Updated and Posted by
Frank Butcher on May 11, 2007
Surnames: Lenamon
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Benjamin Bart Lenamon was the sixth of ten children born to Benjamin Levi
Lenamon and Nancy Permelia Herod. He grew up and attended school in the Rocky
Point community. Bart was the last of the ten children to wed, and by the time
he married Lillie Kate Thomason at the age of 29, he had his own wagon and team
as well as a truck. Benjamin Levi and Nancy gave each of their children 100
acres of land while they were single and later each of the ten received an
additional 100 acres. Bart and Kate later acquired another 200 acres that they
farmed until Bart's death in 1958. Bart was an excellent farmer, raising watermelons to sell in the summer, and sweet potatoes in the fall. He also raised tomatoes, peas, cantaloupes, and berries. Bart had a reputation for producing top quality produce, and was known for crop rows that were straightest anywhere. Bart was smart enough not to take all the risk of growing crops as he would often buy up the produce of neighboring farms, and market those vegetables along with his own. Some say that Bart was at his best when marketing his produce. It was not unusual for him to sell out his truck of produce on the streets of Groesbeck or Mart at prices higher than his competitors, go across the street and buy out another farmer, and then sell that produce for top dollar. Bart’s reputation for merchandising produce was such that local grocery stores tried to recruit him as a produce manager. Life was hard for Bart and Kate and their children on their sandy-land truck farm, especially during the Great Depression, and with the arrival of World War II, Bart was tempted to join the exodus of farmers leaving the land for the lure of good money in defense plants. In the end, his love of the land, the farming life, and the independence he had as his own boss kept him on the farm. Bart, like most people, had a mixed personality. He had a tough veneer, was very harsh with his children and was a stern disciplinarian--although his children point out that he never spanked Frances. He was hardheaded, and clashed with his strong-willed children (especially Mary Beth and John), perhaps because he sensed a threat to his authority. Bart slapped his children in the face when he was angry, and would not let them speak in defense of their alleged wrongdoing. When a spanking was needed, the offending child was required to select a branch from a tree for the punishment, and afterwards, the child had to thank Bart for the whipping and tell Bart that he liked it. This heavy-handed approach to discipline had a negative effect on his relationship with his children, who mostly longed to get away from home. On the flip side of Bart’s personality, he was a generous man and a very hard worker. He was well liked and highly respected in the community, serving several years as a trustee of the Box Church Common School District. Beneath Bart’s tough veneer was a kind heart, and he was proud of his family and a great supporter of the children. Mary Beth remembered fainting, and regaining consciousness to find Bart crying beside her bed. Mary Beth also recalled that her dad was the only person to write her at college, and was present at the births of both of her babies. Bart was tender hearted when it came to animals and would plow around a dove or rabbit nest. Bart always remembered his mother's birthday, and would choke up when talking about her to his children. He loved hunting and sports--especially baseball. Bart’s son, Joe, believes that his father was the best male correspondent he has ever known, writing cards to his children when they were away from home and sending regular notes to grandchildren. He wrote Joe often while Joe served in the Korean War, usually including a commentary on the rivalry between their favorite major league baseball teams. Joe also remembered sitting outside with his family on the evening before he left for Korea. Bart cried at the thought of Joe going to war, breaking into sobs that Joe said “were so loud they could be heard all over the country”, and expressing his desire to take his son’s place. Bart was also good with animals. While his children would have to chase down horses to bridle them, those same horses would come to Bart and remain still while he put the bridle on. Most farmers pen their cows for vaccinations, but Bart could walk up to a cow in the pasture, call it by name and talk to it, then stick in the needle. His son-in-law, Bill DuPlantis, recalled that Bart talked to his first tractor, cussing it and yelling “gee” and “haw” to the tractor just like it was one of his mules, named Jenny and Rat. Bart also spent considerable time with his dogs, teaching them many tricks. His grandson, David Fife, remembered that Bart would let him drive as many nails as he wanted into wood, but when he drove a nail into the dirt, Bart got angry. His thinking was that driving nails into wood was a learning experience for a youngster, but hammering them into dirt was just wasteful. David also commented that he would rather have been whipped than have to endure a lecture from his grandfather. When David stepped on a nail, he got an insight into the medical practice on the Lenamon farm where cuts and bruises were soaked in kerosene. Bart was a heavy smoker, which could account for his several heart attacks, although the farm diet of greasy food cooked in lard likely made a contribution. There is also some suspicion that Bart may have done some bootlegging during prohibition to make extra spending money. Bart did drink, and like many men whose wives disapproved, he sometimes kept a bottle of whiskey out of sight in the tool shed. Bill DuPlantis told the story of hoeing in the fields with Bart while he was courting Francis. It was a hot day and both men were tired and sweaty, and Bart turned to Bill and asked if he drank. Bill was understandably reluctant to answer that question, but confessed that he did occasionally imbibe. Bart said nothing and continued to hoe for a few minutes, and then asked Bill, “Son, do you want to go to town for a beer?” They climbed into the pickup and headed off to Box Church where the two bought a six-pack. On the way back, Bart quickly disposed of two beers, and informed his future son-in-law that they had to finish off the beer before getting back to the farm because Kate frowned on drinking. Bart was a large man for his time and reputedly quite strong. His World War II ration book shows that at the age of 45, he stood 6', 0" tall, weighed about 190 pounds, and had brown eyes and brown hair. He was an excellent baseball player, once striking out 21 batters in a game. Bart is also credited with hitting some of the longest home runs ever seen by the locals of Limestone County. Bart’s peers told his children that he could have had a career in professional baseball. Bart was a patient craftsman in the construction work that he performed, but seemed to lose interest afterwards and did not maintain his farm well. As a result, things around the farm seemed to be in a constant state of disrepair. The Depression years were hard on the Lenamon family, but his children recall that Bart was a good provider even in the leanest of times. Bart was a good manager, and handled the growing and marketing of his produce efficiently so that his family never lacked for necessities. Bart often sold his produce to local grocery stores, and was paid mostly with “due bills”, which could be redeemed only for goods sold by the store. In the worst part of the Depression, Bart took advantage of a government program that paid $8 a head for farmers to kill their cattle, which were buried in huge trenches dug out by bulldozers. The Lenamon children remember 1948 as the year that the farm got electricity. The REA (Rural Electrification Administration) lines had been tantalizingly extended to within one mile of the farm in 1941, but when the United States entered World War II, all copper was diverted to military use, and the Lenamons had to wait another seven years to enter the electrical age. John recalls that the biggest impact brought about by electricity had to do with refrigeration. The family could keep meat and milk, and the huge effort necessary to reduce spoilage by obtaining and preparing fresh food daily, was greatly reduced. Another 1948 milestone was Bart’s purchase of a Ford tractor that allowed him to accomplish four times the amount of work that could be done with mules. One negative aspect of Bart’s personality mentioned by his children was his tendency to pout when he got angry, sometimes not talking for a day or two. Bart once borrowed one of Wal Thomason’s (his father-in-law) mules, and when he did not return it, Wal came after the mule and trotted it behind his truck back to his farm. For some reason, Bart was upset by Wal reclaiming his mule, and for the next month would not attend the ritual Sunday afternoon family gathering at the Thomason home. Wal, who was not known for his subtleness, eventually took Bart to task for this pouting behavior with a tongue lashing that sent the women scurrying from the room. All of Bart’s children attended college, and all but Frances received degrees. The children did not receive financial support from Bart for their education, and the encouragement for acquiring a college education came mostly from Kate. According to Bart’s son, John, most of the Lenamons/Lenamonds of Bart’s generation did not see much benefit in an education. Bart was a good musician and singer, occasionally leading the singing at church. Mary Beth remembered Bart playing "Red Wing" on a borrowed violin. Bart’s Aunt Emma Herod told members of the family that Bart sat under a tree with one of their violins and worked all day until he mastered it. His sister-in-law, Erin Thomason Allen, told that Bart played with her musical group and could play several instruments. Bart was not the spiritual leader of his family, but supported the Christian upbringing of his children and was a hospitable host to traveling preachers, who often stayed at his home. For Bart however, church attendance sometimes took a back seat to the Sunday domino game at the local store. Bart was a member of the Church of Christ as was his father before him. Because Church of Christ dogma contends that members of other denominations are going to Hell, Bart became greatly disturbed when several of his children left the Church of Christ and were baptized into the Baptist church in Groesbeck. As he was plowing one day and probably thinking about the situation, a dove lit on the ground in front of Bart’s tractor. Bart swerved to avoid the dove, but the bird flew and again blocked his path. Several more times Bart changed directions, only to have the dove fly to a point that blocked his way. Bart became convinced that the dove was the embodiment of Jesus confronting him about his wrong thinking and Bart was spiritually convicted by this episode. Subsequently, he attended the Baptist church, made a profession of faith there, and was baptized into that denomination. Bart's last heart attack occurred in Groesbeck where he was making a produce delivery at Steven's Grocery Store. He was rushed to the hospital and died a few days later, on May 29, 1958 at the age of 61. In addition to his heart problems, Bart suffered from a malady called sleep apnea, which caused him to stop breathing in his sleep, then suddenly resume breathing with disconcerting gasping sounds. Bart took great pride in everything that he raised on the farm, and was a master at hog killing and preparation of the meat. Bart was noted for his sausage recipe, which is included here as described in the Lenamon Cookbook by his daughter Mary Beth Lenamon Fife: Ingredients: 60 pounds of meat, 1-2/3 cups salt, 4 ounces of sage, 2 ounces of red cayenne pepper, and 1 ounce of black pepper. Approximately 1/3 of the meat should be fat. "Daddy would grind these up and we would stuff the casings or cloth sacks. Mother would give me an old sheet to cut up when I was big enough to treadle the machine. I would make the sacks at 'ninety miles an hour'. Daddy would bring green hickory wood from "down in the bottom", and make a fire under an old galvanized tub that had openings to let the smoke waft up to cure the sausage, hams, and bacon." "Everyone who ever ate any of Daddy's sausage thought it was 'the best'. He always used good parts of the hog and was so clean and careful in preparing any of the meat. Mother gave us this recipe and if he did anything different, I don't know it". "I can close my eyes now and see the rafters just full of meat and the shelf full of meat and the bacon box in the back left corner. Nice crock jars of white lard were all around the walls. When it got too hot to keep the sausage safely, Mother would fry them a bit and then pack them in their own grease in quart jars. She'd open and warm them in the wood stove and how we hated to see them all eaten up". |
Frank Butcher
May 2007