By William Bruce Jones in 1981

As a small boy learning about Indians and cowboys I felt that Grandpa Gay had it on Grandpa Jones because he had gone out to the wild west as a 21 year old youth, mingled with the Indians, saw cowboys and prospected for Gold In the Rocky Mountains. There were no states then, only U. S. territory? now Colorado.

Mama would tell how he slept out under the stars washed his hands with dew moisture and cloud fog in the early morning, had a donkey, prospected for gold.

Granddaddy Gay must have had a free spirit back then. No wife and Family for him. If he had not had a near fatal sickness, he might have stayed years more. As it was, he was gone around ten years.

His grandfathers on both sides were named Greene??spelled with an E on the end??Greene Gay and Greene Stancell. Our Grandfather dropped the E.

I remember Grandfather Gay as being tall. All men were tall then. I had to look up to everybody. My family lived in Seaboard during these years. He would come visit us driving his he horse and buggy. One time just about a year before he died while visiting our house he tied his horse to a post with a wire mesh fence fastened to it. The horse got his shoe hung in the mesh. Gay and I were in the yard playing. The horse was trying to free his foot. Gay became very nervous and became pale. Mama carried him in the house and made a mixture of whiskey and sugar in a spoon. Gay wouldn't open his mouth to take it so they gave it to him. I never refuse anything you drink or eat.

Grandpa would hold Gay on one knee and me on the other and bounce us up and down while singing Strawberry Town. I was the oldest grandson. Lois was the oldest Granddaughter. On his visits to our house, I don't remember Miss Pattie being along, but she must have come some. We would visit them on the Gay farm real often. I had to sit at my parent's feet in the buggy. The horse would swish his tail back and forth which was hard on my face. They had a stick with paper strips fastened to one end to wave over the food to keep off the flies.

I recall a waver fastened to a ceiling with a rope coming down to the floor. It wan fastened to a pedal you could work with your foot. I don't recall if this was in their house or not. Aunt Laura would know

I recall riding from our house to the Gay farm with him one day. He turned in upper path close to Mr. Price's home. He 1st a buggy wheel scrape against a post in the tenants yard causing shiny cover on the hub to come off. Grandpa told the colored man to bring him bring a hammer so he could tap it be back on which he did.

On another occasion not too long before he become ill I went Grandpa and Uncle Sam to Roanoke Rapids to carry some hams. We rode in Uncle Sam's Model "T" touring car without any top on it. He went through Gumberry and by Camp Store. What was call Camp Store then later became the town of Gaston. Just before we reached the store there came up a rain. Uncle pulled the car under a big tree next to the road. We didn't get very wet. This car was made before they had starters. You had to crank them from the front. When Uncle Sam went around to crank it he discovered he had lost the crank. He jacked up the rear wheel, put the car in running gear, by pressing down fast on the spoke in wheel he was able to get it started. We went on into Roanoke Rapids. Uncle Sam found a new crank. They sold the hams and bought so some things to carry home.

Later I was to ride in the same car to Grandpa's funeral.

I must have spent some nights at Grandpa's house though I don't recall them. If I did, Aunt Laura took care of me I am sure. Miss Pattie didn't care much for the grandchildren. Aunt Laura wasn't married then. Nada and Alvin were living there the last year of his life, I guess, I can remember how Richard was allowed to cry and cry. This could have been after he died and before we moved out there in 1919.

So you see bow a little boy named William Bruce Jones loved to visit his Grandpa's hone and be visited by him. Maybe Lois and Bernice can tell more of their story, too.