Today we celebrate the 99th anniversary of our grandfather's birth!
My information is that Robert Allen Adams was born March 12, 1908, the fourth of seven children born to James Richard Adams and Jessie Mae Wallace.
It is my understanding that Grandpa lived in extreme poverty as a child.
I don't know much about his childhood, but the story I was always told was that Jessie Mae left the family when he was pretty young. When Grandpa was 13, he moved to Illinois to live with his mother. He helped support her by washing train engines in the train yard. Thus, he only ever had an 8th grade education. I don't know how long he lived there, but he eventually came back to Bradshaw.
I don't know much about his childhood, but the story I was always told was that Jessie Mae left the family when he was pretty young. When Grandpa was 13, he moved to Illinois to live with his mother. He helped support her by washing train engines in the train yard. Thus, he only ever had an 8th grade education. I don't know how long he lived there, but he eventually came back to Bradshaw.
Mom always said he never wanted to talk about Jessie Mae, but I remember a brief conversation we had when my daughter Jessica was born. He mentioned to me that his mother was named Jessie, and I told him I knew that, but it was really more of a coincidence since Greg was the one who picked Jessi's name. He seemed satisfied by that.
Someone once told me that Grandpa told them that he'd decided he wanted to marry "one of those Gifford girls", and Elsie ended up being the one for him. :o)
I never saw it, but have heard tales of Grandpa having a quite a temper during his younger days. I remember him as being quiet and gentle, always with room on his lap for the grandkids. When Greg and I were first married, we decided to go to the horse races in Grand Island. We stopped and asked Grandpa how it all worked and what we should do when we got there. He told us how to bet and we came home with a few dollars more than when we arrived.
When Grandma was in the hospital, and it was apparent she was going to pass away, Grandpa walked the halls with us grandkids, telling us stories of their early years together. He loved farming, but Grandma was so sick all the time, that he took a job with the railroad so they'd have insurance. I wish I'd written down those stories - that's all I remember.
I do remember when Jessica was a baby, he made a comment that he always wished babies were born with handles on them, so they'd be easier to carry around. :o)
There were many layers to this man - the farmer, the soldier, the husband, the father, the grandfather, the gardener. I wish I could sit down with him, me being the age I am now, and ask questions and record stories...
4 comments:
Oh so do I!!! I miss them, I love telling my kids the stories that Grampa told me.. I always loved the one about when he would hear cars coming from miles away and he would run down the hill so he could see a car.. :) Sitting on his lap listening to his stop watch!
As do I, as do I! He didn't talk too much to me I think because I was usually in the kitchen cooking with grandma. I have a picture of grandad and me when I was a baby and we seem to be crawling or he's trying to teach me to crawl. I think I was so much closer in age to Aunt Lynn that he didn't see me as a grandchild so much but as just one of his kids. God knows I was always at their house even after I was married. It was my refuge. I see him clearly and he visits me in dreams usually silent but strong like an oak tree in the wind. I miss the silences and the quiet of being with him knowing I was safe.
I forgot grandad once mentioned that his mother had red hair. He was very thrilled when some of the Schall kids were born with red hair and felt that it came from her.
oops! not stop watch..I meant pocket watch!
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