Chapter 1 - The Family That Made Me (1672 - 1939)

We shape ourselves to fit this world and, by a new world, are shaped again.

We are born with physical, mental, and spiritual features, with a plan set by our God for our lives. Families pass down skills and behaviors through generations that improve the quality of life you will live and pass on to your children. This tradition has existed since the beginning of time. We are all immigrants; I am fortunate to have some knowledge of my ancestors’ migration to America and how they built a successful life for their descendants.

As I write this, spring is in the air in Reno. Like clockwork, a family of redheaded House Finches begins their yearly breeding season, passing down their traditions through generations. They move like AI-trained robots, efficiently going about their lives in ways handed down over many generations. Human life is more varied and complex, but who we are and what we do still flow from those who came before us.

Your Value $$$

Your value and wealth depend on what others are willing to pay for your ideas, productivity, products, and services day to day; past value counts for nothing in free-market capitalism. Your IQ and education will not support you in the long term; what counts is what you do for others on an ongoing basis. It is not knowledge and intelligence quotient (IQ); it is the Persistence Quotient (PQ). A degree gives you the opportunity to perform, but three years after graduation, you are paid for the value you earn; after three years, a degree almost means nothing. Too many people with high IQs and/or substantial education fail to create value. However, some people with lower IQs and/or much less/no education create great value. The essential difference is persistence: NEVER GIVE UP.

You improve the odds that your value increases if you take on high-value challenges, hard-to-do jobs, even if you fail; never give up. Always look for ways to create value faster and better; practice, practice, practice. Think about it day and night, even dream about it. The human mind can enjoy life and be productive at the same time. Be persistent, and you will be rewarded.

Cheating and otherwise taking advantage of others is not the way to create value. Creating value means that not only do you win, but those who help you create value, those who invest in your ability to create value, must all win when someone pays for value. This is the beauty of capitalism. Socialism takes value from the value creators and gives it to the takers who do not create value. Value creators are far better judges of need than government employees who have never been creators. For sure, there are those in need among us, and a prosperous, value-rich society of creators should reward its government to satisfy the needs of the needy through charity.

Clippings of Family History Collected by Jean Dealy

My mother’s grandfather’s relatives, who were very religious, came to America in the early 1700s through New York to seek religious freedom. Some of the younger ones moved to Virginia, South Carolina, and then Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before Jacob Valentine Dealy (my great-grandfather) and Estelle Gale (my great-grandmother) settled in Houston, Texas. We can trace the Gale family back to the early 1600s. Some men from the family fought in the American Revolution, from 1775 to 1782. Here are some loosely organized historical facts concerning the Gale family:

• Ambrose Gayle - served in the American Revolution militia and fought at the fall of Charleston.

• Celeb Gayle - enlisted on the 26th of August 1775 in the volunteer company of the House of Mark Perish under Captain Matthew Singleton.

• Christopher Gayle - enlisted in the sixth regiment on 6 May, 1776, as a sergeant. He was not found on the rolls after 29 July, 1776. May have died in battle.

• Josiah Gayle - Served in the militia and fought at the fall of Charleston. He was taken from jail by the British and hanged without a trial.

• Josiah Gayle Jr. - enlisted on the 26th of August 1775 in the volunteer company of House of Mark Parish under the command of Matthew Singleton.

• Ramson Gayle - served as a sergeant in the militia in 1782.

• The Gale family, living among the Patriot fighters, led a life typical of the times. Josiah apparently was a farmer. He lived in Kingston Parish, Gloucester County, Va., at least from his first marriage (around 1745) until about 1763, when he moved to Lunenburg County. He was likely born in Kingston Parish, as records show that Gayles were living there as early as 1672, when a Matthew Gayle was granted 284 acres of land in consideration of headrights and ispa ta comel donation. Josiah's relationship to Matthew is unknown.

• Ann Gayle was born in Kingston Parish, Accomack Co., Va., on March 10, 1757. Her father, Josiah Gayle, Sr., left a will indicating that she had married a man named Berwick. In 1788, a deed records a bequest from Ann's father, Josiah Gayle, Sr., to her of "one negro girl Lydia, during her natural life and at her death the said negro girl Lydia is to be returned to his estate with all her increase and equally divided amongst his heirs in the same manner as the remainder of his estate is divided.” Ann must have died in the early 1800s, as there are a number of papers and receipts on file in the Office of the Ordinary, Sumter County, S.C., dated 1843 to 1946, pertaining to the distribution among the heirs named in the will of Josiah of Ann's share of her father's estate. Ann had a son.

• Samuel was likely Levinah's son from her former marriage and took the name "Gayle" through adoption by John Gayle. Sarah Gayle, LIBRARY 10, 1760, Lester County, Va. Dec. There is no further information about him in any of the South Carolina records (where his father settled in 1769), but it is believed he moved about 1783/4 (after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War) to the Natchez District in what is now Mississippi -then known as Spanish West Florida - and that he married there about 1785 Martha Wescott, born on Lynch's Creek in South Carolina about 1770, daughter of William and Ann (Jones) Wescott. Martha's father died about 1775, and she, with her mother and a younger sister, accompanied the James Nicholson family (Mrs. Nicholson was a sister of Martha's mother) from South Carolina in 1775/6 to a home at Galves Town on the Amite River, Spanish West Florida. They later settled on the Homochitto River in the Natchez District, and it must have been there that John met and married Martha. John was not mentioned as a beneficiary or otherwise in his father's 1794 will. Why is not known, but it could be that (1) upon leaving home, a sum was advanced to him representing the approximate share he would receive at his father's death; or (2) he failed to keep in touch with his family, and it was not known whether he still lived. There is a tradition that Christopher Gayle and Caleb Gayle followed an "Uncle John" to Louisiana.

• Christian Gayle, Jr. (#39) and Caleb Gayle, Jr. (#52) settled in East Baton Rouge and East Feliciana Parishes, respectively, sometime after 1805. They were nephews of John, 30, which lends some credence to the tradition. Another fact that strengthens the belief that this John was Josiah’s youngest son is the name “Ambrose," which he bestowed on one of his boys. John had a brother named Ambrose (#21), and since that first name was uncommon, John's Ambrose (#64) was likely named for his uncle.

• Two other sons (#63) and (#67) were also undoubtedly named after John's brothers, Caleb (#17) and Josiah (#15).

• JOSIAH GAYLE (Continued): Mary must have died at or shortly after the birth of this child, and Josiah married again within a few months, as the Kingston Parish Register records the birth of a daughter, Mary, on August 26, 1762, "Josiah and Hannah Gayle”. Josiah's will shows he had a daughter, Mary. Josiah apparently was a farmer. He lived in Kingston Parish, Gloucester County, Va., at least from his first marriage (about 1745) until about 1763, when he moved to Lunenburg County. It is quite possible that he was born in Kingston Parish because records indicate there were Gayles living in that Parish as early as 1012, when a Matthew Gayle was granted 284 acres of land in Tareinte, or headrights ispa ta comel, as a donation. What relationship, if any, Josiah bore to this Matthew is not known. Landon C. Bell’s "Cumberland Parish - Lunenburg County" at p. 511 contains the following item: "1763/4. Returns of procession in obedience to the order of the Vestry, 30th of Sept. 1763:···（Item 6）Processioned by Joseph Minor, Jacobus Christopher, and John Knight, the lands belonging to the following persons: "Josiah Gale, Richard Crews, Waltho Owens, William Owens, James Hamlett, Charles Stokes, David Owens, and Benjamin Collier, in the presence of: "Josiah Gale, Richard Crews, Charles Stokes, David Owens, and Benjamin Collier.” Then, in Bell's "Sunlight on the South Side - Lunenburg County”, 1s found a "List of Tithes 176l-1783”. On page 242 is a list taken by Thomas Babb on June 10, 1764, which includes, among others: Josiah Gayle had 5 tithes in his household and 240 acres of land; Matthew Gayle had 1 tithe. Page 236 includes a list taken by Henry Blackgrove, which includes Matthew Gayle (Richard Griffin, Overseer), with 7 tithes in his household and 312 acres of land. It is assumed that this latter Matthew 19 is not the same individual as the Matthew included in the enumeration by Thomas Babb. mulatto and Indian females of A "tithe" was a male person 16 or more years old.

• JOSIAH GAYLE (Continued) "South Carolina: Pursuant to a prompt directive by John Bromar, Esq., Sur. Generally, dated July the fourth, 1769, I have measured and laid out unto Josiah Gayle, a plantation or tract of Land containing two hundred acres in Craven County on High Hills of Santee, butting and bounding Sit. on Thomas Jones and Sanders land; N.W. on Joseph Harshaw and vacant Land; S.E. on land granted to John Rees; N.E. on vacant land and hath such shape, form, and mark as the above plat doth represent. Certified 22d Day of November 1769. Signed - Isham Moore, D.S. At the time of this grant, Josiah would have been 45 to 47 years old, with his children ranging from 7 to about 22. His plantation was located in St. Mark's Parish, and because the parish church was so far removed that regular attendance was 1m-possible, a number of other residents of the Figh Hille petitioned the Lower House on July 1, 1770, for aid in establishing a "Chapel of Base.” In their community, each contributed varying amounts toward the cost. Such a chapel was established, and it is today known as the "Church of the Holy Cross" in Stateburg, S.C. By his first marriage to Mary, children, and it remains a part of their birth as naturally as can be determined:”

  • Christopher Gayle

  • Jostah Gayle, Jr.

  • Dorothy Gayle

  • Caleb Gayle

  • Ransom Gayle

  • Ann Gaylo

  • Ambrose Gayle

  • John Gayle — Went TO LA

  • Elizabeth Gay Le

• By his second marriage to Hannah, Josiah had one daughter: Mary Gayle, May 7, 1753, Gloucester County, Va., 16/ to Lucretia "Lukey" Billups. 23 to 25 years of age, which would place his birth date between about 1728 and 1730. was no doubt some 4 to 6 years younger than Josiah. The conclusion that they were brothers was reached by deduction rather than based on any concrete proof.

The Barrel Makers — The Boettchers

My other great-grandparents, the Boettchers, my mother’s grandparents, arrived in the 1890s and had my grandmother. Their family name meant “wooden barrel makers” in German. Some background on the history from 1890 to 1900 includes:

1. July 2, 1890: The U.S. Congress passes the Sherman Antitrust Act, the first major federal law to limit monopolies and promote fair competition. Fair opportunity for prosperity for all citizens.

2. October 1, 1890: Yosemite becomes a U.S. National Park, a milestone in the conservation movement inspired by John Muir.

3. December 29, 1890: The Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota, where U.S. troops kill hundreds of Lakota people, effectively ends major Native American armed resistance in the West.

4. May 1, 1893: The World’s Columbian Exposition (Chicago World’s Fair) opens, showcasing technological and cultural achievements and introducing the “White City” vision of urban planning.

5. 1893: The Panic of 1893 triggers a severe economic depression in the U.S., with widespread bank failures, unemployment, and labor unrest.

6. 1893: New Zealand becomes the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote, advancing global suffrage movements.

7. November 8, 1895: Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays in Germany, revolutionizing medical diagnostics and physics.

8. March 1, 1896: Ethiopian forces decisively defeat Italian invaders at the Battle of Adwa, preserving Ethiopia’s independence during the Scramble for Africa.

9. April 6–15, 1896: The first modern Olympic Games are held in Athens, Greece, reviving the ancient tradition under Pierre de Coubertin.

10. May 18, 1896: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson, upholding “separate but equal” racial segregation (Jim Crow laws).

11. 1897: The Klondike Gold Rush begins in the Yukon, drawing tens of thousands of prospectors and boosting economic development in Alaska and Canada.

12. June 22, 1897: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee is celebrated across the British Empire, symbolizing the height of imperial power.

13. February 15, 1898: The USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor, killing 266 Americans and fueling U.S. calls for war with Spain.

14. April–December 1898: The Spanish-American War; the U.S. defeats Spain and acquires Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines (via the December Treaty of Paris).

15. February 4, 1899: The Philippine-American War begins as Filipino nationalists resist U.S. annexation, lasting until 1902.

16. October 11, 1899: The Second Boer War erupts in South Africa between Britain and the Boer republics, lasting until 1902. .

17. 1900 (escalating from 1899): The Boxer Rebellion intensifies in China; foreign powers (Eight-Nation Alliance) intervene to suppress anti-foreign uprisings.

18. September 8, 1900: The Galveston Hurricane strikes Texas, killing 6,000–12,000 people—the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

19. 1900: Max Planck presents his quantum theory (including Planck’s law in October and related work in December), laying the foundation for modern physics.

20. July 29, 1900: King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by an anarchist, highlighting rising political violence in Europe.

This decade marked the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, characterized by imperialism, industrialization, labor struggles, scientific breakthroughs, and the dawn of U.S. global power. Many events (e.g., wars and economic crises) had long-lasting consequences into the 1900s.

My German Great Grandfather, Baldwin Boettcher

The Boettchers - My Mother’s Mother’s Parents

My Great-Grandmother (holding me), Elzora Boettcher, and my Great-Grandfather, Baldwin Boettcher, are pictured here. Mother’s grandparents (her mother’s parents) have, by far, the most easily accessible information. They had things written about them due  to the many gifts they gave to their communities. They provided most of the gifts of wealth that benefited the Boettcher family, including my mother and father, who received financial help in times of true need; the Boettcher family always decided how much help you received. Their life success is documented in extraordinary detail. They lived a low-cost, simple life, an “old-money” lifestyle. Elzora maintained a garden; Her chickens laid fresh eggs; she raised and killed her own chickens and pigs for fried chicken, ham, bacon, and hog’s head cheese.

Me and My French Great Grandmother Boettcher

They always had a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fresh biscuits with gravy. Lunch was always the largest meal, and supper was just a small snack before an early bedtime, eaten at the kitchen table on paper plates. Breakfast and lunch (dinner) were served formally in the dining room. On Sunday, for the mid-day meal, the whole family who could make it was invited, and fried chicken, roast beef, and ham were served with mashed potatoes and all the salads & vegetables.

In the 1950s, our family spent many weekends in Huntsville. I mostly stayed in the garage apartment, where my great-uncle Edward parked his Cadillac; he bought a new one every five years. You could say he was thrifty. Want to know how I could tell? The highly starched white shirt collar had threads showing, matted by starch, indicating they were well past their discard date.

The garage apartment was piled high with stuff my grandparents and parents probably enjoyed as kids. There was one of the original flash cameras and an original record player, the one with the big cone, as well as many of the old, thick records.

The garage was on a driveway that sloped downhill and leveled out just before reaching the street. There was a sled with wheels you could steer. I loved riding from the top of the hill. Every time we visited, I was so scared the first time I almost panicked, worried I wouldn't be able to stop safely before entering the street and be run over by a car.

A few times, my parents left me with Elzora while they took a break. The big events in Huntsville I remember are:

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  Switchboard Phone

  The home phone was a huge, old-looking phone mounted on the kitchen wall. You had to talk to a switchboard operator to connect a call.

• A big event for townspeople and Elzora would be a scheduled execution performed at the Texas State Prison. It would use so much electricity that the house's lights would dim. We waited for midnight and took a moment to pray for the executed and thank the authorities that enforced the law.

• I would sleep with Elzora. First, we would pray by the side of the bed where she had placed the pee pot she used in the middle of the night. She had used a pee pot her entire life as the outhouse was too far, too hot, or too cold, and buggy, just plain scary most of the year. Oh, she had modern bathrooms that she used during the day, but at night, it was just a comfortable habit. She would let her long gray hair down before bed; it was so long that it touched her knees.

• Elzora and I often took day trips to Beottcher’s Sawmill. The parking lot was located between the mill, Edward Beottcher’s office, and the commissary. A footbridge crossed a creek, always filled with goldfish, leading into the pond where logs were floated off trucks or train cars, only to be hooked, lifted, and moved into the cutting room. There, a steam-powered carriage used “grabbers” on its side to secure and position the logs before feeding them through a large circular saw. A plank of wood was sliced from the log and fell onto a cutting table; as it moved across, smaller saws cut it into specific sizes, such as 2X4 and 2X6. Anywhere on the mill property you take a picture, it looks small, but in reality, the mill is a large, sprawling complex with many buildings serving different purposes. To move lumber between processing areas, Edward used specially customized Model T Fords in the early 1900s; this proved a brilliant, low-cost solution. All energy—except for the Model Ts—came from steam generated by burning wood fuel from cutting and shaving the lumber. To power the mill equipment, we used a series of belts and pulleys across all factory floors. I told you the Beottchers were frugal. They knew how to keep and make money. A skill I learned at an early age.

• On Sunday morning, we always attended the Methodist service, as that was the religion my parents practiced. It turns out that different factions of the Boettcher family founded and supported both the Methodist and the Baptist churches in Huntsville.

My great-grandfather, Baldwin Boettcher, met his French wife, Elzora, while sailing to America and landed in New Orleans to start a new life with considerable family wealth from making wooden barrels in Saxony, Germany. His last name, Boettcher, indicated a family with a wooden barrel-making business.

The Boettcher Lumber Company Extended Family

Pictured are some of the Extended Boettcher Family of Sawmill Workers

The Sawmill Industry

In East Texas

The sawmill industry has been vital to the East Texas economy since the mid-1800s. As large cities like Houston grew, their demand for lumber increased. Mills appeared quickly, and once the trees were cut, the mills were often dismantled and moved elsewhere. Following this pattern, Boettcher's Mill was established in 1929, just a mile from Huntsville's town square, just outside the city limits. It was a community of lumber mill workers and their families who moved when the trees at the Westfield Mill in Montgomery County, south of Walker County, were exhausted. Instead of quitting the business like many small operators of that time, Edward Boettcher bought a parcel of trees and moved his sawmill. Over the years, he accumulated hundreds of thousands of acres of East Texas timberland. He bought enough of the “big thicket” white pine timberland to harvest the largest trees while leaving the smaller ones on a 20-year rotation to feed the Huntsville Boettcher Sawmill.

At its height, Ed Boettcher's mill was the largest privately owned business in Walker County, employing over 500 workers. The nearby village included Mexican, Black, and White families and eventually developed into a lively, diverse community. For the most part, East Texas histories have overlooked it, possibly because of the long shadow cast by the state's penitentiary system in Huntsville, known as “Prison City,” or perhaps because it appeared, on the surface, like many other East Texas sawmill towns. However, closer inspection and research show that the community at Boettcher's Mill was unique in several ways and warrants more recognition from historians.

The residents of Boettcher's Mill, especially the Mexican families, differed from other sawmill workers in East Texas. Most had moved north after the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Coming from Monterrey, the second-largest city in Mexico, located in the northern state of Nuevo León, these families—including the de Soto, Garcia, Hernandez, Juarez, Martinez, Mellado, Montoya, Moreno, Ramirez, Rodriguez, and Zamora families—faced both political and economic hardships. Monterrey has been compared to Chicago, a major northern industrial city that rivaled the national capital in influence. Because it was so vital to the country’s economy, revolutionary leader Pancho Villa was known to threaten the local population around Monterrey. Wealthy industrialists resisted the new revolutionary government's efforts to reform labor, shutting down factories and refusing to enforce new laws. The steel mills closed, and many workers lost their jobs; they headed north across the Mexican-U.S. border. Many of the Mexican American families who ultimately settled in Boettcher's Mill, outside Huntsville, Texas, were part of this northern migration.

Nicer Mill Home

The story of Boettcher's Mill actually begins with two waves of migration to Texas, one from Germany in the late nineteenth century and another from Mexico in the early twentieth century. Baldwin Boettcher arrived in Texas from Saxony, Germany, in 1887. He went through immigration processing in Galveston, which was the second-busiest immigration station in the United States, trailing only Ellis Island in New York City.

Not So Nice Mill Home

Within a couple of years, he had purchased timbered land and set up a sawmill in Westfield, just northwest of Houston. Baldwin established his mill at the height of the sawmill boom in East Texas, and he made a very successful living by investing in the lumber industry. Eventually, he passed his timberland and mill holdings to his son, Edward. Today, the Baldwin Boettcher Library, located on Aldine Westfield Road in Humble, sits on two acres of the original Westfield Mill, which his descendants donated to

Some of Boettcher Mill's Buildings

the Harris County Library system.

Elzora Boettcher (1875-1957), Baldwin’s wife, played a crucial role at the mill as well. When Baldwin died in 1912, Elzora oversaw mill operations in Westfield while her son, Edward, then 19, attended a business college in Louisiana for a year. Afterward, he returned to run the mill. Even after Edward’s homecoming, Elzora remained deeply involved in the family business. She went to the mill every day to check on operations and the people on site. After

The main Cutting Building

completing correspondence courses through the Chicago School of Nursing, she also carried a small metal case of medical supplies to care for residents’ health. She even served as a midwife on occasion. Indeed, Elzora became a prominent presence in Huntsville, and when she passed, the local paper referred to her as "Mother Boettcher."

The story of the Mexican families who settled in Boettcher's Mill in 1929 begins about ten years earlier with Dionisio Martinez. During the political and economic chaos of early 20th-century Mexico, Dionisio's father left the family to find work and never returned. Born in 1891, Dionisio became the family's patriarch at just 12 as the oldest son. The family lived just outside Monterrey, and some male members worked in the steel mills. However, the mills shut down, leaving the men unemployed. Meanwhile, revolutionary leader Pancho Villa was causing chaos in the area. One of his generals drafted Dionisio into the army after he successfully delivered a wagonload of ransom gold to Pancho Villa.

Not wanting to be caught up in the uncertainty of revolution, Dionisio and his siblings, like many other residents of the northern province of Nuevo Leon, decided to move north to the United States. Led by Dionisio, the family crossed the border at Laredo. There, they paid a small immigration fee and were free to settle in the U.S. They moved to Montgomery County, where Dionisio found work on the railroad, and his brothers found work at Groggins Mill. Eventually, they moved to Westfield to work at Edward Boettcher’s sawmill.

Road North- Moving the Mill and Its Town From Westfield to Walker County

My Great Uncle Edward

Although the boom for East Texas lumber mills ended in 1917, Ed Boettcher continued his father's sawmill operation. The Westfield mill eventually closed when the trees ran out. In some ways, it was planned obsolescence. Some mills were destroyed by fire, others by economic decline. In Westfield's case, the workers had done their jobs well; there were simply no trees left to harvest. The trees had been turned into lumber, and it was time to move on. Anticipating this, Ed Boettcher bought timberland east of Huntsville in Walker County, just north of Montgomery County. The workers dismantled the mill piece by piece, labeling parts for later reassembly. They loaded the pieces onto the train and took them north to near Huntsville. They also took apart the houses, packed them, and moved them by wagon. Most families had livestock, so the men led their animals along an old road paralleling the highway for about 60 miles to Huntsville.

By the time the workers’ families arrived, Mr. Boettcher had already dug a communal well and established a settlement where each group would live. In a country and era when segregation was the norm, sawmill communities followed an unspoken hierarchy reflected in the town's layout. This old, segregated way of life also showed in the language: the Mexican and Black sections of Boettcher's Mill were called quarters. White mill workers, who typically held clerical and managerial roles, were the highest-paid and lived close to the mill office and commissary. At Boettcher's Mill, this meant the Anglos lived on the hilltop. Mexican families lived below the Anglos, and Black families lived near the bottom of the hill. Although the men often worked closely together during the day, they returned to their respective neighborhoods when the whistle blew. To some extent, this was self-segregation at Boettcher's Mill, since many Mexican families were related, spoke Spanish at home, and had worked together for years at Westfield Mill.

Boettcher’s Mill - Meaningful Work in Walker County

Because it was a permanent and sizable mill with a spur railroad line and its own locomotive, Boettcher's Mill handled all three stages of lumber production: cutting timber, milling it, and delivering it to retail outlets. Each stage offered numerous jobs requiring different skill levels. Those interviewed generally agree that Ed Boettcher did not always have fixed ideas about race when assigning jobs. The woodsmen—those who worked in the forest—were about two-thirds white and one-third Black. For many, logging was a way of life, and by the 1910s, they were second-generation loggers. Tree-cutting was some of the toughest work, and in Texas’s mild winters, it could be done year-round as long as the economy allowed. However, in summer, workers faced 100-degree temperatures and worked in mosquito-infested, swampy areas filled with cottonmouths and copperheads. The work was continuous and exhausting, and seven times as risky as jobs in other manufacturing industries.

Getting the trees to the mill involved several steps. First, they felled the trees with double-handled saws. Next, workers removed the branches and cut the logs into 16- or 20-foot lengths. Felling and skidding, which means gathering the logs, could be very dangerous. A log that was twenty feet long and 18 inches in diameter weighed about one ton, so mules were used to pull the logs to the railroad car. Someone skilled in handling them kept the mules at the log camp and cared for them. Next, workers loaded

Log Train

the logs onto wagons while a top loader, or a man on top, guided them into place. This was a particularly risky job because if a log shifted, he could be knocked off or crushed. Once the wagon or truck was loaded, the logs were hauled to the mill. The steel gang built the railroad used to transport the finished lumber, a special crew assigned to lay the railroad ties and steel track.

Boettcher's Mill dominated the landscape with its large millpond, towering mill, and the continuously burning fire that produced thick black smoke. The millpond was the first part of the mill to be built, and this is where freshly cut timber was unloaded. The pond helped clean the logs after they had been dragged through dirt, preventing the saws from becoming dulled or damaged. It also protected them from insects because, although pine logs float, most of each log remained below the water's surface.

The logs were then taken to the log deck, the first floor of the mill, and hauled up and positioned by the lead sawyer for the bandsaw, where the mill work would begin in earnest. Large planks were cut and then sent either to the tail sawyer, who moved them to a gang saw to cut identical boards simultaneously, or to the edger-man, who assessed the planks’ quality and further cut them into standard-sized boards. These jobs required high skill and extensive experience. They also paid more and were typically held by white men. However, at Boettcher's Mill, Hispanic men often held these jobs. From there, merchantable boards and waste alike ended up in the bear pit, where one man, usually Black, quickly sorted them and tried not to get buried. Finally, the trimmer cut the boards into lengths based on their quality.

Many other roles were crucial to the sawmill's operation beyond the main milling work. Workers sharpened and reinstalled saw blades multiple times each day. The power needed to run the mill, including boilers, engines, and flywheels, had to be kept at a consistent level. Ed Boettcher shifted from mules and wagons to trucks for hauling logs into the mill, a change that required on-site mechanics to maintain his fleet.

Model T Ford Maintenance

The vehicle repair shop was staffed mainly by Mexican workers because Dionisio’s brother, Jose Martinez, was a skilled mechanic and was chosen to oversee that part of the mill. He ordered Spanish-language books to learn more about truck maintenance and studied them at night. He became so trusted that Ed Boettcher once gave him enough cash to take ten employees to Louisiana, buy ten new trucks, and drive them back to the mill.

Boettcher’s Mill lacked the lively atmosphere typical of earlier mill towns, partly because it was near Huntsville and had already existed in Westfield. It was a quiet place with little trouble. The mill had operated in Walker County for nearly 10 years when the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 required all companies engaged in interstate commerce to pay a minimum wage. Since Ed Boettcher sold his lumber outside Texas, he faced a choice: either pay his workers more or stop shipping beyond Texas borders. Employee wages made up a large share of the mill's costs, and raising them might have put the mill out of business. He decided to stop shipping beyond state lines and keep wages the same, which allowed the mill to stay open, though employees lost out. Despite moving the mill to Huntsville during a tough economic time (1929), the business was well-managed, and its employees and their families endured the Great Depression.

Despite Ed Boettcher's skillful management, workers remained unhappy with their low wages. Although an 8-hour workday was set shortly after the minimum wage was introduced, Ed and his son, Clint, often ignored the 8-hour limit until the 1960s. They also worked six days a week, including Saturdays. Frustrated with their conditions, 38 employees asked their supervisor to speak with Clint Boettcher, which he did. Boettcher came out of his office to address the upset group and reminded them of the mill’s benefits: affordable housing, commissary credit, and no utility bills. Unless they planned to move, few other job options existed nearby. The men stayed, though they did not get the 50-cent raise they expected; instead, they received a 10-cent raise. Notably, the Brotherhood of Timber Workers, the union for sawmill workers, never reached Boettcher's Mill.

Living at Boettcher’s Mill - a Community Takes Root in Walker County

A Typical Boettcher Mill Worker

Life at Boettcher's Mill mirrored that of many small Southern towns in the first half of the twentieth century. While the men worked at the mill, their wives managed the homes and cared for the children. The houses at Boettcher's Mill were typical of sawmill communities, square with four rooms: a living room, a kitchen/dining room, and two bedrooms. The floors were exposed wood; one resident recalls sweeping the floor and pushing dirt through the largest crack. A wood stove in the kitchen served as the only heat source in winter. Vivian de Soto, Jr., remembered that as a new recruit in the U.S. Army, he was unimpressed by drill sergeants' threats of unimaginable hardships, feeling prepared for anything since he had grown up in a house without heat. By the 1950s, many of these homes had linoleum over the wood floors, and they were eventually drywalled. These updates helped insulate the houses against both cold and heat. An outhouse sat in the backyard, and residents initially drew water from the community spigot. Over time, many men dug wells between houses so two homes could share a well, providing cold water inside.

Houses in each section—white, Mexican, and Black—varied. White families' housing included porches and was the first to have plumbing and electricity. Mexican homes also had porches, and the men installed utilities like electricity. Black homes were less likely to have porches and were often in poor condition. Ed Boettcher supplied the lumber for the houses, but each family was responsible for any improvements. The appearance of the homes reflected the head of household's income at the mill. Those earning the least often spent their free time earning extra money. For example, employees received scrap wood for free, so some sold it to Huntsville residents as firewood to supplement their family income. For some, free time was better spent earning needed income than caring for their homes.

For Mexican families, maintaining a large garden and raising livestock, such as a milk cow and chickens, was common. Men woke early to work in the garden for an hour before heading to the mill. Women canned or dried anything not eaten fresh for later use. Women also usually made the family's clothing. When time allowed, resourceful mothers earned extra income by sewing for others or trading tamales for medical care. Mexican children often went straight home from school to help with chores. Boys frequently found paid work, such as sweeping, cleaning, and running errands in stores, or gathering and selling firewood or ice. Girls helped their mothers with cooking, laundry, or cleaning. These gender-specific chores kept daughters safe at home and away from strangers outside the neighborhood, while boys were more exposed to the broader Huntsville community.

Items that couldn’t be made at home were bought at the mill commissary, a common feature in any mill town. While commissary prices were typically 10 to 15 percent higher than elsewhere, Ed Boettcher's decision to open the commissary can’t be explained by profit motives alone. Those interviewed believe the store was built mainly for workers’ convenience, and many former residents insist the prices were fair and the goods were decent. Instead of walking to town (since mill residents generally couldn’t afford cars), the store provided everything mill families might need, including services denied to some because of their race. Some families did go to town by wagon on Saturdays to shop, but the commissary was convenient for daily needs. Before refrigeration, buying perishable items daily helped. School supplies, clothing, hats, and shoes also filled the shelves.

At the Westfield mill in the 1910s and 1920s, workers were paid in tokens redeemable only at the company store—a common practice in most mill towns. Workers often owed money to Boettcher's Mill store. However, Boettcher followed a 1914 law requiring employees to be paid twice a month in cash. He deviated only during the worst parts of the Depression, when cash was scarce. During those years, Ed Boettcher occasionally used script, but only sporadically and temporarily. He was particular about the quality of meat he ate, and as one resident noted, the meat available was sometimes better than what people could buy in town. As a result, townspeople sometimes shopped at Boettcher's store instead. At one point, Huntsville business owners complained that mill families weren’t shopping in their stores, so Ed Boettcher paid his employees with two-dollar bills. Shortly afterward, those bills circulated throughout the town, proving that mill workers were contributing to the local economy.

Milltown Babtism

Ed Boettcher supplied lumber not only for houses and the commissary but also for churches, as religion was an important part of community life. However, assuming that all Mexican families living in Boettcher's Mill were Catholics would be a mistake. The Martinezes had been raised in Mexico as Catholics, but Dionisio had become disillusioned with the lavish lifestyles of some Catholic clergymen. While working at the mill in Westfield, he had become friendly with a Mexican man who invited him to his church. The sermons and promotional literature were in Spanish. It turned out the church was Baptist, specifically fundamentalist. Dionisio was influenced by this branch of Christianity, and over time, the Mexican families at Boettcher's Mill became strong followers of the Baptist faith. Sundays often became family gatherings at the Martinez house after church. Dionisio's son would drive the family truck to pick up relatives who lived thirty miles away in Madisonville but wanted to attend the Mexican Baptist church at Boettcher's Mill. The family would stay for dinner and be driven home at the end of the day.

Many permanent mill towns were recognized as Christian communities, and Boettcher's Mill was no exception. For example, Sam Montoya moved away for a while but later returned because he wanted to raise his children in what he believed was a Christian community. Mill owners may have partly encouraged religious observance to maintain order both at work and at home. For the Mexican American community at Boettcher's Mill, the church not only helped unite unrelated families but also sped up assimilation. Joining a Protestant church in predominantly Protestant East Texas made any initial ideas about Catholicism irrelevant.

One building for which Ed Boettcher did not provide lumber was a school. Instead of constructing a school on site, as many mill owners did, the children at Boettcher's Mill attended Huntsville schools. Educating children at the mill would have been costly because separate schools would have been necessary—one for white children and another for Black and Mexican children. This would have required hiring two teachers, increasing expenses. Educating employees' children was common in mill towns, partly because it helped mill owners exert more control over residents by limiting outside influence. Boettcher likely aimed to reduce costs. However, the city of Huntsville and Ed Boettcher reached an agreement, and the children of Boettcher's Mill were then enrolled in Huntsville schools. Boettcher also persuaded Huntsville school officials to allow the Mexican children to attend the white school instead of the Black one, which, as history shows, ensured they would receive a better education. They also gained access to middle and high schools; most mill-town schools offered education only through sixth grade. In this way, the children of Boettcher's Mill had greater educational opportunities than children in other mill towns.

Children educated in the Huntsville school system starting in the 1930s remember an era before bilingual education and desegregation. Mexican children learned Spanish at home, but bilingual education was still a future concept. Children were expected to speak English immediately and were punished for speaking their native Spanish. When there was time for boys to play football after school, Mexican and white children played together, but black children never joined those games. While Ed Boettcher may not have intended to accelerate the assimilation of his Mexican workers' children, that was the exact result, and, in some ways, it may explain the success of many of these children as they grew into adults. The decision not to build schools meant that the children experienced a wider cultural environment.

Overall, the Mexican children who grew up in Boettcher's Mill have warm memories of the town. As a former resident said, “We were poor; we just didn't know we were poor.” Although their fathers earned lower wages than those in other East Texas mill towns, they were never without food or a roof over their heads, even during the Depression. They benefited from growing up in a close-knit community with extended family ties, united by church, culture, ethnicity, and class, while also experiencing accelerated assimilation through the public school system.

Sawmill Barrio - Community and Mexican Culture in Walker County

The Hispanic community that grew around Boettcher's Mill played a key role in shaping Huntsville's diverse culture as children grew up and moved away from the mill. The first significant introduction of Mexican culture to the area likely came when Zenobia Martinez,

Jose's wife, opened the first Mexican restaurant in Walker County. Jose saved $4000 from 1929 to 1944, including his wages and his sons' contributions. With that money, he purchased two acres with a house and a store on Highway 19. Zenobia started the restaurant in 1957 with only $12, 12 plates, and 4 tables. On its first day, she earned more than Jose had made in a month working at the mill. Jose, who retired by 1957, was initially skeptical about opening the restaurant but changed his mind after realizing how much money it could make. According to his daughter, his wife's restaurant success made him realize how poorly he had been paid his entire life.

Assimilation among Hispanics at Boettcher's Mill took various forms. Dr. Goodrich, the doctor who served the mill community, encouraged Jose to join the Shriners. Over time, Jose reached the highest rank in the organization and regularly traveled to Houston to participate in its activities. Edward Boettcher, along with Amos Gates, a longtime county judge, also helped Mexican residents gain citizenship. The men, who learned English while working, passed the citizenship exam on their first attempt, whereas the women often did not, and it usually took them longer. World War II offered another way for the sons of the original Mexican settlers to demonstrate their loyalty to America, as several served during the war.

End of a Milltown: End of an Era - Boettcher Lumber Mill and a Milltown Come to an End

Boettcher's Mill kept much of the old mill town life alive into the 1960s. Wages remained well below the state average, and although many mill homes had been sold to residents, the neighborhood saw no major improvements. When Ed Boettcher died in 1967, his son Clinton took over the mill, which was then operating at about a quarter of its peak capacity. Still, the mill produced plenty of smoke, and those who grew up there remember huge mountains of sawdust that constantly smoldered and burned. Women learned that only on certain days and at specific times was it safe to hang laundry out to dry without it getting covered in soot. As the country learned about the negative health effects of poor air quality, several residents asked Clint Boettcher if something could be done to reduce pollution. Eventually, the Environmental Protection Agency was contacted, and representatives investigated the mill. A hearing was held, and the decision was that the mill would need to follow new federal guidelines or shut down. Clint Boettcher decided the required improvements cost too much. Therefore, after forty years, the mill finally closed in 1969.

Though the mill closed, the company houses remained occupied by former employees and their families. Over time, residents bought the houses from the Boettcher family. However, the area held a somewhat outdated place in Walker County's history. The city of Huntsville had grown around it, and city officials had intentionally allowed that growth. The area lacked city services such as sewers, water, and garbage pickup, and providing them would have cost the city more than it would earn in taxes if it annexed the area. These conditions persisted in the mill town until the early 1960s because they helped Ed Boettcher keep rent costs low.

But Huntsville's city leaders did not see the impoverished neighborhood as an appealing target for annexation. In 1984, fifteen years after the mill closed, the city finally annexed Boettcher's Mill, and the following year, it received a $500,000 grant to renovate the area. Some of the company houses still stand today; although not elegant, they show the quality lumber produced at Boettcher's Mill. Today, the area features a park aptly named Boettcher's Mill Park, although in 2005, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) tried to persuade the Huntsville City Council to rename it after a Hispanic figure who had neither lived nor worked at the mill. In the end, the Hispanic families who grew up at the mill convinced the council to preserve their history. Reflecting the experiences and wishes of the first Mexican families who settled in Huntsville, the park keeps its original name: Boettcher's Mill Park.

Another area of the Boettcher Sawmill property is home to the new Bowers Stadium for Sam Houston State University, which has hosted 16,000 Bearkat football fans. It replaced the smaller, older stone seating of Pritchett Field, which seated 2,100 for football. Today, it hosts soccer. This is the field where I played football at Sam Houston State in 1963 and 1964, when we were national champions.

What is the Significance of the Boettcher Family in My Life

Even as a 5-year-old, I understood life and death. I understood that life moves in one direction and is guaranteed to end. I worried about living a meaningful life—achieving all the experiences and goals I was meant to have and do, i.e., NOT SCREWING IT UP! My father used to tell his kids, “When you die, imagine a cash register on your gravestone that registers the dollar value of the life you lived.” He was a bank loan officer, and I was just a 5-year-old kid, but I knew life had to be more than that. I lived life aggressively, feeling that if I failed at any point, the Boettcher family and/or my mom and dad would have the means to help me recover. It worked; I never needed help; I always supported myself.

After graduating from high school, I received two football scholarships to help fund college. One was a half scholarship to the University of Texas(I really wanted to do this, but), and the other was a full, all-expenses-paid scholarship to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville. I wanted to be independent, and I could easily picture myself thriving with the Boettcher Family in Huntsville, just 70 miles from Houston, and my family was to inherit 130 acres near the new Houston International Airport. I played two seasons at Sam Houston; during the first year, we struggled to win more than a few games, and our last game was just after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In the second year, we won the national championship.

During my two years in Huntsville(1963-1964), I spent time with Edward Boettcher, who was struggling to save the Boettcher Sawmill and its sawmill town. In high school, I wrote a paper for a civics class about his fight against the Federal minimum wage laws. You could say he was my mentor, teaching me things they did not teach at Sam Houston State.

Things I remember learning from Ed are:

• Procrastination: delay making decisions, especially those involving risk and spending money, until the chance of success exceeds 90%; otherwise, admit you are gambling.

• Win-Win: a business succeeds when all parties involved — owners, customers, employees, vendors, and investors — feel they have gained. Profit rewards the successful creation of Win-Win situations. Ed paid employees less than minimum wage, but the benefits of the sawmill-town culture more than made up the difference. For example, every fall, Ed would pause sawmill operations and take all male employees on an all-expenses-paid deer hunt. The wives appreciated the easy shopping at the mill-town commissary and help with childcare, including access to quality public education that the Boettcher Sawmill helped provide.

• Sometimes, the perceived benefits of a deal are like the sleeves on a vest: something that costs you little can be very valuable to the other side.

• Strive to make your community and local government pleased to support your business. As you grow, extend the same effort to the state. If you are fortunate, you may end up extending the same effort to the federal government.

• Borrow money only as a last resort and only if you're at least 90% confident you can repay the loan. A better approach is to rely on sales revenue, even if it means working harder to generate profit.

Ed could see the future. He told me that in the future, homes and businesses would line both sides of Highway 45, all along the 75-mile stretch from Houston to Huntsville. There would be chains of home improvement centers, like Home Depot, where contractors and DIY customers would buy his lumber.

My Mother’s Family

James Baker Dealy married Olgia Boettcher, and the couple had two daughters: first, Lois, my mom, and then, six years later, her sister Jean. The two girls could not have been more different. My grandfather James, whom I called Papy, always wanted a son. In his youth, he was a track star and long-distance runner. Let’s just say Jean became a tomboy who grew up to be a star softball pitcher and a lesbian sometime after age 12. Lois grew up as a typical, attractive girl and performed at halftime of a Reagan High School football game as a member of the Red Coats.

We know Olgia’s parents, Baldwin and Elzora Boettcher. James (Papy) was born to Scottish-Irish parents. James’s father, Jacob Valentine Dealy, founded Dealy Co., Printers and Stationers, at 211 Fannin Street in Houston, Texas, and served as a trustee of the Tabernacle Methodist Episcopal Church at 2011 Crawford Street. Religion became a central focus for Papy and my mom. Both father and daughter remained hardworking Christians throughout their lives. Jean gravitated toward modern liberalism; she would be classified as a liberal Democrat today.

Olgia resembled her mother, Elzora, which meant she loved gardening, knew how to slaughter pigs and chickens, and could operate a sawmill—all while being as disciplined and business-minded as her mom. She was frustrated and deeply depressed because she felt she hadn’t lived up to the life she thought she should have. Her disciplined personality shaped her daughter, Jean, who earned a PhD in microbiology, became a university professor, and pursued research on President Nixon’s effort to cure cancer, all driven by her mother’s frustration. Olga tried often enough and succeeded enough to be a fascinating grandmother to me. As she aged, she imagined more pain and disease.

Mother’s Father - James Baker Dealy (Pappie)

By Doris Jean Dealy

My Grandfather James Baker Dealy

He was born on April 19, 1899, at 2104 Jefferson Avenue, Houston, Texas, Harris County, the third son of Jacob Valentine Dealy, 40, and Estelle Gale, 35. He was named after Thomas James Baker, his father’s senior business partner. The Gale family history exemplifies a patriotic American family. They came to America in the early 1700s, settling first in Virginia, then in South Carolina, then in Baton Rouge, and finally in Houston. They were farmers, slave owners, and real estate developers who helped their communities build needed churches. Some fought and some died in the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. A Gayle was hanged by the British.

The family moved to 3007 Morrison Avenue around 1907. He attended Travis Grammar School from 1907 to 1913 and was a member of Woodland Methodist Church. He was on the city’s champion track team in 1912. As a boy, he worked for R. H. Fonville at the Fonville Drug Store on Main and Cordell, first as a delivery boy and later as a soda jerk. He attended Houston Central High School from 1913 to 1915 but did not graduate and dropped out. He and his oldest brother, Jacob Valentine, attended Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, from 1915 to 1917, but World War I cut their studies short. He was called to service but failed the physical due to heart and eye problems; he was classified as 4-H.

From 1917 to 1918, he attended the Texas Business Institute in Houston, Texas, where he earned a General Business Degree. From March 1, 1918, to December 31, 1918, he worked for the government. From 1919 to 1920, he managed Woodland Drug Store for John Guaesie. From 1920 to 1921, he lived with his parents and worked as a clerk for Humble Oil. In November 1921, he was forced to marry Olgia Vesta Boettcher, who was two months pregnant with Lois. He was 22, and she was 25. During this period, he also co-owned a fishing camp in Sargent, Texas, near Bay City.

The Boettchers, Olgia’s parents, managed the family and bought Brooksville Pharmacy on North Main Ave. so JBD could profit from it. They also built a house for their new family at 539 Merrill Street. His first child, Lois Vesta Dealy, was born on June 10, 1922. He continued to own and operate the drugstore until 1930, but poor management limited his success. On January 27, 1931, his second daughter, Doris Jean Dealy, was born. He lost the drugstore but kept the house the Boettchers gave him.

JBD worked for Edmunson Refrigeration as a salesman from 1931 to 1932. He started Dealy Fish Company in Freeport, Texas, in 1932 and sold it in 1934. From February 21, 1934, to November 18, 1935, he served as an appraiser at the Home Owners’ Loan Corp. (US Gov.). After that, he worked for Harris County as a general clerk and office manager for the four county commissioners from 1935 to 1945(?). He then worked for the FHA (US Gov) as an appraiser until 1950, when he was fired for excessive drinking. He then became a self-employed realtor and wandered around Houston, Texas, doing his thing—‘finding people to talk to.”

In July 1955, he was hospitalized for cirrhosis of the liver. His doctor advised him to avoid alcohol. The doctor told him to think of the bottle of alcohol as a loaded 45 pistol and drinking it as putting the gun to his head and pulling the trigger.

By December 1955, he was drinking again and continued until his death on October 10, 1957. He was 58. His greatest pleasures were fishing and hunting. He went by Baker. Close friends called him Jimmy. Siblings called him KK. Children called him Daddy. Grandchildren called him Pappie.

General Comments

by James Baker Dealy

I had a happy childhood and a close family. I was very fond of my mother and close with my siblings, Val and Lois. I had rheumatic fever just after I turned 13. I resented my father, who was overly religious and too strict. I cared more about athletics than studies, and he was a terrible speller. I always enjoyed being around people, drinking, parties, and women. Sometimes I am overly generous; other times, I am cruelly withholding. I truly disliked Elzora Boettcher, who gave me a drugstore and a house. I am neither motivated nor ambitious, but I always look good in my 3-piece suit- a ne’er-do-well. I'm not too fond of routines, responsibilities, or hard work. I wouldn't say I like Westerns like Zane Grey. I want to listen to “Amos and Andy” and “Jack Benny” every Sunday night. I have a shady sense of humor and consider myself a ladies’ man. I am of average intelligence and enjoy cooking and eating unusual meals—crow, bear, and sardines. I have many close friends and cronies. I greatly enjoy beer joints and mostly drank Southern Select from pint bottles, which I usually tossed under the house Elzora bought for me. I have a great personality and can be very charming - very extroverted. On all religious holidays, I turn into a drunken SOB - especially at Christmas. I demonstrate my Irish bloodline. I resented my wife from the time we were forced to marry. I call her “Boss.”

I love giving people nicknames. My daughters are Lois, LaLa, and Jean, Hot Shot. My brothers are Gale, GooGoo; Marvin, Dime; Roy, Dink; and Harry, Hah. My sisters are Estelle, Tops, and Lois, Fats. I refuse to eat all brown bread and most desserts. My favorite foods are seafood and game. I often refuse to eat beef, which my wife loves. I love highly seasoned food, especially hotter-than-hell chili. I enjoy playing poker with the “good old boys” and attending all-male parties. I am a poor husband and a moderately good family man and provider. I love my children in my own way, which seems to make them and me happy. I spend more time with my children than most fathers do, and I always side with them in disputes with their mother or her family, whom I honestly dislike. I suffer from rheumatism, and gout is my excuse for drinking. I smoke Chesterfield cigarettes and often enjoy a cigar. I am vain about my appearance but not about cars and other material things. I spend hours reading the newspaper. Every morning, I go out to the front porch, pick up the neatly rolled, string-wrapped newspaper, remove the string holding the roll, and throw it away. I then place the newspaper in the Boss’s fern, which was growing in the cement flower pot next to the front steps. I wouldn't say I liked Elzora, and I spent hours convincing Jean not to like her either. I loved my mother and was very sad when she died on February 3, 1957, at age 83. I love my children, but I am weak and tend to rely on them. I am selfish, immature, and irresponsible. For example, when I need a car to go to work, I leave the keys in the ignition, and someone steals the vehicle.

Olgia (Boettcher) Dealy - Mother’s Mother

By Doris Jean Dealy

Yes, that is me she is holding. She was born on December 26, 1895, in Corrigan, Texas, Polk County. She was the second child and the only daughter of Baldwin Boettcher, 35, and Helen Elzora Cramer, 20. The family moved to Westfield, Texas, in 1899, an area settled by many German immigrants that formed a German community. Olgia was baptized at the Lutheran Church in Klein, Texas. Her father owned a sawmill in Westfield, Texas. In 1907, her mother became the postmaster of the Westfield Post Office. The family moved into a large Victorian home in 1912.

Her early life was joyful until her father’s death. He was her favorite, and she received lavish gifts, including jewelry, a sterling silver dresser set, clothing, and more. Her father died on November 22, 1912, at age 52; her mother, Elzora, was 37; her son Edward was 18; and her daughter Olgia was 16. Olgia attended Sam Houston State Teachers College in Huntsville, Texas, and earned a teaching degree. She taught in rural schools and eventually secured a position in Conroe, Texas. She lived at home with her mother and brother, sometimes staying with other family members. During this time, she fell in love and wanted to marry Walter Wilkinson. Elzora rejected the marriage because of religious differences; Walter came from a wealthy, happy Catholic family.

After 1919, she moved to Houston, Texas, to live with her Aunt Nora and family on Beauchamp Street. Olgia worked at Levy Brothers Department Store and attended Woodland Methodist Church, where she met James Baker Dealy. She was beautiful and fashionable, dressing well in expensive clothes with excellent taste.

Enter James Baker Dealy

Olgia was forbidden to marry Walter Wilkinson, the man she truly loved. Her brother had married in December 1920, and she was becoming a spinster at age 25. James, a charming young man from a perfect family, decided to charm her regardless of his intentions. She was looking for a husband, and he was looking for a good time; she became pregnant in September 1921. First, she confronted him, and he refused to accept any obligation to marry her. Then Olgia turned to her mother, who forced her into a physical exam by Dr. Erhardt in Elzora’s and James’ presence. It is not known if this was an attempt to terminate the pregnancy. Whatever the case, the doctor convinced everyone present that there was an obligation to marry and raise the baby.

James Baker Dealy and Olgia Vesta Boettcher married on November 7, 1921. Elzora bought Fonville Pharmacy on North Main Street in Houston, Texas, so James could support his family. She also paid to build a three-bedroom house at 539 Merrill Street for the couple.

Lois Vesta Dealy was born on June 10, 1922. During the early years of her marriage, they lived comfortably. Olgia helped James at the drugstore. They employed a Black maid, Roberta, who cleaned, did the laundry, and looked after little Lois.

Olgia was an exceptional cook and seamstress. She also enjoyed gardening. She was refined, intelligent, and had good taste. She appreciated delicate and expensive items. Her memory for numbers was outstanding. She was independent, with her own bank account and an annual income from the Boettcher Lumber Businesses. She was hesitant to have more children, but at James' insistence, they had Doris Jean Dealy, born January 27, 1931. Olgia was 35, James was 31, and Lois was 8.

Financial and family problems began around this time. Lois cared for Jean, who had been ill for the first three years, and helped with household chores. Olgia handled the laundry, cooking, and sewing. Ironing was done outside.

Olgia was a strict mother who was not emotionally warm or giving toward her children or her husband. She was negative, said no to most requests, and managed the household frugally. However, she fed and clothed everyone well and taught her children manners and respect for others. She was very family-oriented and had few friends. She was not very religious and read only the newspaper. She hated going to the beach in Galveston, saying, “The roar of the surf drives me crazy.” Hurricanes upset her greatly. She considered herself better than the average person and instilled this belief in her children. Her girls were expected to be ladies, succeed in life, and value money and education.

In 1941, she bought a new black Oldsmobile sedan, which made James angry. During WWII, she maintained a victory garden and canned produce. She loved cats and disliked dogs. Her favorite food was pan-fried T-bone steak. In the early 1950s, she worked part-time as a seamstress. During this period, she developed hypertension and was prescribed phenobarbital. She became dependent on the drug, which eventually caused toxic effects on her brain (Permanent Damage). In early 1956, she was hospitalized with severe psychosis. Afterward, she received insulin and electroshock therapy and spent time in and out of mental hospitals until summer 1957. From then on, she stayed with her sister Lois in Huntsville or at Harris Nursing Home on Byrne Street in Houston, where she died peacefully in her sleep from a heart attack on December 22, 1965, at the age of 69.

My Aunt Jean

My Mother’s Younger Sister - Doris Jean Dealy

My mother was 9 years old when her sister was born. My grandfather had hoped for a son. He had been a star athlete in school and longed for one of his children to be an alpha-male athlete. I don’t know this for sure, but I think he raised Jean to see the world the way a man does. My aunt Jean became a major influence on me, second only to my parents. Below is a description of her early life, in her own words.

She graduated with a PhD in microbiology from Rutgers University, played a key role in President Nixon’s war on cancer, and retired as a professor at Northeastern University.

Chronological Periods in the First 18 Years of Life of Doris Jean Dealy (In her own words):

1/1931 to 1/1936 -

• I remember an old man with a beard and a cane, Jacob Valentine Dealy, slumped in a chair in Grandmother Dealy’s house; he frightened me.

• I remember her mother screaming at me when I was 3, as I walked out onto a boat dock.

• I remember the scene with my sister, Lois, when I reached for the handle of a hot, grease-filled skillet on the stove in Freeport.

1/1936 to 1/1937 5 years -

• I attended kindergarten and enjoyed it. I loved my teacher, Mrs. Gentry.

• The only birthday I remember is when I turned 6. My mother made popcorn balls for the whole class, and Mrs. Gentry let us celebrate my birthday.

1/1937 to 1/1938 6 years -

• In first grade, I was in Miss Edwards's class.

• I wouldn't say I liked school, and there was a real discipline problem. My response was to refuse to learn to read. I spent the summer of 1937 sitting with my mother most days, learning to read.

1/1938 to 1/1939 7 years -

• My 2nd-grade teacher was Mrs. Deubenux.

• I liked school more and could have been a better student.

• For the first time, I spent the summer in Huntsville.

1/1939 to 1/1940 8 years -

• My 3rd-grade teacher was Mrs. Hayes. We were having discipline issues again.

• I was starting to resent boys.

1/1940 to 1/1941 9 years -

• My 4th-grade teacher was Miss Cox, and I liked her very much.

1/1941 to 1/1942 10 to 11 years -

• My fifth-grade teacher was Mrs. McCartney, and I loved her.

• I had no further issues in school.

• I started to enjoy learning and school.

1/1942 to 1/1943 11 years -

• My 6th-grade teacher was Mrs. Schaffer.

• The school was painfully slow, so I became more social and started thinking about boys.

• I had my first male crush on Ellsworth Stevens.

• He rejected me.

1/1943 to 1/1944 - 12 years -

• Having established a pattern every summer, this was my last summer in Huntsville.

• 1943 started with crushes on males.

• This was a change to Hogg Junior High, 7th-grade.

• I started to enjoy school; it was not as boringly slow,

• I got good grades, was very popular, and enjoyed P.E.

• I met Jantha in my swimming class, and we became lifelong friends.

• My first female crushes were with Miss Baker, my music teacher, and Dot Cooper.

1/1944 to 1/1945 - 13 years -

• I was a good student in eighth grade, and I was voted the most popular girl.

• William Foyt had a crush on me.

• I became very active in sports. In the summer of 1944, I played softball for the church league.

• Became aware of what it meant to be a lesbian.

• In the fall, I had a big crush on Marion Tapp and began spending more time developing my religious life at the Baptist Church.

1/1945 to 1/1946 - 14 years -

• Began a genuine interest in Jantha.

• I was very active, liking school and sports.

• I worked the summer at Levy’s Department Store as a sales clerk for $15 per week.

• I played softball for the Saint Mark’s Church team.

• As their ace pitcher, I joined the San Jacinto Painting Company’s team in August. All my practice against our garage door paid off, and I was the youngest on the team.

• I went with the team for out-of-town games in San Antonio and Fort Worth. This was my first real encounter with lesbians as a group.

• In the fall, I became more interested in Jantha, who was a year older. I joined her team and a group of friends.

1/1946 to 1/1047 - 15 years -

• I was in the 10th grade at Regan Senior High School, another significant change. I took my studies and sports seriously. I made excellent grades and added volleyball to the sports I was good at.

• I worked the summer again at Levy’s as a wrapper and cashier for $18 per week.

• I played most of the games for San Jacinto Painting Company and Jantha’s team because both wanted my pitching skills. I enjoyed playing with these exciting women.

• I became very emotionally involved with Jantha, but I had a brief crush on Lou Kyle; I realized I was a lesbian.

1/1947 to 1/1948 - 16 year -

• Sweet 16, my mother gave me my first grown-up birthday party in the family’s dining room.

• In the spring of 11th grade, I started practicing and playing tennis seriously. I met Marie Wilson and developed a crush on her.

• She loved me, but was a year older; she graduated in June 1947.

• During the summer, I worked at a Venetian blind factory. I wasn’t too fond of it and missed the fun I could have had, so I quit and spent time with Marie.

• I also pitched for the Slaughter Motor Company team that summer, but I could have made a more serious effort.

• In the fall, I played volleyball and reconnected with Jantha. I drove her car to school and fell madly in love with her.

1/1948 to 1/1949 - 17 years -

• I am a senior in high school, in the 12th grade. This is a significant milestone in every young person’s life, when you begin to think about how you will spend and support yourself in your adult life.

• In the spring, I thought I would think about that tomorrow; I played tennis and archery with Gayle.

• I was madly in love. The schoolwork was boring again, and my grades suffered.

• I went to Illinois for Easter vacation, where I had my first real love affair.

• In late May, all hell broke loose, and my parents sent me to Markham to repeat civics class in the summer.

• I played on the City of Houston championship volleyball team in the fall.

• I went back to Illinois for Christmas, but it was not the same; I was miserable. Air, the news about my future looked terrible.

• I graduated on January 28, 1949.

My Father’s Parents and Grandparents

Tom Lloyd Johnson Jr.

Tom L. Johnson Sr. and Marie (Baker) Johnson (I called her DeDe), my dad’s parents, had one son, Tom L. Johnson Jr., my father. I still have some of my grandfather’s WWI pictures and his army mess kit. My dad was probably the result of sexual lust, not true love. Soon after my dad was born, my grandparents separated and later divorced. Marie worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and raised my dad as a single mother. My father missed having a father figure, which explains his lack of a mental model for how to be a father to his own children. That changed when he experienced the discipline of the United States Air Force during WWII. Afterward, he led a conservative, orderly, disciplined life. He became a Shriner (he oversaw the financial management of the Shrine Circus and the Houston Fat Stock & Rodeo when they came to town), a 32nd-degree Mason (my father’s moral compass), Vice President and chief loan officer of Port City State Bank in the mostly Black Jensen Drive area of Houston (the only banker to loan money to a black-owned startup — Motown Records), an unpaid auxiliary community policeman, a city councilman, a Republican candidate for mayor of the cities we lived in, and, oh yes, a father and husband. I am sure he would have been a very different person if not for his experience in the U.S. Air Force during WWII. He had four children — Tom Loyd Johnson III, James Baker Johnson, George Edward Johnson, and Cinthia Gale Johnson. My mother supported my dad’s strict military discipline in fathering: “Just wait till your dad comes home.”

We spent family time with Dad’s father, Tom L. Johnson Sr., who remarried a German woman named Tia. After working on the Denison Dam (also known as Lake Texoma Dam) on the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma, which was finished in 1944—the year I was born—he settled into his lifelong job as a Caterpillar mechanic. He kept a garage full of large tools for working on bulldozers. When I was 16, I helped my grandfather mow his lawn. He was also an alcoholic. So both of my grandfathers struggled with alcohol. Later, both of my brothers died—Jimmy at 35 and George at 49—from alcoholism. I had to find something to become addicted to other than alcohol. I decided to become addicted to creativity, even if it took me a lifetime to create something good enough that enough people would like it, and enough people would like it enough that I could profit enough to  support my family.

I have little information on Tom’s parents except that his ancestors migrated to the United States from Sweden. Many family jokes over the years centered around his ancestors, who were Vikings. Marie’s parents lived in Stephenville, Texas, where her father managed the Southern Pacific Railroad Blacksmith Operation. There was a lot of skilled hard work to do, and everyone would go to the saloon for a beer before going home.

World Events Before My Mom and Dad Grew Up and Got Serious, Before, During, and After Childhood — 1900 to 1940

Below is a list of 20 of the most significant historical events from 1900 to 1940, selected for their global impact across politics, science, culture, society, and economics. Importance is subjective, but I've focused on events with lasting effects, such as those that shaped wars, revolutions, technological advances, and social change. I've listed them chronologically for clarity, with a brief description of each.

1. 1903: Wright Brothers' First Powered Flight - Orville and Wilbur Wright achieve the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aircraft in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, revolutionizing transportation and aviation.

2. 1905: Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity - Albert Einstein publishes his groundbreaking paper on special relativity, fundamentally changing physics and our understanding of space, time, and energy.

3. 1906: San Francisco Earthquake - A massive earthquake and subsequent fires devastate San Francisco, killing thousands and leading to major advancements in urban planning and seismology.

4. 1908: Introduction of the Ford Model T - Henry Ford launches the affordable Model T automobile, mass-produced on assembly lines, democratizing car ownership and transforming industry and society.

5. 1912: Sinking of the Titanic - The "unsinkable" RMS Titanic hits an iceberg and sinks on its maiden voyage, resulting in over 1,500 deaths and prompting international maritime safety reforms.

6. 1914: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand - The heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne is assassinated in Sarajevo, triggering a chain of alliances that leads to the outbreak of World War I.

7. 1917: Russian Revolution - The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the provisional government, establishing the world's first communist state and influencing global politics for decades.

8. 1918: End of World War I - The armistice on November 11 ends the "Great War," which caused over 16 million deaths and redrew the map of Europe, setting the stage for future conflicts.

9. 1919: Treaty of Versailles - The peace treaty formally ends World War I, imposing harsh penalties on Germany and establishing the League of Nations, though it sows seeds for World War II.

10. 1920: Ratification of the 19th Amendment (U.S. Women's Suffrage) - American women gain the right to vote, marking a major victory in the global women's rights movement.

11. 1922: Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb - Howard Carter uncovers the intact tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, sparking worldwide interest in archaeology and ancient history.

12. 1927: Charles Lindbergh's Transatlantic Flight - Lindbergh completes the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, boosting aviation and making him an international hero.

13. 1929: Wall Street Crash - The U.S. stock market collapses on Black Tuesday, triggering the Great Depression, a global economic crisis that affects millions and reshapes the global economy.

14. 1930: Gandhi's Salt March - Mahatma Gandhi leads a nonviolent protest against British salt taxes in India, galvanizing the independence movement and inspiring civil disobedience worldwide.

15. 1933: Adolf Hitler Becomes Chancellor of Germany - Hitler is appointed chancellor, marking the rise of the Nazi Party and the beginning of policies leading to the Holocaust and World War II.

16. 1933: U.S. New Deal Begins - President Franklin D. Roosevelt launches the New Deal programs to combat the Great Depression, expanding government intervention in the economy.

17. 1936: Spanish Civil War Begins - The conflict between Republicans and Nationalists (led by Francisco Franco) becomes a proxy war for fascist and communist ideologies, foreshadowing World War II.

18. 1937: Hindenburg Disaster - The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flames while landing in New Jersey, killing 36 and effectively ending the era of passenger airships.

19. 1938: Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) - Nazi-led pogroms against Jews in Germany and Austria result in widespread violence, marking a turning point in the escalation of the Holocaust.

20. 1939: Invasion of Poland and Start of World War II - Germany invades Poland on September 1, prompting Britain and France to declare war, igniting the deadliest conflict in human history.

21. **1940: Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (May 10). Following Neville Chamberlain's resignation amid the Norway Debate, Churchill took office just as Germany launched its invasion of Western Europe. His leadership proved crucial in rallying Britain against Nazi Germany.

22. **1940: The Dunkirk evacuation (Operation Dynamo) took place from late May to early June. Over 338,000 Allied troops were evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, after being surrounded by the rapid German advance. This “miracle of deliverance” (as Churchill called it) enabled the British Expeditionary Force to continue fighting another day.

23. **1940: The Battle of Britain (July–October): The Luftwaffe launched a sustained air campaign against the Royal Air Force and British cities. The RAF’s victory prevented a German invasion of Britain and marked the first major defeat for Hitler’s forces in the war.

This list is not exhaustive—history is vast, and other events, such as the discovery of penicillin (1928) or the founding of the Soviet Union (1922), could also be considered pivotal. If you'd like more details on any event, a different focus (e.g., by region or theme), or an expansion to later years, let me know!