Well, before I get into the Pocahontas line, which will probably be tomorrow afternoon, I wanted to post this about my grandpa Harrison. This article was posted in the pages of Kentucky Explorer magazine about two years ago. This was told to me by my mom and I wrote it up and had it posted. Hope you enjoy it.
A
Real Kentucky 'Nut' Case!
This
story takes place in Garrard County, Kentucky around the October or
November, 1927/1928 time frame. My grandpa, Green Franklin Harrison,
was born in Jackson county, Kentucky, but had moved to Garrard county
to work for his father-in-law, Joseph Oder Hardin. By this time, he
was married and had four kids, Andrew Joseph, Norman, my mom,
Frances, and Mary.
A
little background history lesson. A man by the name of Coy Sanders
had opened up a little country general store which served the Scotts
Fork area. He later sold the store and property to a man by the name
of Ike Dunkin. The house that my grandpa was renting was owned by Mr.
Dunkin. My grandpa was the only one in the neighborhood who owned a
team of horses and a wagon. So once a week my grandpa would get a
list of the needs for the store from Mr. Dunkin, and then would drive
to Lexington to place the order and pick it up to take back to Mr.
Dunkin. It was a long drive by wagon so grandpa would spend the night
at Mrs. Gatewood's Boarding House in town before returning the next
morning to Scotts Fork. For this service, grandpa was paid $1.75 a
week.
Comes
late October or early November, one Sunday evening when grandpa had
some extra time on his hands, he walked up the creek to where there
was a Shag-bark Hickory tree growing. He had been past it a few time
earlier and a lot of the 'Hicker' nuts had fallen off of the tree and
were laying there on the ground. The squirrels had been at some of
them and had even carried some away to be burried for later food.
Anyway,
grandpa gathered up a galvinized bucket full of the nuts. He took
those back to the house so he could take of the outer husks and then
dry them out. Grandma would use these in her Christmas candy that whe
would make each year. Grandpa had grandma put an old rag on the attic
floor where he could spread out the nuts to dry. The attic space was
used as storage. Grandma had all of her canning supplies up there.
There was an old Oak barrel up there where she kept her canning jars
so they would be all in one place.
Normally
on Sunday morning, grandpa and his family, along with grandma's mom
and dad and their family would walk back home after Church services
at the Scotts Fork Christian Church. This walk was a time to catch up
on what was happening in the family. My grandma asked her
sister-in-law if she was finished canning. She said she had to stop
because she had run out of jars. Grandma told her she had extra jars
and she was welcome to use what she needed. She said she would be by
the next day to get them.
The
next morning her sister-in-law showed up to pick them up. Grandma led
her up into the attic to get them. They had to step around the hicker
nuts to get to the oaken barrel of the canning jars. Now grandma's
sister-in-law borrow the jars, but, she was always trying to cause
trouble.
The
next time her sister-in-law went to the store to buy something, she
told Mr. Dunkin that Green Harrison had about five bushels of hicker
nut up in his attic. In truth, he only had that one galvinized bucket
that he had picked up.
During
this time people did not light up their lanterns at night trying to
conserve on Karisene. So, after supper everyone would set out on the
front porch. One evening the Sheriff came by looking for my grandpa.
He got a summons to appear in court the following week, he was being
sued by Mr. Dunkin for the hicker nuts!!!
The
day came for grandpa to go to court in Lancaster. He dressed up in
his best Sunday clothes, and shined shoes. As he was leaving, my
grandma was cring and was worried sick that grandpa was going to be
put in jail. Grandpa told his family not to worry and he would be
back before sundown. So, off he went walking to court.
Just
before sundown, the family was setting on the front porch waiting.
Well, they looked up the holler and here come grandpa with a smile on
his face and a spring to his step. It was a beautiful sight for his
family. He gathered everyone around him and told them what had
happened.
After
the judge took his seat, the prosecution presented its case. One
question the judge asked was if he had specifically told grandpa not
to pick up the nuts. He said not derectly, but he said he told Leme
Hardin, my grandpa's brother-in-law. Leme told the judge that if he
was told this he could not remember. Grandpa told the judge that the
only reason he picked them up was they were just laying on the ground
going to ruin.
The
judge brought the gavel down and said that grandpa was innocent and
that the case was dismissed. Grandpa went up to the judge and asked
him how much money he owed the court. The judge told him he didn't
own anything and that “he had never heard the like on his entire
time on the bench.” He was laughing.
Grandpa
had one milk cow which he kept in Ike Dunkin's barn, so he would have
to go down there to milk the cow each day. After his appearance in
court grandpa started carring his pistol with him to milk the cow.
Grandma was worred about this but grandpa said he was just being
careful and was not going to take any 'lip' from Mr. Dunkin.
Sure
enough, one evening later Mr. Dunkin came to the barn as grandpa was
going to milk. He asked grandpa if he was going to give him one half
of the nuts. Grandpa looking him right in the eye and told him he was
welcome to one half of the nuts because the tree was on his land. If
he wanted them that bad, he should come to the house and pick them
up. “But,” he said, “if you come by the house make sure that he
was there. If it was only his wife and family at home when he come
by, I'll hunt you up and kill you.” Mr. Dunkin never showed up to
get his hicker nuts.
Grandpa
had to move the milk cow to a neighbors pasture and barn so he would
not have to pay Mr. Dunkin extra to keep the cow there.
This picture I am posting is of my grandma and grandpa along with my brother, Lowell,
my cousin Benton Travis Harrison, and my aunt Mary Harrison. This picture was taken in the early 1950's in Dupont, Indiana at my uncle A. J. Harrison's house
Til the next time, live large.
Jim
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