The Great Greats

     Every time my sister Vickie comes for a visit she brings with her missing parts of our family history, this trip was no different. Once in a while Vickie will find some new bit of family history, this time we now have a face to put with the name of our Great, Great Grandfather and his three brothers.
     The American branch of the Riggan family tree has been traced  back about thirteen generations to  the 1500's when they arrived in the Virginia Tidewaters. After a while they migrated down in to Warren County, North Carolina then at a later date they moved westward into Wilson County, Tennessee. Surely there are family relations still living in Wilson County, their name may have changed due to marriage but they are family.
      I remember that there was a small room in Grandpa's house, it held some old pieces of furniture and there were a couple of framed pictures of what I considered "old people", I was a young boy then and not interested in old pictures. It was a long time ago but I probably had my first glimpse in to the past. The picture at the top of the page was taken sometime back in the 1800's. That's Daniel Newton "Newt" Riggan in the top left, top right is James Madison "Matt" Riggan, bottom right is William Henry Riggan and the bottom left picture is Benjamin Calvin Riggan - my Great, Great Grandfather. They were a scruffy looking bunch with their beards and in need of a haircut but that was the fashion of the day. Scruffy or not these brothers are my Great, Great Uncles and Grandfather, it is sort of nice to put a face to a name.
      The mid 1800's were troubling times for the nation. Southern states, Tennessee for one, didn't like the northern states telling them how to live and it wasn't long before there was a war between the states. The Riggan's and Wade's have fought in almost every war this country has been involved in, the men in the picture were no different, at least two of them enlisted in the Confederate army. James Madison Riggan signed up but that's about all we know. Then there was Daniel, he enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1861 as a Private in Company K of the 7th Regiment of the Tennessee Infantry. He was described as being dark complected, 5'10" with hazel eyes and black hair. He fought and was wounded at the battle of Manassas on August 27, 1862. He recuperated in the Sudley hospital and after a time was assigned as baggage guard in Staunton, Virginia. On January 23, 1865 Daniel was listed as a "Deserter" but then according to  a document  Vickie found, Daniel signed an "oath of allegiance" and became a member of the Union Army on January 25, 1865. The war ended in April 1865 and Daniel went home to Tennessee. William Henry Riggan and Benjamin Calvin Riggan may have fought in the war but so far no record has been found to verify that.
     The family lived in the Leeville area of Wilson County, Tennessee, I understand there are a lot of family buried in the Leeville cemetery. Not much is known about William Henry Riggan or about James Madison Riggan although we wonder why the picture calls him "Matt", nickname maybe ?
     Benjamin Calvin Riggan was born on October 20, 1833. In 1848 about the time he turned 15 his father Samuel Harper Riggan passed away. There were seven children, four boys, three girls and after the death of their father all of the kids were spread around to other family members. Great Great Grandpa Ben named one of his sons Sam, he was my Great Grandfather, who named one of his sons Howard Edgar who was my Grandfather.
     There is more to this story but it gets confusing trying to keep straight who was married to who and who were the in - laws. I'm not someone who likes to rummage around in old papers and files or spend hours in libraries, little sister Vickie though seems to live for the hunt and I get to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Sis likes to put the leaves on the branches of the family tree and I have no doubt she could create a very dense family tree. I on the other hand, think that while it is interesting to see a tree full of names branching out in all directions I am alright if a little sun shine filters through.

There Was A Time When

     Recently there was a picture that turned up on Facebook, it was a picture of a sign for the price of gasoline back in the late 1960's or 70's. The price was $.27 per gallon and the caption on the picture asked if anyone remembered buying gas for that price, well I do remember buying gas for $.27 per gallon and cheaper. I commented on the post that I remembered when Linda and I were dating we could buy gas for $.15 per gallon, get into the drive-in movie for $ 1.00 and buy cokes and popcorn and the whole date cost no more than $5.00, oh and we got S&H Green stamps with the gas. Green Stamps and Top Value stamps were a giveaway when you bought gas, groceries and some other items, they were redeemable for merchandise.
     I was telling Kay's brothers Bob and Doug and her nephew Rick about the picture and that started the memory cells popping for all of us.
     There was a time when there was no such thing as a "convenience store", there were grocery stores that only sold groceries and there were service stations that sold gas and oil and performed various mechanical services. Grocery stores were where Mom went to stock up on all of the good things we ate and drank. Very few of those items other than ice cream were frozen foods, the frozen food section at the store Dad and I worked at was only about twelve feet long vs. the several isles of frozen foods in today's stores.
     Service stations on the other hand were a very customer oriented business, when you pulled in to fill up your tank with gas an employee would come running out and ask how much gas you wanted and he would pump it for you. While the gas was pumping he would open the hood of your car and check your oil, water, clean your windshield and check the air pressure in your tires all while you sat comfortably in your car, when he was done he would take your money ( this was before credit cards ) and bring your change to you along with your Green stamps / Top Value stamps or whatever giveaway they had going on at the time such as dishes, glasses or some little curio. Linda and my mother were the queens of the giveaway programs, we acquired several new sets of dishes from gas fill ups and traded Green stamps for clothing, small appliances, fishing rods and toys.
     In addition to selling gas and oil, service stations also provided mechanical services such as replacing shock absorbers, brakes, new tires, fix flats, tune ups, replace clutches and many other things their customers required. Often times the customer could wait while the work was being performed and for their convenience the station had drink boxes filled with different varieties of cold drinks covered in ice, cost $.10. They also had jars of penny candy ( bubble gum, lolly pops and jaw breakers ) as well as jars of "Toms" crackers - both peanut butter or cheese for another $.10. Most often the waiting room was a couple of uncomfortable metal chairs with thin seat cushions and smudged with grease, the whole place usually smelled of grease and exhaust fumes.  Another service they provided because there were no credit cards in use at that time, each establishment usually allowed customers to open a charge account which would be paid off on payday or the end of the month, there was no interest charged and the end result was that the customer felt a sense of loyalty to the business and wouldn't go anywhere else.
     The owners of these establishments were often the employees who were pumping your gas one minute and changing a tire the next. Many had been family owned for years, fathers and sons worked side by side. Pressure bells were stretched across the drive way, they loudly rang when a car drove across them and someone in coveralls would come running out wiping his dirty grease covered hands on an equally dirty grease covered shop rag. They always had a smile on their face and a genuine interest in your well being, they were your neighbor, high school classmate or acquaintance you had known for years.
     Sometime in the 1970's convenience stores came into the picture, they sold gas and the bare essentials of groceries, the customer usually pays more for the products they sell and there is no one pumping your gas or replacing your clutch.
     All of this got me to thinking about more of the things that have gone by the wayside.
     When one of us got sick we didn't go to the doctors office, the doctor came to us, for one thing Mom didn't know how to drive and Dad couldn't just take off from work. When a doctor was needed Mom would call his service and tell them what was wrong, the doctor would determine who he would see first, then come to the house diagnose the sick person and either call for an ambulance or write a prescription for a medication, if necessary the doctor would even come out late at night.
     Then there was the "Fuller Brush Man". Door to door salesmen were a dying breed in the 1950's, like the internet sales of today the 1950's housewife could buy pretty much anything she wanted or needed from a door to door salesman. The Fuller Brush man came around once a month and offered all types of brushes, combs and other little nick- knacks. There were brushes to scrub the floor or for a babies silky hair and combs made of plastic to stick in a boys back pocket, bottle brushes, nail files and brushes for polishing shoes, all he had to do was reach into his big sample case and pull out the needed item.
     The "Jewel Tea" salesman was similar in that he came around once a month driving a delivery van full of things for the homemaker, he sold teas and coffee and dishware, the dishware consisted of plates, serving platters, gravy dishes, tea pitchers, bowls and saucers, these items are valuable and highly sought after today.
     There was the milk man who delivered milk in glass bottles, cheeses, butter and other dairy products to your front door a couple of times a week. They would come early so that your order would be sitting on your doorstep when you woke up.
     There was a man who sold "Charles Chips", he too drove a delivery truck and stopped by once a month with cans of potato chips, corn chips and other like delicacies.
     In the summertime men or teenage boys would push carts through the neighborhoods that were filled with ice cream bars, Popsicles and dry ice to keep them frozen, the most expensive item was about seven cents. The carts had a cow bell which would be rung to announce their presence, the man or boy would push the cart up and down the hills in the hot sun or if he was lucky the cart was adapted to a tricycle that he pedaled. Neighbor kids of all ages would start begging their mother for money the moment they heard the bell ringing.
     Many a young boy started his business career as a paperboy, they rode bikes with big baskets attached to the handle bars and cloth saddle bags that contained the daily newspaper that they hand rolled and tossed on your doorstep or at least in the driveway. They were up before school and made their deliveries in all kinds of weather, once a month they came around at night to collect payment for the papers which usually cost about $.10 each.
     Life insurance was sold door to door and for as little as $.10 per month you could have a $500 policy, if you couldn't be there when the salesman came by just leave your dime on the doorstep with your payment book, the salesman would mark the book as paid and take the money.
     There was a time when people were not afraid of answering the door because they knew the person on the other side. There was a time when people would go to bed and not lock their doors and leave things in their vehicles with the knowledge they would be there in the morning. There was a time when honesty and integrity were a common theme, they are the times that old people from any age would look back on and wonder where the good old days went.
      There was a time when I lived with all of these things going on around me but I have learned that nothing stays the same and change is often so subtle that one day you look back and wonder what happened. I am now that old person who looks back on the good old days knowing that there was a time when life seemed much simpler - where did it go.