Genealogy Richard Remmé, The Hague, Netherlands » Joseph Robert Ramsey (1906-1979)

Données personnelles Joseph Robert Ramsey 

• Il est né le 26 juillet 1906 dans Pinckard, Alabama.
• Il est décédé novembre 1979 dans Dothan, Alabama Houston County, il avait 73 ans.

  Oorzaak: congestive heart failure

• Un enfant de Richard Hawthorne Ramsey et Cora Lee Dowling
• Cette information a été mise à jour pour la dernière fois le 4 décembre 2022.

Famille de Joseph Robert Ramsey

Il est marié avec Hilda Pearl Hawkins.

Ils se sont mariés le 3 mai 1935 à Dothan, Al, il avait 28 ans.

Enfant(s):

1. (Ne pas publique)

Notes par Joseph Robert Ramsey

1  AUTH son Joel joined him in law firm
1  AGNC died of congestive heart failure as Alzheimers was progressing

Was nicknamed "Red" by his high school classmates

Written by  son Joel Wardlaw Ramsey:

JOSEPH ROBERT RAMSEY  Born July 26, 1906, on Lena StreetinDothan,Alabama,son of Richa r d H . and Cora (Dowling) Ramsey.  He wasthe third of fourchildren (siblings Cassie, R.H. , J r. , and Frances).

One of Dad's earliest recollections was his first taste of a red pepper.It burned his mouth so badly that he had to get up from the tableand run around the house (today his parents w ould undoubtedly be charged with child abuse).  Despite this bad first experience, Dad alway s liked to eat peppers, radishes and other items too spicy for the restof us.

Dad liked to tell us about how poor his family was when he wasgrowing up (in an effort to make us appreciate how fortunate we were).He had to sell milk from his wagon in the colored section of town.  When the cow "went dry," he had to drive it to the Dowling's farm in Pinckard where it could be put out to pasture.  Once on his way back to Dothan he stopped to fishing a stream and actually caught a fish, but when he took it of fthe hook it flipped back in to the water and got away.

Dad was so excited about going to school that his first day in thefirstgrade (in a buildi n g that still stands and was last used as ahosierymill) he exclaimed:  "oh Boy, oh joy, whe r e do we gofromhere!?"Unfortunately his principal, Claude Pepper (later elected toCongre s sfrom Florida), overheard the remark, called it insubordination,and"nipped it in the bu d " by taking him to the office for a spanking.

The next teacher who mistook Dad's sincerity paid a high price for it.While he was still in grade school, he got sick one day and asked to be allowed to go to the restroom .  Instead his teacher made him come and sit in her lap and ridiculed him in front of the class by pretending to comfort him with remarks like "poor little baby doesn't feel well?"  Young "Joe Robbie" soon proved that he REALLYdidn't feel well by throwing up all over her dress (presumably this was a learning experience for the teacher).

Fortunatelly most of Joe Robbie's school experiences were much happier than that.  Obviously he was a good student and popular,although not an athlete.  In high school he was a cheerleader and president of his literary society and his senior class (the class of 1924).

J. Robert attended the University of Alabama from 1924 through 1929,whenhe earned his L.L . B . degree.  He was a member of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternityand served as manager of the baseball team, thus earning membership in the "A" Club (which gave Dad a high priority for football tickets on those rare occasions when he ordered any).

Dad  practiced law from 1929 to 1979, retiring a few months beforehis death.  Characteristically, Dad waited for his law license to expireonSept. 30th (he wasn't going to quit witho u t getting the full benefitofthat annual license).  He had a general and varied practice . ; Including practically whatever came in the door.  Of course, Dad had an excellent practice , since he really was "an honest lawyer."  He could sincerely say, when asked what he had done that day, "Just tried to do a littlegood in the world."

I'm not sure, but I think that during most of his legal career Dad was as ole practitioner .  However, his first law partner was probably Oscar Tompkins, a colorful and cantankerous fellow who Dad first knew as one of his teachers.  He was also a hobo (better known in those days as "a bum")who "rode the rails" to see the country and " cowboyed,"among other things .  Ho wever, to the extent that Oscar Tompkins is remembered at all in the Houston County Bar Association, it is for his speech: "S.O.B.s I have known in the Houston County Bar Association. "Unfortunately, I wasn't privileged to have heard that speech, but I doubt he mentioned Dad . While they were practicing together, they decided thatt hey would close the ofice early on Saturdays (the usual closing time was noon) and go for rides in the country.  Reportedly that polic y lasted four weeks (long enough for them to travel in each direction).

Fortunately for us, Mother noticed Dad and "set her cap" for him.She"just happened to be walking by" his office at quitting time enough to get him to take her to get a Coke; after that  he undoubtedly never had a chance.Ironically Dad's first experience with Mother's father was not apleasant one: Dad foreclosed the mortgage on the family home (probably the one on the corner of Orange and Powell Streets).However,to hiscredit, Mr. Hawkins had no hard feelings over that, although he didn't consider Dad worthy of Hilda Pearl.

Despite Mr. Hawkins's misgivings, J. Robert and Hilda were married in her parent's home on M a y 3, 1935.  They first resided with Uncle Richard and Aunt Lucille before obtaining their first home at 112 N.Herring.All 5 of their sons were born while they lived there, and their oldest, Joseph Robert Ramsey, Jr., (Bob), (1938-1946) died there after a protracted struggle w ith cancer.  (kidney, ed. note)

The Ramseys built a beautiful new home in what was then still mostly woods, at 800 N. Cherokee , in 1950-51.  They lived there untilall of the boys were grown and married, in 1978.  Mother finally convinced Dad to build a new home, at 3 Danmor and they moved into it in November of that  year.

Getting back to Dad's legal career, his first case was the collection of a two dollar account .  His fee was $1, of which he gave 10 cents to the church.

Dad worked hard on his practice, and he tried to be sure we all understood that money was hard to come by, so we had to save and be frugal.However Phil soon got tired of hearing that sermon.  H enoticed that every day when they picked Dad up in the car after work, he would first go across the street to the Post Office to mail his correspondence.  After hearing one mo r e time how tight money was, Phil finally told him:  "Dad,if you would really work, instead of just writing letters all day, we would have some money."

Despite having a successful law practice, lawyers (and doctors) did not get rich in those da y s.  Dad rarely billed by the hour (his top rate was $25 an hour in 1979), instead he just tried to figure what his servics were worth, and "what the traffic could bear."  He had no complaints that I know of.

Dad acknowledged that he made most of his money from his real estate deals.  His principal r e a l estate acquisition was the"Murphy Estate."This transaction was somewhat involved.  One of Dad's Mother's sisters,Lottie Dowling, married Charles D. Murphy, Sr., a successful businessman but not much of a family man.  In fact, he was so mean that when he died he left most of his estate (which wasconsiderable) to the local Masonic Temple.  The family retained Dad t o file a will contest,and the best lawyers in town became involved on each side.  Finall y the Masons proposed a settlement: the family could choose either the money or the land.  Da d urged the Murphys to take the land,and they did.However,once the case was over with the Murphys had second thoughts,since they couldn't spend the land and it did not produce much income.Dad searched for a buyer, and offered it to everyone who was interested,including his high school classmate, Harry Hall (who invested heavily in Dothan real estate, and subsequently made enough money to start a savings and loan business).  However times were hard and no one was interested in buying the land.  Therefore Dad agreed to purchase it for the amount of the cash the Masons kept, provided the Murphys agreed to finance the sale, which they di d .  Thus Dad obtained the land where most of Cloverdale Subdivision was developed, and numerous other tracts of land in the city and county.  More than half of this property Dad transferred to City Realty Company, which we continued until after Mother's death.

Dad was an old fashioned father.  He saw his role as the breadwinner,and generally left the child rearing to Mother.  She was equal to the task,and believed in the Proverb "spare t he rod and spoil the child."And her spankings never hurt her more than me.  However Dad rarely raised his hand to us.  On one occasion when Ed had exhausted Mother'spatience,Dad intervened and said:  "Let me handle this Mother."Whereupon he gave Ed a stern lecture.  Ed learned from that experience.The next time Mother got ready to send Ed to get a switch, Ed said : "Let's let Dad handle this, Mom." (I doubt that worked, although Ed did get away with a lot ,since he was always Mother's favorite).

A lot of our recollections are centered on the kitchen table, where we took our family meals together.  Dad almost always came home for lunch(except for Mondays, when he went to the Rotary Club).  We would wait awhile for Dad and then go ahead; invariably he would drive up once we started eating.

On one occasion Dad decided to cure Phil and Ed of gluttony.  After he got tired of hearing them repeatedly ask for more dessert, he gave them all the candy that he could find in the house.  However when they got sick that night, Mother was the one who got up to see about them .Dad never tried that with Bill and me.

We all had our regular places at the table.  Bill sat to Dad's right. Once Dad brought a business acquaintance home to eat with us, and the gentleman made the mistake of sitting in Bill ' s place. Bill warned him" "You better not sit there; he (Dad) will eat off your plate."

Dad enjoyed good health most of his life, and was rarely sick.However when we were in Birmingham for Dick Moseley's wedding sometime during the winter of '78-'79, Dad slipped on some ice while walking up an incline at the Ramada Hotel and fell, breaking some ribs.  After his retirement he had cataract surgery.  Nevertheless he seemed to be in good health until Monday , November 20, 1979. ; Dad said he didn't feel well,and missed the Rotary Club meeting, wh i ch was very unusualforhim.That evening he walked over to our house, but I was at a Boy Scout meeting.  When I got home Sharman and I went over and visited with him and Mother for awhile.  After midnight, Mother called to say that Dad couldn't catch his breath, but the paramedics were tending to him,and they were going to the hospital.  She was sure everything would beOK,and she would call me from there.  When she did, Dad was gone.was gone.

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