Reflections of My Life by JL Byars – page 2

My Mother passed away July 3, 1925, at the age of 47, and is buried in Springtown, Texas.  Dad later married Lillie Robinson.

I started to school at Highland in Parker County in a two-room school.  We had to feed the stock, help with chores around the house (as my mother had died and there were only Hazel, Margaret and I at home), and then walk to school.  Later Highland consolidated with Springtown (this was my first time to ride a school bus), where I went most of my grade school years.  We later moved into the Azle District where I attended high school.

I helped daddy on the farm as a teenager and when I was 15, I got a job at a neighbor’s dairy.  I would get up at 3:30 a.m. and milk 40 cows by hand, then go to the local general merchandise store and work, then go back at 4:00 p.m. and milk the cows again, and then back to the store until closing time.  The store was owned by Mr. Tidwell who sold groceries, meat, feed, seed and hardware supplies.  I worked for him in the store and drove a delivery truck to Fort Worth.  Later he turned the purchasing and pricing over to me.  This was good experience for later in my life.