Person:Jerry Snell (1)

The first thing that I can remember about my little brother was the green shorts. A nation wide hunting magazine was coming to take his picture for their cover.Mother had made them from green fabric or she had most likely dyed A feed sack.They buttoned on to his white shirt and he looked so very "bright". Mother had scrubbed him until he fairly shone.His hair was combed and his freckles were very visible.That is probably what the photographers wanted to see.The picture was made with our dogs.They were hunting dogs;That is all I can remember.We lived in A very small house in Pocahontas,Ill. Mother "marcelled" womens hair .She put in deep waves.I don't remember what she charged but it was in the middle of the depression so it could'nt have been much.She also read peoples cards.She always got A headache afterward and would go and lay down.Bruce would sing to the old ladies.That is the house that nig, our dog came to live with us.When we had diptheria Jerry was still very small.The move to the farm when he was only 4 or 5 was very hard on him.The walk was long and very cold in the winter.On top of that he and I usually had to carry Margaret's lunch pail as well as our own.Does'nt sound like much but there was no way to keep your hands from freezing while carrying those things.That is why she made us carry them.One day Bruce said the word body and then he carried her lunch pail for many A day or she threatened to tell.After we moved from the farm we all scattered. I have always regretted that we were not able to stay together.Seems like us older ones should have been more protective of our little brother.My only defense is that is not how we were taught.We were pitted against each other; loyalty was not encouraged in our home.Example.One Christmas we each got A chocolate covered cherry.Bruce,jerry and myself scarfed ours down and Margaret saved hers to taunt us.I believe it was Bruce that snitched it the first time her back was turned.Our dad lined us up and when all else failed he had us put our index finger on the table.He came down with the butcher knife,hoping to find the guilty one that way.He believed that the only one that would draw back their finger would be the guilty one.Well,we all drew back our fingers.We were'nt as crazy as he gave us credit for being.Then he started telling us that the devil would get the guilty one.He talked right to Bruce because he was pretty sure that he was guilty.To our credit we never did rat on him but it was'nt because he did'nt try to get us to.Bruce had nightmares over that .Like I said we each one fought for our survival after the farm.The farm was hopeless in that it did'nt produce enough to live on and support our fathers weakness too.However, we were safe there.We had time to be kids.We played hide and seek,we rode horses ,we sat on the cows.We were kids.After the move all hope of ever being A kid again vanished.No one can imagine what that did to us.Right up to the move we hid behind A tree whenever A car came by,which was'nt often.Talk about shy.Jerry had A terrible struggle in Hutchinson,Ks.but I was so busy with my own that I hardly noticed.I guess you could say that he had oats to sow.Sowing those wild oats landed him in A terrible car accident.Burns over most of his body.I can remember going to visit him in the burn center at Harber Hospital and seeing what he went through.I'm sure there were times he would rather that they let him die.But if they had of he would'nt have met his bride.It has to be A credit to our mother that we all turned out to be law abiding citizens.We all have our hang ups but our father placed us on A destructive path.A path that we of ourselves could not have gotten ourselves off of.Barbara was probably Jerry's redeemer.He became A different person after he married her.I don't know that he became A different person;The good person that he was came out.

Wounded But Not Slain

I'm wounded now ,but i'm not slain, I'm bruised and faint they say, Just let me lie and bleed awile, I'll not be long this way. My spirit's low,and my eyes flow, My heart is sad and sore, But when my pen'ent tears are gone, I'll stand and fight some more. I'll bind these wounds,I'll dry these tears, I'll close this bleeding vein, I'll not lie here and weep and die' I'll rise and fight again. 'Twas yesterday,I bowed so low, Was weak from tears and pain, Today I'm strong,my tears are gone, Today I fight again.

Author Unknown

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1. (United States).

   Birth date: Feb 1933Birth place: Residence date: Residence place: Huntington Beach, Orange, California, USA

   http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=people&h=367679235&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service)
   Number: 514-22-8862; Issue State: Kansas; Issue Date: Befor e 1951.

   Birth date: 13 Feb 1933Birth place: Death date: 29 Jan 1999Death place: Huntington Beach, Orange, California, United States of America

   http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=ssdi&h=58577941&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} United States. 1940 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T627).

   Birth date: abt 1933 Birth place: Illinois Residence date: 1 Apr 1940 Residence place: Mills, Bond, Illinois, United States

   http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=1940usfedcen&h=141858014&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt

4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1. (United States).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3} Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index: Death Master File, database. (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service)
   Number: 514-22-8862; Issue State: Kansas; Issue Date: Befor e 1951.

   Reference number: 1,3693::58577941

6. ↑ ^6.0 6.1 California, United States. California, Marriage Index, 1949-1959.
7.   Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees: (Note: not considered a reliable primary source)
   Ancestry Family Trees.

   http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=3095803&pid=-1776226731