The uncles were a different matter. Only two stand out in my mind; Uncle Carl, the dairyman, and Uncle Erwin, who had but one arm after an auto accident. The other two, John Homer – the oldest uncle, and Tommie are but vague memories. But I have the family albums that contain stories and highlights, and they add missing dimension to their lives.
For example, Uncle Homer (John H. to the rest of the world) was featured in a newsletter written for residents of Normandy Terrace – a retirement village in San Antonio. Here are some excerpts:
JOHN HOMER BRAMBLETT was born on September 4, 1894 in Johnson County, Texas. His parents were Lee Bramblett and Maggie Hall Bramblett. Lee Bramblett was a farmer and later became a merchant. When asked if he had any brothers and sisters, John replied, "Oh, about 8 or 10." Actually, John has four brothers and four sisters and he was the number one child.
John said, "I grew upon on the farm, but never farmed a day in my life." John described himself as a common everyday boy, doing common everyday boy tricks. John's father was running a cotton gin out in the country. One day John wanted something to do. So John requisitioned some of the dye used to mark the cotton bales. The next door neighbor, Mr. Searcy, had some cows. John requisitioned a cow. Now the dye was cast and the cow was green. All Mr. Searcy could say was, "They dyed my cow green!"
Another time, there was a new preacher in town visiting all the homes in the community. John and his brothers took it upon themselves to tell the preacher that his father was a little deaf and the necessity of talking loudly to him. However, his father was not deaf. Then John and company told his father that the new preacher was a little deaf and he needed to talk loudly to the preacher. The preacher was not deaf. The boys were on hand when the preacher showed up and were heartily laughing as the watched or rather listened to the shouting match between their father and the preacher.
After he finished high school, John went to work in a flour mill for his first job working there until after WWI. John said he had been classified 1A, but because the flour mill had a government contract, he was never drafted. Each year the flour mill closed for one month. During that month, John went to work for his landlord, a building contractor. John had always had a talent for working with tools of any kind. One year, John quit the flour mill and went to work with the contractor. The original contractor quit and John continued with his contracting, first as a building contractor and then a general contractor.
John Homer apparently was very successful as a contractor. Another article – this from the San Antonio Express – featured an event at the nearly-completed home he built in 1950 for Dorthy Kirsten, an opera singer of some note.
It's an ancient Spanish custom in the Southwest for a new homeowner to invite workmen and laborers to a tree planting ceremony after the house is completed. A keg is usually broached, and the new householder gets acquainted with the, men that actually constructed the house.
But Mrs. Eugene R. Chapman, better known as Dorothy Kirsten, operatic soprano, recently varied the tradition slightly and invited both workmen and their wives to an informal housewarming and supper while the house was still in the final stages of construction.
Some 85 workmen and their wives gathered at the almost finished $100,000 home, 727 Olmos Drive, and ate barbecue beneath strings of recently installed overhead working lights. Mrs. Chapman threw open the entire house, finished except for painting and decorating, to her guests. She and Dr. Chapman personally served the supper.
The reference to the house intrigued me. I looked the address up on Zillow, and here's the description – and the current value!
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