My first call was from Fran Crawford. She told me about how much her 93-year-old father enjoyed coming in the store and talking about Aubrey during the 1930's. Her father, Herman was in Aubrey visiting and attending the grave side ceremony of a brother who had passed away in South Texas. Herman now lives in Perryton, Texas.

I looked on the 1930 census and Herman lived in Aubrey with his mother, Ettie J., who was 56 years old in 1930. Herman was 17 years old and his occupation was listed as a part-time farm laborer. He was a student in the local school. The location of their home was listed simply as Public Road. According to the sequence of the homes in the census, it looks that the Crawfords lived in the southwest part of Aubrey.

It was during the 1960's, Aubrey’s streets were named. The task of naming all of the streets was taken on by the newly established Planning and Zoning Commission.

While Fran was talking with me on the phone, she asked me to renew her subscription to The Town Charter.

Mr. Crawford is one of several who are more than ninety years old. These folks have good memories of local history and have very keen, sharp minds and are very knowledgeable with trustworthy information about the past. I always look forward to talking with these current and former residents of Aubrey.

The second former Aubrey resident to come in and share previous experiences in Aubrey was Nona Pearl Housden. In looking down the list of Aubrey residents in the 1930 census, it was discovered that her mother and father, Helen (Looper) Housden and Herman Housden were listed as living on a Public Road. Their daughter Imogene lived with them.

Nona Pearl was not listed on the census because the census was recorded in April 1930, and she was born in June 1930.

Herman Housden was 23 years old at the time of the census and Helen was 18. Their daughter Imogene was little more than two years old. The Housden family possessed one of the 21 radios in the city. They paid $5 a month for rent.

Herman’s mother was born in Alabama and his father was born in Missouri. Both of Helen’s parents were born in Texas.

Herman’s occupation was recorded as a deliveryman with various other part time jobs. He was paid $1 per day to pick up mail from several arrivals at the train station and take the mail to the Post Office. He later bought a one horse wagon to help him haul the mail from the train to the Post Office.

The Post Office at that time was located in the far back side of what is currently Jackie’s Hardware store. The Post Office was located next to the bank that occupied the front section of the building.

Herman was too young to serve in World War I, and was therefore not listed as a veteran in the census.

Nona Pearl and I were in the same grade in school. We started first grade together.

I laughed and told her that it had been 65 years since I last saw her family.

One of the more interesting things that Nona Pearl mentioned while she and Wesley Dyer were visiting was about the library. She said that the WPA, a federal project, had been appropriated funds for local projects during the 1930's. Her mother, Helen Looper Housden was the first librarian to organize the library for the public school. She organized the books in the old school building. It was her job to keep the library which was the first that ever existed in the Aubrey school system.

Nona Pearl graciously shared several photos with me, which I will share with you in the next few weeks. One of the photos was of a family reunion held by her mother’s family. The photo was made in the late 1920's.

I promised Nona Pearl that I would enlarge the photo for her so that she could identify all of the family members.

Nona Pearl remembers the family reunion was a local event and one of many that the family held annually.