Thelma 5

Why Uncle Clarence chose not to build on Grandads farm, I dont know - I guess his wife had something to say about it. Grandad was building his new house on Academy Ave and while your Mom and Dad built their house right next to him, I understand they lived with us. I was a year old and I caught everything that come along and your mother got the mumps from me. When you come along a little later, one night at the supper table I was told Aunt Ethel got a new little baby girl for Christmas - it was December 26, 1929 and I thought Santa Claus had brought it to her just like he had brought my toys.

Uncle Gene married Louise Fishbaugh on June - 1927, and they built on the other side of Grandma in the year of 1929. They were livng in the house that the Wallets lived in until their house was ready. They had Eugene and Margaret by this time and Mary come along on June 1, 1930 and Donald on April - 1933. Grandad Moser died right around the same time that Donald was born.

When my father worked at the Owings Mills car barn, we would have supper about 7:15 Pm everynight as soon as he got home. One night while eating, we got word that Mr. Mann, Aunt Nellies father had been struck by a train and killed. Mrs. Mann used our phone to give instruction that the body was to be taken into the Cook Funeral Home in Baltimore City. The funeral home director kept calling on our phone insisting that she must come in to make necessary arrangements. Uncle Roy refused to take her, telling her that he would drive her into the city for the day of the funeral.

Finally, my Dad said to Mrs. Mann - I will take you in right now so off they went in Dads 1925 Chevrolet. Mom expected Her brother, Roy to get angry and he did and Mom came to my bed room and raised the window to hear what was going to happen. I do not remember whether Nellie went along with her mother or not, but since Mrs. Mann had to tell her daughter that she was going into the funeral home that is why Dad had to go next door to pick her up.

The body was brought to the Mann home and people from everywhere came to view the body the next night. I remember going to Mrs. Manns house with Mom and Dad, it was the first dead body I had ever seen, but I still didn't know what was going on. When we left the house, in order to avoid all the automobile head lights coming up Academy Ave. we walked down to Aunt Helens house and down her driveway. Its funny what a kid will remember when he is only three years old.

Many years later Uncle Roy did say something to me about that night and I had all but forgotten it. I really believe he did not know his way into town and he only had that one-seated Model T Ford anyway. I did notice that he never did come over and play checkers with my father any more after that night. Mrs. Mann passed away just about one year later, and her house was sold to Aquilla and Effie McComas. Mr. McComas worked with Uncle Roy on the Fisher farm.

When Helen and Gearl married, they lived for a couple of years at Elkridge, Md. Uncle Gearl and his brother had a business together - fixing automobiles and also selling them. The business didnt do too well - Uncle Gearl went into something else and moved from Elkridge to Gwynbrook and Grandad said they could have the lot next to the Wallet house but Aunt Helen did not like it there and bought a lot from Mrs. Mann. Aunt Helen chose the lot bordering on Gwynbrook and Academy but when they got to settlement Mrs. Mann had changed it. Tobby, Uncle Gearl's brother went to carrying the U. S. mail but he held onto the garage all his life.

Uncle Gearl helped many a person out in his day, including me but I understand that he had quite a temper. In his last year of high school, just a couple of weeks before graduation, he got into a fight with another boy and he beat him up so bad that he was expelled from school and he never did get his high-school diploma. It is ironic that in 1931 he went to work for Franklin High and stayed there for about 15 years. He tried working at home but it didn't take at this time and went to Berger Oldsmobile and Mr. Berger thought Uncle Gearl was his best worker. He became an expert at Hydra-matics. Uncle Gearl tried it again, working in his own back yard and this time it worked and he always had a helper working with him. Uncle Gearl could pick up any horn and play it, you name it, he had a saxophone, a trumpet, a trombone a clarinet, a french horn and a bass horn - he could play them all. He played every Sunday for the Glyndon Mens Bible Class and he sang in the church choir and he also belonged to a mens quartet, traveling to many churches in Baltimore and Carroll County singing for the Lord.

In 1931, Aunt Carrie married again to Howard Baublitz and they lived on Chestnut Ridge. Howard had several children but the only little ones were Hester and Lester, twins born in 1926. Their mother, Howards wife died in 1929.

 

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