Son of Samuel and Arleva Ratliff McBay...

When Edd McBay was born on March 3, 1888 in Kelso, Lincoln County, Tennessee his father Samuel McBay was 42 and his mother Arleva Ratliff McBay was 43. He was the fifth child born to his parents, his older siblings were John Thomas, Fannie, George, Minnie, his younger siblings were Houston, Beulah and William.
On November 3, 1912 he was 26 and married Gracie Lee Dollar who was 16 years old. By June 5, 1917 when Edd registered for WWI he and Gracie had already started a family and had three children, Bill Levoid (Levoy), Clifford and Viola Alma.
According to the WWI registration form he lived in Taft, Lincoln County, Tennessee was a self employed farmer on land near Camargo, Lincoln County, Tennessee. He can't write so he made his X mark next to where the registerar, G.A. Rogers signed Edd McBay. The date of birth he gave to Mr. Rogers was March 29, 1889 but the date on his headstone is March 10, 1888.
In 1920 he is listed as Eddie McBay 31 and head of house in Lincoln County, Tennessee, his wife is Gracie 22, and they now have four children Levoy, Clifford, Alma and 7 month old Vernon. Which must be Bernard L.D. McBay as he was the only child born in 1919. Just never heard him called Vernon, which the original image of the 1920 Lincoln County, Tennessee census plainly states his name was Vernon. Edd's older brother John 53 is living with the family but not for long as he will marry soon after the census was taken.
In 10 years when the 1930 census was taken Edward and wife Gracie were still living in Lincoln County he was still farming and they had added to the family by 5 more children... now the house was full of little McBay's, Levoy, Clifford, Alma, Bernard, Mary B, Edd Lee, James, Houston and Doris. Ten more years went by and Edd and Gracie have added even more children to the family and as the older ones leave home to start their own families Gracie is busy taking care of the younger McBay's while Edd still keeps the family going by helping his oldest boys that live with them do the farming. The oldest in the household is Eddie Lee who is now 19, James 16, Houston 15, Doris 12 and now there is Jewel Dean 9, Willie 7, Ruth 5 and Ann 3. This family was counted twice in the 1940 census without moving! The first time was on April 27th and the enumerator was John Cooke. The second time was on May 6 and the enumerator failed to sign his name but it is definitely someone different as the handwriting is very different on both reports.
Edd passed at the age of 71 leaving behind his wife Gracie who lived 30 years more and their 13 children.