Ray Osburn Personal History

From Ray

My mother grew up in Memphis Missouri, my father Hanford, California

My mother loved to sew, 

My father enjoyed playing pool down at the bar on his way home from work. 

When I was young, my father would take me to work with him from time to time. On the way home, we often stopped at Bryces Brown Bottle. There, the owner, and bartender would pay me 1 cent for every time I would rack the balls on the pool table. After earning 15 cents, I could earn enough to buy a can of Lipton Iced Tea. My dad would stay and drink with his buddies, play pool, and do what ever until around 9 or 10 pm, then we would head home. On good nights, I would get dinner before going home.

My father worked building swimming pools, my mother worked for Martin Marrietta, then Gates rubber company - both doing keypunch

I enjoyed Saturday evening with my mother as a kid, we would watch what ever was on TV, and walk to U Totem (convenience store) to spend $1 to get a Quart bottle of Coke, and a candy bar for each of us.

When I was about 3, or 4 years old, I recall camping at Geneva Basin. My dad had a Coors porcelain beer mug that was about a 1/2 ounce. He would give me a beer. While the rest of the men were around the  campfire, I would take the empty beer cans, use a can opener and take the rest of the steel can lid off the can, and put some holes in the side of the can. I would tie bailing wire to it, go down to the stream to fill the can, and come back to the fire to boil the water away. I would do this over and over. 

Best time as a family, was on Sunday evening, we would watch Wonderful World of Disney together. Best is when it was funny, as we would laugh away loudly.

My mother's parents, We went out to their home for usually about four days a year over spring break. This was about 40 miles from Nauvoo. They would give us $5 each (Mindy and I), and we would go to Places 5 & 10 store, and find some great toy to play with. I remember their home, but the thing I remember the most was playing Rook card game. I don't recall much of the game, but they liked to play Rook. We would also watch Hee Haw on what ever evening it was on TV,  I'd say that we went to their house maybe 6 or 7 times total. They never traveled to our home in Denver.

My father's mother lived in her home in Hanford, CA. We drove out there around Thanksgiving of 1970. It was the only time I ever went there, or met my grandmother. My grandfather died in 1966. I never met him. I recall we went to a cotton mill for an impromptu tour, and watched West Side Story some evening we were there. I don't recall anything else about my grandmother. She died in 1971. 

I don't recall any family traditions.

If genealogy is correct, Then on my mother's side, they came across around 1630, in a boat called the Arabella. 

On my father's side, in the early 1800's they were in Greene County, Indiana. It was in the late 1700's that is where the trail ends in Orange County Tennessee. 

My mother worked for IBM (unless incorrect) in SF during WWII.