L ouis Cline, Mary “Flannery” O’Connor’s uncle, loved people. He longed to learn about others through his travels across Georgia as a salesman for King Hardware’s Wholesale Division. 

Louis lived both at Andalusia and in Atlanta. At Andalusia, he shared the farm with his sister, Regina Cline O’Connor, and his niece, Flannery O’Connor. In Atlanta, he lived first with his brother Dr. Bernard Cline and later with his sister Cleo Cline Tarleton.  

Upon Louis' return from any trip, whether it be to Atlanta or Milledgeville, he liberally shared his back-road adventures with family members. 

One can only imagine what Flannery’s sharp ears garnered from Louis’ curious tales when he returned to Andalusia.

“Mary Flannery planned to dedicate her next novel to her Uncle Louis. Unfortunately, that never came about. But that just shows in what high regard she held him,” said Mark Cline, Louis’ great nephew, whose family lived in Atlanta when the great Southern author lived in Milledgeville.  

Frances Florencourt, Louis’ niece, said, “Flannery frequently included Louis in her letters. I could see this relationship building from Flannery becoming a writer into her years of success. It was a quiet relationship that built slowly, and you can see that in her writing.”

At periodic stops while traveling, Louis picked up tidbits of information and other Georgia gems along the way. He kept fresh fruits and vegetables in wooden-slat baskets in his trunk that captivated his family every time he visited Atlanta or Andalusia. When Louis opened his trunk, his nieces and nephews couldn’t wait to see the latest treasures of fresh produce and trinkets.

“Whether it was Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening, there was always a place set at our table,” said Mark. “We never knew when he would show up for dinner, as he was coming from Milledgeville. He loved checking in on everyone and was always a calm and polite gentleman.”

Louis’ extended family was a huge part of his friendship circle. 

“Uncle Louis was the mailman for the family,” Mark said. “He delivered packages while keeping up to date with everyone and brought the news to all of us.”

For many years, when it was a dairy farm, Louis managed Andalusia for his older brother, Dr. Bernard Cline. When Bernard passed away in 1947, Louis and Regina inherited 550 acres, and they ran Andalusia as 50-50 partners during that time. 

Louis was working at King Hardware too, where he was recognized as its outstanding salesman in the Wholesale Division. His district covered stores from Milledgeville to Atlanta. Later, he led a division of the company. Louis delivered messages in person because his customers knew he would travel to see them, so they wouldn't have to make a long-distance call.

“If you needed something, he could find it for you,” said Jack Tarleton, another nephew of Louis. “He sold by telephone or written correspondence and was known for his ability to find something for anyone who needed a special item. He pursued it with determination and always succeeded in getting these hard-to-find hardware items.”

“To ride in his car was an experience for those who accompanied him, as it was filled to the brim with hardware,” said Mary Ann Murray, Louis’ niece. 

Before that, Louis had a used car lot behind the Capital City Club in Atlanta.

“My father would take the trolley downtown to have lunch with Bernard and Louis,” said Mark. “He would stop on Peachtree Street in front of the Capitol City Club and pick up Louis. Then, they would walk down to Bernard 's office to pick him up for lunch.” 

At the age of seven, Jack recalls his mother taking him to live at Andalusia for a month to recover from an ailment. 

“That's where I first remember knowing him personally,” Jack said. “Uncle Louis put me on a horse, and I rode that horse all day long.” 

“Uncle Louis made a large impact on my life,” he said. 

Louis always knew what the boys wanted to do at Andalusia, so he let them.

“The great aunts would have one idea, and Louis would have another,” Mark said. “And his idea always won out, which was fishing, horseback riding and getting dirty.”

Jack and Mary Ann sometimes rode with Louis from Atlanta to Andalusia, normally a two-hour drive turned into four-to-five hours because of the number of stops he made.

“The car smelled wonderful,” Mary Ann said. “And usually, his customers gave him a loaf of bread or cookies or fresh jam. He’d always have a chuckle because he would think about a good story or something as we drove down the road. Those were great memories.”

“Uncle Louis made so many stops every time we rode with him,” Mark said. “It was never the same route. But he looked after us. It was just such a wonderful experience.” 

At times, Louis stayed at the Bell House—a Victorian mansion located in Atlanta nearly a block north of the Fox Theater. He served as an officer for the boarding house’s management team. Louis’ brother, Dr. Bernard Cline and Flannery’s father, Edward O’Connor, also stayed there.

For years, Andalusia’s front porch was decorated with the Adirondack chairs from the Bell House after it closed. In the kitchen were the plates, cups and saucers, which are now housed at Andalusia’s Interpretive Center.

His favorite place at Andalusia was the front porch. When Louis wasn’t sitting there whittling or relaxing, he was horseback riding through the woods or fishing in the pond located in the back 40 acres of the farm.  

“He always made sure that pond was stocked with fish,” said Jack. “When I was a boy, he would send me down there with his friend, Jack Hill, to fish. Jack would put me in the boat, bait the hook and throw it in the water. I immediately caught fish.” 

“I can't stress this enough—he really kept the place running and made sure everything was working,” Jack said.   

Later, they turned Andalusia into a beef cattle farm. 

Louis was the source of most funding for maintaining Andalusia. He used his earnings from his sales career.

“Louis was just a wonderful, loving and generous person,” Frances said.

“When I look back on Louis, I see this person who brought not just his willpower to keep Andalusia running but brought a lot of the world to Andalusia through his travels,” Mark said. “There’s no telling how much of this ended up in Mary Flannery’s typewriter.”  

Louis was old fashioned in the way he did business and the way he dressed. He was famous for wearing white socks. 

“Uncle Louis was known for having a soft touch with anybody who needed something badly,” Jack said. “He loaned money to anyone without question. And the only record of it was an entry he made in his little pocketbook he would carry around with him.” 

Louis was charitable and cheerful. As a practicing Catholic, he, Regina and Flannery went to church every Sunday. He lived his faith, and it showed. He took care of the Hills who lived at Andalusia, his family and others he met along the way.  

“Louis could take a joke,” Mark said. “One trip to Milledgeville, Jack’s mother, my Great Aunt Cleo, sat in the backseat with my brother and me. She brought along paper lunch bags. And I asked, ‘Why did you bring those bags?’ She said, ‘Just wait.’ So, we were riding down the road and she blows one up and slapped a bag. It made a loud ‘pop.’ Then Lewis jumped, and the car jerked. She fell back, laughing, and Louis laughed as well.” 

“We had a very loving family,” he said. “Not to say there wasn't contention within the family, but everybody got along, or they found a way to get along. And everyone had a different sense of humor. Louis was the glue to all of this.” 

Matt Davis, director of Historic Museums at Georgia College & State University, thanks the family for participating in Andalusia’s observance of Flannery O’Connor’s 99th birthday.    

“The insights, love and fond memories they shared of Louis will aid us in our understanding of life on the farm,” Davis said, “and gives us new insights as we continue to grow our interpretation of Andalusia.”

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