Jacob W. E. Brink (born February 15, 1833-died 1909) married Ann T. Westbrook (born December 22, 1844).  They had seven children before Ann died in July, 1877.  Jacob then married Mary Elizabeth Long.  Their children were the following: Orlando (September 14, 1881 - died 1923); Samuel Artie (December 6, 1884- died 1965); twins Eddie McKendrick and Ollie E. January 24, 1891.  Eddie died in 1972, Ollie, December 20. 1964).

     Ollie E. Brink married Ona Lee Greenwood in 1915 in McLennan County, the daughter of John Lee and Janie (Jenkins) Greenwood.  John Lee was the son of Bob Greenwood, who came from Comer, Georgia in 1868.  Ollie and Ona farmed one year, then moved into Waco, where he worked for the San Antonio Machine Supplv Company.  In 1924, they moved to Pioneer in Eastland County, where the oil boom was in progress.  He did pipe line work at first, then became a pumper.  A change of location placed the family in Coleman County in 1929, near the community of Burkett.  By this time there were the children Eddie, Arthur Otto, Nola Fae, John L. and Jana Louise.  During these times, the oil field house was a box-type, and very small.  It was immediately enlarged, but not very much.  There was no running water, but there was distilled water from the big steam boiler on the oil lease.  Lighting was by natural gas, much like the popular Coleman lantern with the gas mantle.  The older children, along with the father, shingled the roof, sheet rocked, taped and painted the house.  The school was at Burkett.

     Alvah Edwin (Eddie) Brink came to Coleman when he finished school.  Since we had gone into the filling station business about 1934, we became used to bringing ice from Coleman to Burkett, because there was an ice house with the station.  He went to work for the ice company as a dock hand, then later he went to work for Mayes Drug Store.  He and Perky Purcell ran the soda fountain for several years, until he went into the army in 1941.  In the Christmas season of that year, he and a teacher, Frances Howell, were married.  (Her parents were B. F. and Nellie (Cobb) Howell, September 28, 1914).  In about 1942, Eddie went to Engineer Officer's Candidate School, was commissioned, and assigned to a Combat Engineer Battalion.  Later his unit served in the South Pacific.  He was Battalion Adjutant with the rank of captain, was wounded, and also received the Bronze Star Award.

     I finished school at Burkett, and, as valedictorian, received a scholarship to John Tarleton College at Stephenville.  After enrolling in the fall, I did yard work on the campus to pay for the room and board, but the next year I was promoted to janitor.  In November of 1940, three of us from Burkett joined Co. "B" of the 142 Inf. Regt. (Nat. Guard) where I stayed for a year and a half before assignment to Officers Candidate School at Ft. Benning.  After commissioning, most of the class was assigned to the 10th Armored Division where we trained for two years before going to France to join Gen. Patton's 3rd U. S. Army.  My duties were platoon leader and company commander.  Before the war was over, I had been wounded, hospitalized twice, awarded several campaign ribbons: the Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart and Bronze Star.  After VE day, I was assigned to the Military Government, declared essential (thus I was not allowed to come home), and took up the operation of County Gunzburg-on-the-Danube near Ulm.  The army allowed me to return home Christmas of 1945.

     During the time of duty at Officers School, Emmalou Logan of Sonora and I were married, May 23, 1942, in Columbus, Georgia.  One son, John Arthur, was born February 2, 1945.  He grew up and married Jacqueline (Jackie) Walton of Coleman.  They have one child, Jessica Ailene, born July 21, 1982.  They presently live in Allen.  John Arthur studied engineering at Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, and Jackie finished Registered Nurse training at Angelo State University.

     When Eddie and I returned from the military, we enrolled at Baylor University.  He transferred to University of Texas one year later to become a pharmacist.  After 2 years, I went to Houston to enter the University of Texas School of Dentistry.  Shortly after Eddie returned and became a partner in Mayes Drug Store, I also returned August, 1951, to take over the practice of dentistry from Dr. Jack Gordon.  This was located in office #301 Coleman Bank Building, where I remained 11 years before I moved to the Horne Building, the first door west of the post office.

     About 1963, I became a member of the city council for two terms, then became mayor for l term.  It was during this time that we built Lake Coleman, the south water tower, and a number of water system lines.  I also served on the Coleman Housing Authority Board during the building of the High Rise, the duplexes, South Ward Apts., and the 5th Avenue apartments.

     Children of Eddie and Frances are Rebecca and Edwin.  After she finished school both at Coleman and at the University of Texas, Rebecca became a pharmacist and went to work for the State Hospital in Austin.  Steve Poldrack of Coleman County and she were married, became the parents of Rachel and Stephanie.  Steve is the son of Arthur A.  Sr. and Avis (Thompson) Poldrack.  Edwin is coach and a teacher at Ballinger.

     Our sister, Nola Fae, finished school at Burkett, worked at the District Clerk's office in Coleman, before becoming bookkeeper at the Coleman County State Bank.  When the World War II Air Force came to town at the Coleman Flying School, she met and later married a pilot, Jack W. Everett.  His postwar work was in fleet mechanics in Gladewater.  They have a daughter, Janice Lee, who married John Mixon, two children, Mark and Kelley.

     John went to Gladewater with our parents during the war, attended school in accounting and worked for a small firm before moving on to Houston where he became a Certified Public Accountant about 1950.  He has remained in that work since then.

     Jana finished school near Gladewater, then went to work for a medical doctor.  She married Jesse L. and they have two children, Alison Ann and Lisa Louise.

     December 31, 1970, I married Myrna (Farris White.  We continued to carry on the practice of dentistry in the same place up until the present time (1983).  We have slowed down due to an association with a young dentist, Dr. L. D. Thompson.  Myrna's daughter, Fredda Kay, attended the University of Texas, married Rickey Forbess and gave us a granddaughter named Rachel. (See James Marion Forbess).  Her daughter, Tonna, finished school at Sam Houston State University to become a speech therapist and special education teacher.  She married David DeMaet of Texas City.  Their children are Matthew and Casey.