Aunt Lou Amma's Memoirs - Part III

Lou Amma Bramblett Armstrong, my mother's oldest sister, at age 79 wrote down a few pages of her childhood memories growing up in Johnson County, Texas, in the early 1900's, along with 7 other brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents.

One time a man with a covered wagon with a man, woman and baby drove up and said they were traveling for their sick baby girl’s health, but he needed a job and that an old friend of ours in Okla. (Mr Hallford, Beulah Hallford’s father) sent him to papa. He told them they could move in the buggy shed. The baby died in a few days. Mama saw it was going to die, so she brought it in the house to die.

Emma and Ruby [Ellis - neighbor children] were visiting and we - Emma and I - offered to sit up  with the corpse. The papa said he wanted to be with his baby since it would be his last chance. Mama told him do as he chose, but we would not want to stay up if we couldn’t catch up on our visiting and that we would go to bed. It took no time at all for him to decide he had to go to bed.

Next day the baby was buried over by Mr. Burt’s in a little cemetery at papa’s expense. They picked cotton all fall. The woman wore the dress she picked cotton in and left on the train. Dress was starched and ironed and we talked about her doing the best she could (how nice she looked under the circumstances).

The worst tragedy in our family was when the Frank Larimore boys came by to get Tommie to go hunting with them. I don’t remember if Homer was along or not (I believe he was) but as the story goes Buster Larimore & Tommie were ahead of the others and Buster told Tommie to shoot straight up to scare the others. As he brought the gun down it went off again and shot Buster through the head. He died instantly.

Word came in over the switchboard that someone had been shot. Papa and Mamma drove up in a buggy about that time and I remember mama throwing pkgs. out of the buggy for them to go down there. This was Frank Larimore’s son. Mrs. Chris Larimore lived to be over 106 I believe it was (Elna will know).

Instead of them resenting Tommie they seemed to take him on as a son. Tommie was always present when they had a death in the family.When mama died, Tommie went after Mrs. Chris Larimore and brought her over at Elnas. The reason that this impresses me so is this is the day (21 years ago) mamma was buried and Tommie died.

The second tragedy was when Homer was riding on their motorcycle and Buster Ellis was cutting corners. He darted right out in front of Homer and Homer ran over him broke both bones in his leg. It was not Homer’s fault. He (Buster) was not at an intersection. Homer really hated it and was so attentive while he was laid up. Papa paid all expenses. The Ellis’ held no ill will.

John Boyd, Sheriff of Johnson County

Uncle John Boyd... was sheriff of Johnson Co. It became his duty to hang a man and he resigned his job. Just couldn’t do it. I believe he was a superintendent of a reformatory place down south before being a sheriff.  One time when Uncle John lived at Watts Chapel, Dr. George Truitt, Pastor of First Baptist Church came down (his best friend came with him) to hunt. As Dr. Truitt crawled through a wire fence his gun went off and hit his friend. He later died, It was said of him he never was the same he was saddened so, Dr. Truitt loved anyone by the name of Boyd thereafter.  He said they treated him so well.

In the next segment, Lou Amma describes working on the telephone exchange that Lee operated out of their house.