Barrett Grandparents

Arbie Luther Barrett was my grandfather, my mom’s dad. He was born 7 March, 1894, in Grant Parrish, Louisiana. He died in Beaumont 6 April, 1977. He went by Luther. I don’t recall when I learned his first name was Arbie, but I am sure it was in my later years.

The Barrett family on the porch of a family home, likely in Louisiana. I think Luther is the one in the middle because he was the youngest. Interesting that none of the daughters are in the photograph. His dad was Henry and his mom was Elizabeth. Siblings: Walter, Nancy, Eugene, Minnie, Frances and Homer.

Here are two more photos of him in his early 20s - maybe 1919 or so. No idea who the other dude is.

Since mom, dad and I lived in the Roberts Street house with Nora and Luther, I knew them pretty well. This is how I remember Luther from my growing up years.

In this photo he is walking in the Roberts street park. He was tall and slender and folks told me that he had a droll sense of humor. I vaguely recall his pipe. Clearly I did not inherit his slim physique.

This is Luther, my mom Edith and gramma Nora’s brother, Uncle Clifton. My mom was 5’ 8” so it is clear that my grampa was a pretty tall guy. Another sad point in this photo is the prevalence of smoking. During the depression years he was under considerable stress financially and struggled hard to feed and clothe and house his family. There is an apochryphal tale of his having decided to commit a robbery during one of the darkest periods. Good sense and Christian morals prevailed.

He was a really good mechanic and got a job at the Gulf refinery in mid0county. At some point there was an industrial accident that significantly damaged his eyesight. In those pre-OSHA days, accidents were covered up in order not to get fired. From that day on, he was visually handicapped and that really messed with his life.

Later he worked on the ammonia machinery at an ice plant on the near north side of Beaumont. To compensate for his poor vision, he removed the glass from the gauges and read the measurements by feeling the needles. Amazing!

When I worked on my 1955 Ford, he would kibitz. I was astounded that he could touch the head of a bolt or nut and sing out, ‘three eights’ or ‘five sixteenth’…just by touch.

Poor eyesight and stress contributed to his having a nervous breakdown in the late 40s or early 50s. I know that in this period, he received electroshock therapy! (One Flew Over the Coocoo’s Nest) This makes me intensely sad for this man who loved his family so much.

Following the electroshock therapy he became irascible and even mean toward others, especially Nora.

Luther had a strong distrust of big government, banks and FDR. He called the National Recovery Act the National RunAround. Distrusting banks, he never got a mortgage to buy a home but rented his whole life.

Nora Lee Brown was my maternal grandmother. She was born in Many (pronounced man - e), Louisiana, on 12 January, 1903. She died 6 November, 1976, in Beaumont.

This is the Brown family from 1910 or so. I think Nora is on the left. Sadly, I cannot identify any others in the photograph. Her parents were William and Berta Lou. Siblings; Gladys, Clifton and Dallas - no idea who the extra folks in the photo are.

This is a photo from the late teens or early 20s. No idea what the event was.

My grandmother was a sweetheart, a good cook and devoted to Luther. She was perhaps overly submissive to his strong personality. He did not want her to drive a car so she never learned to drive. More on this later.

This is probably Roberts park across from the Roberts street house.

Mom and Gramma Nora in one of the iconic street photos. This shows that gramma was short, probably a little over 5’. She was always a stylish dresser.

Luther and Nora were married on 18 February 1922. Not sure where and this photo is probably early in their marriage.

When I was in Jr High and worked at the Tyrrell Library Nora worked at the Bonwit Lennon department store almost across the street. We would often have lunch together on Saturdays at one of the lunch counters downtown.