Sam Charles Craig: Through the Eyes of a Daughter!

My dad wasn't famous or rich, he was just an ordinary man who was far from perfect, but I loved him all the same! He was a hard working country boy who loved to hunt, who loved country music, Hank Williams, an ice cold beer, his family and he loved me!

Daddy was the seventh child born to Sam and Eva  Rivers Craig. He was born August 25, 1937 just as the great depression was coming to an end. He was met by five older siblings, Thelma, Herman, Joe,  Dorothy and Margie. There was another sister that died the year before my dad was born, her name was Helen Ruth and he named me after her. The family was poor, but they managed to get by!

As I started to write this I realized that as much as I know about him, there were things that I still don't know. Dad died in 2005 and as I sit here writing I realized there is so much that I didn't ask! Daddy was the one person that loved hearing about my family research. He would sit with a big grin as I told him about the ancestors I'd found, where they lived, the wars they had fought, and the children they had.
So what was Charlie Craig like as I child! I have a feeling he was a happy child...who loved playing in the woods around his house. I know that his sister Dorothy was the one in charge of making sure he got to school everyday. I remember seeing his report cards and he was an okay student. History was his favorite subject. He also loved to draw and was pretty talented. My grandmother once gave me a notebook full of his drawings. There were horses and race cars...all the things that a young boy might dream of. Unfortunately, I was young and no one made sure that I took care of these drawings. Oh how I wish I could go back and rescue them from the trash heap they most likely ended up in.

As a child, some of his best friends were his cousins and they would remain close all his life. Robert Tyler was dad's 1st cousin once removed and he and dad stayed in touch until the day he died. Another best friend was his 1st cousin Kenneth Rivers. Dad was also close to all of his brothers! It's a connection and a friendship  that is hard for me to explain. I'm an only child and it's hard to imagine that bond.

Dad joined the Navy when he was only 17 years old. But the country boy was homesick for his family and he returned home to Louisiana the first chance he got. Once he returned home he met my mom and they were married in November 1957. I came into the picture in September 1958. When I was born dad was attending the local trade school and learning how to be a carpenter. Later on he would go to work for the local sawmill.

We were also poor when I was growing up...but my dad and my mom provided everything I needed. Mom didn't work, she was a housewife which was the norm in the 60's. A time when meals vets cooked everyday and eating out was a rare occasion. I remember every Saturday going to the next town and buying groceries for the next week. I remember wearing the clothes mom made and clothes from the Sears Roebuck catalog. Dad worked hard to provide for us!

Eventually with some prodding from mom, dad took a few mail order courses (I guess that is the terminology)...The courses were for reading blueprints and creating estimates to build what was on the blue prints. Dad was pretty good at it and in time he went back to work as a carpenter. Later he would become a subcontractor and have his own crew. He did well for a while.

By this time, I was grown and married and in time, my parents would eventually separate. There were a few years that I was estranged from my dad due to his drinking...but in the end we repaired our relationship!

I've started my blog to reach out to family, to hopefully connect with others searching the same ancestors as mine. I hope that my research and the things that I've learned will help others in their own searches. But I wanted to write down my memories of my dad so you could get to know the man that instilled this love of ancestors...and to put in writing so my own children and grandchildren and the future generations will know a little bit about him! Because with all the information I've found on my ancestors, sometimes I feel like I only know statistics and I don't know what was in their heart!

For any of my cousins and folks in our hometown of Zwolle, Louisiana; please feel free to add your memories of my dad in the comment section! I would love to hear them, Also, please follow my blog so you can be notified when I add to it!