The Man on The $10 Bill (Part 1 of 3)

This is a reprint of Ken ‘s Column in the Calhoun Times, by permission. Cousin Ken, a grad from GA Tech, has owned a Carpet Mill, Printing Company and also lived and traveled extensively in the Middle East. He has run for political office a couple times as a Republican in a Democratic County, a tough call!

From the Calhoun Times by Ken Herron,  Weekly Column 554

When the conditions were right for the colonists to consider forming a new nation Alexander Hamilton was a college student and a practicing lawyer in New York City.  At times he had represented both the Loyalists (Loyal to England) and the Colonists in different court cases.  The courts were established by the Crown and were a part of the British government.  Alexander Hamilton was an important part of getting liberty and establishing the new nation.

Alexander Hamilton was not born in America.  He was born to Rachel Faucette in the British West Indies.  She had been married on her home island of Saint Croix in the Virgin Islands and had a son named Peter.  She left him and her son and had moved to a city called Charleston in the British West Indies.  She lived with James A. Hamilton and had two sons with him.  The first born son was named James, Jr. and he was the second son and named Alexander   for his grandfather James Hamilton’s father.   

When James Hamilton heard that her first husband was going to sue Rachel for divorce, he abandoned her and the two boys.  The mother and the two boys moved back to Saint Croix where Rachel had inherited some property.  She kept them alive by operating a small store.  When Alexander was 13 years old his mother contracted a severe fever and died.  Her first husband had not divorced her and he took all of her possessions at her death. 

Alexander had not been able to attend school because he was born out of wedlock and the school was operated by the Church of England.  They would not accept him.  His family owned 34 books and he received much of his education studying these books.  When his mother died, a friend purchased these books at auction and gave them back to Alexander.  He continued to read all of the books that he could borrow and began to write.

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To be continued in the morrow!

Nite Shipslog

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The Hamilton Motors Company was founded in 1917 by Guy Hamilton, after his Grand Haven, Michigan Alter Motor Car Company went bankrupt. The company produced only one car, the Model A-14 …

This is all I can find on the Hamilton Car, I am pretty sure this ain’t the Model A-14 of 1917!

Museums

The first museum I was ever in was in Raleigh NC.  I must have went with our 9th grade class in a Bus to Raleigh. We did not get a long time inside, but enough to whet an interest. Once, Dad took me to an  Iron or Steel Museum near Birmingham one year.

Strange, we have never visited two well reported museums within ten miles of our home in Belmont. We do mention going, just never get around to it.

(Sherry and her sons in Bandera)

There is a small Museum in Bandera, Texas.  We have actually been there twice.  Frontier Times Museum. Bandera is the Cowboy Capital of the World. You know, real cowboys who are champions in riding and roping. Rex Allen an actor, but a  real cowboy from AZ. I thoroughly enjoyed the Rex Allen Museum in Wilcox, AZ

I also mentioned ‘The House of The Rock’ on the Shipslog, it is a museum to itself. The Henry Ford Museum (referred to as only “The Henry Ford”) in Dearborn, MI. The Studebaker Museum and also the RV Museum in South Bend, IN.

And then there was the General Patton Tank Museum on Fort Knox and an Air Plane Museum at Hill AFB, Utah. One should never forget the Potato Museum in Idaho.

(Ever wonder the size of the A-Bomb? Grandson Luke beside a ‘Fat Boy’ Atomic Bomb (shell) at Hill AF)

There are towns themselves that are Museums, like Tombstone, AZ that I have talked about here. 

But the Grand-daddy of all museums is in Washington, DC.  Free admission and displays you will never forget. Our first visit was back when Lyndon Johnson was president. For basically a country boy and his family, we walked around amazed at the things on display in the Smithsonian's.  If you ever have the chance GO VISIT. To be honest it is about the only REAL thing in Washington.

It is impossible to describe the Museums of American Natural History and the Air and Space  Museums. There are 19 museums in all, I did not know that there were that many. 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Smithsonian_museums

Seeing the USA is an education in itself. Sites like The Alamo in San Antonio is HISTORY, the fact that now it is a museum is secondary.

(Me ‘n the Boys at the Alamo)

We have traveled and driven over a million miles and have never been bored at life and history, I consider being on the road as a museum of life. No museum or artist can depict a desert or sea sunset, no one can touch the peak colors of autumn in the mountains.

Nite Shipslog

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From the RV Museum

From the Studebaker Museum

Lime Sherbet

The lower ranking Seaman aboard ship must pull ‘mess duty’ (In the Army that is KP), The new Seaman will fill the drink containers with Grape and Orange drink, because they like it. (Actually the sailors affectionately call it the flavored drinks, bug Juice.). There are 5000 sailors on an Aircraft Carrier and they drink a lot of bug juice. They drink up gallons of Grape and Lemon (cool-aid).  Soon the kid learns if he fills the containers with lime flavor, the usage slows down, and reduces his workload.

Grocery shopping the other day I picked up some ‘rainbow sherbet’. Lime, Raspberry and Orange flavors.

But first Task schedules: Son Mark and I worked together for many years. I am one who tends to do the dreaded jobs first.  Son Mark is opposite, he puts off the dreaded jobs until the end. He always gets them done, but they are last.

Also If I am painting or siding a house, I want to do the back and sides first and save the front for last. Mark must do the front first because it tends to give the impression that you are through, when if fact you have just begun the job.   

Now that rainbow sherbet, of the three flavors, what am I eating first, LIME. I do not DISlike lime, it is just my last choice of fruit flavors. I am gonna really enjoy the orange and Raspberry when I get to it.

If you have a choice in tasks scheduled, do you have a preference?

Nite Shipslog

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Above is the Kaiser. It was a pretty tough car, but did not hang around long, 1947-1955

One Hundred Years Ago in 1915

This January coming up would have been my dad’s 113th birthday, He was born in 1903. I remember hearing of eggs being a penny a piece and Coffee being 12¢ a pound. I remember him saying he worked for $1-$1.50 a day when he wasn’t farming. Those prices amazed me in 1950-55 when I was listening to the OLD people. 

Here are some facts from that early period. 100 years ago.

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The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Out of 100 houses, only 8 had a telephone. 

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year... 
A dentist $2,500 per year.
A veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and, a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at home
Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound. Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars ...
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !

And most everything we consumed was made in America...

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I said mom & dad’s prices shocked me. but in 1956 my first w-2 form for the year was less than $900.

A coke & a Milky Way was still 5¢ each. A new Chevy/Ford was less than $2000.

Times change, we earn more and pay more to live. As the old Beatles song Says,

 “Life goes on, yeah, na na na na Life goes on!”

Nite Shipslog

PS: Were you born at home?

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1915 Model T   $440.00

2015 Ford Focus  $17,000 About 37 times the cost.

Eggs cost 20 times as much, but the Chicken with two legs still lays them. .

 

We make 54 times the hourly wage. 22¢ to $12.00

I will always wonder (?????)

From the stories of the ‘snake oil’ salesmen from the early west.(something for everyone) Sorta like  the lines of the old song, ‘Mule Train’:

There’s a plug of chaw tobaccy for a rancher in Corolla;
A guitar for a cowboy way out in Arizona;
A dress of callico for a pretty Navajo.
….
There’s some cotton thread and needle for the folks away out yonder.
A shovel for a miner who left his home to wander.
Some rheumatism pills for the settlers in the hills.
….

There’s a letter full of sadness and it’s black around the border.

…

A Bible in the pack for the Reverend Mr Black.
Get along mule, get along.
Get along mule, get along. (Mule train.)
Get along, get along.

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The early medicines, were they as effective as the ones advertised today? Some on AOL and Newsmax:

“Eat this and never forget a thing again!”

‘Lose 30 pounds in 30 days.’

‘The 150 year old secret to regain your hearing’

etc…

If you have a chance, you should visit ‘The House on the Rock’, near Spring Green, Wisconsin. Allow at least a day to go thru this ‘Museum’ or Interesting place. You will be amazed at the collections. Today I am thinking of the area of Barbershops and medicines.

I shoulda tried the ‘Nerve & Brain Pills.

What about weight loss from times past!

Long before ‘in vitro fertilization treatment (IVF)’ there was ‘A Baby in Every Bottle’.

Before Tobacco was a big problem: ‘We cure you of all Desire for Tobacco’, reckon it was using the 3 oz Opium sacks?

With today’s drug companies recommending you ask your doctor about ‘this pill’, I go back to the days mentioned above, are we really any different.  In a day that you as the patient can ask the Dr. to prescribe a pill advertised on TV?

It all makes me wonder if we don’t have the modern day Snake Oil Salesmen.

Nite Shipslog

PS: No joke, you will not be disappointed if you tour the House on the Rock. (Don & Evelyn told us about it, we were amazed)

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And then came the VIPER! a REAL Dodge

Has anyone ever solved a mystery for you?

I have told this before. We bought this present coach, a Monaco Diplomat and made a long trip. This thing felt like a tank. It rode like a horse and wagon, as if it had no Springs.  This was touted as being an ‘air-ride’ coach. Well it wasn’t.

(Hank never did mind a little grease!)

I determined to get rid of it, some how friend Hank heard about it. “I can fix that Jack, where are you?” We were within 10 miles so he came over.  Within 15 minutes he had taken care of the problem. Don’t you love a guy or gal who has the answer and not just talk?  I have told many folk about Hank.

As I sit here typing my ‘ssssssss’ leak is fixed. Hank suggested replacing the valve instead of repairing it. I had no idea, other than the net, where I could get the valve. Hank suggested NAPA, they had it, and I was able to install it. Thanks Hank!

Living in Kirksville, MO,  and on a tight budget, we owned a ‘57 Rambler. The engine was running terribly and I took it to the Rambler place. “You need a new engine or a complete overhaul. Cost from $200 to $300.” I said I had to think about it.

Sherry’s piano teacher’s husband was a mechanic. I may as well give him a shot at the engine. I pulled it in, he walked out smiling. He did not know me, I introduced myself.  
“Running rough, ain’t it.” He was straight forward like a Missouri Farmer, probably had been.

I told him the sad news, he raised the hood, Looked for a minute, “Hand me that 7/16 wrench off the workbench.”

I did and in less than a minute that little 6 cylinder was running as smooth as a sewing machine. “Weren’t nothing but a loose intake, these engines are known for that.”

He wouldn’t take a dime. In less than a minute he had saved me hundreds.

Do I help folk?  YES, it is one of my favorite past times. People say, “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.” I can say  assuredly, Yes I do.

Once I ran upon a man in the middle of Hwy 27 struggling to reload a stack of plywood that had slid off his truck, He was leaving 84 lumber when it happened. I put my flashers on jumped out and helped him re-load. As we worked, he said, man I appreciate this.  I could say truthfully someone did the same for me, in this same spot a week ago, and they had.

Never miss the chance to help someone. It will bring a smile. (To you and them)

Nite Shipslog

 

Yes, help when you can!

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Trans-Ams

The mystery key? How many do you have?

I have joked with men who do not live in a motor home, and carry a big key rings. I joke and hold up two keys and say, “This is down sizing, I have two keys, one for the car and one for the motor home.

What they do not see that inside the MH is a box of MANY keys.  The motor home alone has 12 keys, some duplicates. Keys for houses, tow bar, luggage, boat, bike and trailer locks,etc. It seems like a hundred keys. AND THEN ONE SHOWS UP WITH NO TAG, it is obvious it is a house key, but which one? A quick comparison of the conglomeration of keys shows no match.

(The case above is in the car)

What do you do with it?

(The Yellow is the new’?’, the 4 on each side are old ‘?’s)

I want to throw it away, but hey, what if someone says, ‘Grandpa, did you find a house key?’ So I put it aside with a ‘?’ attached, this one has a yellow label.

Please tell me you have a few keys that you have no idea what they unlock!

My puzzle for today.

Nite Shipslog

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1906 Mason Car  I always want to read it Mason Jar.

THE 1957 Golden Hawk!