Photo Credit: Jo Autrey

William Gaddis farmhouse, Dallas, Texas, on their 32 acres of land purchased in 1938.

A well was located just southeast of house, one with a draw bucket, looked just like an old wishing well. Later rooms were added to the house, including a room for an indoor bathroom. Until then, and it took some convincing to Granddad it wasn't unhealthy to have an indoor restroom, a "two-seater" was regularly used.....another small bedroom was added to the east side of the house for an uncle who did not marry until very late in life. When indoor plumbing was added for the house, the old well was filled in and topped off, the end of an era, the beginning of new times coming to the farm.

Many wonderful childhood and young adult years were spent on the farm, the house was filled with love, delicious food, laughter and an endless supply of relatives. The outdoors offered 32 acres for exploring, cows, horses, chickens,turkeys, hogs, a dog and cats (especially for the barn), a mule, and other various stray animals. We ate fruit and vegetables straight from the trees, the garden, and berries included blackberry, dew berries, strawberries, and wild mustang grapes grew in abundance everywhere, watermelons, cantaloupes, peanuts, had fresh corn, okra, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and other usual crops found on a farm in the 40's and 50's.

Granddad farmed up until the late 50's, he gradually cut back on the acres being plowed, sold the horses, cows, hogs, and ate the chickens and then began to keep a garden which was manageable. Grandma quit making her own soap, bought a wringer washing machine and finally a dryer, bought chicken and other meats from the store, and at the last, finally gave in to the new convenience of canned biscuits, but she continued to use the old cast-iron skillets. He kept his garden, rose garden, fruit trees and berry patches until he became ill. When he became so ill and bed-ridden, he had peanuts in the field, ready to be harvested. The neighbors fattened their hogs on the peanuts, our family was too busy with taking care of grandma and granddad. The farm was sold, a portion kept to build a home on which they could move to and live in a more comfortable house with modern appliances. The new house was built in 1960, granddad died in 1962. Grandma lived in the home until the mid 70's when she began to have strokes and finally moved in with her daughter, Julia Lyon and later with her other daughter, Betty Green. Grandma died Mothers Day, May, 1979.

Joe and I now live in the "new" home, rooms have been added, central air/heat installed, rooms remodeled and more changes on the way. We have an acre of land, and I look out my back door (we are on the land where the potatoes were planted) and can see the old trees still standing, and if I listen carefully, I can hear my grandfather singing as he worked the fields or played with his grandchildren as we sat under the trees. I can see my grandmother feeding the chickens, or can smell the aroma of the good foods she prepared, never knowing how many or who would show up to eat with them.

For more information on this family, please visit Jo's Front Porch and Genealogy
or Contact Jo Autrey by mail