HMC Family Association

Brian and Johanna Hewitt and family with Jean Kerr swapping tales in Storytelling Area

At the 2008 Reunion a storytelling area was set up to encourage the swapping of “yarns” and eavesdropping. Several mystery items of “old technology” were set out to challenge the memories of the storytellers.

Brian Hewitt told a wonderful story of his grandfather and a chunk of wood.

When I was about 15 to 16 years old (1979-1980), I was “cleaning out” the old hip roof barn on Greenwood Road. My Grandfather, Derrell Hewitt, as was his custom, sat in an old wooden chair and carefully watched my every move. (My Grandfather was a Depression era farmer and saved everything in ‘tidy little piles’ all about the barn, shop, basement, etc.)

I threw a block of wood with a hole in it into the tractor loader bucket bound for the burn pile. When my Grandfather loudly protested, “Hey Kid, you don’t even know what the Hell you got there!” I retorted, “Oh, yes, I do. It’s an oak block with a hole in it!”

He said, this was “my Dad’s hammer that built this barn!”

Today, the hammer head still hangs by Great Grandpa’s old surge vacuum pump where he milked his prime Jersey cattle. To me the moral of this story is we cannot put value solely based upon our own assessment, as that wooden block is one of my favorite family heirlooms.” — Brian Hewitt 8/3/2008

[Henry & Elizabeth Matheny Hewitt > Daniel Matheny Hewitt > Guy Glenn Hewitt > Derrell D. Hewitt > Richard Hewitt > Brian Hewitt]

Louis Rodge (a William S. Cooper Descendant) and Dorothy Coombs auctioning baby sweaters made by Elma Hewitt

Thank you to Lesta Kneebone, Elma Hewitt, Joanne Shipley, Marian Robertson, Fran Gilchrist, Jim and Lori Sherwood, Susan Young, Pam Johnston and Mel Moss for your generous donations and to all others who donated to and purchased from the auction and raffle last year.  If you donated and your name did not get recorded, please let us know at newsletter@hmcfamily.org.  We do want to thank you.

If you have ideas for things you would like to see donated for this year, send them to treasurer@hmcfamily.org or drop a note to Louis Rodge.

Be sure to bring a donation for the oral auction or raffle this year.  In the spirit of reskilling, think about donating any knitting, sewing, canning, woodworking, etc. supplies, books, or tools that might be extra for you but a great start for someone wanting to learn.

If you or someone you know has a business, or has turned a hobby into a little extra cash to get them through this rough economy, donating a sample can be a good way to publicize your product or service.  It’s also a good way for us to get to know each other better.

Toby Williams, 2008 Daniel Matheny Hewitt Challenge Champion

The winner of the Daniel Matheny Hewitt “Two Hops and a Jump” competition, a new event inaugurated by Brian Hewitt at the 2008 Reunion, was Tobias Williams, a James Andrew Hewitt descendant.  Toby covered 28 feet, 8 inches in two hops on one foot and then a jump on two feet in succession after (but not including) a running start.  The event, which was an Olympic track and field event, is now called the Triple Jump and was one of Brian’s great-great-grandfather, Daniel Matheny Hewitt’s claims to fame.  Brian’s kids were among the contestants.

Toby humbly admitted he was a track star in school.  Due to his incredible performance, other competitors have asked for the 2009 competition to be by age brackets.

[Henry & Elizabeth Matheny Hewitt > James Andrew Hewitt > Sylva Hewitt Kerr > Margaret Kerr Farris > Elizabeth Malone > Sharmi Williams > Tobias Williams]