Sunday, October 25, 2009

Short Surprise: Charles Aaron Samuel Heagy

Grandpa Heagy wrote me up a wonderful bunch of pages about his family and I am excited to share that with you (one bite at a time...). I also have questions about the stories now that I have read them, so Grandpa isn't off the hook as he might think. Here is a little bit about his Dad.

(Me-->Mom-->Grandpa Heagy-->Charles Aaron Samuel Heagy)

"My Father, Charles Aaron Samuel Heagy, was the fourth child of eight to Chalres Aaron Heagy and Martha Justine Cooper. CASH, his initials, was born 17 March 1895 [St. Patrick's Day] at Bureau Junction, Bureau, Ill., and died 5 March 1985. His family homesteaded in the Circle-Glendive, Montana area. While there, he mentioned how he enjoyed being a sheep herder. You couldn't call him a shepherd because of the great number of sheep each sheep herder tended. As I remember, it was the custom to have one black sheep for every one hundred white. The sheep herder could count the blacks to determine if all were accounted for. The sheep industry was a big thing before synthetic materials.

Charlie served under the Office of the Quartermaster as a cook during the First World War. At the age of 22 and 5 feet 5 1/2 inches tall he was inducted, September 18 1917, at Glendive Montana, and discarched 6 Feb 1919. he attained the rank of Sargent First Class, training at Camp Lewis, Washington. He then served the remainder of his time at Camp Bowie Texas. While in the service he had a good friend with either his given or family name of Ebert, and you know the rest of the story as far as my name is concerned.
I believe, but am not positive that after his discharge, Dad returned to the Glendive area to work his own or his dad's homestead."

Charlie Heagy
More later from this history. I was so surprised to learn that Great Grandpa Heagy was very short! We went to see him in the nursing home when we were little, but he was probably sitting down, so I didn't notice that my mom is at least five inches taller than he was! I also pulled out the map and saw how far away Glendive is, clear to the East side of the state. I wonder what made him want to come to Great Falls....maybe because that is where his wife Cleora's family was? He married her in Fort Benton.
Here is another fun quest if anyone is interested.  Wouldn't it be cool to check the military records of Charlie's group and find what Ebert our Grandpa is named for, and where his family is now?

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