Everyone has at least one family member who might have a crazy personality or someone who always has interesting stories to share about their past. Whether it's a crazy cousin or goofy grandparent, everyone has one. Mine is my grandpa. Johnny Ellison was an unique character growing up. He had a troubled childhood that was full of situations that no one individual should have to go through in a lifetime. With his resilient mindset, he was able to rise above the austerities and provide an abounding life for his kids. His life was a roller coaster and this is how it began. Johnny Ellison was born April 11th, 1943 in Newport Tennessee. He grew up with many brothers and sisters. He was the youngest of them all. His family was raised up in the farm life. They were poor, so he was put to work at an early age. He had to get up early in the morning to work, then walk to school and after school, go back to work. The family moved farms often. He didn't have much opportunity to make friends and faced physical abuse as well. Often times he said that he …show more content…
Who doesn't though? After getting his licenses, grandpa had to do what was necessary to get by. He resorted to running moonshine. Running moonshine means moving moonshine to buyers for moonshine makers. He spent a lot of times running from the police. His biggest escape was driving across state lines. Once across, Tennessee police couldn't arrest him in a different states. Like every professional runner, they had to have a good cars. His car was rigged with fancy hiding spots and cool gadgets used to get away from the cops. He was caught only once. When he was tried, he was let go. Being that running moonshine was very illegal, he had to have connections. His judge was a customer of his. After this run in with the law, he continued to run moonshine for the next year. The next phase of his life is where the wild animal is