Echoes of the Past - the 60s & 70s

 

Picture from Friendship Baptist Church 1987 Austin

This poem was found on Facebook in Texas History April 29, 2025

 by Cheryl King 

 

We are the echoes of a time long past,

A generation built to last.

We walked to school, then home again,

No phones in hand, just sun and rain.

 

We did our homework, quick and neat,

Then ran outside to rule the street.

We played 'til dusk, our voices loud,

In hide and seek beneath the clouds.

 

We baked with mud, not pots or pans,

And built our dreams with paper hands.

With sports cards stacked and trades well made,

We chased the wind, we weren’t afraid.

 

We hunted bottles, scrubbed them clean,

For five cents back—a childhood scene.

Then came the treat, our sweet reward:

A Mountain Dew and candy hoard.

 

We spun our records, danced along,

To every scratchy vinyl song.

We saved our photos, clips, and news,

In albums we would proudly use.

 

On rainy days, we’d play and scheme,

With board games and a decked-out team.

At midnight, TV said goodnight,

With an anthem fading out of sight.

 

We had our parents, strong and near,

Their voices calm, their presence clear.

We whispered jokes beneath the sheets,

Our laughter soft, our hearts upbeat.

 

We are the ones now fading slow,

A golden time the world won’t know.

A generation, bold and free—

Gone, but rich in memory.

I wouldn’t trade those days for gold,

I’m proud to be from days of old.😎

Letter from Burwell Jones to MEB Jones May 1928

 

Robert "Bob" Milton Jones Letter to Grandpa

 Bob, Burwell's son, wrote to MEB Jones in February 1928

Burwell's Letter to MEB Jones Jan 1928

 

Burwell's Christmas Letter to MEB Jones 1927

 

Burwell Jones - The Lawyer

 

Burwell Walter Jones Family Portraits

Burwell, daughter Dorothy, wife Iona

Back row: Burwell, Iona, 

Front row: Dorothy, Rose, Mary

Youngest daughter, Rose Madeline Jones

Burwell's last child was son Robert "Bob" Milton Jones

 

Burwell Walter Jones Pictures

 Burwell Jones went to Law School.

Obituary for Burwell Jones and Iona May Jones

 

Burwell Walter Jones Information

 This information was written by his daughter Mary Jones McGee.

Burwell Jones Family Group Sheet

 This Group Sheet was done by his daughter, Dorothy Autry. My mother, Carolita Jones Quillin passed it down to me.

MEB Jones Group Sheet

 

Happy Birthday to the Man in My Life

 

This little guy was born on this day in 1954. I have lived with him for WAY over half of my life. He puts me first in every situation and takes care of me in every scenario. He is the most unselfish person I know and has always places others before himself.   I don't doubt why the kids in the neighborhood who were friends with his brothers would come knocking on the door to see if Derek could come out to play. And I know there is a reason why he was the first person his mother would contact when she needed something. He looks at things in black and white...not gray. He is intelligent, the smartest man I know. I love him and am proud to call him my own. 

Changes In My Lifetime - Central A/C & Heat

 Central A/C and Heat

Swamp/Evaporative Coolers

There was no such thing as central air condition. The little house on Texas Street where I was brought home after being born had clunky window swamp coolers. I remember how mother would place me on her bed in front of the water cooler at nap time. The sound would lull me to sleep blocking all other noise. For heat we had floor furnaces. As an infant, I fell onto one and burned my leg. For many years, I had a large scar all the way up my calf in the shape of the furnace grid.  Mimi and Pappy had a furnace grid in a small hallway in the center of the house, and we would straddle it to soak up the rising warm air. Central Air came into vogue and was placed in the ‘modern’ home that Mother and Daddy built on 4105 Bismarck Street in 1963.

Pin page

The picture below was taken in 1955 or 1956 in the backyard of our home on Texas Street in Vernon Texas. This is the swamp cooler Mother would lay me in front of for a nap each afternoon.

Changes in My Lifetime - Telephones

 

This was Daddy's first desk at the Vernon Daily Record in 1955. He became the Advertising Manager after being an add salesman. He gained the trust and respect from his two bosses, Mr. Nichols and Mr. Dixon.

TELEPHONES

We had rotary dial phones and we didn't have to dial the prefix. For example, I think our home phone number was 552-5143, but we only had to dial 2-5143. The outlying rural areas had party lines. I once had a boyfriend, Mark Ramsey, who lived in Oklaunion. When I was in Jr. High, it was popular for boyfriends to call their girlfriends and visit in the evenings. (I was always told that I was NOT to call a boy. They must call me. It was not proper in our home for girls to chase boys.) Since he was in a rural area, his phone was a party line, meaning that several households shared the same number. Obviously, when someone picked up the line and interrupted our visit, we had to yield to their need to make a call. Long distance calls were a big deal. We had to dial 0 and let the operator work the number until the party was reached. Since we paid by the minute, I was cautioned about the expense involved in calling long distance. We could call collect which meant that the person you were calling would be the one to foot the bill. So when Bill was stationed in Vietnam and called collect, I did not accept the call....and later so regretted it when I saw the disappointment that we were not able to visit with him. Being naive, I didn't think it was my place to accept that expense. I tried to follow the rule book.  For Christmas one year when I was a freshman, I asked for and received a Princess phone. The phone company came out and placed a line (not a private one) in my bedroom.

News Article Clipped by MEB Jones

 c. 1900-1910

My guess after going through all of his writings would be that these topics would be of concern to MEB Jones, and that he would have saved them to use in preparation for his sermons.

Lonely Soul - MEB Jones

 c. 1910

Acts 1 Witnessing - MEB Jones

 

End of War Article - MEB Jones

 

Same page below...but with the picture 

Red Book Sermon Notes - MEB Jones

 

Lady Book Notes - MEB Jones

 pages 8 - 12

Lady Book Favorite - MEB Jones

 I loved this page more than other. I felt that my great-great grandfather was speaking to me.

                                                                THE WISE OLD OWL