FREEMAN'S I HAVE KNOWN - AND BARDWELL'S TOO
FREEMAN'S IN and OUT OF FAME
Grandad Daniel Asa Freeman
There is a historical article about his parents, him, siblings,
and children in the Genealogy, Crests and Links section.
Blunt arrows knock-em-out
Grandad Freeman lived with the Indians and learned many of there skills. In his
blacksmith shop he had many treasures along with near worthless pieces of junk.
I found his arrow supply and among them were blunt headed arrows. "For rabbits"
he answers: "Knocks them over and stuns them - no blood, no mess." He took me
fishing Indian style once to the Washita River. He had a long spear and threw
it at bubbles in the red muddy water. Sometimes a fish would magically appear
on the end of the spear when he retrieved it.
Grandmother Phoebe Ann (Clark) Freeman
Suet pudding and bugs get gassed
Grandma freeman was an amateur artist, an avid gardener, and a raiser
of exotic fowl, interested in card games and had other talents and
hobbies I never paid much attention to. She collected knick-knacks
(Japanese made mostly before WW2) and let the kids (or at least Ray
and I) play with the sturdier ones. She had a Victrola with wind up
play mechanism and the stick-on cylinder type records. Grandma
liked to paint - many of her paintings were scenery done on wood,
and they looked good. The main vegetables were asparagus, tomatoes,
and potatoes. She raised several kinds of banty hens, pheasants and
other caged birds. Her preparation that was my favorite was suet
pudding, made mostly from tallow. She almost always made this when
we visited in Chickasha after grandpa had retired and moved to the
'big' town.
I remember the buckle-up ladies shoes grandma had in her closet - at
six I couldn't get my small feet in them. She kept scrapbooks with
interesting articles in them - brother George has one of my favorites.
She made me a monkey playmate with a coconut head - I really did
not like it at all, but now wish that I had it. We all played rummy
and snap a lot. In the evenings grandma would place a flat pan with
gasoline in underneath the light to catch the bugs. The bugs may have
been a preferable choice, but many bugs would come. (I will try
to get contributions from cousins and brothers on grandma and granddad Freeman).
My dad, Carl Raymond Freeman
Broom Corn Sweepings
My dad was a mechanic, welder, and experimenter which made it
easy for him to develop or repair machinery. He supported the
harvesting of crops in the Bradley OK area by repairing and
developing equipment for cotton and broom corn in particular.
My dad as an inventor made mechanical broom corn bailers and the
first electrically driven broom corn bailer.
Dad would take his two older boys (I was 6 at the time) out to
the broom corn fields. Broom corn is that plant with the long
yellow stems used to make brooms before plastics and synthetics.
The broom corn would be harvested and packaged for shipment
similiarly to cotton. Ripe broom corn matures with fine pollen
and other irritants. Working with it causes itching all over
one's body. After the day's harvesting is over we might go for a
swim in the Washita and come out with red colored skin and only
some of the itch gone. I think Washita is Caddo Indian for Red
Mud River. The "monkey", as the packer is known, receives and
arranges the broom corn for bailing. He probably gets the most
exposure of all.
Dad does his thing on the 4th of July
With no commercial fireworks my dad puts on his on show. The arieal
displays are oil covered newspapers and sacks that rise up in the air
when set afire. Not really all that great, but it was fire in the sky.
The bangs though were impressive and certainly heard for miles. Dad
used acetylene to fill a can, an oil soaked rag as a fuse, and then
make the ground shake. For these displays everyone would hide behind
something very solid and wait, usually with fingers in the ears. A
real blast!
Unkraut is a weed
Dad was attended SW Oklahoma Teachers College for a short while. His plan
had to become a Dr. At that time Latin or German was a choice for MD's. Dad
learned German. Grandad's shop burnt down and my dad returned to help, and
never returned to school. During WWII German prisoners were farmed out to work
on farms. Dad would talk to the prisoners as they filed passed Farmer Brown's
storage building in Bradley, Ok. Dad explained to me that in German that which
is not kraut (cabbage) is unkraut or a weed.
Uncle Dodge
The Freeman Helicopter
I started to identify him as being eccentric, but if I did so, in all
honesty I would have to do it for everyone else. He owned Freeman's
Corner in Binger Oklahoma - it had a grocery store, a dry cleaners,
a shop (blacksmithing and mechanical) and other enterprises over the
years. He was an inventor of sorts - the helicopter he made apparently
had too much weight for its lift. He also had in interest in go-carts
- his model was steered by shifting the drivers weight - that is to
turn right, lean right.
See helicopter Dodge built
Uncle Ted
This is not about a small man in a big hotel
Teddy Roosevelt Freeman (Ted) was the youngest of the
Freeman boys. He became the tallest of the Freeman boys,
being more than a head taller than Dodge. Dodge was
compact, Carl in between and Ted long and lean. Ted�s
oldest children were born during the dust bowl era in
western Oklahoma where red dust was plentiful. In the
years of the great depression, people all over the
country were suffering because of no work and no jobs.
Folks in Oklahoma and Kansas had it exceptionally bad because
farms were �blown� away and money was not had to be to spent.
Many Okies and Arkies did whatever they could to keep the
families together and alive. Ted had mechanics skill and
knowledge and eventually resettled his family in Stockton, Ca.
He never forgot those hard times and always seemed to help
those down on their luck. He and his wife Lillian, usually
took care of extra children from time to time in addition
to six children of their own. Those guests might be homeless
or otherwise, but definitely in need of love, food, and
shelter. Ted like the other Freeman boys collected auto parts
and other mechanical and metal junk. [John Steinbeck in The
Grapes of Wrath and other works publicized the plight of
people less fortunate and resourceful than Ted Freeman).
How to trick a walnut.
Walnuts are a commercial product, but many trees were on
private property. The tree orchards would have roots
and trunks of the sturdier black walnut with English
walnut tops grafted on. Ted showed me the walnut trick
of positioning fingers and thumbs on the seams, and
pressing to open the walnut with meats exposed. Ted
usually had a barrel or so even after giving many away.
Forget any such trick for black walnuts - get out hammers
or bricks and then nails to get the meats. A word of
caution is to not handle the green husks. Black stains
last until fingers and palms grow anew.
A Racer Takes A Rest
Uncle Ted has related that he picked up his motorcycle
skills by practicing turns and maneuvers in the sands of
the South Canadian River. For you folks of Oklahoma you can
remember the long, long bridges that cross it. Usually
there is not much water except after heavy rains upstream.
Anyway, Ted told that once he was in a cross-country
motorcycle race, and could have won it. He was first to the
at the top of the final hill, and found it more exciting and
interesting to watch the other racers and their lack of ability,
than to finish. OK, Uncle Ted. I believed him. I know Ted
could get very serious or even angry, but he was almost always
easy going. Years after his motorcycle days when I met him I
know he could rest while driving. Uncle Ted certainly could be
easy going in a vehicle. His Sunday driving style when not
going any place special is an example. He never passed or kept up
with anything moving except slow walkers; kids on bicycles would
whiz by leaving us far behind.
Other Freemans (non-related)
Big antique place
Freeman's owner of large antique place. ( to be expanded)
The hoodoos
Freeman's owner of painted pot mines or hoodooes. (to be expanded)
Freeman's I have worked with
The only non-related Freeman's I have worked with are all three different
Dr. James Freeman. The occupations or efforts are what they were doing at
the point of time that I knew them. Dr. James Freeman of Colorado headed
the Formal Specification group and performed AI language research.
Dr. James Freeman of Texas performed computer system design combining
parallel processors. Dr. James freeman of California performed language
methodology research
BARDWELL'S IN and OUT OF FAME
Grandfather George Alva Bardwell
A Silent Partner
I spent quite a bit of time with grandfather Bardwell, but he never
talked to me. He had been a preacher and probably did some farming
but that for now is just speculation. He was reputed to be a fair
checker player,too. But I never knew him without his cane as a stroke
had cost his speech and caused paralysis in on side of his body. We
played Chinese checkers, but he preferred plain checkers. Eventually,
I was able to beat him my fair share.
Uncle Rex Bardwell
Rex commands respect
Uncle Rex was a career Army Officer and understood discipline, behavior,
and giving orders. One time he was home he overheard me respond to my grandmother
in a manner he thought was disrespectful. At that very instance Rex taught me
to be respectful of my grandmother. I certainly did not want receive his wrath.
Aunt Mary Jane Bardwell
The Midnight rider
My mother's sister, Mary Jane Bardwell had a beautiful black Arabian horse,
Midnight. Jane was a member of the Shawnee Round-Up Club and would ride
Midnight in parades and at rodeo functions. Jane was very protective of
the horse she loved so much.
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