Betty

Mistake of a Lifetime

Old black and white picture of an old man working on a puzzle.
This picture was in my parents’ Bible.
We do not know who this man is.

My brother was wrong. I was pretty sure of it.

When my dad was born, back in 1921, the doctor didn’t bother to check how to spell his last name. As such, my dad’s name on his birth certificate was recorded as “Otho Richmeyer.” Everyone else in the family had the last name of “Reichtmyer”, even his parents. My dad was the baby of the family, and that is how he went through life – as a Richmeyer.

I was thinking my brother spelled “Reichtmyer” wrong. I thought the “t” was before the “c” not after the “h.” So, I decided to use my library’s remote access of Ancestry to check how my dad’s brother, Uncle Harold, spelled his last name. I was surprised to learn I was wrong. My brother had spelled it correctly, but let’s keep that between us. He doesn’t even know I checked up on him.

I had another surprise, too.

Uncle Harold had lived in Michigan, but he didn’t like the cold as he grew older. Each winter in his later years, he headed south and rented an apartment in Booneville, Mississippi. On Ancestry, I learned that my uncle is buried in the national cemetery in Corinth, Mississippi. I’ve been to Corinth, and I had no idea my uncle was buried there!

Last May, we spent one night in Corinth, and we have three nights reserved there this coming April. The cemetery is 8.4 miles from Cross City R.V. Park where we will be staying.

I didn’t visit my uncle when he lived in Booneville. These were the busy years when we were raising our kids. I usually saw my uncle when I went to Michigan each summer, mostly during the years when I was growing up.

One summer when I was growing up, my family spent a few nights at Uncle Harold’s cabin. Uncle Harold had renovated an old church in Barryton, Michigan, and he generously offered the the use of the cabin to us. From what I recall, Barryton had a tavern, a post office, maybe a laundromat. Basically, it was an intersection. However, my uncle’s cabin was on the outskirts of “town.” Other than the Chippewa River, which was right near the cabin, not much else was around.

Now, there was a mobile home down a bit down the road. Aunt Edna, my dad’s sister, gave us the scoop on who lived there. It was Elmer and his wife. A few years back, Elmer had put an ad in the Personals looking for a wife. Elmer only got one response from that ad. And that is how Elmer had met his wife. Now my Aunt Edna, who was known for being long-winded, warned us that Elmer was a “talker.” She said Elmer would be down to visit us, and she said it would be hard to get away. It turned out Aunt Edna was right.

In the other direction from my uncle’s cabin was a farmhouse. My Aunt Edna filled us in on that, too. She said they sold eggs there, and the girl who lived there was my age. I think I was 12 years old at the time. As soon as we needed eggs, I tagged along with my mom, ready to meet a new friend. Maybe there would be something to do besides listening to Elmer.

We got the eggs, and that was perhaps the first time in my life I saw brown eggs. I also saw the “girl my age.” She was 10. I was devastated. How could my aunt think she was my age? Now, besides not finding a friend, I was going to have to eat brown eggs.

But actually, the brown eggs turned out just fine, and we ended up having a good time. We floated down the Chippewa River. I had my own room while my two brothers shared the A frame’s upstairs loft. Late in the evening, we could hear our local St. Louis am radio station – KMOX – 526 miles from home.

At night, I would lay in bed, lean against a bed rest pillow and read Nancy Drew books while I ate chocolate and caramel bars. I was in heaven, but I was also in the country where there were spiders and snakes.

Inside the cabin, there were lots of daddy long leg spiders. Outside the cabin, there were snakes in the yard. I know because I saw my uncle pick up a snake, whirl it around like a lasso and fling it across the yard. It freaked me out then, and it freaks me out now. I can still see that four foot white snake with brown spots going round and round an arm’s length above my uncle’s head. Thank heavens it flung in the opposite direction.

I think my uncle was a good brother to my dad. The day my dad graduated from high school, his step-mother told him goodbye. For you see, when my dad’s dad died, she had promised her dying husband she would see my dad through high school. She kept her promise, but no more.

It seems sad, but life was hard back then. So my dad left his home, and he went to live with his brother, Harold, on Mackinac Island. He would work on the island until he joined the Air Force and serve in WWII. While serving in the Air Force, he met my mom at at USO dance in St. Louis. Which brings the story back to me.

Who would have thought that trying to prove my brother wrong would lead me down this memory lane? Who would have thought I was just miles away from my uncle’s final resting place when we had a happenstance one night stop in Corinth, Mississippi? Yet, I am glad to have taken these journeys.

Now that I know, there’s one more road I want follow, and I hope to do it in April. I want to stand at my uncle’s grave, remember all the good, pay my respects, and say a prayer. After all, he’s my dad’s brother, even if their last names aren’t exactly the same.

42 comments

    • Thank you! This post is longer than my usual, and it winds around quite a bit. Yet, I felt I needed to write it and leave it as is. I am glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate you telling me that; it means a lot to me. Enjoy your day!

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    • Thank you! I like to hear about people’s lives, too – especially from long ago when times were so different. Hope you are enjoying the season, and I hope you have a great day!

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  3. This was a great read, Betty. I smiled at the part about the daddy long legs spiders and remembered how many of them used to be around in my home town. I haven’t seen one since my youth. Although I don’t miss them, I do wonder what happened to them. So many other parts of your story brought back fond memories for me, so thank you for taking me on a trip down my own memory lane as you shared yours!

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    • Thank you! I haven’t seen any daddy long leg spiders in a long time either. I hope it stays that way! I remember my uncle saying they were harmless. But I do hope they haven’t vanished due to some environmental issue. We need all of nature! (Just not inside!) I am glad my story brought back fond memories for you. Enjoy your day!

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  4. I really enjoyed reading this story–I could picture the events so clearly. I had to laugh at the spiders in the house–reminded me of both my grandmother’s houses, and yes, snakes in the yard all the time! Where we lived, they were rattlesnakes, so no one picked them up and slung them around, though.

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    • I am glad you enjoyed reading this story. I thought of you several times when writing it because of the connection to Mississippi. I guess my uncle knew that snake wasn’t dangerous. He was talking with my dad and didn’t even take a break in the conversation! Thanks for your comment, and enjoy your day!

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    • Isn’t that funny? I wonder how you found out your great-great-grandparents were buried there. I remember passing the sign for the national cemetery in Corinth. Jefferson Barrarcks is a national cemetery in south St. Louis county, and I have several memories related to it. So, when we passed the highway sign for it in Corinth, I was like, oh hey look, another national cemetery. Another time, I found out a professor at the community college where I worked (for years) was my second cousin. But that is a story for perhaps another day. 🙂

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    • Yes, it is a great photo. I believe it is of a family member, but none of us know who. It looks like he is working on a puzzle – which it is! Thank you for your kind comment, and enjoy your day!

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  11. So interesting. Isn’t it wonderful when we can learn about our families. Reminds me of a a very hot, humid day a couple of years ago in upstate NY when Barb and I went searching through a cemetery for the gravestones of my ancestors. After a long afternoon we were able to locate all of them. Thanks for the post and have a great day.

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    • I do think it is interesting to learn about our ancestors. Did you do anything when you found each gravestone? Like take a picture, make a note… Some people really get into genealogy, and I admire their passion. It does take a ton of time though. Have a great day, too!

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  16. A couple of years before my dad’s death we had to request a copy of his birth certificate from St. Augustine, FL – a request that went off without a hitch. Of course, when we needed the certificate again, it was nowhere to be found so we requested another copy. Easy, right? Not so much. It turns out that when Daddy was born (in 1925), the doctor spelled his last name as Philips with one L instead of two. We had to jump through all sorts of hoops to prove that he really was James Phillips with two Ls. We *finally* received the replacement birth certificate. Shortly thereafter, I found the first one. *facepalm*

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    • I guess some doctors didn’t bother back then to make sure the last name was spelled correctly. I think it is part of Murphy’s Law that when something is lost, it is found when it is no longer needed! 🙂

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  18. I absolutely LOVE this. I love stories and memories!! Plus, I noticed recently on my grandpa’s birth certificate- we *thought* and were told he was born December 11, 1916, but his birth certificate says 1915!! I don’t get it, ha ha. But, I was talking to my dad right after my momma passed- he got out her tiny birth certificate so we could see it. She was born in an Iowa farm house, so her birth wasn’t recorded until later. Same with my dad’s mom.

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    • Isn’t that amazing about their births and the birth certificates! My mom was born in a house on Idaho Street in south St. Louis. It wasn’t all that long ago, but times have sure changed. Have you been to Iowa? We visited there last summer. I loved it. We plan to visit there again sometime. We’ll go in August (but not this year) as it is cooler there then.

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      • I LOVE Iowa. I was born in Hamburg, IA and grew up just over the Missouri state line in Tarkio, MO. My parents were raised around Denison and Glenwood Iowa. My Aunt Esther who is 103 lives in Spirit Lake. My boy and I went to her 100 and 102 birthdays. (Missed 101 to Covid lockdown). We drove across Iowa to get to Spirit Lake. The first time we stayed overnight in Hannibal then went to Pella Iowa and up. Last time, we went through Herman and up through Fort Dodge Iowa. Iowa has some cool sightseeing stuff.

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        • Last August, we went to Iowa where it wasn’t so hot. We went to Solon where we camped at a COE campground. That was our “base.” From there, we visited Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and National Historic Site. I love stuff like that. We also went to the Amana Colonies. I thought it was so pretty and peaceful. I liked that it wasn’t crowded. There were also lots of bike trails, but we were limited because we didn’t have the bike rack for our car yet. We have talked about spending next August up there and just visiting a bunch of Iowa state parks. I have also thought about following the Mississippi up to its headwaters. There is so much wonderful stuff! This year, we have a big Yellowstone trip planned, but we are planning to not go that far in 2023.

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          • Oh how nice. I haven’t been to the Amana Colonies since I was a kid. I bet that Presidential Library was amazing. I haven’t been to one yet. Oooo, following the Mississippi would be an great trip. A few years ago, I was in Minnesota and saw the headwaters. It was really cool. Wow, Yellowstone. I haven’t been there. It’s a dream to go there one day. In Iowa, have you been to Winterset? That’s where the covered bridges are. We’ve been a couple of times. Love that place. Also, Pella Iowa has a Tulip Festival in May every year, That town is so beautiful, with or without tulips. It has a bakery that is old fashioned. There is always a long line.

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            • Yes, we really enjoyed seeing all the Herbert Hoover attractions. I learned so much! I have not been to the headwaters. Growing up near the Mississippi, it would be a special experience for me to experience it. Neither Dan nor I have ever been to Yellowstone, so we are really looking forward to it. I have not been to Winterset or Pella. I did some research for camping there. Winterset has a county park, and there is a COE campground not too far from Pella (I think.) We like the COE because Dan has a lifetime senior pass, and we can camp there for like $13 a night. We have found COE campgrounds to be clean and very pretty. The best deal around! I also saw there was a lot of bike riding about Des Moines, so that is one of our favorite things to do. Big cities and lots of traffic stress me out. Iowa just felt really relaxing to me. We enjoyed the Amana Colonies. There is a dollhouse museum, but it was closed the day we went there. Dan wants to go back and ride more of the bike trails around there.

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