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| Herbert Parr |
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| Robert Rector |
Sunday, Oct. 13,
1895, a pair of storks flew over the home of a farmer, in Carroll County,
Virginia, and left a pair of twin boys: Herbert Parr and Robert Rector Speas. There was no similarity between them at
all except that they were both boys. One was fair, large boned and rugged, the
other was dark, small boned and more or less delicate. The dark one was me.
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| Our Mother |
We
must have been quite a burden to our mother because she died before we were
three.
I have no recollection of my
mother at all, and none of my father or brothers and sisters until I was about
six. At this time my twin and I were living with our widowed grandmother in
Fancy Gap. We lived with her to the time of her death in the winter of 1908, at
which time we went to live with our father, who in the meantime had re-married
and had boys by his second wife. Shortly after the death of my grandmother, my
father sold his farm and moved west.
His reason for going west was he had
become very much attached to a Mormon Elder. So on March 4, 1908, we had an
auction sale at which we sold our livestock, farm equipment and household
furniture, and set forth. He bought a forty acre farm in Weiser Valley, Idaho,
adjoining the property of his friend, the Mormon Elder. A short distance from
our farm in a hot sulfur spring, my twin and two half-brothers were baptized
into the church.
After three years we sold the farm and moved east again. We located
on a farm in a German area near Brewers Ville, Indiana. Here was my first and only experience of going
to school with a colored person. I do not recall going to church the whole two
years while we lived there.
While living here a bee keeper by the name of Oshay, with whom my
father had become acquainted in Idaho, came by on his way to Alabama. He was influential
in getting my father interested in bees, moving to Alabama and going into the
bee business. He must have painted a pretty rosy picture, for we sold our farm
and set forth. Shortly after arriving, my father and his friend had a
disagreement and we did not even unpack our things. After being there for only
a week, we started westward again.
The Mormon Elder, mentioned earlier was living in Basalt, Idaho, a little
country village about two miles from Shelley, Idaho. We farmed his land and
another farm nearby until Father bought a farm of his own which lay between
them.
My life at this time began to take on a different meaning. I began to
think of the future and the part I was to play in it. My social life which was
more or less dormant began to take shape. I became active in church, attending
the various meetings and socials and dances.
It is here I begin to learn that
life can be tragic and cruel as well as gentle and kind. While harvesting
potatoes in the fall of 1912, I had an accident which caused the loss of my
right thumb. Although this is a minor thing, to me at the time it seemed quite
tragic. It proved to be a handicap, but later a blessing. It prevented my
studying the piano and was such a handicap I never acquired any skill with the
violin.
After finishing the local schools, I left home and went to Idaho Falls,
working for my board and room while attending business law and stenography
classes. I took a Civil Service examination and while awaiting the outcome worked in a produce shipping company in the winter months and on a farm in the summertime. While working on the farm I received a call to go to Washington where I had been appointed to a position in the Adjutant
General's Office of the War Department.
As a young boy I could not run and play
to the same extent as the other boys without getting out of breath. This was a
strange thing to me and caused me to wonder. I never found the reason until I was
working in Idaho Falls and my insurance application was rejected. I went to a young doctor and learned that I had
a defective heart. He told me I may live to be a hundred or I might die any
minute. This also had consequences both terrible and great. While working in
the Adjutant General's Office, I was rejected by the draft board on account of
the heart defect.
My twin, Rector, however, was drafted and sent to France. I had access to the files which
contained the records of boys in service. I kept constant watch of my brother's
card, and one day when I checked on it I found he was missing in action; that
was all. I couldn't learn anything more for a week or more until I received a report
that he was in a base hospital. He was finally sent to Fort Douglas, Utah,
after passing though several hospitals along the way. He was right badly shot
up, shrapnel, and as a result his right leg is an inch shorter than the left.
I
enrolled in two schools in Washington - studying mathematics, history,
languages and accounting. I was over ambitious and my weakened heart was unable
to stand the pace, so I had to quit. In Washington, I met people from all over the United States
including many girls -
beautiful girls, smart girls, and dumb girls. On the whole I think most of the
girls I knew were nice girls. I have always had a lot of girlfriends but no
sweethearts--purely platonic types of relationship. I always felt that I was
handicapped, but in spite of it I didn’t lack for friends. Maybe I had other
attributes of which I was not aware.
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| Jessie Estelle |
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| Our Wedding Day |
In the course of events, I allowed myself to be caught and married
Jessie Estelle Westmoreland on Jan. 16, 1919. After the birth of our first son
I resigned my position with the War Dept. and took a position with the American
Furniture and Phonograph Manufacturing Company. Jessie bore two more sons
and a daughter.
Tragically, my wife was poisoned as the result of have some
teeth extracted. She was very ill, so ill in fact that she was unconscious for
about a week. She eventually made an apparent recovery, but her health began to
decline and she never fully recovered. She bore me one more son whom we called
our miracle baby because his mother's health was in such a precarious
condition.
In looking back over my life, there have been periods of great
happiness, hope, eager anticipation and at times even exuberance. And then on
the other had there have also been periods of depression, frustration and
despondency. In every life some rain must fall; my life had a lot of
rain, but it has had more sunshine than rain. Neither can I say like many
others that my prayers have been answered. For I have prayed for over
thirty years for my wife's recovery, for my own healing, and for the healing of
others who are afflicted. But those pains are a part life. They say, "experience
is a dear school, but a fool will learn in no other”.
I know that God loves us enough that He gave His own Son to die for us. I feel the church has
been a great stabilizing influence in my life, and I would strongly recommend
that everyone live close to the church.
Herbert Parr Speas passed away in 1959 when I was an infant, so I never had the pleasure of getting acquainted with him. His story teaches me that trials can become blessings if endured with patience. I am thankful that he was able to track the status of my Grandpa during World War I. His knowledge and access to records were a great comfort to my Grandmother who otherwise would have been left in anguish worrying about her husband who was missing in action.
Herbert Parr Speas passed away in 1959 when I was an infant, so I never had the pleasure of getting acquainted with him. His story teaches me that trials can become blessings if endured with patience. I am thankful that he was able to track the status of my Grandpa during World War I. His knowledge and access to records were a great comfort to my Grandmother who otherwise would have been left in anguish worrying about her husband who was missing in action.
