Tomberlain Family Story

Marvin Patrick and Rose Evalyn Vissering Tomberlain Family Story,

and The Pat and Sue Walker Tomberlain Family Story.

During our joint research and sharing of Vissering genealogy, cousin Richard Rossi of St Louis reminded me to tell you mine and our immediate family story.

All of you are familiar with the paper I did on Mama and Papa Vissering. I hope you have maintained Grandmother and Granddaddy (Kate and Waymon Lee) Tomberlain’s genealogy I have shared previously.

I thought I would go back to Mother’s and Daddy’s marriage and just work up to your point in time. I will bring up lots of my own experiences just in case you have not listened to everything I have told you. Ha

You heard Mama Bo (my Mother) talk about the hard times the Visserings had during the Great Depression. You have heard me say that even though they farmed cotton and ranched on several hundred acres of land with up to 42 mules in harness, many saddle horses, several hundred cattle, and 8 to 12 tenant families, Papa did not have in March of 1933, $6.38 cents in cash for mother’s Naples High School graduation ring (14 carat gold).

The market value of cotton and livestock had totally collapsed. Train car loads of cattle sent to the Ft Worth livestock auction barely paid the freight out there but Papa had told Uncle Jack to take what they brought. Bales of cotton sat in the barn lot from two previous years depressed markets, having been brought back from the cotton gin, with Mama and Papa hoping the market would improve the next year.

The banks nationwide were closed by Presidential Order as part of the New Deal, until each one could prove they were solvent. However, Papa was able to borrow the money from Mr. Tommy Stewart and Mama Bo got her ring. Mr. Stewart was a great friend and his general store furnished the Vissering farm as well as others, with much of what they had to have. He gave credit on a 9 month basis, from planting to harvest, until sales were made on cotton and livestock.

I might add the Morris County Bank was robbed at this time and all the robber (Kinky Bohannon) got was a syrup bucket full of nickels.

For Daddy’s family, it was a different story, but similar in some ways.
Grandmother and Granddaddy Tomberlain were what you would call an individual farm family. Even though they probably had a 150 acres, it was Cass County sandy land and no river bottom land like Papa Vissering had.

You all know how bright and well read Mama Bo was, but college was out of the question in this depression time. She did receive a 6 week vacation in St Louis with Aunt Anne and Uncle Fred Rossi (Papa Vissering’s sister an brother in law) and their family in the summer of 1933.

Although her Vissering grandparents had died in 1928, she did get to meet Aunts and Uncles and cousins who had not made summer trips to visit them on the Vissering place in Naples. Mother always said the highlight of that trip was when Aunt Anne took she and Jim (Virginia) Rossi on a Mississippi riverboat trip from St Louis to Vincennes, Illinois and back.

Mother always said that was quite an experience for an East Texas farm and ranch girl in the middle of the Great Depression. Just imagine the sights of a river cruise and the sounds of a great city like St Louis, compared to Naples and the Vissering home place.

Daddy did, however, have a dream of his own. He dreamed of obtaining a college degree in Agriculture Education from Texas A&M. Hope was about all young people had in this time in our history. His high school Superintendent told him he would not be able to do it. Hughes Springs was not an accredited high school.

Sure enough, his high school credits did not meet A&M’s entrance requirements. He still refused to give up. He had already had an away from home adventure. After graduating from high school, he had gone to Ft Sill, Oklahoma for the Civilian Military Training program. This was a summer program our government furnished for boys who wanted to experience a summer with the U.S. Army Infantry, Cavalry or Artillery. Daddy chose Infantry training.

All this was furnished with surplus WW I weapons and uniforms. We have photos of his time at Ft Sill. Uncle George Vissering and some other Naples boys did this also.

The famous singer of the times was Jimmy Rodgers. He was also known as the Mississippi Blue Yodeler or the Singing Brakeman. He had previously worked on the railroad. Regardless, the theme of many of his songs filled boys with a wonder for adventure in West Texas.

So, in 1928, Daddy went out to Lubbock to check out a new college called Texas Technological College that had opened in 1926. His high school credits were lacking there also, so he worked for a while for the city of Lubbock digging pipelines for the water company.

While there, he heard about John Tarleton Agricultural College at Stephenville, now called Tarleton State University. This college had a program for those who lacked the 12th grade courses or any courses for that matter.

Small town or rural district schools back then stopped at the 6th, 8th, or 11th grade. This was before the time of consolidation that came about on a grand scale in the two years before I went into the first grade as part of the Gilmer-Aiken Education Act.

When I started, Naples and Omaha and about six other very small schools had just come together when Mr. Paul Pewitt gave money to start the Paul H. Pewitt School. Mr. Pewitt was a very wealthy cattle rancher and oil man holding about 42,000 acres of land. His ranch was located along Highway 259 from south of White Oak Creek to north of Sulphur River and for several miles along what is now Interstate 30 east and west of Highway 259. It is now known as BROSECO Ranch.

My first grade class was the first, first grade in the new school. Paul H. Pewitt was the school for all northern Morris County and the eastern edge of Titus County and the western edge of Cass County, and Daingerfield was the School for all southern Morris County.

After that, all schools had access to 12 grades. Some rural communities like Marietta kept the lower grades at home but transportation was provided to larger schools for the upper grades. For that reason, Aunt Barbara was accepted to TWU since she had 12 grades of attendance. Do not forget, Barbara was the only girl in the history of Paul Pewitt High School to be chosen Football Sweetheart twice. She was also Miss PHS her senior year.

Tarleton was a part of the Texas A&M system and it offered courses for the credits you lacked from high school and started your college work at the same time. After completing your Sophomore year, you could transfer to A&M or another senior college.

Daddy graduated at Tarleton in 1930 but the depression had almost brought the nations economy to a halt. He had no money for further college at this time. He was able to get a teaching job at Purmela, Texas, in Coryell, County, north west of Waco. Teachers at this time could teach with two years of college.

At this time, state salaries were cut back so low that teachers stayed with local families as a supplement for their room and board. This is how the local districts who no longer had an adequate tax base continued to receive some matching state funding. Daddy lived with a farm family that had sons in his classes. Daddy helped with some of the night work like milking and feeding. In especially bad weather, they played dominoes to see who had to go out in the cold for some of the night work and getting in the firewood.

This familiarity caused some problems with classroom discipline and on one occasion, Daddy had to shove the oldest boy in that family into the coat closet at school and take him on with his fist. Daddy won and the boy caused no more problems.

Some districts required teachers to move about and stay with different families after so many weeks but Daddy stayed with the same family his whole time there. Some districts just ended the school year early when all money ran out for that particular school year. It was at this time when Daddy accidentally shot himself through the top of his foot and out the bottom when climbing over a fence with a loaded 22 rifle. They were literally hunting rabbits for food to eat. The depression era name for rabbits had become ‘Hoover Hogs’ at this time in ridicule and bitterness against a President who seemed to be powerless to help the country.

The second semester, Daddy was able to trade contracts with a young man back in Cass County who wanted to move to Purmela, to be near a girl he was going to marry. This worked out well for Daddy, who could live at home, teach at nearby Turkey Creek, and raise a small cotton crop with Granddaddy Tomberlain. He never forgot the birthday party he was given in August 1931 as he prepared to leave to enter A&M.

Daddy enjoyed this time at home and got to be with some of his former school friends. When he was growing up, most social events evolved around get togethers at peoples houses. The Pattersons (Kay Lowery’s grandparents) at Carterville, where Bluford and Kay live now, were favorite hosts. Mr. Patterson played the violin, and Mrs. Patterson played the piano. Their names were Earnest and Audrey.

Granddaddy Tomberlain would sometimes send watermelons that they would put in a cold spring near the Pattersons to cool off for their socials.

Earnest’s parents lived around toward old Carterville near where Blu’s new pond is located and near the Union Hill Church. The older Mr. Patterson built the first syrup kettle for Blackburn’s Syrup Mill to start operation. He did not take pay telling Mr. Blackburn he would never make enough money making syrup to pay for it. The Blackburn family became millionaires and Blackburn’s is still in operation outside of Jefferson.

When Daddy was growing up, travel on the Hughes Springs to Linden road was mainly by horseback or horse and buggy. Cars and trucks were a novice, and were used mostly for going to town or to church for those who had one. Young folks got about as best they could.

When company came, the main topic of conversation was about how any flats you had on the way. Tires were more like bicycle tires than what we have today. Everyone had a tire repair kit and an air hand pump and you just stretched the inner tube over a fender and repaired it yourself.

I remember Daddy saying one time when going to one of their social occasions he was riding Granddaddy’s plow horse. His best buddy, Mr. Roy Shelton was in a buggy with the two girls. For some reason, coming up on the old plank bridge over Cypress Creek, something spooked the horse and he kicked and his leg went through the spokes of the buggy wheel and broke most of the spokes out of the wheel.

They got home with the girls riding the horse and he and Mr. Shelton leading the horse and a broken down buggy.

Daddy did have a have a car to go to college and it was a 1926 Ford one seater coup. His granddad (D. B. Tomberlain, Confederate Veteran) bought it for him and sold it to him for 25 dollars. D. B. also sold cars to others and supposedly had the first dump truck in Cass County. This was when you had to stand outside the truck and raise the bed manually with a crank device to raise the bed to dump the dirt or gravel. D.B. also was a cotton buyer and bought lots of cotton and held it when World War I broke out in Europe and sold it high as the war progressed.

Sadly, he invested a large sum for that day in time not long before the crash of 1929. An eighty five year old man had little chance to recover his losses since it would be 25 years (1954) before this nation was declared by economists to be officially out of the Great Depression.

This car lasted Dad through A&M until a negro in Tyler failed to put the oil plug back in securely after checking the oil. The oil dripped out on the way to Hughes Springs and burned the motor up. Back then, you had to loosen the plug until the oil leaked out a drop. If it did not leak out, you added oil until it did. Then you were supposed to tighten it.

Daddy enrolled in the College of Agriculture but faced hardships we cannot imagine. He had enough money for tuition and books but not campus room and board. Luckily he found a job washing dishes at a café in Bryan where he could also get his breakfast. Sometimes he could not afford the gasoline at 13 cents a gallon so he often hitchhiked to and from Bryan and College Station.

That is how his ears froze in the Winter of 1932-33, trying to catch a ride to Bryan to get to his job. Dad never had feeling in his upper ears after that.

For his room, the Texas State Legislature had passed a law in 1931 to help boys at Texas University and Texas A&M, who needed help. The law stated that they could live in groups large houses near the campus and share the rent. This was the first occasion where students enrolled in State Universities were allowed to live off campus.

The only stipulation the Legislature made was that there had to be a house mother to supervise with the cooking and the laundry. I have read somewhere that The University of Texas and Texas A&M started something that became a statewide and nationwide practice.

The boys brought canned good from home and could also have one or two milk cows if a cow lot and grazing was nearby. For lunch, the A&M dairy gave students all the milk and crackers you could eat and drink for 10 cents. I don’t remember ever seeing Daddy eat crackers with milk at any time in my life.

Daddy’s house mother was Mrs. Carrie Hamilton and her son was the Brazos County Sheriff. She ran a tight ship but they all loved her. Mrs. Hamilton supervised the cooking, milk preparation, and the laundry and only charged a nominal rent.

Daddy took me to meet her in 1962 when he took me down to a ballgame to watch George Hargett play halfback and see the campus. Even after 30 years, she still remembered Daddy and the others whom she called her ‘boys’. My next trip to A&M was with Mike Smith when we went down to take some entrance tests.

The youngest Hargett boy was Ed and he was the A&M quarterback who led A&M to beat Alabama in the Cotton Bowl in 1968. The other two Hargett boys, Ossis and James also played the halfback in college ballgames.

I remember seeing what arsonists had done to that big old Presidents home near Northgate. General Earl Rudder was the President at this time and he was attempting to bring about some changes to A&M and was strongly opposed by many. As time went by, changes such as the admission of women on a gradual basis, integration, and a non compulsory Corps of Cadets policy were achieved with only minor incidents.

Daddy and President Rudder had attended Tarleton State together their first two years but Rudder went straight on to A&M and was a ‘32 grad while Daddy taught a year in between and was a class of ‘33 graduate. Daddy could not afford a ring at this time but was able to get it about 5 years later. In time, Mother put a diamond in it.

Once while I was churning, Mother and I were talking about college, she remarked that if I would graduate from A&M, she and Daddy would put a diamond in my ring when I graduated. Since I had not needed their help with college, when I finished at A&M, I let them put the diamond in the ring. I have regretted defacing the shield since but the stone looks good.

Needless to say, I had never seen anything quite like an Aggie ballgame. I thought they were the loudest bunch of students I had ever heard.

I wish I had listened to more of what Daddy told me but as you can see, I listened to what I wanted to. If I were to ever write a book, I think I would title it “Daddy, If We Could Only Talk Again”. I do recall not doing one thing he asked of me and that was not buying and reading the book entitled ‘The Mark of an Educated Man’ by an author who I believe was named Wiggams, or something like that.

I want to say this about Daddy and his character. Daddy was strict but fair. He had a code of ethics and values and refused to ever compromise them. He believed one owed it to himself or herself to do what is right and never give up on any challenge or hardship. Life was tough for him and he had no patience for those who gave up or did not try.

When Barbara went to TWU, Daddy gave her a copy of a saying to encourage her. It read “There is no Success Without Sacrifice, Failure Comes Only From Within”. Barbara later had all four of us a copy of this engraved on marble. Daddy was a firm believer that you did not go to college to run home every weekend. We only came home on holidays that school dismissed for.

That did not, however, keep Frankie from going out to see her almost every weekend for four years. I do remember one weekend we all went out to see Barbara and Mother had fried a bunch of chicken and made a big chocolate cake. We picnicked at Lake Lewisville and I remember how low it was because of the 1950’s drought.

Daddy would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it but wanted you to earn it if you could. I thought I was not going to make it my freshman year at A&M but I knew better than to think about quitting.

Daddy lived his Masonic values and to an extent Christian beliefs, and had a special feeling for those whom he saw as unfortunate. When he was a boy, there were Populist meetings at night in the creek bottoms of Cass County and speakers railed against the economic injustices of the time. It made an impression on him and it was apparent all his life. He had no time for people of wealth taking advantage of the working class.

I remember one instance in particular when I was just a little fellow and he was taking me out to Mama Vissering’s to spend a night or two or as many as I could. One of Mama’s tenant families’ chickens ran across the road in front of us and Daddy hit one and killed it.

He stopped and turned around, went back to our house and went up to the chicken houses and got one of ours and took it to the house where we hit the chicken and gave it to the woman there. I remember him saying that chicken was very important to people like that. Then, he took me on to Mama’s.

Mothers value and beliefs were also very Christian orientated. She had us in church almost every time the doors were open and it was nothing for us to get attendance pins year after year for never missing a Sunday. Mother taught Sunday School for about 65 years.

At age 89, when she died from the result of that fall, she was still teaching a class and still playing Bridge and still driving her car. She had only given up the Election Judge position for her precinct at age 86. Mother had also been active in the Pewitt PTA and the Naples Garden Club for many years.

With the exception of Uncle Broud and Aunt Lola Mae Tomberlain and Buddy and Mary Virginia and Wanda and Carrie, whom I spent some time with almost every summer, I was around the Daddy’s extended family only on special occasions. I never knew any of the Tennessee Tomberlains except Ray Tomberlain until we went there in 1988 coming back from our New England trip and met several of them then.

While I have since Daddy’s death done quite a lot of research on Grandmother and Granddaddy Tomberlain’s families, had I just listened and asked more questions, I could have saved myself lots of genealogical headaches.

I did make up for some of this, however by asking Grandmother Tomberlain quite a bit about Great Granddaddy (D.B.) Tomberlain’s experiences in the Confederacy when she lived with us her last 5 years. She was a wealth of information and played the organ and guitar well. In our 1929, 50th Anniversary edition of the Atlanta Citizens Journal, we have a very good article about D. B.‘s service, war injury, capture and life in the Prison Camp in Elmira, New York.

She is responsible for my getting started on the research of D. B.’s complete war record. She also told me a lot about her brother in law, Marion County Sheriff, B.B. (Bud ) Rogers and his being killed on 16 October, 1923 by City Marshall W.E. Proctor in a Jefferson election grudge shooting and his killing Proctor in return.

When Granddaddy and Grandmother still lived at home, we saw them on some Sundays and Granddaddy always gave us a quarter when we left. We would beg Daddy to go back through Daingerfield and let us buy an ice cream cone. We could get 5 of them back then for a quarter at the Blue Moon Cafe.

Granddaddy died when I was about 3 years and 5 months old and Grandmother went to live with Daddy’s sister, Aunt Edrie and Uncle Clyde Orand and their family.

Although I was quite young, I can vividly remember Granddaddy telling me about bear hunts and dangerous events and the like back in Tennessee and Daddy reassuring me that Granddaddy was just kidding. Granddaddy loved to joke with everyone.

Probably an event that frightened me most was when Uncle Murray Nelson would talk of his dad plowing a field on Granddaddy’s place as a little eight year old boy. His father’s dad, Berry Ward Nelson, was away in the First Texas Partisan Rangers serving in the Confederate Army.

Being young and afraid of the wolves he could hear howling near by at the spring where he was to get his drinking water, he would drink butter milk that his mother had fixed for his lunch all day to keep from having to go into the woods where the wolves were. East Texas still had wolves at this time before they were hunted to extinction. This probably frightened me more than Granddaddy’s stories. It was a true story. Plus, I did not like buttermilk and only ate it with cornbread when sick at my stomach.

Two of Granddaddy’s favorite jokes would be to ride in the wagon through Hughes Springs and look and point up over the buildings along main street and then look back to see how many pedestrians were out in the street to see what he had been looking and pointing at. He also would amuse people at events at the Spring Park by running up and poking a post or big stick into an empty barrel like he was trying to kill or fight something, just to see how many would walk over to see what it was after he left.

Aunt Edrie and Uncle Clyde had 5 children. They were Bill, Paula, Roger, Philip, and Jerry. Eventually, it was just Aunt Edrie and Grandmother so Grandmother came to live with us and Aunt Edrie went to live with her children.

I want to mention Uncle Broud and Aunt Lola Mae’s oldest son Charles went to the Navy during the Korean War era when I was quite young, and then to College and was married and never lived back home in Hughes Springs. Since Patrick and Susan moved to Longview, we have reconnected and have enjoyed it greatly. He probably saved Patrick’s sanity by letting him ‘farm’ out on his place until they could buy land and have garden space of their own.

Since we lived at Naples and all Mothers family were in the Naples and Daingerfield area, and were at Mama Vissering’s like us on almost every Sunday afternoon, we saw them more often. Uncle Broud, however, did come for a visit almost every Christmas day and we greatly looked forward to it.

He had a natural love for children and always made them happy. He never went out to wait on one of his gasoline station customers with out grabbing a handful of candy for any children who might be in the car. He gave me many a firecracker at Christmas and I still have the rod and reel he gave me when I was 14 years old.

I remember the Christmas Santa Claus brought me my first saddle of my own. It was raining and very cold that day and when Uncle Broud came, he saw how disappointed I was. He literally got down on the floor and put the saddle on his back and let me ride it. I never forgot that.

I would like to add something about our Christmas’ back then. I think you have heard me say there five times more gifts under trees at any given Christmas than there were when the girls and I were little. We only got one main or special gift. I remember mine like the saddle, B B gun, A western set, a Ft Apache Set, a bicycle etc/ We also drew names and Mother and Daddy would buy us clothes we needed. My stocking gifts were usually fruit and firecrackers. For this, however, we got up as early as we could like two or three in the morning.

Christmas night was always celebrated out at Mama Visserings. It was a big event. Many came during the day and left after a visit. Most came that night and stayed until gifts were exchanged and Mama was presented her gifts. Also, Mama gave EVERYONE something. I have a list Aunt Hattye kept one year and the total for the day and that evening was 128. It took fireplaces going in three big rooms and a fire in the Kitchen stove and the house would be packed.

I wish every descendant could have seen the 12 foot Christmas trees with some decorations that actually came from Germany with Papa and his family many years before. When Papa was alive, he actually put candles on the tree that were lit only one time on Christmas morning. If you have never smelled a live Christmas tree with a mixture of the smell of fresh oranges and apples, you have missed something.

To me, however, the greatest fun was going out in the wagon with the old mules Kit and Kate to cut the tree for this occasion. When I was old enough to go for the tree, Donna Jean and Kim and Kristy and Martha would often times go with me.

I want to add that Mother often made the girls and herself matching dresses for Christmas and Easter. I have seen her sew all night long to have them ready come morning.

After graduation in Aug 1933, Daddy’s first teaching job was in Bowie County in a rural school at Cross Roads, north of where the James Bowie school is now in Simms. When Mr. Lem and Harvey Simms gave the money to start building this school, all the little communities in this part of Bowie County consolidated here. This was about 3 years after Mother and Daddy had moved to Atlanta.

Jobs were scarce when he got his first job, and he had to agree to serve as the Area County Agent free gratis. His salary was, however, the same as the Superintendent, 100 dollars a month. However, his car and travel expenses came out of his own pocket. In 1933, out of the entire College of Engineering at A&M, only one graduating senior had job offer. This was just one more example of the Great Depression.

In late 1934 or early 1935, a young man named Richmond Howell introduced Mother and Daddy out at Mama and Papa Vissering’s. The first time Daddy saw Mother she was riding Papa’s big black saddle horse Dan helping pen cattle. Daddy was just impressed.

After dating a few months, they were married in August, 1935. Mother wanted to be married at home and Aunt Dell, Uncle George’s wife, had the living room well decorated with flowers and ivies.

After their wedding, they went to Hot Springs and then to Ft Smith, Arkansas for their honeymoon. It was at Ft Smith when they heard that Will Rogers, the most popular man in depression era America, had been killed in a plane crash in Alaska with Wiley Post, as they were beginning an around the world flight.

Their first home was rented from Mr. and Mrs. Wright, who lived next to the grocery store they owned at Cross Roads. Cross Roads is literally a cross roads community on the road from Bassett on highway 67 going toward DeKalb. Mrs. Wright was a good mentor for a newlywed housewife. I still have a copy of their first grocery list for their setting up housekeeping. Even with a washtub and a rub board, it was just a little over 5 dollars.

When Barbara was born in 1936, they came to Naples for her to be born out at Mama’s and Papa’s with Dr Smith in attendance. Barbara was born in the big room, right behind the front room on the right side of the house.

Speaking of their early years of marriage, this time of year always brings back memory of a near tragic accident that could have cost daddy his life. Being the newest brother in law, it was decided he would play Santa Claus for Mama and Papa Vissering’s Christmas event.

Daddy had hidden Mothers present under the edge of the house and when he went for it, he struck a match to see where the present was. His Santa suit went up like a torch and had Uncle Murray Nelson and Uncle Vernon Camp and Uncle George and Uncle Jack Vissering not rolled him on the ground and helped stop the flames, he would have been seriously hurt.

In 1937, Mother and Daddy got the opportunity to move to Atlanta where Daddy was offered the Ag teaching job. This was sort of a promotion except that in 1937, like some other states, the state of Texas wrote state employees checks with insufficient funds. You had to sell your check to the highest bidder for as little as 60% on the dollar to bankers or whoever had the money to help you. Those who helped you held them until the state made them valid.

Some teachers had to take part of their salaries, once again, by living with parents within the district but Mother and Dad did not have to. At first, they rented a duplex they shared with the grandparents of Julia Mays. After about two years they rented the home Mr. and Mrs. John Thompson moved out of when they built their new antebellum style home where Jim and Emma Lou live now.

Charlotte and Lillian and I were born in Atlanta delivered by Dr Joe Nichols in ‘38, ‘41 and ‘45.

During the Battle of the Bulge, US losses were so great that the draft age was raised to include Daddy’s age group (38-40) and he had to go to Tyler and take the Army physical. He passed the physical but was give a deferment for three reasons. My being born gave them 4 children, second, he was an Agriculture Teacher, and his Ag classes were involved with the Atlanta Canning Plant which provided food for the war effort.

After the war, and with 6 now in the family, Daddy took a better paying job with Stokely Van Camp Food Company. We moved to Naples to Aunt Hattye’s house where Vic and Wanda raised their family. Aunt Hattye never lived in that house again after Uncle Cluren Moore died in 1930. She and Vic (2 years old) moved out to Mama and Papa’s and eventually bought the land across the road and had her own cattle operation.

For a time, Daddy worked out of Pittsburg, Texas.

In 1946, Daddy’s job took him to New Mexico headquartered in the Clovis area and come home when he could. When school was out at Naples, we went to live with him, renting rooms from a lady named Mrs. DeLossier. She frightened Mother with stories of the Apaches lancing and dragging people behind their horses. Also, Mother did not like the desert climate there.

In 1947, Daddy was transferred to Eastern Tennessee and when School was out, Mother went and stayed most the summer with him. Barbara and Charlotte and Lillian and I stayed with Mama and Aunt Hattye. Victor was in the Army of Occupation in Japan and Aunt Hattye made lots of photos for him and we still have many of them.

Neither Mother nor Daddy liked the idea of living in Appalachia so we next moved to the Rio Grande Valley where Daddy was offered a position as a field buyer for crops for the canning plant. This was good until the idea of raising a family in an area of Texas that was 90% Mexican became apparent. Mother was very homesick and when she squeezed a dish rag with a Sonoran Desert scorpion in it, the move back to Northeast Texas became an important issue.

I sorely missed riding in the burro cart to Mercedes or Santa Rosa with little Pedro and throwing oranges in the canals.

Mother had convinced Daddy we should come back to make our living in Northeast Texas and go into business for themselves. Daddy made a tremendous sacrifice to leave his educational field and bring Mother back to Northeast Texas. I am sure it bothered him to leave his major field but he did what he thought was best. He eventually had good friends in the Naples area and at Lone Star Steel

In 1949 they bought land from Mr. Dan Watson and built a store and our home and two large broiler and layer chicken houses. We also built a barn with three stables, a feed room and a saddle room.

While we were building we lived in Aunt Hattye’s house again and Ikey and his first wife Anne lived with us for a time with the front room (living room now) as theirs.

After we put broilers into the layer chicken house, we built a chicken pen and small chicken yard and nests at the north end of this barn for our own eggs.

We had a fairly large garden and orchard. We were able to rent pasture from Mr. Watson for our milk cows and horses. At one time, this pasture went all the way to the railroad tracks near Naples and where the overpass is now. The dirt for the overpass ramps came from this pasture and is the reason for the big pond there now.

We later bought land from Mr. Watson for a hay meadow of our own. Mr. Watson was our mail carrier and always called me either ‘hoss fly’ or ‘top water’.

He was a World War I Navy veteran and I later mowed their yard for several years. I thought I was rich since it worked out to about a dollar an hour and after her blue bonnets went to seed, she paid me 25 cents for the additional mowing.

Victor was home from the Army (first time ‘45-’47)) by this time and he built the fences for Daddy. In ‘48-‘49. Vic went to Tarleton State. Vic’s second Army experience was when he was called back into active duty for the Korean War. This is when he was injured so badly and left for dead in the snow on 20 January 1951.

This was right after the Communist Chinese entered the Korean War and were pushing the UN forces back a second time. He was at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for 11 months and two surgeries.

Son (Fred) Vissering took Daddy and me to Texarkana to buy the fence post and the long round garden post that we still have some of, like the ones used for our grape trellis wires today. I remember on the way back, Son scared me by turning off the key and making his truck backfire like a gunshot when I tried to go to sleep.

Daddy also worked part time teaching GI Agriculture in Douglassville and our little grocery store did well across the highway from the Hampton Sawmill. A lot of traffic on highway 77 stopped there and most of the negroes back behind the Dave Russell and the Ivan Dycus place traded with us also. When the terrible drought of the early ‘50s dried up their wells, they came in mule wagons and Mother and Daddy let them have water form our store hydrant.

The mill hands were paid with script that they spent at our store and had to buy groceries for their families and not use it for drinking and gambling. Even before I started school, my job was to take the script to the Hampton Mill office and get cash for it every Monday morning from Mrs. Hampton’s brother, Mr. Murray Davis.

One of the Hampton Mill negro families worked part time for us. James Johnson worked for Daddy in the chicken houses and his wife Essie Belle helped in the house and do some cooking and washing while Mother kept the store. Their little boy Junior played with me around the place.

I remember him having to stay home after jumping on an open spam can and cutting his foot so badly he was in bed for some time. Most our play involved playing cars in the ditch out in front of our house or riding stick horses or climbing on the stacks of feed in the chicken houses.

As far as our own health, we went to the doctor very little. When we were sick, Mother just doctored us with her own remedies. If necessary, Daddy would go to the Smith Drug Store and Mr. Wendell Smith would just fix what it sounded like we needed.

Some times folk medicine played a role. Once Phil Camp and I both had the Milk rash in our throat and medicine did not seem to help. Mother and Aunt Tom (Virginia) took us to Mr. Tom Lyster, who had a big plantation between Naples and Hughes Springs. He was Tommy and Jackie Coker’s granddad.

There was a belief that the seventh son or seventh daughter who never saw their daddy, could blow in your throat and cure the Milk Rash (thrash). Mr. Lysters dad had died in the War Between the States just before he was born so he fit the belief. Maybe it was true and maybe not, but, we got well.

I do remember Little Junior and me recreating events like when a young man named David Hanes was run over by a car in the highway in front of our store. We would break popsicle sticks and stick them in the ground and run our toy cars over them and then our little ambulance would take them to the hospital.

I could make a sound just like a siren. Once our fire chief and funeral home director, Mr. Orville (Digger) Miller, was out talking to Mother about church activities and when I started out with my fire truck sound, he actually started to leave thinking the fire siren in town was sounding.

He also came out to get Barbara and Charlotte every Wednesday night for church when there was not a car at home. Barbara played the organ and Charlotte played the piano at First Baptist, Naples. They also played lots of night time Summer Revival services and my job as a boy was to go along as a type of guardian to some of those back in the country churches.

I remember lots of good sermons by some really good old time preachers. Some of these itinerate preachers might have plowed a pair of mules all day in the hot sun but preached their heart out that night. It was nothing to see them finish the service literally soaking wet with sweat.

Back to James Johnson, like many of the negroes of that time, the Johnsons eventually, when the Hampton Sawmill closed, became part of the great migration from our part of Texas to California or to points up north like Chicago. It was at this time that our population trends went from a black majority to a white majority. This is probably why we had less trouble when integration was forced than the areas or counties that had a black majority.

Little Junior Johnson had been the only playmate I had ever had my own age except for the little negroes out Mama Vissering’s farm, like Pearl and Andrew Wilson’s grand sons. With the exception of playmates when I started school, I never had a white playmate until Mr. and Mrs. Bill Harty and Ray moved into one of the Jodie Hampton rent houses when I was about 11 years old and he was about 7 or 8.

Ray and I never had a problem and acted out every one of the Gun Smoke, Johnny Mack Brown, and Roy Rogers and Gene Autry episodes. After our cowboy and Indian childhood days, we hardly, if ever, saw one another again. They moved to another place further down #77.

One of the strangest events of my life was in October 1968, I was a newly commissioned Second Lt. on my way to active duty boarding a Pacific flight and after I sat down, an Airman 1st class started to sit down in the seat next to me. He had on sun glasses but looked familiar. Then I read his name tag. Harty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He was tending to his carry on bag and had not seen me. I was headed to my army station in Ft Shafter, Hawaii and he was headed for Japan for his assignment. Two neighbor boys from Northeast Texas in a great big world crossing paths under such circumstances. We did a lot of catching up of the past seven or eight years.

Besides milk cows, Daddy, Barbara and I had horses for riding. Daddy helped organize the Naples Rodeo to go along with the Watermelon Festival. He and Mother had been active in the Rodeo and Watermelon Festival in Atlanta so he also helped organize the Naples Boots and Saddle Club. The first three presidents were Mr. Morris Hampton, Daddy and Mr. Otice Betts. In 1950, Naples built a complete rodeo arena out of hardwood.

I remember how we would form up in front of our store and several of our neighbors would all ride to Naples with us for the parades.

In 1960, the new concrete and steel arena was built and as you are well aware, we still participate in the parade, rodeo and Watermelon festival every year. Before the rodeo and parade was initiated, it was just a watermelon event that started in 1939,

Daddy rode a Missouri Fox Trotter he bought from Vic named Dan. The only thing about Dan was that he wanted to run everywhere he went if you did not keep a tight rein on him, once Iris was leading Dan with Lillian on him and thought Lillian could just ride by herself and she would watch her in the yard.

Dan broke and ran away down the middle of highway 77 until Mr. Slick McNatt used his car to head him and drive him off the road and into Mrs. Jodie Hampton’s yard. Poor Lillian’s knees had a death grip and were badly blistered inside. It was at least 20 years before she ever got back on another horse.

Daddy always said Vic broke every horse he ever had to go wide open like he was after a cow.

Aunt Barbara rode a palomino quarter horse mare named Starlight. This mare sold 1600raffle tickets at one dollar each and Morris County National Bank won the mare. Daddy bought her from the bank, saddle and all for 375.00 dollars. Barbara wanted to run the barrels on her but mother would not have it. Mother feared a hand or wrist or arm injury would end Barbara’s plans to make a music career teaching piano.

We always thought Starlight was raised on an Indian reservation in Oklahoma. She was a one person horse. Barbara was the only person who could ride her. Vic, Uncle Vernon and Daddy and later I tried to ride her but she was dangerous for all except Barbara. She got our one night and several days when she was found, when was headed north up #259 toward Indian Nation (Oklahoma).

On one of the few times I rode her, I rode out to Mama’s. Just as I was getting back close to home, coming over the Dycus Hill down toward Uncle Raymond‘s, she backed her ears and reached around to bite my leg. She missed but I was ready do start riding my own horse King all the sooner.

My first horse was a half Shetland mare named Trixie. Ethelyn Heard broke her for me but she was hard to manage. About the time I had her like I wanted her, I felt too big to ride her.

My first big horse was out of Starlight and a son of King P234, the foundation sire of the American Quarter Horse Association. He was hardheaded but after riding him for some time, he made as good riding horse as ever lived. Vic rode a stallion (Prince) out of Poco Bueno, a son of King P234.

I do not think I ever enjoyed anything as much as riding King when I would be out to Mama’s and helping Vic bring the cows up out of White Oak bottom for
branding, dehorning, castrating, and vaccinating and dipping in the spring and fall of the year.

Wes and John Paul also had good horses and Harry George always had either a horse and buggy or later a variety of model A cars he would buy and fix up for sale.

Vic had gotten me started riding a big horse by putting me on Aunt Hattye’s big saddle horse Stroller. He was a good horse but very tall. He was excellent and fast in the single foot gait, where he slow loped with his hind legs and trotted fast with his front legs. He was a big bay and anyone could ride him. I have seen him stay saddled up all day long in the summer and everyone who came along would ride him.

I, however was the first to sit on his back. I was very small when Vic put me on him and knew it was not good when Aunt Hattye seemed uneasy and told Vic, “Be Careful Honey”. Vic was in control but when the horse lunged forward and Vic stepped in a green cow paddy and slipped, I too felt uneasy but all was well.

Just as we were finishing up and Vic was leading me up into the yard, something spooked Stroller and he ran up under a shrub tree in the yard and scratched my face good and proper. Mama Vissering had not liked the idea from the beginning and was not at all a happy camper. Ha

When I would start home from out to Mama’s riding King, I would put him in a slow lope and he would keep that gait all the way home except for the pavement going through Naples. He had a beautiful smooth trot also. He was also fast as lightening. During Western Week at Paul Pewitt, we were allowed to ride our horses to school on Friday of that week. My Junior year, King won the horse race among all the horses that raced that day.

One girl, Margaret Ann Stringer from Bryans Mill brought her horse to our pasture and came the next morning to ride to school with some of us our senior year. She was also our head majorette, and an excellent rider. In August though, just before she left home to go to college, her mare kicked at another horse and kicked Margaret Ann in the head and she has been a semi invalid to this day.

I remember the night the ambulance came by our house going to pick her up. All of us in the Paul Pewitt class of 1963 would have been gone to college the next week. I believe she had a scholarship to East Texas State.

When the Hampton Sawmill closed in 1952 , our store lost almost all it’s customers. Mother and Daddy decided to close it but in January of 53, Daddy was the first man hired in the new number 1 pipe mill at Lone Star Steel. He had top seniority until he retired in 1972. We kept our chicken houses until 1957. After that, our main farm product for sale was in the milk and butter and buttermilk business. We milked up to 3 cows twice a day everyday.

In 1953, we moved the store against our house and added the front living room and Lillian’s bedroom and large closet. Now I had my own bedroom where our previous living room had been, at the south end of Mama Bo’s den. The dining room and Kitchen were still where the dining room is now.

Martha was born in December of 1953 and Barbara went to TSU in 1954 so you might say we all now had our own bedroom. We bought our first television at this time and put it up in the front living room.

I had seen my first television in St Louis in July of 1952 when Mother and Aunt Sis (Irene) and Barbara and Charlotte an Lillian and I went to see Carolyn and Benny and a lot of our St Louis relatives. We were actually taking Aunt Sis to stay with Carolyn until Kim was born and help her for a while.

Although Daddy had taken us on vacations like to Colorado and New Mexico this was my first one to really remember. Carolyn and Benny had us stay two weeks instead of one and we saw the sights and met relatives we had never met before. Except for Don and Delores and Doreen and Dorthy Rossi, I knew none of them. Everyone was friendly and hospitable. Many of the older generations had made visits to Texas when Mama Bo was still a girl.

Along with my first television, I saw my first Dairy Queen, air conditioning, zoo, roller coaster, great cathedrals and parks along with the Mississippi River and the steamboat President and the Jefferson Monument and the Spirit of St Louis and a statue of a French king, Louie IX. It was quite an education for a little kid. I had just never seen a big city like St Louis.

In 1960, we added on to our home again and added the large bedroom and second bath and large closed and a kitchen and back porch and now a large den area. From this time, the television was moved back to the new den and the former living room became a somewhat formal room for Christmas gatherings and mothers Bridge Club meetings. This arrangement was still new to me when I left for A&M in the fall of 1963.

Charlotte had left for college on 1956 and Lillian left in 1959. When Grandmother came to live with us, she took Barbara and Charlotte’s room and I had the new big bedroom and bath and Martha had Lillian’s room. It seemed a big spacious house and we were all leaving, but it came in handy when we all came back for visits and for summers and when company came.

I remember saving cash in a cigar box for chickens we were allowed to sell to individuals for Barbara and Charlotte’s tuition. We would count that money over and over until we had the amount they needed. This was before the trucks came to clean out the houses when the chickens were ready for market..

Barbara and Frankie married in June of 1958 and Charlotte and Donald married in June 1960 and Lillian and Larry married in February 1962. Mother and I married in April of 1973 and Martha and Guy married in June 1978.

Frankie was called up into the Army in 1958 and he and Barbara were in Kaiserslautern, Germany where he was stationed when Frank was born. When Frankie finished his service, he came back to Lone Star Steel and eventually made Superintendent of Number One Pipe Mill.

Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Donald started out at East Mountain Schools and eventually moved to Bryson out by Jacksboro and them to Cooper where they made a career as minister and teacher.

Aunt Lillian was the first TWU student to ever graduate with a math degree in 3 years, and she and Larry made their home in Arlington until his death 1991.

My interest in history that was started by Mama Vissering and Grandmother Tomberlain and the Davy Crockett craze increased when Barbara started bringing me history orientated books home from her college book store.

It was after reading the book on Davy Crockett that I told Mama Vissering about it one night for what she said was two hours. I remember her saying, “Boy, you have talked for two hours without stopping, you might be a President”. That was real encouragement. I was nine years old and little did I know it but I would make my living one day teaching history.

Mama and Aunt Hattye had enhanced my love of history. Mama could tell some stories of her father in the 27th Texas Cavalry and her mother hiding food from Yankee raiders in Mississippi. I would ask Aunt hattye over and over to tell me about Uncle Cluren Moore’s World War I experiences in the Battle of St Mihiel and The Argonne Forrest.

It was at this time that Aunt Hattye gave me Uncle Clulren’s WW I helmet and a German bayonet and his harmonica that he had brought back from the war.

I spent more time out Mama’s than any other place with the exception of home and school.

My best grades in school were in history. I am sorry to say, I was indifferent to other subjects, and my grades showed it. It was the same at A&M.

At A&M, I majored in History and minored Slavic Languages (Russian and Czech). After the Army Tour, I went back to college at East Texas State University (Texas A&M Commerce) and obtained another minor in English along with a teaching certificate.

The thing I remember most and appreciate about A&M is that they tried to help you find a job or a part time job if you needed help.

In 1971, I started teaching in Atlanta and taught here 30 years. I also drove a school bus for 30 years, and went back into highway construction in the summers until retiring from it completely about 1980. I had worked summers for the Cavers for about 12 years.

We had cows for about 25 years but sold out in 1995 and set out pine trees. We kept enough hay land and horse pasture for about 5 head of horses. I had started in the cow business in High School when Daddy let me breed some our Jersey stock to Mama Vissering’s Herford bull. I had some through College but sold out when I went to the Army, and got back in when I came home from the Army.

I never took any money from Mother and Daddy for college so they helped me this way. They gave me 400 dollars when I got my first car as I started my Senior year at A&M in the fall of 1966. It was a 1964 ford Fairlane that had belonged to a mail carrier, Mr. Wayne Leeves. The car sold for 1200 dollars so I financed 800 dollars.

I had finished at A&M in January of 1968 and reported to Ft Benning Georgia in May. After finishing the Infantry Officer Basic Course, I went to Ft Holabird, Maryland and completed the Combat Intelligence Staff Officer Course and was about to ship out to Republic of Vietnam when the North Koreans captured the USS Pueblo.

At this point, there was a greater need for more officers at the North Asia Branch of the Headquarters of the Military Intelligence Security Division of the U. S. Army Pacific. This is where I spent 19 months stationed at Ft Shafter, Hawaii.

After I left active duty, I still had years of Reserve Duty to perform. I was fortunate to get command of the 458th Army Reserve Unit in Texarkana and later the 755t,h , at which time I was promoted to Captain. I finished my commitment in 1976.

Mother and I met in February of 1973 and were married in April. At the time, I lived in the garage apartment of Mrs. John Thompson, where all her children, Johnny, Toby, Frank, Pat, Jane, and Emma Lou, started out. She and Mr. Thompson were the some that Mother and Daddy had rented from.

Mother and I moved out to our present land in August of 1973. We had bought 30 acres from J. W. Griffin. It had a good stock barn and we lived in a trailer home Mr. Walker, Mothers dad, let us borrow. We paid him what we could and when we built, he got it back and sold it.

Alter the original 30 acres, we bought 9 more acres, and then we bought 10 acres where the house is today from Mr. and Mrs. Boland.

Later, we bought 14 acres from Mr. and Mrs. Sharrer, and then 20 acres from Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Vosburg. Later, we bought 1 acre from Mrs. L.D. Reagan and then 20 acres from Kendall Hale.

I had started buying registered Charolais cattle from Mr. Randy Moore of Omaha before we married and now we moved them down here from Naples. When we sold our cattle to plant pine trees in 1995, we were running 38 head.

We also had two mares and a mare mule. Old Susie we had for 28 years was the younger mare and she taught all of you three boys how to ride. We afterward raised and bought several more head of horses and mules.

High School Principal Caver Johnson helped us borrow 12,000 to start our house and that is all we ever borrowed. We finished it in stages whenever we could come up with the money. It took us 8 years to call it complete.

When we became debt free of the land, cows and house, we started your college savings plans. All of you worked at every type jobs you could find and all of you finished college debt free. All the yards you mowed, peas you picked and sold, and other odd jobs you held paid off with dividends.

My main mentors in learning how to work at all kinds of jobs were Daddy, Victor, Son (Fred Vissering), Corry W Heard, Leman Foster, Lawrence and Bubba and Mr. H. V Caver, Uncle Broud Tomberlain and my math teacher Mr. Douglass Loffer.

Daddy gave us full responsibility in the feeding of the chickens with Barbara as boss, and she could leave a bright red imprint of her hand on my bare back when I did not mind to suit her. Daddy was an excellent gardener and helped us get started down here.

Victor taught me about cattle and horses and building fence. He and Son taught me how to plow a garden with a mule.

Mama Vissering’s brother, Uncle Jake Brem, had already raised an interest in driving the mules to the wagon when I rode with him to or from Naples or to the field.

In 1956, when I was 11 years, I started a three year experience selling the Grit Weekly Newspaper. It took me three afternoons to sell 48 copies. My route was mostly rural since the Spencer’s son Bill and Jim sold it over the counter at their grocery store. I had to go out and hustle customers but several bought from me for that reason.

I learned a lot about all kinds of people and their circumstances. I never had a dishonest customer. If they were broke or not at home, I charged. They always paid later. You might say I learned to balance the books early.

I will always remember one elderly farmer who sometimes had too much to drink in Naples before starting home horseback. Once I followed him for some distance before he got home. The horse had to try hard not to let him fall off. The horse went to whichever side of the road his rider leaned.

Whenever we got to his house, he got off and fell back against the horse. The horse stood his ground and did not let him fall. After turning his pockets inside out to show his lack of any change. I told him it would be alright and we could settle up next week.

If you hold your nose and talk in a low gravelly voice, you could sound just like him when he said, “Tomberlain, you are damned good hearted”. As I was only about 12 years old, I did not know whether to be shocked or feel proud.

Whenever it was bitter cold, Mother or Daddy would get me out of school early to start my route. Only once, when I was sick, did I make the route in a car or truck. Rayford Anthony took me in his truck.

Sometimes customers who missed me would drive over to our house later with my money. Sometimes on Friday, I had only five relative customers and they were all on the way out to mama’s. I would sometimes ride my little half Shetland and would stay overnight with Mama and Aunt Hattye.

I made 4 cents a copy and later 6 cents a copy. Back then, I sent the company coins in an envelope to pay for the papers. The three afternoons usually cleared me about 1.60 to 1.70 a week. After my route, I put the coins that I owed the company in a money card and mailed it in an envelope. You do not mail money safely, now.

Money went further back then and I could buy a pair of Levi blue jeans for $2.75. Sometimes I splurged and traded Mrs. Lon Bohannon at their café her Grit for a jelly roll.

Cousin Clayton Harte, who died in World War II, had also sold the Grit news paper from horseback many years earlier, riding a horse Papa Vissering had given him. Probably my favorite non family stop on the route was Mr. and Mrs. Jim Harty, Ray’s grandparents. Mrs. Veda often had fresh cookies right out of the oven and they could both tell you a ton of history.

When I started Selling the ‘Grit’ in the Fall of 1956, the Hungarian Revolution was in its worst stages and I learned for the first time what Iron Curtain really meant and the real evils of Communism. I still have clippings outs from this event and Castro’s Cuban Revolution.

Customers Mr. John Hicks and Mr. Norris McMichael also had lots of history. Mr. McMichael’s father was at The Battle of Vicksburg and saw an artillery horse rider cut in half by a cannon ball. The casualty was riding a grey horse and after the war, his father would never let anyone on his farm work or ride a grey horse or grey mule. Mar Hicks could describe hangings in vivid detail and had a picture of the Blue Cut Incident Hanging.

In the summer of 1958, I probably had enough yards to mow to keep me busy all summer. In 1960, I made my first 50.00 dollar bill I ever held in my own hands. For two weeks, I worked for Uncle Broud Tomberlain at his service station in Hughes Springs. Our deal was seven days a week for two weeks for 25.00 dollars a week and room and board.

The only bad thing about it all was that coming from a night football practice in a terrific rainstorm, I had a minor accident in Charlotte’s new car. The deductible was , you guessed it, 50.00 dollars. At least I had gotten to hold it for nearly a week.

It was really a pretty good deal and he and Buddy took me fishing a couple times and he let me drive his pickup several trips to Linden to pick up 1200 lbs block ice. I felt like a big boy driving that truck even though I lacked a license.

Son (Fred Vissering) and Mr. Corry W Heard taught me a lot about leading the negroes in their work in the hay and harvesting some field crops. I would haul the negroes to their work in trucks or pickups, home at night or to town to sell their part of the cucumbers and get Son’s part of the check for the cucumbers. If there was little to do on an off day, Son would let me cut persimmon sprouts with an axe.

They both had plenty of work in the hay off and on all summer. My hay crew for Son was Roosevelt Wilson and A.J. and Lonnie Huey. These were a son and two grandsons of Mama Vissering’s tenants, Pearl and Andrew Wilson. The only time I ever had any trouble with them is when we once backed to an old abandoned house to unload hay and there was a large rattlesnake in the room, trying to crawl in to a hole in the floor. Even after Roosevelt killed it, they did not want to go into the house. I still have those rattles.

My hay crew members when working for Mr. Heard were Hardy (aka Brother or Bo) Luckey and Roy and Troy (twins) Cooper and sometimes their little brother Billy Joe. We worked for Mr. Heard by the week. I drove the truck and helped stack hay in the barn and made 40.00 dollars a week. The negroes loaded the truck and stacked in the barn and made 25.00 dollars a week. I also loaned them money during the week for cigarettes and pop and snacks and Mr. Heard held it from their pay at weeks end.

Mr. Heard also taught me quite a bit of Carpentry. I also worked with him as a millwright helper at Lone Star Steel in the summers of 1967 and 1970.

I also worked parts of three summers at the Naples watermelon shed for Mr. Marvin Ranes and the Naples Brown and Miller Cucumber shed. Here is where I worked with my high school math teacher Mr. Douglass Loffer. He was the supervisor and scales man and check writer for the shed. He would also tell me what to expect at A&M. This type work went together since watermelon season started just as cucumbers were going out.

Mr. Ranes was an old gentleman who could tell you a ton of history of our area and the old local settlers.

I also worked for Mr. and Mrs. Leman Foster’s Grocery Store in the meat market. Here is where I learned how to cut up beeves and hogs into steaks and roasts and make hamburger meat and sausage. I worked two hours before school three days a week and every afternoon for three hours or more and either 12 or 14 hours every other Saturday. It averaged out about 36 hours a week for 18.00 dollars.

I also helped stock shelves and deliver groceries to those who called in their orders or delivered customers and their groceries and stock feed home if they had no way.

I hope you can remember the summer trips we have taken from the Rockies to the East Coast and the Great Lakes region. Don’t ever forget the photo albums of the European trips and the Rodeos and Parades in Cheyenne.

Your grandmother and grandfather Walker were married in 1947 and your mother was their first born 30 March 1949. We will have to start on Mother to tell you their story.

Paw Paw Walker had been in Patton’s 3rd Army in the 155 towed artillery. He served in some of the heaviest fighting in Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany and then to occupation duty in Austria.

Mr. Walker was not injured in the war but he never fully recovered from some of his experiences and some of the things he saw. His nervousness led to heavy smoking and that and the long years of welding and managing the Mathis mines probably led to his death.

A lot of the Latham and Walker genealogy is posted now on the internet and you all have copies of the Vissering, Brem, and Tomberlain genealogy Kim and I have posted on the internet.

There are three boxes full of photographs in the bottom of the bookshelves in the new room. After reading this, you should not have any trouble being able to tell what, where and when the pictures were taken.

Do not forget Kim and James’ website at www.visseringfamily.com, or the Vissering photos and genealogy Richard Rossi has shared with us.

(submitted by Pat Tomberlain)