Herbert Brooke Chermside and Brent Chermside

Recorded March 17, 2007 Archived March 18, 2007 01:29:29
0:00 / 0:00
Id: MBX002411

Description

Brent, 27, interviews his grandfather Herb, 91, about his childhood and career as a trial justice in a very small town.

Participants

  • Herbert Brooke Chermside
  • Brent Chermside

Transcript

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00:04 My name is Brent charm side. I'm 27 years old.

00:09 Today is March 17th. 2007 Saint Patrick's Day. We're located in Richmond, Virginia at the moment and I'm interviewing my grandfather.

00:19 Can I name is Herbert Brooke charm side Union. I'm 91 years old. This is March 17th, 2007, Richmond, Virginia, and I'm being interviewed by 6.

00:36 Oldest grandson 6 youngest grandson

00:42 Grandpa you were born in 1916 1915 1915s

00:50 I wonder what it was like growing up for you at that time in history.

00:54 Well, I grew up in a small village of about 400 people and in the Southern Virginia in an agricultural section, and it was a very very different world. Then it gives a guy a very different.

01:13 What sorts of differences?

01:15 When the first place it was much more isolated and

01:23 I suppose you would say provincial than it is now. We didn't have zika.

01:29 Means of communication that exist today radio was just coming over and seeing then

01:39 And know that was a big thing radio. We don't know and what we did for entertainment for us to set up at night because you get better reception at night for longer distances because of Nick Cannon the heaviside layer.

01:55 And so we will set up at night in God of TuneIn stations that father solve you could get.

02:02 . Ending very entertaining

02:06 That was in Charlotte Courthouse. Yes. It was so you spent a good deal of your life in Charlotte Courthouse. Didn't you have a 42 years? Yes. That's where you started raising your family indeed. And where you met your wife my grandmother. Yes indeed now, I noticed right on the Main Street of chocolate us as a matter of fact. I know the story well, but I never Tire of it. Do you think you could tell me how you met her again? Because I had to

02:34 Well

02:36 I better preference it by saying that in that summer, which was 1931.

02:44 There are a number of boys my age around my age in the village, but we were short on girls are the appropriate age. There was some girl and some younger but not very many in the right age.

03:02 And this was

03:05 There's a problem for us and one day how it's upstairs room above your drug store where we had a billiard table and I was your

03:20 Shooting Billiards with some of my friends and looked out the window and I saw this car drive up and the door open Granny.

03:31 This very attractive young lady got out and about that time. I saw my mother coming up the sidewalk.

03:40 And my mother was so pretty good hard things like that. She recognized that it was a girl of the proper age Scioscia major done Fighters happens that are you. Mr. Joe's boost. Nice and Sue said yes, and I was as well. I'm having a dance at my house Friday night want you to come and bring you a host guests and then she said my son is upstairs. I want you to meet him and she summoned me down and I came down and met her and that was the beginning.

04:16 Now, when did you know that she was the woman you wanted to spend your life with?

04:22 Very chocolate very shortly. So there wasn't much question after that, huh?

04:29 I wouldn't say what no question, but you

04:32 Yeah, alright. Alright.

04:36 Do you have any favorite stories that you can think of about her or about your marriage?

04:42 Anything that really encapsulates sue for you.

04:47 When I can remember so many things about her.

04:56 Where is there?

04:59 One of the best memories I have is

05:03 One day in 1940

05:06 We had going on vacation.

05:10 Up in Highland County

05:13 On the bullpasture river the first time we'd ever let left out son your father.

05:23 At home with his grandmother

05:26 And we went up there with some friends and

05:32 One day soon. I decided we would go down the river.

05:38 Through the gorge to williamsfield and we did we got in the river and waited.

05:46 All the way down and it was very exciting because once you got going into go as you couldn't get out, they were Rapids and rocks that we want to hear then we came out. All right at 12 a.m.

06:03 And that was a pleasant day.

06:12 What do you remember the most about my father when he was growing up when he was that age?

06:20 Your father was the smartest kid I've ever seen and he learn to read.

06:28 He was reading from Time Magazine before we went to school.

06:34 And I mean reading and understanding, you know, you are very nice man. Got your nephew been your dad was very much like me.

06:47 Picked up on everything Quick Lube or do you have them?

06:52 So you he's so smart yet. You still lived in Charlotte Courthouse through that whole time. Yes, we did. Can you tell us can you tell us a little about what your job was while you were there? What type of work you were doing? But I was a lawyer but also I was on a gun.

07:10 Call Justice in Charlotte County. That was a of court that tried misdemeanor cases criminal cases and tried to a civil cases at grey dog matters up to wedding was only $2,000 in those days and juvenile domestic relations, and I have that job phone.

07:37 18 years

07:40 Well, that's your includes the two years. I was away in the Navy. So I did that extra for 16 years. What was it like being on the court in such a small town where everyone knew each other?

07:55 What it was pretty Henderson.

08:00 In a small town in small County

08:04 You get to know a whole lot of different people. So when cases come before the court.

08:14 Because usually had

08:17 Some little previous knowledge Avatar of the people involved with any rate, which is not ideal from the sense of jurisprudence perhaps, but that's the way it was.

08:30 Yeah.

08:32 I wear a lot of interesting things come up in court.

08:37 I can tell you one thing.

08:39 We tend to think of country.

08:44 People are just being so pure let me tell you everything you can think of happens in the country. Just as much sugar does instead of everything.

08:55 I've heard tell of some story where you had to go and

08:59 Witness wall someone busted up at the local Moonshiner.

09:06 I got a screw that was in 1955. We had come back soon enough.

09:16 And the girls had come back from driving out to Argonne way. We took your dad to go to college.

09:25 And we were in my office and your first day we were back.

09:30 How the sheriff came in and said to you?

09:35 Are you going out to break up a moonshine still and

09:41 We say wait a minute. We've got film in the camera will go with you. So we did and we observe the sheriff.

09:51 And his Deputy breaking up the still.

09:55 And we observe them.

09:58 Defender come the sheriff had arrested.

10:02 Looking very disconsolate watching his Machinery being broken up.

10:10 And I have that on feel like I'd be glad to show you some kind of it in color.

10:19 Oh, well, let's see. You spent a lot of your life there, but then during the time that your two daughters were growing up. You moved to Upstate New York I did.

10:30 I wasn't making enough money to educate my children.

10:37 I resigned my position today I had.

10:40 I was engaged as an editor at the lawyers Cooperative publishing company in Rochester. And that was a company that a long-established government that girl on Roku. Brooks published and sold them.

11:01 And when I first got there we did the whole operation and one great big old hundred year old building on the banks of the Genesee River.

11:13 But after that we established a very modern printing plant outside the city.

11:20 And I work there for

11:24 2728 years I guess writing.

11:31 Then once you finish there, are you retired to Lexington Virginia? And at the time I wish I had a contract to continue riding for my country and I needed you have access to a good loan Library.

11:49 And

11:51 Lexington has always appealed to me as an attractive place to live and that Washington Lee University law school. They have a good library and they're very generous about two uses episode of this.

12:07 NM

12:09 I work there when the library Zephyr.

12:13 Like I said about five years while y'all were there my grandmother spend time volunteering at the Stonewall Jackson house. Is that right? That's one of the things she did. Another thing. She did was to work for all of it. They will organize and get hospice unit that and she worked in the office of hospice.

12:35 And we both worked as docents at the Stonewall Jackson house.

12:45 And then we were both also interested in the the Rockbridge library that matter fact. I was president of the friends of the library for a while.

13:00 That's interesting that she was helping to found that hospice because several years later. She got to experience the services of a hospice herself issue. Do you want to talk a little bit about her illness and her passing?

13:19 Well

13:24 October

13:26 Up 2004

13:30 It looks like it's covered that damn she had cancer.

13:34 And they couldn't locate the exact.

13:40 Locust Avenue 1st

13:43 But eventually they decided she was a lung cancer.

13:50 It was treated with radiation as much as her body would stand.

13:57 And numb

14:00 Then she got in hospice care.

14:06 Bon Secours hospice St. Mary's which was a wonderful service phenomenal. Very very good. Yeah.

14:21 And she was able then to stay at home and receive in-home hospice care which one which was a blessing for both of us.

14:33 Him

14:37 And she died.

14:43 May 9th 2005

14:49 I know it's not always easy to think about these things, but I wonder if you could tell me a little bit about.

14:55 What it's been like since losing her since she was a partner for so long.

15:01 Well, it's it's a difficult golf courses that is you realize it's difficult, but

15:09 You have to play the cards you're dealt in Uno and you do what you have to do.

15:15 And numb

15:17 I'm still living independently.

15:23 Detroit river life hat. What's it been like growing old?

15:30 Well, someone said it's not for that.

15:34 For the week. That's true.

15:37 I don't have my any complaints and I think I've been very fortunate.

15:45 Your phone should still be here.

15:51 But it's a different life and I would put it off as long as possible Brent. I'll take my time defer it.

16:04 And we both

16:06 How to tragedy last year when my father died suddenly and unexpectedly. Yes. How is that pain for you and harder still can hardly believe he's gone. You know it.

16:25 It doesn't seem right for you child to be going before you but

16:35 Well, we miss him or no.

16:41 But in the years ago.

16:43 We've been here in Richmond receiving that we've seen so much. You're choking. Got it, dude.

16:53 He's so close to him.

16:55 On a friendship basis as well as a familiar basis.

17:01 And now that I'm very thankful for

17:07 Nicholas tell

17:09 We had some very good we have together.

17:14 I think it was a great gift for far family too, and I'll just for you to have you folks moved to Richmond.

17:23 Well quite a gift.

17:28 Do you ever think about dying yourself? Oh shoot. I could you help but it's natural William Palma colored Plum of hormone used to always have everybody, God that live long enough.

17:50 So it doesn't scare you.

17:52 No. I think it did it one time but no no more.

17:59 God is good. God is good.

18:03 Is there anything any kind of extra important life lesson that you've learned that you want to tell me about?

18:11 Give me all the ways. He is your vegetable Festival. I got that under control.

18:22 And I can tell you it is more blessed to receive them to give interest.

18:30 To receive in to give interest.

18:38 Do you have a favorite memory of me?

18:43 I don't want to speak about it. I'm just getting you'll never leave this too. Well, I'll tell you when time you came to visit us in Lexington or stay with us and we went to

19:04 Chinese restaurant

19:07 Me or you remember that I do and you are everything on the man you everything and super nauseous at the end amazement. But before he did it and you handled it very well.

19:24 Appetite never left. No.

19:28 Oh, how would you like to be remembered? What is it that you really want to be passed on about you after you're gone. Oh my goodness.

19:44 Well

19:47 It's not like the presidency when you try to arrange.

19:54 Legacy

20:01 So I don't really.

20:04 Have anything I would take you want to be remembered by people going to remember you by what they say that not what you pick.

20:11 Truth since Ruth

20:15 What can you tell me about your parents? I've heard a great deal about shroom but never had the pleasure of meeting him.

20:22 Well

20:24 My father

20:27 I was born in 1879.

20:30 His family was living on a ranch in Colorado at that time.

20:36 And

20:39 He spent his early boyhood in, Colorado.

20:44 And say family moved back.

20:49 I said move back as far as grandma was concerned. He was moving back. My grandfather was it was an Englishman?

20:59 But he and Grandma moved from Colorado to Virginia to Staunton. Grandma's family had originated.

21:12 But not originated, but they live there.

21:15 And that was in a boat.

21:19 1890 I guess.

21:22 Henry Edwards educated first at home and then at school in Stanton.

21:31 And in 1895

21:34 He won a scholarship to Washington and Lee in Greek of all things.

21:41 And went walking late.

21:44 And

21:48 After college

21:50 He went back out west and work for the Chambers of Commerce in Pueblo, Colorado and then in Ogden, Utah.

22:02 And none for a number of years then came back to Virginia.

22:09 And went to

22:12 Law School

22:15 Here in Richmond

22:17 Basketball exam

22:20 And was admitted to the practice of Law, and I think that was you.

22:26 19 five or six

22:30 And he was employed by the Tidewater railroad was being built at that time. It was later known as a Virginian, but he was employed by them to procure right away.

22:48 And he came to Lunenburg County instead of I am.

22:53 And practice law and work with Railroad and in the course of that. He came to shower cortos and I met my mother.

23:06 And no.

23:08 He was attracted and so he moved Richard quote ocean practice law of that for a while.

23:15 And

23:17 They were married in 1910.

23:20 And I thought it was.

23:24 I'm part of the Deputy County Clerk.

23:28 1912 I think.

23:32 And then she's a clerk.

23:36 God and dad was appointed to fill out his term.

23:42 And then he remain County Clerk for over 40 years. Nobody ever ran against him.

23:48 He was active in politics. He was chairman of democratic County committee for 25 years.

23:59 And he was a

24:02 He loved fishing his great fisherman.

24:07 And he liked gardening and

24:11 Ever get up in the morning early and go out and work in the garden and come in the house and eat breakfast and then start up down to his office so we could get a bite at 8:00.

24:25 And now you did that compare all the years on you and me.

24:30 And

24:36 He was a great reader.

24:39 Yongnuo rastrear and had a wonderful memory. You could remember most anything.

24:45 He could type Portrait by The Bushel And he could recite Greek portrait, but we thought we would do and I came to the conclusion that it really knew just one one versus one boy many week and if you kept repeating that, but we never could check out for him cuz no one else in the family spoke Greek.

25:11 Hey Ya.

25:14 Love fishing

25:16 And he and his brother my Uncle Bob together. We're about as entertaining as you've ever seen.

25:28 And then they were all connect back and forth and do stores particularly wants a golf. What's a life in Colorado, but was very colorful and very colorful.

25:41 And one would always back the other up. Oh, yeah after indeed.

25:46 Isn't that the truth Bob? It's a goddess truth serum.

25:51 Yeah.

25:55 Here also devoted bridge player.

26:02 As I recall when I was younger, even my grandmother were devoted Scrabble players have it even

26:09 Her call every time we went to Lexington that you all would have a board out where we did pay scramble. That's true. We did.

26:22 Stays off the Alzheimer's or so they say stays off the Alzheimer's or so. They say could be how has your life been different from what from the way you would have imagined it?

26:36 Well, I imagine.

26:41 Speaking from the point of view of a

26:46 Young person

26:49 Imagine that have a grow up and go off to college and get married and be a lawyer and be a judge didn't turn up that way.

27:03 Didn't stop there.

27:08 Now you said, you know. Wealthy and respected the probably money wants to know who knows.

27:21 But

27:24 They cook. It doesn't always Chrome on the way you anticipate not the truth.

27:30 And you said you spent two years in the Navy that was during World War II? What? Can you tell me about that?

27:38 Great day.

27:40 Well, I can tell you one thing.

27:43 That come

27:46 For the first time

27:49 I sat in a neighbor mess.

27:53 Would have bunch of sailors. I was amazed at the language.

27:59 I was a country boy. We didn't talk that way down Richard Downing. So there's some truth to that old saying.

28:06 Cussing like a sailor. Absolutely. Absolutely.

28:11 But on a more serious note.

28:18 Time I spent in the Navy.

28:21 I'm very proud of

28:24 For me, it was a good a good good thing to be of service, you know.

28:30 But that was a different time. I meant touch World War II was it an entirely different kind of conflict in but we are engaged in now me no comparison.

28:47 I was thinking just the other day.

28:54 It was a great, you know.

28:57 To begin with the country was largely isolationist and 19.

29:07 Did 1938 1940?

29:13 The krafka ask only one vote.

29:19 But

29:20 After Pearl Harbor everything was different.

29:24 The whole country was United then and

29:30 We do things on the home front.

29:34 One thing we did we are going to last.

29:42 Plane watching

29:45 A cruise what are you called?

29:48 Can you say goodbye to correct term? Anyway. We would have posted it would watch for passing a craft in Minecraft. And we would have notified the officials where we'd seen you in. So it is that time it wasn't a German plane within 3000 Miles and they had none capable of coming but we didn't know that.

30:17 We talked to Mike very readily.

30:21 And

30:24 I remember thinking.

30:27 If we have a report such a tremendous just standing in that little Carly build looking for aircraft engine for any aircraft be down in Charlotte County.

30:43 You know the thing we did everybody contribute all the aluminum pots and pans because we need aluminum to make a craft and I remember seeing then you look in the yard beside the railroad tracks a huge mound of pots and pans and I bet you a nickel that they never got used.

31:09 They went around the countryside picking up Old Farm Machinery because they needed the iron from it.

31:17 How you know you use all ironing and making?

31:21 Making steel

31:25 But that was a lot of enthusiasm in your country is in.

31:30 And we packed everything 100%

31:34 What do you think about our current military conquests?

31:39 I think it's ill-conceived.

31:43 And I think we are.

31:47 Well, we're just like

31:51 The tar baby record holder, baby Can't Turn You Loose

32:00 How can we?

32:03 How can we have put up?

32:05 With an Administration that has attacked as many as civil liberties.

32:14 People that fought and died for this Administration is willing to flush it down the yard.

32:22 Hi. Just don't see how it could have happened to us.

32:26 Go get me on that because I'm

32:29 Rabbit on the subject. That's why only one more year till we can talk again only one more year till we can do it again.

32:38 How to make a bow on right now

32:42 Where did you serve when you were in the Navy during those two years? I know you moved around some served all my time within the United States and most of the time I was going to school. I like to pre radio scoot amateur radio school at winter.

33:03 Radar school around up being trained as an aviation radar technician.

33:15 And my owners active service was with

33:20 A carrier aircraft Service Unit cashew 22

33:25 Up in Rhode Island

33:29 And how is the owner draft to Panama?

33:35 When

33:39 My number came up when you got out of the service. You got a number which depended on the length of time and whether you're married or not and people put the highest number discharge first. I was going to Stratford Panama with my number came around.

34:05 And that was a great goal in the war was over.

34:15 Was there anything you'd like to ask me?

34:19 I got a ton of questions. I could still ask you, but I wonder is there anything you've always wanted to ask me?

34:29 No, I believe in letting the dead past bury. Its dead. I'm not going to ask you any embarrassment question.

34:36 Well, I want to ask you some very same question. I want to know what the worst thing that you ever did was the worst thing I ever did in your judgment.

34:46 Well

34:50 I think probably the worst thing I ever did was with a couple of other fellows.

34:56 How engineer jailbreak

35:00 Do tell

35:02 I don't mind telling you.

35:04 This was

35:08 1933 R34 I came home from college at Christmas time.

35:18 And I and my friends who are equally foolish decided that we needed to have some eggnog.

35:32 But we were short on Whiskey.

35:37 However

35:40 When you let a known Bootleggers, no gas to be able to.

35:47 Had been arrested and was in jail currently.

35:53 And no.

35:55 We also found out.

35:58 I had an epileptic had been arrested and was being lodged in the old hotel pendant transportation to Z, Lynchburg and that

36:14 Is a bootlegger Jesse had been delegated take care of this epileptic and also another Vera Faust and Circumstance work that that was some kind of activity down to school at night. And when you let the deputy sheriff would have to be down there a Independence.

36:38 So we went and found Jesse at the hotel with epileptic evalectric was sleeping soundly and reset Jesse if you can get us there with you, we will take you home and let you visit your wife and he agreed and we did we took him over to his house and said now Jessie you got 45 minutes with Panther.

37:03 And in 45 years we came back. Jesse was sitting on your front porch with his wife rocking back and forth and sure enough. He had a half-gallon of liquor at the solo to us who brought him back.

37:17 Check on the epileptic you was okay.

37:21 And if that if we've been caught doing that, we've been to borrow trouble for sure.

37:30 But you're desperate times call for desperate measures. So they say you have two daughters. Also, in addition to your one son. I do Florence and Mary.

37:47 What can what can you tell us about them where my daughter flowers is?

37:53 A counselor. She's

37:56 Counseling in a psychiatric unit of a hospital in West Virginia

38:03 And my daughter Mary

38:07 Is a school librarian in Duxbury, Massachusetts?

38:14 She's retiring from that job today at the end of June of this year.

38:22 She has two children.

38:25 A daughter Courtney

38:30 Who is married and has one son and two more common on the way?

38:36 And Mary has a son Dalton who is a student at University of Arizona right now.

38:46 And my daughter Flo has a son named Diane who lives in Canandaigua New York and has

38:56 To chernova Zone in one day is

39:00 In effect a doctor

39:03 And a daughter Laura who lives in Jacksonville, Florida and he is married, but have no children.

39:12 And what else you want to know about him? I don't know why I need great stories about Mary or flow from when they were going up anything, especially funny or especially telling ye

39:26 Merciless had a great friend and Janet Watkins who was the daughter of a boy and a great friend of mine. We grew up together and flowers from Janet used to play together all the time and one fall they've been playing in the woods behind our house in Charlotte or Irish and wonderful. They came running back up to the house and said to Dick stepped on a snake.

39:59 Down in the woods and they thought it was a cop ahead.

40:03 And actually will take me down and show me and they took me down to show me and sure they stepped on her again and sure enough. It was a cop. I had a big one but this was in November Henry's cooling. Service take with pretty sluggish.

40:23 I thought that was an interesting story.

40:29 Any fun ones about Mary from when she was little

40:34 She was the youngest in the family.

40:42 You know, I suppose as soon as we leave here, I'll think of it.

40:48 Right off hand. I don't think of any where were you all living when she was born. Where you in New York by then or were you still at the courthouse?

41:00 How old was she when you moved up to, New York.

41:09 There was eight when we moved after that.

41:16 What about the grandchildren in my family you got?

41:21 Three grandsons by way of your son

41:24 Yes or no?

41:29 If Michael

41:30 And Michael has

41:33 A son and a daughter

41:36 And then there's Alex.

41:39 Alex just getting Washington State now.

41:45 And then he stood in Oriental art.

41:50 He's not married and then there's the prison interview with Brent who is not married, but

42:00 Isn't it dangerous range?

42:03 And now he's right here in Richmond.

42:07 Why is there anything final you'd like to add that I haven't asked you about.

42:19 Well, I was thinking about when we were driving over here about the election when Hal Smith ran against

42:29 Herbert Hoover

42:31 This was a 1927.

42:35 And at that time

42:37 Aerosmith was a Catholic and there was a great deal of opposition to him in the south in the Bible Belt because so Catholics read out of regard in these parts in those days.

42:53 And also our Smith was in favor of doing away with prohibition.

42:59 And it was so strong through a business influence.

43:06 In Virginia. Calm and things got pretty hectic.

43:14 And when the election was held

43:17 Of course Hoover was a hectic.

43:21 We turned in shower Tanner the third-best Democratic showing in this state.

43:32 And I think I told you I got in a fist fight with another fella scooters yard.

43:40 He made the allegation.

43:43 That girl I would have known fact in Aerosmith's is crank 14 cocktails and drove 60 miles an hour down Broadway, and I took issue with that. I said it wasn't true and one word led to another and we got into a fist fight, but overall I guess.

44:05 But Hoover still came out on top, but Hoover still came out on top / Smith.

44:13 In the long run

44:16 Well, he lost the election is true.

44:20 Play we didn't like the Catholic in.

44:25 Take me to 62362 South 6th West.

44:32 Well, thank you very much.

44:34 Thank you. I really appreciate you doing this with me. Okay?

44:41 Hi,. Okay.