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!

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