The Life of Me: An AutobiographyJohnson, Clarence Edgar
History
The Life of Me: An Autobiography
Johnson, Clarence Edgar
Fisher County (Tex.) -- Biography; Fisher County (Tex.) -- History; Johnson family; Johnson, Clarence Edgar, 1906-1994
My parents were getting quite a collection of children by this
time. And it is not always easy to find family hand-me-down
names for that many kids. So by the time the seventh one arrived
they had to go outside the family for a name. I don't know how
far out they went but they came back with what I have always
thought was a "far out" name, Clarence Edgar, and they pinned it
on me. I was born January 11, 1906, in Jones County, West Texas,
in the middle of a large family. Frank was eight years old when
I was born, Susie was seven, Earl three, and Joel 16 months.
There were three others born later, Albert, Ollie Mae, and
William Robert. So, as you can see, my parents thrived and grew
rich--if you count children as wealth. There were ten of us,
eight of whom attained full size and strength.
Five years after I was born, we moved to another farm about a
half-mile east. Albert was born at the first place we lived and
William Robert was born at the second farm. I know Ollie Mae was
born sometime in between those two boys, but I don't know where
she was born. I'm sure it wasn't between the two farms.
Wherever it was, she became one of us and is still with us.
Mama told me that the $300 they paid Grandpa for the farm was the
hardest debt they ever had to pay off.
Money was hard to come by for a young couple just starting out.
Mama also told me all about how her family had moved from
Kentucky to Dallas County, Texas, then again to Grayson County,
then back to Kentucky, then again to Dallas County, and finally
to Oklahoma.
During all this time Mama's younger brother Hugh was trailing
along two years behind her. They were seven and nine years old
when they moved back to their old home in Kentucky. There were
200 acres in the farm, and these two kids had four years in which
to explore the meadows, the hills, the streams, and the
woodlands. There were three springs of water, acres and acres of
wild berries, wild nuts, cherries, peaches, apples, and papaws.
There were many kinds of birds as well as coons and skunks. And
for delicious food, there were swamp rabbits and opossums.
I was a young boy when Mama first told me that Hugh was her
favorite brother. It didn't mean much to me at that time. But
after I was a grown man, she told in detail how she and Hugh had
roamed together over the old farm during those four years, how
they had picked wild berries, and how they had carried them to
the store in Hodgensville and had sold them for ten cents a
gallon.
Emma's older sister and an older brother had long since married
and lived far away. Henry was still at home but he was older
than Emma and too busy at other things to be interested in that
kid stuff. No wonder Hugh was her favorite brother. They had
played together, explored together, and had grown up together.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account