To Kayceetee and Salinagrrrl...........Thanks for the comments, feedback and suggestions. No, it is the way it is, the way I happened to find it several days ago. Had never seen it and I have only a few photos of this man who is responsible for my presence in that, of course, he is my grandfather.
His story is somewhat unique in that he began a second family in the 1890s, the family that includes my uncles and my dad. According to the family legend, he wanted to leave what was his original home and journey to Missouri to begin a new enterprise. There are several stories about where he called home. What is somewhat odd is that he was married and had children in whatever was his location. And like so many men in today's world, he simply decided to go to greener pastures. His wife, however, was not willing to pack up and leave. Here is the rub--was she simply an independent woman who felt like she had a right to weigh in on the decision or was she, according to Scripture, disobediant in that she did not obey her husband's wishes and did not support his plans for seeking new opportunities?
Now, so far removed from that domestic situation, I have no way to find out the exact details. I do know that wherever he was when he decided to move without his wife and family, there would be the descendents of those who know the details. Whatsmore, since he had a very large family, there are descendents to whom I am related but have not responded to any of my inquiries.
In more than one instance when inquiring, I received not even an acknowledgement that there are other people who are related to them.
That my grandfather was a man who followed his dreams can be attested to by the fact that, according to the stories I've heard, he simply "packed his wagon and headed to Missouri." From what we have been able to put together, he settled first in Tarkio, Missouri, northwest of Laredo, Missouri. To bring this part of the story to a conclusion, Robert Levi moved to Laredo, a railroad town, in the 1890s and married a woman named Sarah Jane or Sarah Ann Rooks. She was twenty-plus years his junior. I do not know if she was previously married or whether her union with Robert Levi was her first marriage.
Robert and Sarah had a large family. His first child was Frank, born on New Year's Day in eithr 1899 or 1900. (If there are relatives reading this who know the exact date, they are welcome to contact me via my Flicker E-mail, the only E-mail that I am able to use due to a real large amount of confusion using the messenger service, etc).
Grandad Huffstutter and Grandmother Huffstutter's family consisted of: George Francis Huffstutter, James Eldon Huffstutter, Ella Huffstutter, Lenore Huffstutter, Marietta Huffstutter and my dad, the last sibling, born in 1912. Sarah, the mother, died either in childbirth with my dad, or within several years thereafter. The information is available, but I have forgotten. Grandad Huffstutter lived from 1856 until 1938. He passed away four years before my birth. Yes, it would have been great to have known him.
His youngest grandchild would be, according to my calculation, my sister Linn, born in June of 1943. According to my stats, I am his last grandson, thus I do feel a link to him that transcends much time with very little interruption from his birth to mine, the only link, my dad. Many people believe I am referring to my great grandfather when I mention that my grandad was nine years old when President Lincoln's life ended. No, he was my grandfather.
Throughout my lifetime, I have met Huffstutters who know nothing about this tale. I have also met other Huffstutters, or talked with them via phone, who acknowledged that they were related to my grandfather, but were not sure where the links were.
One of my first contacts with another Huffstutter I never met was in the autumn of 1958 when my high school buddy and I decided to drive to Denver. We were only 16, and we surprised our parents by taking this unauthorized trip. Anyway, while in Denver, I looked in the phone book and found a Huffstutter, called them and recall they said, "yes, we are related." I do not recall their first names, but I was elated, finding a new family member. It was a real find for a 16 year old boy.
My next encounter with a Huffstutter was while in Japan. I decided I wanted to go to Hiroshima and caught a ride on a USN plane from NAS Atsugi to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan. Upon checking into the desk at the Marine Corps Air Station, a Marine behind the counter asked if I was related to Colonel (Lt-Col) Hardy V. Huffstutter, a base or wing commander, I cannot recall. He might have been the base commander, I do not know. I responded truthfully, elated that I might be related to a Marine officer. "Yes, I think we are distant relatives," I answered.
There are many Huffstutters out there. According to the family tree, one I viewed at a website that existed several years ago called "The Huffstutter Connection" the first Huffstutter, arrived in this country from Switzerland. The year was 1732, the port, Philadelphia, the vessel, the Priscilla. According to extended history, he fought in the Indian wars and the Revolutionary War.
There was a cartoon series I enjoyed when I was younger. It ended with the familiar words, "That's All Folks." Thus, that is the story around my Grandfather in a nutshell. If there are those who want to share more information, feel welcome to send me a Flicker E Mail.
Robert L. Huffstutter
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
ESSAY ABOUT THOMPSONS AND ENERGY
AN ESSAY ABOUT THOMPSON SUB MACHINE GUNS, TRAINS, ENERGY AND COAL
One of my fondest memories of a toy was this hand-made and hand-carved wooden replica of a Thompson Sub-Machine gun. One of my relatives who had been in the South Pacific during World War II and who had a Thompson, spent some of his down time after the war making wooden items as a way to regain his serenity.
The gun was actual size and most realistic, but it was wooden. Highly varnished, thus shiny, it was a favorite toy and was used many times in childhood war games in the big woods behind this home pictured.
Most of the neighbors had boys, thus as we grew older we were a tight unit of lads, not a gang by any means, but a unit of friends who had the respect we needed by simple civility to the other. If there was ever a disagreement among us, we worked it out by simple avoidance of the other for a few days or a stand and shout session of name-calling. We shared many memories and good times.
At that time in history, the late 40s and 50s, families normally stayed wherever they had a home. There was no moving for the sake of rapid upward mobility or to find a place that did not need up-dating. To be quite frank, there was not one single home on that block that couldn't have used one hell of lot of up-dating. However, everyone was pretty happy. Homes on that block were heated by coal.
There were railroad tracks just a few houses south of where I grew up, thus the sound of trains was part of my youth; there were, I recall some mighty big steam locomotives that roared past our neighborhood. The old Missouri Pacific route of the Eagles had double tracks, the Kansas City Southern, the freight line had one track only. The KCS was basically an oil supply train that ran from the Standard Oil Refinery in Sugar Creek, Missouri to various areas throughout Kansas City, Missouri.
While speaking of refineries, I am reminded of energy.
If one stood at the top of a hill a few blocks north of our block, the eternal flame of the Standard Oil Refinery could be seen. It was a flame that died in the 70s, never to be fill the sky with it's orange glow again.
So, when I think of energy, I think of our natural resources, not windmills...
By Robert L. Huffstutter
One of my fondest memories of a toy was this hand-made and hand-carved wooden replica of a Thompson Sub-Machine gun. One of my relatives who had been in the South Pacific during World War II and who had a Thompson, spent some of his down time after the war making wooden items as a way to regain his serenity.
The gun was actual size and most realistic, but it was wooden. Highly varnished, thus shiny, it was a favorite toy and was used many times in childhood war games in the big woods behind this home pictured.
Most of the neighbors had boys, thus as we grew older we were a tight unit of lads, not a gang by any means, but a unit of friends who had the respect we needed by simple civility to the other. If there was ever a disagreement among us, we worked it out by simple avoidance of the other for a few days or a stand and shout session of name-calling. We shared many memories and good times.
At that time in history, the late 40s and 50s, families normally stayed wherever they had a home. There was no moving for the sake of rapid upward mobility or to find a place that did not need up-dating. To be quite frank, there was not one single home on that block that couldn't have used one hell of lot of up-dating. However, everyone was pretty happy. Homes on that block were heated by coal.
There were railroad tracks just a few houses south of where I grew up, thus the sound of trains was part of my youth; there were, I recall some mighty big steam locomotives that roared past our neighborhood. The old Missouri Pacific route of the Eagles had double tracks, the Kansas City Southern, the freight line had one track only. The KCS was basically an oil supply train that ran from the Standard Oil Refinery in Sugar Creek, Missouri to various areas throughout Kansas City, Missouri.
While speaking of refineries, I am reminded of energy.
If one stood at the top of a hill a few blocks north of our block, the eternal flame of the Standard Oil Refinery could be seen. It was a flame that died in the 70s, never to be fill the sky with it's orange glow again.
So, when I think of energy, I think of our natural resources, not windmills...
By Robert L. Huffstutter
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