Family:Franklin Rude and Blanche Lambert (1)

Frank was most certainly named after the son of a friend of his father. In the 1850 census there is a Nathaniel B. Buxton in the neighborhood of Barzilla Rude (he appears immediately before the Rood entry). He was 24 years old and had a son named Franklin Buxton, the first and middle name of Franklin Buxton Rude. Frank's obituary indicates a nickname--Bussey.

For a number of years Frank cleaned outhouses and plowed up gardens in the spring. This was a source of shame for his sons who were very reluctant to talk about their dad's occupation. Apparently Frank was a hard worker and made the best of the fact that he could not read or write.

In spite of Frank's status in the community, he was respected by one of the most important men in Southern Indiana. Jack Morgan, the top man at Morgan's Packing Company in Austin, had great respect for Frank and responded to a call for help. The story, as told by Frank's son James, relates to James' attempt to get a position with the U.S. postal service in 1930 as a letter carrier. He made a perfect score on the civil service exam, but the runner-up with a slightly lower score was to be offered the position. Frank took James to see Jack Morgan and explained what was happening. Morgan responded by pulling strings to get James appointed to the job threatening to pull his support for the Republican Party if James didn't get the job. Lucille Rhude, James' wife, confirmed the story.