Gus Keasler - 1

Every once in a while I get an itch to work on our family genealogy. To complete a file and tie loose ends together. Gus Keasler is one of those loose ends.

This picture sat on a side table in my grandmother's living room at 2308 East Seventh Street. I knew it from the time I was little. When Granny died it moved to Mama's living room. A few years ago Mama gave it to me and it sits in our living room.

I don't remember when or who told me "that's your Mama's daddy." No one ever said, "that's your grandfather."

Jack Baer, "Dad Jack" , ws my grandfather. I was old enough to sort it all out - I had [lenty of help from Granny.

Gus Keasler was Granny's first husband - mama's daddy. He died when Mama was only 15 months old - and "I like to never have gotten over it." By the time she told me about it, twenty -five years later, she went to Elmwood Cemetary to see Gus only on Sundays - not every day of the week. I often went with her. Mama, too. It was a Sunday outing. To ride out and see "Mama's daddy."

When Mama was eight years old, Granny met and married Jack Baer. My aunt Punny, Mama's younger sister, was Alice Baer. Mama was Louie Keasler.

I never really knew much about Gus' story until I was bitten by the "Genealogy bug" about 15 years ago. First I had bare bones of names and dates for the South Carolina Keaslers and then I pieced together some of his story.

Much of the story had been available to me all along. I just had never asked for it. Isn't that the way it goes.

This month I am going to write out some of those pieces - much like taking out quilt scraps - and bring out Gus Keasler, my grandfather. I am doing it on the blog hoping some of the family will read it and meet him.