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John Robert Kendrick
b.21 Jul 1864 Claiborne, Louisiana, United States
d.28 Dec 1938 Claiborne, Louisiana, United States
Family tree▼ (edit)
m. 16 Apr 1845
(edit)
m. 5 Feb 1891
Facts and Events
Daddy told me today that John R. was a great shooter. He enteredmany competitive gunshoots. He owns a double barreled shotgunthat belonged to him. Need to go take a picture of that. JohnR. shot at glass balls in the gunshoot and the winner had to gopick up the lead in order to make new bullets. John R. alsoplayed baseball in the local area team. John R. told him thatwhen he was young that his mother (Martha) wanted him to takesome medicine and he wouldn't do it. His father (Nathaniel)walked over and picked up his shotgun ……..John R took hismedicine.J Another time before going hunting with his brothers….The twobrothers had a few drinks and gave John R. (who did not drink) aspoonful of liquor. When they went out bird hunting John R.shot the most birds of anyone. The two brothers said if he haddrank more he might have shot everything! John R. did not smoke or drink.
Being the child that I was, naturally I thought of him as beinga very old man. Seventy-four no longer seems ancient. He was one of afew "old men" that I knew. They were always of keen interest to me.And still are for that matter. You don't get to see very many. Ihave always enjoyed being around them and listening to their stories. Shill Harris, Elijah Kendrick and Will Camp are others that Ihad the opportunity to be around in my youth. Uncle John R lived alone in his old house beside the big whitewater tank on the road to the Kendrick Cemetery. Almost every day hewould walk the half mile down the fence row to our house. He wouldfrequently eat dinner (lunch) with us and would always "chomp" the ice inhis tea glass. When he came between meals my Mama would get him someice out of our old wooden ice box. He would often sit on the back porchwith my two grand mothers Sarah Lula Adkins Miller and Melinda LeannaParilee Hilburn Kendrick. I can hear him now "chomping" ice. He dearlyloved it. Naturally I was always nearby watching and listening asthey swapped stories and my grand mothers dipped their Garrett snuff. I don't remember whether or not Uncle John R used tobacco. Hewas a pleasant, soft spoken, mild mannered and gentle man as I recall.He was always kind and gentle with me. This is probably why I lovedhim and have these precious memories to share with you. Thanks for the copies of the Camp News. They brought back manymemories of long ago. Some of them over sixty years. The Camp News was written by a gentleman named Lyndon BridgesWilliams. He was married to Gertrude Lewis. She was a sister toSam, Odie, Willie and Levie (Olivia ?). They also had a sisterthat married a Maddox. Mr. Lynn, as we kids called him, was a nice old gentleman. Hewas always neatly dressed and well groomed. He was not fromhere and was therefore a little bit "different" from the rest of us rednecks.He was not wrong mind you, just different. He tried to alwaysbe proper in his speech and manners. This was rare in ourcommunity. He and wife Gertrude lived in a small house about 75 yards NorthWest of the Union Grove Church of Christ building. The buildingis now completely deteriorated with no trace of a house everbeing there. Also, the road has grown up and is no longer visible. Kind ofsad. At one time he had an old barn beside Camp Road with hisinitials L. B. W. painted on the front. Back to his name beingLyndon Bridges, my Daddy and Uncle Nolan always called him"Linen Britches". You may not recall my Daddy, however, I know you remember UncleNolan. They were first cousins on the Hilburn side and Ibelieve second cousins on the Kendrick side. They were best offriends and were very much alike. I can hear them now saying,"Well, it sounds like Linen Britches to me."
Jerry, I too believe your "Elijah" picture is really Uncle John R.Kendrick. When I was a child, Uncle John R. would walk down the fence rowbetween his house and our house. I had two grandmothers living therewith me. Three guesses for their maiden names. Yeah, right. One was aHilburn and the other one was an Adkins. The three would sit out on theback porch of our house and talk. Uncle John R. loved to chew ice.We got ice off a truck every Saturday. Mama would wrap it in an oldquilt and put it it a metal lined wooden box that Daddy and Uncle John Rhad made. I don't know whether Uncle John R.'s profession was a carpenteror not. However, I do remember he and Daddy doing a lot of work togetheron our old house. Specifically, I remember them building the backporch, a wash bench for the water bucket, wash pan and steps. Thecommunity towel hanged on a large nail and clasped by a clothes pin. A barof soap sat on a bent syrup bucket lid that was bent at a 90 degreeangle. One side was nailed to a post supporting the porch. The bar of soapsat on the half lid that protruded from the post. First class job.Fancy farm house. Clean hands and face. Dirty towel. Uncle John R would try and have the ice "chewed down" by thetime next Saturday rolled around. As I recall, he did an excellent job.(:In my mind I can hear him now "chomping" that ice. Also, I rememberhim as a clean cut, well groomed handsome person with a great amount of presence. I loved Uncle John R and cherish my memories of him. Also, if this is Uncle John R, the children being Prentiss andDon would be correct. The older child does favor Willis ClaudeKendrick. However, we know that people do favor. I can look at you andsee your grandmother or I can see you in pictures of her. Strange. Itmight be even stranger if we did not favor. Huh? I will show this to my "older" Sister Katherine Beavers and seewhat she thinks. She is 12 years older than I and might have abetter memory of his appearance. Another thought that comes to mind is to send the photo to Peteand Bill Gentry. They might remember. The house is on the West side of Highway 79 about 1 mile Northof Standpipe Road. It sets about 100 feet off of the road. Arnettand family lived there many years ago. I don't know whether heowned it, leased it or rented it. I only know that he and his familylived there. We used to go up there when I was a kid. I believe thisbig mystery is now solved. Trust yourself! You were right in thefirst place. This is my story and I am sticking to it! Best regards, Gene References
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