Herbert Delano Brooks - Who Will Remember Me?

      I did not know Herbert well.   I recall meeting him occasionally when I was growing up.  He was like some mystical hero from another land. Wearing a uniform and a grin.  A big brother to my mother and her next oldest sibling.  Visiting with my mother, Shirley, she told me that Herbert seemed to always get blamed for things. I imagine that is what happens when you are right in the middle of nine kids!

     Herbert Delano Brooks was in born 1933 on Halloween day.  He was named after Presidents, HERBERT W. Hoover and Franklin DELANO Roosevelt.  Imagine that! To me this says that his family loved their county and admired it's leaders. 

     Herb was the 7th son of Carl McKinley Brooks and Eva Marie Gragg. He was 5'6 inches tall, brown hair and blue eyes and weighed 130 lbs. This is about the average height of all his brothers.

 
     Because I was just an acquaintance niece with Herb and Ruby I  put together a profile based on family information and items that were passed down to his sister. I think that I have captured a small vision who "Herbie" Brooks is. 

    He was very proud of his military service and was an honored veteran.  Herb enlisted in the Army Air Forces for 4 years on 21 October 1952.  He turned 21 years old the next week.  When it comes to military service it seems there is always a war somewhere.  Fortunately for Herb his service was at the end of WWII and at the beginning of the Korean War so he did not see battle. 


His civilian employment is listed as a sheet metal worker and it appears that he received his training as an  aircraft mechanic in Amarillo, Texas.  This explains why his personal items contained a model Air Force plane.

            
He received the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal Clasp, and Unit Citation.. Herb spent 1 year and 4 months in foreign service. I believe in France.  I am awaiting copies of his military records to verify this. He was honorably discharged the 4th of August 1956 at Manhattan Beach AF Station Brooklyn New York. 




Except for his time spent in the military from 1951 to 1954 he called the Quenemo-Ottawa, Kansas area his home.


Herb was a loyal and faithful husband. On November 24, 1959 Herb married  a young widow, Ruby May Williams-Keim from Greely Kansas.  She was 21 and he was 26.  Although they had a long and loving marriage Herb and Ruby had no children of their own.  It appears that Herb and Ruby's marriage was strong enough to bare many hardships.  Ruby's first husband died of suicide, which, I am sure, was a heavy sorrow for her, also their inability to have children could not have been easy.  Through it all they stuck together and appeared to live happily for 39 years.  Ruby passed away in December of 1998 leaving Herb a widower for  eleven years.

Ruby May William-Brooks 1938-1998

Herb & Ruby Brooks

    


     Herb was faithful.  Among his belongings were three bibles. The first bible was copyrighted 1894, it is unknown where this bible came from. It is very frail with many verses are underlined.  The second bible has written inside the cover, "Presented to Herbert Brooks from Carl Brooks June 27, 1949."  Carl was his father.  Herb was 17 years old at the time.  The third bible was the most modern and had verses underlined and highlighted throughout.  His faith in God and Jesus Christ was very apparent.  He was a member of the Osage Baptist Church and participated in their Sunday services and social activities. A certificate he possessed states that he,  "Has publicly confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and has been received into full fellowship." Included between the pages of his bible were the words to this song:

"Life is a few days of trouble

A wise man once said

But I'll not complain

for I'm sheltered, I'm clothed, I'm fed

But many's the trial

My wants and my dream put me through

And the only real peace I have Dear Lord, is in You

The higher I've soared in my dreams

The harder I fall 

and sometimes I've wondered 

If dreams are worth dreamin' at all

But my disappointments

Can't keep me blinded and blue

Now when I'm reminded

At sweet peace I have, Lord, in You"

I believe that much of my own faith was passed down through DNA of ancestors like Herb.  As a child we were never very active in any one church but there was always a great loving and longing for God. I am thankful to share that trait with those that have passed before me. 

"Herbie" loved being Irish. According to the DNA of his sister, Herb had Irish genes, but not as much as he probably thought. Mom shows as 11% Irish & Scottish, and 79% English ethnicity.  Sibling DNA would be very similar.  Maybe Herb was more Irish and less English than mom.  No matter.  He loved it and celebrated his heritage wholeheartedly as shown in this picture.  

Herb enjoyed travel and the outdoors. Having traveled when he was in the military probably added to his sense of wonder and adventure. Seeing and learning about new things was a theme throughout his life.  Herb loved the outdoors, nature and the places he visited. He had many wonderful pictures of scenery and sunsets.  He owned this camper and van and was very proud of them.  I imagine it got lots of use.  

Lake Erie

On one of the trips Herb took was to Lake Erie.  He had several pictures of the Lake and scenery.  Little did he know that about 180 years earlier his 4th great grandfather John Brooks died on Lake Erie as the captain and owner of a schooner.  He was only 28 years old. (John Brooks blog post.)

Another one of Herb's enjoyments was fishing.  Here is a trip he documented on a beautiful Kansas day. I remember a lot of times like these as a kid. Kansas has great fishing! Even when it floods, or maybe, especially when it floods!

Herb loved his county. 
These photos were taken when he attended a local parade in the year 2000. You get a sense of his love and community pride in the subject of each snapshot. 

It has been a rewarding experience to write about Uncle Herb and his wife.  It always amazes me what you can learn when you stop, listen and look closely. A picture of his struggles, his triumphs, and his faith appears.  I hope that now you feel as I do.   Who will remember the legacy of Herbert Delano Brooks?  I will!  And I hope you do too!

The Raccoon

Brenda, Teri and Cousin Denny with pet raccoon about 1961

There are some experiences in life that are so memorable that I wish I could take my children and grandchildren back in time to share with them.  Chasing fireflies is one, having a pet raccoon is another.  I am always telling my family about my pet raccoon but I am not sure they really believed me.  



     Writing and sharing this  picture can scarcely capture the fun of having that little guy sleeping on my lap.

     At this time we lived on a farm in Williamsburg, Kansas.  I would have been about five or six years old and in the first grade. I remember wearing those brown round toed shoes on the first day of school. The big tractor tire that we are sitting on was a sandbox that I used to spend hours in. My younger sister Brenda, on the left is about three years old with my cousin Denny on the right. My pet raccoon is stretched out sleeping on my lap. 
     I used to carry my baby raccoon around nestled in a towel in the bottom of a small brown basket with a wooden handle.  I fed him from a bottle just like a baby. Sometimes he would help hold onto it. As he grew he would wander all over the house hiding anything that was shiny, when you couldn't find something the first place you looked was in his "nest."  I was fascinated by his little black hands holding his food, just like people, and rolling it around while dunking it in water.  Most pets like dogs and cats just eat from the bowl.  Not raccoons, they pick it up.
      I think taking care of him brought out the mothering instinct in me. I loved this little guy. As he got older he made lots mischief getting into things. I am also sure my mom did not enjoy this wild critter raiding her house. The sad day for me came when we had to let him go back into the wild because he got mean.  One day he bit my Dad, which did not go over well. I think that I am glad he never bit me! 

     So you have to ask, what does all of this have to do with family history? Apparently I wasn't the first one in the family fascinated by these little bandits.  Here is a photo of my Grandmother (the little girl on the left),  and my Great Grandmother and her sister.  It's not the best picture but you can clearly see a raccoon in front of them drinking from a bottle. I love their cloche hats typical of the 1920's!  

     Baby raccoons must be easy to come by in Kansas.  As a child having a raccoon for a pet brings back warm memories and connects me to my grandmothers that loved this critter just like me. 

Marie Bell Hayden/Bien - great grandmother
Loene Loena Smith/Hayes - grandmother
James Dewayne Hayes & Shirley Brooks parents of
Teri, Brenda and James Hayes

John and David Long - Father and Son

     I love this family!  As I was doing their research I was impressed with the unity and closeness that I found. Often times I would find several families and multiple generations living in the same home. When one family would move the others would soon follow. Whether to escape the hardships of drought or establish new homesteads on the plains, they were together. Many times to understand why people do something we need to learn the events that occurred during their lifetime. This requires study and investigation. This was the case with the David Long family. They were married and their first child was born in Kansas. Why then were the following children born in Iowa? By 1880 the family has returned to Kansas. This occurred during an era of difficult travel right before the civil war.  The trip would have been made by train, boat and wagon. Kansas was still a territory and did not become a state until 1861.  Why would they leave for so many years and then come back?   I found one answer to that question in a second hand store when I came upon this neat old text book.  It is copyrighted in 1914 and is over one hundred years old, the title drew me right in. 

From History of Kansas reader:

*The drought -- "It began in June 1859 for period of more than sixteen months. The ground became so dry that it broke open in great cracks, wells and spring went dry. . . crops were a total failure." --- "They could fight ruffians, but they could not fight starvation."--- "After a year they began to give up and go back east. No fewer than 30,000 settlers abandoned their claims and left Kansas." 

     The Long family was among those that left and return to Iowa. Now I understood one of the reasons for their move.  The fact that they were teamsters may have facilitated their decision.  Their experience with traveling great lengths and hauling goods from place to place would have been a great asset. They owned or had access to multiple wagons.  Here is a wonderful photo of a member of the Long family with his wagon. 

     The story of the Long family is a story of unity, hope for the future and hard work. I am sure with so many people in such close quarters there were times of difficulty, and disagreements, that is normal.  The wonderful thing is we share their DNA and have access to their spirit, their strength and love that can carry us through whatever lies ahead.

Long Family Teamster

• John Long 1792-1887 married Dorothea Bastedo parents of 
• David Long 1832-1924 m Mary Jane Walker parents of
• Getty (Gertrude) Long 1864-1930 m Daniel Marion Gragg parents of
• Eva Marie Gragg 1896-1964 m Carl McKinnley Brooks Parents of
• Shirley Alene Brooks/Miller 

     There is so much to learn from our ancestors and I have a lot of information on the Long/Gragg family that I will share in future posts.  But for now I promised myself I would keep these short. Great reading for a Sunday or FHE.  So sign up for those email updates!

 *A History of Kansas - by Anna E. Arnold Author of Civics and Citizenship, Published by the State of Kansas 1920, Topeka

Independence Day a time to honor our veterans!

William C. Latimer - U.S. Army 4 years Germany

William H. Latimer - Air Force

Chester Gale Keele - WWII U.S. Navy

Robert Wilbur Latimer - WWII European Theater - Bronze Star

James Lyle Latimer - Air Force

Leslie Wayne Hayes - U.S. Navy

George Fisher Hayden - Civil War 

John Long - Civil War

Alvin D. Brooks

George Marvin Brooks

Gerald Clarence Brooks

Loren William Brooks - Wounded aboard ship.  Spent 6 hours floating in  the sea awaiting rescue. 

Donald Lee Brooks

Herbert Delano Brooks

James W. Hunt - Civil War

George Andrew Brooks - Civil War Defended Fort Stevens - Washington D.C.

Ernest R. Brooks - Died active duty - 1932

Victor D. Brecht - Died WWII France - 1944

Joseph Hennon - Revolutionary Solider Pennsylvania

Captain Alexander Bushnell - Revolutionary Solider

Washington Roots? - - Who knew? - - The Vanhoy Family

Vanhoy family, Spring Creek, Klickitat County, Washington 1900, Seated in front Louisa Elisabeth Henley Vanhoy, Hamilton Jones Vanhoy, Standing L to R son George Washington Vanhoy, adopted daughter holding doll and daughter Annie Francis Vanhoy. 

It's a small world in family history circles and this is a story that really surprised me. 

My 4th great grandmother Verlinda Vanhoy was born in 1812 in North Carolina. After her marriage to Asheal Woodruff Hart they and many of their extended family members moved to Henry County, Missouri. The Brooks' and associated families lived in Henry County, Missouri for more than one hundred years. The aforementioned Doris Ellen Hunt Brooks would have been her Verlinda's granddaughter.  This is where I thought the story ended, in Missouri.  Fast forward one hundred thirty years and eighteen hundred miles. 

My husband and I lived in Goldendale, Klickitat County, Washington for twenty years.  It is a very small town with a nice cemetery right across the street from our church.  I knew that there were Vanhoy headstones but I really didn't think to much of it.  After all, my Vanhoy family is from Missouri and Vanhoy is a fairly common name.

One day a gentleman came into the family history library to donate a book he had written.  It was titled the "Vanhoy Families of Klickitat County." I found it interesting so I began flipping through the pages.  Suddenly the pedigree charts began to look very familiar.  I open my own research book to compare, and there it was, a perfect match to my Vanhoys!  

A pioneer of Klickitat county Hamilton Jones Vanhoy was my grandmother's brother!  I could have fell out of my chair! All those miles and all those years and I ended up living in a town that my ancestor helped establish. It was a fascinating adventure and much research followed. Here are some of the interesting things that I found.  

Vanhoy homestead property on Vanhoy Road, Goldendale, Washington.  Abandoned long ago. Beautiful in the spring.

Pioneer Monument on courthouse lawn. 

Hamilton & Louisa Vanhoy listed on the pioneer monument. 
Brother of my 4th great grandmother Verlinda Vanhoy.

Newspaper clipping from 1911 

An article from the local history said, "at one time every fifth person on the street was a Vanhoy."  There are still a few descendants left but none that I could located with the Vanhoy name. 





Hamilton Jones Vanhoy
     Brother to Verlinda Vanhoy wife of Asheal Woodruff Hart (4th great grandparents)
Father of Mary Elizabeth Hart wife of James W. Hunt (3rd)
     Parents of Doris Ellen Hunt wife of Charles Daniel Brooks (2nd)
Parents of Carl McKinnley Brooks, grandfather to the Brooks clan!
     Me and you!

This story is an example of why my heart is so devoted to family history.  I frequently experience the feeling that my ancestors are very close.  Many times I have not found them, but they have found me!  I learn about their lives, their adventures, their heartache and I feel I know them.  I marvel at their choices and cry for their heartaches.  It seems when I learn about them here on earth my heart searches for them in the vast spans of eternity.  It is a wonderful feeling.

Doris Ellen Hunt/Brooks 1870–1963

Doris Ellen Hunt-Brooks

Her name should be said with honor.
Great Grandma Brooks represents the ideal of dedication, and endless love that is needed to be a mother. Her life is one of sacrifice, devotion and of holding her family together.

She was born in Henry County Missouri in 1870 to James W. Hunt and Mary Elizabeth Hart.

1892 Doris married Charles Daniel Brooks. They had five daughters and four sons.

1910 She lost a little daughter Josephine at 5 years of age.

1914 In her son Frank died. He was at 19 years old.

1917 after 25 years of marriage her husband Charles passed away of Pneumonia. Doris was forty seven years old when she became a widow and single mother of her seven living children. Four of which were under the age of 18. Over time the children worked to help support their family. In 1920 daughters Ethel 20 and Mary 18 were working as seamstresses, while William 16 worked as a machinist.

In 1923 – Her oldest daughter Grace died one month after giving birth due to  complications and influenza. She was just 29 years old. Her infant son John Keith Brecht was not expect to survive but was taken five blocks south to the home of his grandmother Doris Ellen Brooks. He lived with her all of his life. 

Grandmother Brooks' home 1923-1968 Clinton Missouri

In 1925 her son-in-law, Grace’s husband, John Brecht also died after being kicked in the stomach by a horse. This left their five small children orphans. The youngest three children stayed with Grandma Brooks and the two older children went to live with his mother Regina Brecht who was also a widow.

1930 Doris’s youngest daughter Georgia is working as a bookkeeper and contributing money to support her family.

1932 Son Ernest died Ernst died in active military duty at 25 years old

1944  The oldest orphaned grandson Victor Brecht dies during World War II in France.

Doris Ellen Brooks’ life is a story of an unending well of love. Often life throws at us so many difficulties it’s hard to manage, let alone be graceful and loving about it, but Grandma Doris Brooks did manage and so much more! She moved forward with love and faith through hard ship and loss. Her Grandson came to her when he was only one month old. He said of growing up, “we were poor but never went hungry.” Grandmother Brooks sewed all our underwear and clothing and sometimes we had patches on our pants,” but he felt loved. He spoke very highly of her and dedicated to her his memoir. 

From the obituary of her son in law John Newton Brecht we read:

“It takes great courage to face the task of Mrs. Brooks and her daughter and raise these little ones. Indeed fortunate are the wee folks who are in their care, for to them is given unstinting love and motherly council and care and a true abiding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for there are no better Christian people than the Brooks family.”

It appears that Grandma Brooks' faith in the Savior is what carried her throughout her life and blessed her with eternal love and hope. She lived a long life passing into the eternities to her waiting family when she was 92 years old. Bless her heart.

It has been a rough couple of weeks for our own family and I have struggled greatly to write of her challenges. But through this process I have learned so much! Her example has somehow sustained me. May each one of her descendants be blessed with that same faith, love and perseverance that she has shown us.

The three youngest orphans,

 Doris, Bonnie Jean & John Brecht

Bonnie Jean, Grandma Doris Brooks, 

John and Doris

Charles Daniel Brooks & Doris Ellen Hunt parents of:

Grace Brooks/Brecht 

John Newton Brecht & Grace Brooks 
parents of the orphaned grandchildren

Frank Brooks

Carl McKinley Brooks father of:

Alvin

George

Loren

Gerald

Carl Jr.

Leonard

Herbert

Shirley

Donald

Ethel Brooks/Cook

Mary Brooks/Smart

William E. Brooks

Josephine Brooks

Ernest R. Brooks

Georgia Brooks/Sandridge

Grandmother to:

Doris Brecht/Vanderburg

Bonnie Jean Brecht/ Williams

John Keith Brecht

Ruth Louise Brecht

Victor Brecht

George Andrew Brooks 1846-1919

From the Civil War pension record of George Andrew Brooks we learn some marvelous information. "At only 5'8 inches tall he was of average height for his era. He had a fair complexion, dark hair and blue eyes."  He was born in Ohio in 1846 and was of the prime age to serve in the Civil War. We also learn that George enlisted in the Union, Ohio Infantry at Camp Chase, Ohio. The history of his regiment is available from  the National Park Service Civil War it reads:

UNION OHIO VOLUNTEERS

136th Regiment, Ohio Infantry (National Guard)

Organized at Camp Chase, Ohio, and mustered in May 18, 1864. Left State for Washington, D. C., May 13. Assigned to garrison duty at Forts Ellsworth.  Repulse of General Jubal Early's attack on Washington D. C. (Fort Stevens) July 11-12. Mustered out August 30, 1864. Regiment lost during service 2 Officers and 23 Enlisted men by disease. Total 25.

Fort Stevens was part of the extensive fortifications built around Washington, D.C., during the American Civil War.

This battle is well known because Abraham Lincoln was at the fort, being the only sitting president ever to be at a battle. 

President Lincoln was inside the fort under enemy fire. During the heat of the battle a Union surgeon standing only inches away from the president was shot and wounded. There is a Legend that the future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes saw Lincoln stand up on the fort to get a better view of the battle and made himself a target, Holmes is said to have yelled to him “Get down, you damn fool!” 

The Confederates lost the battle, losing around 500 of their 10,000 men. Early's force withdrew that evening, and headed back across the Potomac River into Virginia, bringing back supplies they got from Maryland. General Early remarked to one of his officers after the battle, "Major, we didn't take Washington, but we scared Abe Lincoln like hell."

It is hard to imagine marching from Ohio to Washington D.C. to fight in a war.  The  soldiers exhibited profound dedication and determination to the cause of freedom and liberty leaving behind family and loved ones. After the war George returned to Ohio and married Josephine Barrett (1868) They had three sons. He is shown here with his wife during their senior years living in Henry County, Missouri. It is a great honor to have an ancestor numbered among those that fought to preserve our freedom. 

George Andrew Brooks

father of 

Charles Daniel Brooks

father of 

Carl McKinley Brooks

father of 

  Alvin D. Brooks

  George Marvin Brooks

  Loren William Brooks

  Gerald Clarence Brooks

  Carl Brooks Jr.

  Leonard Herschel Brooks

  Herbert Delano Brooks

  Shirley Alene Brooks

  Donald Lee Brooks

John Brooks 1790-1818

Melancholy shipwreck – 

"The Schooner Independence, of Sandusky, John Brooks, master and owner, John Chambers, seaman, cleared from the mouth of the Black River, on Saturday the 14th, instant for Detroit, loaded with corn for John S.Reid, Esq. who sent his son Cornelius Read, to Assist Captain Brooks, and dispose of the corn--

The vessel was capsized in a gale—the cargo lost, and every soul on board drowned. The wreck drifted on shore on Monday the 16th inst. near the mouth of the Black River, (Lake Erie, Ohio area) with her foresail and jib standing; her mainmast had been carried away in the gale.

Capt. Brooks bore an irreproachable Character. He left a wife and two children residing near Urbana, Champaign County, (Ohio) to lament the loss of an affectionate husband and tender father."

Evening Post
New York, New York
Wed. December 9, 1818 pg 2

John Brooks b 1790 married Cinderella Munson

parents of 

Charles Brooks b 1816

father of 

George Andrew Brooks b 1846

father of 

Charles Daniel Brooks b 1869

father of 

Carl McKinley Brooks b 1896

father of 

Shirley Brooks

Dear John,   With such scant information about you and your life it is amazing the personality that is revealed. It is a joy to read that your character was irreproachable and that you were an affectionate husband and tender father.  That speaks volumes. I  found that you were only about 28 years old when you left this earth.  So young, but you accomplished so much.  The owner of a schooner in 1818? Such a young age.  I am impressed, but I also wonder.  How did you earn the money for such a purchase?  Where did you learn to sail? Were you in the military? At the very least you were an adventurous spirit and hard worker.   You must have been a prince charming too.  After all you did marry Cinderella. (Cinderella Munson b 1793)        Until we meet again. I will continue to seek clues as to your life and family.                                          Affectionately,                                                                                                                                            Your 5th Great Granddaughter, Teri