By Dickie Dixon

Milestones:  Teresa Terry was born on July 5^th. Luther Alan McCarty and Eleanor (Hinson) Dixon were both born on July 6^th.  Sudie (Dixon) McCarty, the sister-in-law of Luther McCarty, was born on July 7, 1896 in Indian Territory.

Belated birthdays:  June 30^th:  Ron Dixon was born June 30, 1948.  July 1^st:  Rick Cornett celebrated his birthday.

For Posterity’s Eyes:  July birthdays:  5^th:  Hazel Johnson 6^th:  Judy Hale, Jim Burrous  7^th:  Brenda (Terral) Back, Martha Palmer, Ted Lovett 8^th:  Craig Callahan 9^th:  Samantha Whittemore , Christy Foley 10^th:  A. W. Back, Blaine Hermes 11^th:  Linda Garrett, Martha Woods 12^th:  Claire Hermes, Jeffie (Anderson) Oliver

Save the Date (1) Jasper County Genealogy Conference  The Jasper County Historical Commission is pleased to announce the inaugural Jasper County Genealogy Conference on July 19-20, 2018.  From 1-4 p,m. the Conference will help those attending the Conference with their genealogy at the Jasper County Historical Commission Library in the old jail.  The next day, on Friday, July 20^th, area speakers will discuss various topics at hourly intervals.  For more information, please contact the Jasper County Historical Commission or Dickie Dixon. The public can contact the Jasper County Historical Commission Library at (409) 384-6441 or Dickie Dixon at (936) 240-8378.  The public can e-mail the Jasper County Historical Commission at jaspercountyhc@yahoo.com or Dickie at dickie.dixon@hotmail.com

A Building Worthy of the Men Who Met There In the spring of 1990, one weekend while my family and I served as missionary trainees  of New Tribes Mission near Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania,

we visited Independence Hall in Philadelphia.  I was not prepared for the emotions that it evoked within me.

I had always thought the building was a massive, colossal, overwhelming, huge building, and I guess I had imagined that because I had overlaid  modern buildings with their more impressive size on to the building itself.  My family and I did not get to get away often for the weekends from the mission compound where we were training to be a tribal translation family.  We went through the building, and I could imagine the deliberations these men went through to create the two documents it is most famous for:  the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

I began to dwell on the momentous nature of what they did first there beginning on May 10, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress met there to deliberate and finalize details for our government and create the impressive Declaration of Independence.  I had always wondered how they got away with meeting there under the very nose of the British government, and from reading for this column, I think I have found the answer:  Independence Hall was built between 1732 and 1751 as the Pennsylvania State House; so, it would be a customary matter for men to be gathering and coming and going there.

After the approval of the Declaration, it was read aloud to the public in what  is now known as Independence Square.  Now, if there has ever been a doubt that the Founding Fathers had hudzpa, let me do some convincing.  Here they came, probably having paid for the trip, lodging and meals out of their own pockets to undertake a treasonous act:  to write a declaration that would sever them from the British government.  The net effect is:  They were starting a rebellion against the King.  Treasonous acts are punishable by death.  (In my unstudied opinion, only successful rebellions are called revolutions).

Then, when they wrote it, they read it before God and everybody publicly.  That is treason with a capital T.

To conclude:  what impressed me about Independence Hall was that it was a plain vanilla building that housed some men who were far from plain vanilla men.  (I just got goosebumps from thinking about how brave they were!) Say whatever you want, but Independence Hall was worthy of the men who met there!  Happy Fourth of July to our nation!

For book reviews/notices please send a complimentary copy to Kissin’ Kuzzins P. O. Box 151001 Lufkin TX 75915-1001

Send your queries to dickie.dixon@hotmail.com by mail to Kissin’ Kuzzins P. O. Box 15-1001 Lufkin TX 75915-1001 or by phone to (936) 240-8378