During the entire time that I lived in the Little House, Aunt Ida and Uncle Willie lived in an even smaller two room shack that was bout one hundred yards behind Uncle Earl’s house. They were brother and sister or Grandma Segrest. There father was the Reverend J. E. D. Braswell, a Civil War veteran, and a Methodist Circuit Rider. Aunt Ida had been married, but her husband, Charlie Wynn had died. Aunt Ida and Uncle Willie were very old, although they were about the as old as I am while writing this account and creating a website! But in those days, families cared for the elderly. So, Grandma’s family was taking care of them. What is now evolved into the Alabama Department of Human Resources was known then as the Welfare Department. Aunt Ida and Uncle Willie were “on welfare” and received a very small monthly pension. Neither was eligible for the then recently invented Social Security, as best I remember.
One of the family concerns was how they would pay for a funeral for Aunt Ida and Uncle Willie when that time came. So, they “took out” a burial policy. I think the company was called “Brown’s Service.” Burial policies were popular back then; a part of the way of life. All of Daddy’s family contributed a few cents every month, and the “policy-man,” who was Foy Thompson, I think, came around every month for the payment. It must have worked. They got buried.
Uncle Willie was a bit of a preacher himself. But his health was not good. He had suffered with a hernia since childhood. He explained that he got caught between a wagon and a gate post while the family was living at Oaky Streak in Butler County, and that caused the hernia. But he loved the Bible. His eyesight was so bad that he could no longer read. After Wade learned to read, one of his daily chores was to go and read the Bible for Uncle Willie and Aunt Ida. He would also read the funny papers for them. They loved “Little Orphan Annie” with her dog, Sandy, her benefactors, Daddy Warbucks, Punjab, etc.
There was no running water and no well at the house where Uncle Willie and Aunt Ida lived. Taking them water in a bucket from Uncle Earl’s well was a daily chore. And, of course it had to be drawn from Uncle Earl’s well.
They were regular customers of the rolling store. Often someone had to make their purchases for them. Uncle Willie’s shopping list always included Brown’s Mule Chewing Tobacco, and Dr. Hitchcock’s laxative. It came in a yellow can. Aunt Ida dipped snuff, and I think she preferred Bruton. It came in a neat little glass jar.
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