letting his brother-in-law stay with them. In fact, he encouraged it.
Hubert did not have to worry about clothes or anything like that simply because the only piece of clothing he owned was the overalls that he had on. That is until he started living with Clyde.
“Clyde carried me to town the next day and bought me 5 pair of tough-nut jeans, five shirts, underwear, and socks. That was the first time I ever had clothes bought for me. I was wearing overalls with holes all in them. I ain’t never worn blue jeans before then.”
The first sign that this was going to be a permanent stay was when Clyde and Mary C. put Hubert in school. Like a lot of children in the south during that time, Hubert did not like school and saw it as a waste of time.
“(Clyde) put me in school. Well I went to school for a little while and then I decided to quit. Clyde said, ‘Boy, if you ain’t going to school you’re going to work. I was nearly 13 at that point in my life. I started going to the woods with him every day to work and cut logs. At night, I started going to the woods with him and making whiskey."
Clyde would have not have made Hubert his first real assistant if he did not view him as more than just a brother-in-law. It is quite evident that Clyde looked at him and treated him like a son, and Hubert certainly looked and treated Clyde like a father.
Deep in the pines, huddled around the heat of a copper whiskey still is where they spent many nights. It is there that they bonded over something that meant more than just an additional income. It meant providing the best possible life for them and their families. In the process, Hubert became a different person and a better man because of the hard work and love that Clyde showed him.
"I would not be the man I am today if it wasn't for Clyde."
Hubert eventually found himself back in Brewton. It was there that he asked a young lady to go on a date with him. Nine months later they were married and are still happily married today. Even then, he never strayed to far from Clyde.
"Lou Jean and I spent our honeymoon in Bullock County visiting Clyde and Mary C. If it were up to me, I would have lived in Bullock County so I could be closer to Clyde."
Today, you can see many of the traits that Clyde embodied in Hubert and that is only because of the close relationship they had. Hubert worked hard his entire life and became a very talented welder. His talent has allowed him to continue to be successful as a welder even though he is now retired.
If you ask him, Hubert will tell you that he has everything he could ever ask for and he credits Clyde for being able to do that.
Hubert's story tells how moonshining was not a hobby. Instead, it was a way of life. Clyde put everything he had into every barrel he made and that is a legacy that carries on today through Clyde May's Whiskey.