Robert J. Brothers

< sarhardy -at- erols -dot com >Sarah L. Hardy 
16 Nov 1999

I would love for you to use Grandaddy's letter.  It was written to Elise Brothers Langford.  I have
some of his old letters here.  I will go through them and send you anything that I think might be of
general interest.  He came to live with us in his later years and I remember mealtime as story time. 
How I wish I had paid more attention to his stories. My memories were of all the food being at his
end of the table and not daring to interrupt him to please pass something! He was a real working
cowboy.  I have some pictures of him with the other cowboys and cattle. He was always fond of
Gonzales. He was one of the men who rescued Cynthia Ann Parker. Thank you again, Sarah
Langford Hardy

STORY FOR BIOGRAPHIES, ETC.

Mon, 15 Nov 1999 
From: Sarah L. Hardy < sarhardy -at- erols -dot- com>
I have a picture of Robert J. Brother, and his 3rd wife, Elizabeth F. Aycock, seated, with Charley,
Ben, Belle (daughter of Eliz/R.J.) Frank (son of Eliz/R.J.) and Lee all standing behind them.  The
children were adults in the picture.

I just came across one of Grandaddy's letters written in 1938 to my Mother that might interest
you:

"I am enclosing a clipping from the Gonzales Inquirer.  It is something good for you to keep.  It is
real history and besides that Lee, Charley and myself all stayed at "The Old Braches place" for
about a year, I think it was Apr 1896 to 1897.  Lee and Charley bought 600 cows from Sam
Jones and leased the Braches place (pasture) and kept it a year and shipped to near Muskogee,
Indian Territory, that Spring 1897.  Lee and I stayed up there and shipped and sold everything
that fall and came on back to Texas in November.  Lee bought and shipped 3,000 head to the
Territory that spring (1897) and also pastured 1,000 head for Mr. Bob Alley of Gonzales, and
2,000 head for R. L. Vineyard of Eagle Lake, Tex.  I was the "outside man" and that's where I
learned to read a brand quick and in those days remembered it. (In later years, Grandaddy was
the first brand inspector for the Southwestern Cattlemen's Association.)  Lee bought the Vineyard
steers that fall and made a $2.00profit on them.  He cleared about $15,000 that year.  But back to
"The Old Brache's place", if you go down home have Charley tell you all about it.  It's only a few
miles from where Al and Robert Lee live.  I use to lie down and sleep in daytime under that old
Sam Houston oak tree.  You didn't know Gonzales was burnt during the Mexican War did you?
Speaking of The Old Brache's place, when the stage coach stopped there, my father had was a
$20 gold piece so he didn't eat because he didn't want to pull that on them.  I asked him once it if
was modesty or afraid of robbers - he said a little of both.  That was a long time before the Civil
War."

Please tell me what I need to do to have my grandfather included in the listing of the children of
Robert Jetton Brothers and Sarah A. Norwood on the Brothers Cemetery website. He was a
grand gentleman who was very proud of his family and remained in close touch with Lee and
Charlie's children when he was the last one living of  the four brothers.  Charles Brothers, who
still lives in Gonzales, named his son for Grandaddy. If you could call him or Zora, they would
validate what I am telling you.

Thanks,
Sarah Hardy
5803 Ashfield Road
Alexandria,  VA  22315-4107			

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