We Remember…

By Norma Cromer

For years my family has encouraged me write a book. But working full time and taking care of family didnt leave much time for writing. Since my dear husband was diagnosed with Alzheimers time has taken a new meaning. Ive learned much about patience and true love. Before I get much older, I wanted to leave a Legacy, a gift, for my family. All I have is our history, their Heritage. Hopefully, they will see my heroes and become heroes in their own lives keeping the Legacy alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499081473

Norma Cromer

I have been writing since before I could read – stick figures and my name. I read everything I could get my hands on, even newspaper ads. After high school my education came through Business College and selected college courses. Then for forty plus years practical experience in the Administrative Assistant areas (a fancy name for secretary). In each position I was editor and author for most company newsletters, press releases and some marketing releases. I’ve had the privilege of teaching a number of subjects such as Microsoft Office products. After I retired I also taught sewing. I have been involved with Bible education and teaching for fifty-four years. One of my most memorable accomplishments was watching a lady in her mid-eighties read a portion of her bible for the first time in her life. It doesn't get better than that.

Book preview

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Copyright © 2014 by Norma Cromer. 625113

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-4990-8148-0

             EBook       978-1-4990-8147-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 10/21/2014

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Contents

The Brewingtons

Thelma Brewington, Chilton, Murphy

My Memories

Our Mother - One Of Heavens Choice Angles

A City Girl Meets A Country Boy

Howard Ray Brewington

Derek Brewington

The Randolph Family

The Andersons

Have You Hugged Your Grandpa – Jack Randolph

Lyman Randolph

From The Country To St. Louis

Brunot

Daddy’s Secret

Foristell

Life Begins In Foristell For The Randolph Family -

Just Hanging Out

Personal Hygiene

Biography

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WE REMEMBER OUR HERITAGE

Memories can be a funny thing. When my brothers and I talk about the old days and events, we don’t always agree on exactly how those things came about. That is because each has their own memory! I’ve concluded that memories are simply our reaction to places, people and events in our individual lives. Since I’m writing about these events these are my memories. However, to be truthful, I’ve included some of the memories of people very dear to me. Their names will be attached to their memories. If there is no name, then the memory is mine.

It is my wish for my children, grand and great grandchildren, my nieces, nephews, Aunts and Uncles to contemplate how our family has been influenced by the folks before us. I have been so very fortunate to now feel we lived the good life. I mentioned this to my brother Jack and he agreed. Yes, we were poor, didn’t have the things considered normal, for example electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, telephones. Yet the people we were with were kind, loving, and so very intelligent. We were rich in what was important.

After the Second World War was over, our parents decided we should move from St. Louis to the home place. That was in Madison and Wayne counties near the St. Francois River in Missouri. That was where our parents had been raised and much of the family was still there. Daddy got work with a lumber company but it soon moved to Arkansas and Daddy went with them. Jobs were scarce, due to so many military men now also looking for work. Mother tried staying with my brothers and me in the country, but Daddy wasn’t able to send much money home so Mother packed my brothers and me up, walked down the creek road to Grandpa and Grandma Brewington’s, where she left us. Grandpa drove her to Piedmont and she took the train to St. Louis. Daddy moved back to St Louis where they both worked, trying to save enough money to get the family back together again.

Now our adventures really begin! Our grandparents had a full house, plus the multiple tasks in making a farm support us all. I was 6 yrs. old. Jack (Lonnie) was 4 ½, and Dick (Richard) was 1 year and still in diapers. Our youngest Uncle, Buck (Heber Delno to be changed to Derek) was still at home. He was about 9 years old. We also had Grandpa’s mother, Liza Jane Jackson Brewington, and Grandma’s father, James T. Farmer. Now, keep in mind that Great Grandma Brewington was paralyzed from the neck down and Great Grandpa Farmer had cancer on the side of his head. Back then the best they could do was keep it packed and when the pain became unbearable get a bottle of whiskey. We children learned not to run in the house or let the doors slam. We were very aware that would hurt Grandpa’s head. How could this man and woman take care of all these children and invalids in that house! Remember, no electricity, no running water, and no phones. No tractors on this farm, the machinery (what was there) was pulled by mule. All food was grown and then canned on a wood stove. All clothing was ironed with an iron heated on the wood cook stove. Meat was had by butchering and preserving or hunting and fishing. Our family was made up of Heroes.

How could I say that my brothers and I had the good life? Well, let me tell you…….

Our Heroes!

WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY –

HERO, a man of distinguished courage, moral or physical; chief character in a play, novel, poem, etc.

A hero is anyone that you look up to as a model, a likeness you would like to achieve. My brothers and I had such ones in our family. If you look in your family, you will find the same, with good and bad qualities. This is the basis for who we are. Yet, we have God given choices. We can try to emulate those strengths and reject the weaknesses. Unfortunately today, some young people make heroes out of rock stars, politicians, sports figures and those achieving wealth.

Our older relatives suffered many hardships; illness, loss of a child, financial difficulties, love and rejection. Several wars were held during their lifetimes. Decisions had to be made. We find that most faced problems head on and continued to make a life for their children. Most also were self-sacrificing. When a neighbor needed assistance, our people were there, even when they didn’t necessarily like them as individuals.

Christianity was not preached so much as lived. Some missed the mark of what they believed but remained hoping in God’s mercy. Human weakness and frailty are hard to overcome. Yet, I never knew one of our heroes to ever knowingly harm anyone. Leading a simple life is hard work, but our family has proven it is the best way. This is one reason my brothers and I have concluded we lived the good life.

THE BREWINGTONS

Napoleon Bonaparte Brewington & Eliza Jane Jackson

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Napoleon Bonaparte Brewington: born January 29, 1859, Iron County, Mo.; Married Eliza Jane Jackson, November 29, 1883; died January 16, 1946, buried Beulah Cemetery, Madison County Mo.

Eliza Jane Jackson: born August 23, 1869, Captain’s Creek, Iron County, Mo.; died September 10, 1946, buried Beulah Cemetery, Madison County, Mo.

From this union were born; Silas, Jasper Pink, Rosa, Richard Lee, Nellie Mae, Twins - Lillie and Millie, Nettie, twins - Bessie and Jesse, and Ollie Effie.

Napoleon and Liza, were my great-grandparents on my Mother, Mabel’s side. I knew them both, as well as several great Aunts and Uncles. Such, quite, gentle people with a wonderful sense of humor. They died just nine months apart. They managed to farm in the rocky hills of Wayne County, Missouri and raise ten children. My Grandfather, Richard Lee was their fourth child. This picture was taken in front of the last house they lived in. Grandma Eliza had beautiful jet black hair, which no doubt was genetic from her Indian heritage. She wore it in a long pigtail down her back. Not too long after this picture was taken, she was leaning back in a chair on the front porch, against the wall of the house. The chair slipped and her neck was broken. She was paralyzed from the neck down the rest of her life. When my brother Dick was just learning to walk he would grab hold of her hair and swing on it. She would yell Lula, this boy is killing me! and then giggle like a school-girl. She wouldn’t allow him to be punished. She had such a tender heart. When asked Would you like something to eat? Her answer would be I guess so. I better eat to keep from getting down. I never heard her complain about her disability. She loved and appreciated her son and daughter-in-law for their care. She seemed to enjoy the antics of the little ones, especially the baby Dickie.

I’ve been told Napoleon was often called Hoss. I never did find out why. Maybe because he was not a big man and jokingly referred to him as Hoss. He was respected enough for the area where he built his house for his family was called Hoss Hollow. He worked hard on his farm to raise his family. He is the one responsible for the dramatic blue eyes in the family. All of his children and most of his grandchildren and many of his great grandchildren have this inheritance.

Aunt Nellie wrote about her memories of her childhood days: "I can say I was the fifth of ten children, six sisters and four brothers. We all had our ups and downs, mostly downs. I spent most of my girlhood days in a 3 room house on a small farm. I can remember Momma and Dad both working hard to feed us, cloth us and send us up to school. As I got older, I wanted to get away from it all and that is another bad memory. Mama didn’t want me to leave but I talked her out of trying to keep me down on the farm. I wanted greener pastures but I didn’t find them. I can look back now and I could have made my childhood days better. But, after all is said and done now, I look back and I appreciate the memories of my childhood days and the love of the Lord that gave me a good Mother and Father that loved us. I always honored my Father and Mother for all the things they tried to do for me. I would love to live those days over. I think I could have made everything better. ‘So be it’.

-  Nellie Mae Brewington Edwards

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A letter to Aunt Thelma from Aunt Millie Brewington (married name) Nov 10, 1987

Dad was known as Hoss Brewington. I don’t know why. He moved his family from Coldwater, Mo. To a farm in Madison County about 1900. He made a living by farming, raising cattle and hogs. He worked in timber, making railroad ties and oak shingles for roofing houses and barns. He like to hunt and trap animals for fur. Mama was always busy with the garden. She raised chickens and geese. Besides doing all of the washing and ironing for the family she made all of the children’s clothes. The children walked 2 miles to a one room school house in the country. There were 65 – 75 children enrolled. In the winter we often waded through snow that came over our shoes. The children helped the farm work and each one had specific jobs around the house such as cooking, dishes and helping with the smaller children. Dad repaired our shoes when they needed it. He farmed with a horse walking plow.

Mama and Dad were both hard-working, cheery people, also very patient with the children. I remember them as not being very strict or having a lot of rules. Mama did most of the discipline. As best I can remember, they called each other Dad and Mama. They didn’t move many times. Dad carried the mail from Des Arc to Jewett and I remember when we moved from Brunot to Des Arc. We went to church as much as we could by team and wagon or walking.

Dad had a sorghum mill and made sorghum molasses for the family and all of the neighbors in the community. They lived most of their lives in Madison County.

The farm on which Dad and family lived was a Homestead. Dad claimed it in 1900 and year by year, cleared the land and planted crops.

Love, Rose Marie for Aunt Millie

Richard Lee Brewington: born December 10,1892, Brunot, Missouri, Wayne County; married at 23 on August 8, 1915 to Lula Mattie Farmer; who died April 24, 1967. They are buried together at Beulah Cemetery.

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Lula Mattie Farmer Brewington: born May 5, 1898, Putman County, Tennessee; Married at 16 on August 8, 1915.

I remember being told the story of the time that the Farmers had just moved into the area and went into town in their wagon. In front of the general store was another family, The Napoleon Bonaparte Brewington family. Richard told his dad see that little red-headed girl, I’m going to marry her. That little red-headed girl was 10 year old Lula Mattie Farmer. Another time when the family wagons were passing in town, Richard stood up in the wagon, pointed at Lula and said I’m goin’ to marry you. When she was sixteen she married Richard Lee Brewington. He told it right! From this union six children were born, the eldest Myrtle died in 1918. They had two more daughters, Mabel and Thelma, and three sons, Richard Jr., Howard Ray and Heber Delno (name later changed to Derek).

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I read a paper called The Evolution of Entrepreneur Definitions in 13th Century. The earliest definition for the word’s root from French origin which can be translated to mean ‘to do something’ or ‘to undertake.’ That would describe Richard Lee Brewington. If he needed something or to improve on something – he made it himself. Building a home: you didn’t get a book of house plans at Walmart; no pre-cut lumber; clearing the land. The list goes on. How could he possibly know how much lumber he would need? How much time did it take for him to go into the timber, select the trees to fell, strip them and haul them out of the timber to a saw mill to saw boards then to his house location? Not bad for a man with a