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Note: Carl grew up with in Locust Valley in Quakake. My Dad, Carl's son Arthur, showed me the Quakake Volunteer Fire Company in Aug. 2002 which he explained was a converted one room schoolhouse where his father Carl attended for a little while as a child. After marrying, Carl lived most of his adult life with his family in Lofty, PA, a small patch town in between Tamaqua and Hazleton off Rt. 309. Lofty was originally known as Summit Station (see note #3). He worked as a signal maintainer (see note #1) for the Reading Company on the same railroad tracks next to his home and up and down the line from Lofty. My Great Aunt Eleanora told me he took correspondence course to learn signal maintenance-- hi-tech assembly so he could get a job as a signal maintainer for higher pay (2). That correspondence course was his diploma from the L.L. Cooke School of Electricity. Prior to being stationed by his home in Lofty, Carl had been at New Ringgold and also East Mahanoy Junction territories, according to my father (5). Before working in signal maintenance, Carl worked on the section gang that maintained the tracks near Lofty, where there is a picture of his crew from a Reading Railroad employee publication showing Carl with presumably a shovel in hand at far left in conversation with his Foreman Miles Ervin with the rest of the crew looking on. In addition to fixing signals, part of Carl's responsibilities included testing and repairing track switches. His job was a solitary undertaking that Pop often had to do for long hours in the middle of the night if necessary. At times my Dad said that Pop would take him along with him. On more than a few occasions, Pop would find people who had met unexpected deaths, having once found a bloated and blue corpse in the Lofty Dam or having stumbled across a group of soot blackened or carbonized hobos who had apparently accidently died in a run-down home by the fireside due to carbon monoxide poisoning or smoke inhalation and subsequent incineration. My Dad also mentioned that his father Carl discovered a corpse in a water tower, but not in his Lofty territory (5). These tales made for the kind of macabe and spooky yarns that Pop loved to tell. Carl was from a PA German Protestant (Lutheran) family belonging to the "White Church" in Rush Township where his parents are buried. His son Arthur (my father) told me his father's marriage to a Byzantine Catholic and Slovak did not particulary go over well with his father Harry Samuel and this had cooled their relationship somewhat. He would go to visit his mother Phoebe from time as they were close and had similar easy-going personalities, in contrast to his father's who was more stern by some accounts and probably a more quiet man. I was told by several relatives on his side that his mother-in-law was over-zealous and could be overbearing. Carl was not a outwardly religious man of any sort. He was very independent minded. I'm certain that the tension that religion created in his life did not help in this regard. Carl or "Pop-Pop," as he was later known to his grandchildren by way of his son Arthur and daughter-in-law Patricia, was a well-loved man by most all he met. Pop-Pop was a gifted storyteller, as my mother Patricia would sometimes bribe him with a hair brushing so he would tell stories of his days working for the Reading Company. Carl had a full head of curly hair even into his late years. Anyway, for recreation, he loved playing pool on his table and he taught me a few tricks as a child. He'd sometimes hint at having to use his pool skills to hustle other guys for money back in the days of the Great Depression. My Mom told me she did not think Pop went to school too many years and questioned his ability to read. She believed that he hid his illiteracy and knew he did take a literacy correspondence course she believes his wife Margaret helped him with that she believed he not successfully complete. I believe I was also told that Pop was color blind, but not certain about this. On Carl's favorite foods-- I wanted to include some content on the things my Pop loved to eat. Great Aunt Eleanora told me when Pop-pop Carl would visit she and Kenny's home they'd make him fried ham w/ potatoes, milk gravy and cabbage, a PA dutch dish he loved. They'd always make sure that they had candy too as Pop had a "sweet tooth," according to Great Aunt Eleanora. As a child, I remembered he ate quite a lot of Cream of Wheat and noticed there was also Goldfish crackers in the house. More on Carl's personality-- See also Footnote #2 (personal accounts). I knew my family thought of our Pop-pop as a very special guy, one who could get the whole room in laughter and someone people would gravitate toward. He had a lot of charisma and could tell a great story. I only began to realize how loved and admired he was until I spoke to people on his side of the family, his nieces and sister-in-law. It left me with the overall impression was that Pop-pop Carl was a very well-liked, popular guy in his family. My Great Aunt Eleanora described him as happy-go-lucky (2). In a phone interview with Jean Ritter (nee Brobst), Carl's niece, I asked her what she knew about my Pop-pop Carl and she said she remembered him well. She said he was the kind of guy that brought everyone up around him and was a joy to be around. She told me that Carl and wife Margaret were the kind of couple "that were meant for each other." She remembered listening to the banter that they had between them when she was a child and said her impression was that she could not imagine two people more in love than they were. She also confided that Pop desperately wanted to leave the home in Lofty that they shared his mother-in-law to live in the Valley (Quakake) with his wife Margaret and his family, but his wife would not leave her mother. She suggested subtly that my Dad's Baba (Margaret's Mother) was in their business a lot and that Carl had trouble being told what to do by her. She also told me from personal knowledge/experience that Baba would talk incessantly of religion and she was a little over the top with it, being careful to mention that one's personal beliefs are important but that she was a little over zealous. She also mentioned that Pop had built a home in the Valley for them to live in but Margaret wouldn't go-- she couldn't give me a beat on the time he did this but I late found out from conversation with Eleanora Brobst and Margaret Fegley that this was around the time he retired, so probably long after Baba had passed away. Generally she had a lot of praise for my Pop-pop and she and Eleanora, and Margaret were very much understanding of Pop and defended him later taking up a girlfriend and moving on after Aunt Mary Lou moved with Grammy to Florida. (3) I note here that Eleanora would die before I was able to talk to her again about my Pop. I was glad to learn what I did from her. My Mom also said at some point Grammy wanted to leave Lofty (probably after her mother passed or shortly before) but then Pop-pop wanted to stay to inherit the properties that would be left to them. So, they had flip-flopped (I was told from Pop's family that he wanted to leave Lofty and his mother-in-law behind while Grammy would not leave her mother), Grammy may have wanted to leave some bad memories behind and Pop-pop probably figured there was no use in leaving at that point as the damage had already been done to his family relationships. My Mom told me that all of Pop's siblings got money or some other substantial inheritance from Harry but Pop was only left a used car. I surmised this may have been due to more than just favoritism but also that his perception may have been that Pop married well in the sense that he was better off than his siblings in many ways and that it was done more on a need basis. Some of Elmer's kids and possibly Howard's (Jean) lived with Harry and Phoebe, which may have indicated some harder times for them (4). My Mom confessed that living with Baba was no picnic, so I think when I relayed what Jean had said about her to me, that the prospect of no one coming around their Lofty home from Pop-pop's family made more sense to her. I also thought that really my in-laws and parents really don't often come up to my home to see me on the spur of the moment, so I wondered if there was some phenomenon going on or inherited behavior. She said Grammy eventually would take Baba's meals upstairs to her at home and she'd rarely come down. She was very much into other's business and she said she nagged and criticized everyone a lot. She also made a lot of talk of how you spent your money. My Mom said she would let her husband smoke in the house so he built himself a shed out back where he'd spend a lot time. My Mom told me that he had chased Baba around the house one time with a knife he had grown so fet up with her for some reason-- of course my Mom said this in a joking manner. My Mom mentioned that Baba had a sister named Anna who had married twice and that she liked the second one [husband] better (jokingly). She said Anna was totally the opposite of Baba in her personality. She did say that Baba was awefully fond of my Dad (4). Carl's daughter Mary Lou and her family lived in the adjoining house for many years helping with the care of his wife Mary Magdalena "Margaret" who had the severe form of diabetes. Son Arthur (my father) and his family had lived in the adjoining house and also the house behind Carl's for a number of years in the until moving to Catasauqua, PA in 1967. Carl was separated from his wife when Mary Lou had moved with her family and his wife to Pensacola, FL. I believe that Carl did not wish to spend his last days away from the land he had known and did not go to Florida. His wife died there not long after moving there and is buried there. Carl eventually moved back to Barnesville, PA, close to where he had grown up. In Barnesville, he lived with a girlfriend, a nurse named Peggy. Eleanora said Pop had two girlfriends after moving to Barnesville, they couldn't remember the first one and the second was Peggy Kearn, they said. Also said Peggy wanted Pop's driver's license as a keepsake which I showed them which is in my possession. Her unsavory relative (brother I think) "Horse" who squatted on Pop's land with a trailer they said was into some criminal activity like running a chop shop. This was the character Pop had problems getting rid of and who with Peggy tried to take everything Pop had when he died. (2) According to my Mom, cousin Kevin Allen Brobst was brave enough to testify against the character of Horse and she always wanted to thank him properly before he passed suddenly. Amazing thing about Pop was that he smoked up to three packs of filterless Camel cigarettes a day, and he'd always remind you that he was never sick a day in his life. My sister Carla said she did not think he smoked that much. Pop died on September 3, 1984 of a heart attack after being taken to Coaldale hospital. His official time of death was 1:35 a.m. and was 74 years old, according to documentation in his will's file at the county courthouse. He still lived in Barnesville at the time. He did die at a younger age than most of his siblings, which may have had something to do with his smoking habit. I remember attending his funeral. His ashes were cremated in accordance with his final wishes. His ashes are purported to be buried beside his wife, my Grammy, in Pensacola. All of his final wishes, as far as I am aware, were respected and carried out by my mother and father with the assistance of the minister officiating at his funeral. These belong to three places: Locust Lake, in the backyard of 519 Kurtz St. in Catasauqua, and I believe at his Lofty home, but not sure about the last one. The house that Pop Pop Carl and Grammy lived at in Lofty was later taken by the county or local government for back taxes owed on the property by my Aunt Mary Lou. It was eventually purchased by "Pepper" Tomlin for just a few thousand dollars as I was told by my Mom. In November 2005, the house was set on fire by an irate boyfriend of a woman Pepper had taken in with his family to get away from this man. The McAdoo Fire Company had arrived on the scene to put out the fire in the middle of the night with the family barely escaping. The damage was so extensive that what was left of the structure had to be raised. The fire was set by the irate man in the middle of the night but amazingly no one pressed charges against him for what amounted to attempted murder. At my astonishment, my Mom stated that if you want to commit a crime, Schuylkill County is a great place to get away with one. It was sad for me that the house was gone, but it was in serious disrepair and was not kept up by the owner for years. My father also stated that his memories in that house were not exactly filled with joy. As my Dad recounted, he couldn't wait to get out of there, so he had little sentimentality. I told him that it was important for me as it was the primary place I knew of Pop-pop. I wished I had been in the home one last time. My older siblings had lived there for several years of their lives so they had really had some attachment insofar as memories. My memories were mostly of past visits. We left that house when I was about 16 months old. I learned from cousin Jeanne (Ritter) Damon that his brother Howard called him "Windy" which may have been a nickname that family had for him. They called Howard "Honey" for some reason. My parents, Art and Pat Brobst, verified these monikers. These two played baseball together and it may have been "Windy" for Carl for missing with his bat or because he was a talker. Howard was regarded as a good looking gent so he may have gotten "Honey" for his looks or maybe because he was a really good pitcher from what I was told. SOURCES: 1. Numerous interviews with my father Arthur H. Brobst and mother Patricia L. Brobst (nee McCann) starting about 2000-2002. 2. Interview with Eleanora DJ Brobst (nee Bachert) 5/30/2003 in Still Creek at her home at 711 Fairview. 3. Phone interview with Jean Ritter (nee Brobst) 5/29/2003, she was living in Quakake at 37 Heckman St. 4. Brobst, Thomas N. Phone conversation with mother Pat Brobst June 9, 2003 abt. 8:00pm. 5. Conversation/interview with parents Pat and Art Brobst on 11/10/2005 at Brobst household at 519 Kurtz St. Catasauqua. FOOTNOTES: 1. As a signal maintainer, he was on call at all hours of the day and night to fix problems with the signals and with the tracks. He traveled the tracks on a steam-powered motorcar using a lantern at night. He'd often talk of the time he had found the corpse of a hobo in a seldom-used station house or the time he had to fish someone out of the dam near Quakake who had drowned. These stories often reflected the kind of duties his job had required that were far from glamorous. He had a sense of pride for doing things most others did not have the stomach for. 2. Personal accounts: "A wonderful, loving man with a delightful sense of humor," states his granddaughter, Carla Thomas. "I remembered Pop as big, jovial man with a booming smoker's laugh and a big red nose, kind of like Santa Claus without the beard. I'd also remembered a story my Mom would tell about Pop capturing a snake that had found its way into their backyard in Lofty. He was quite a charmer with the ladies. Funniest story I heard about him was when a Barnesville man in his 30s had mistaken Pop's harmless flirtations with his significant other as 'making moves.' When the man had confronted and threatened Pop, he took the man down to the ground, and as Pop recounted the story, 'I took one more drag off my cigarette, then I finished him off.' Pop was over 70 at the time. I don't think he feared anyone or anything." -- grandson Thomas Brobst 3. Original name of the town of Lofty was Summit Station. "Summit Station received its name from its situation at the highest point on the Catawissa Railroad, 1,547 feet above the sea level. It is built upon the tract of Messrs. Stauffer and Lindner. A store was kept at this place by John Anderson, civil engineer for the Catawissa Railroad Company, to supply those employed in grading the Catawissa Railroad and constructing the tunnel at Summit from 1835 to 1838, when it was closed. This was the first store kept in the township. In 1854 Jacob Gardner built the Summit Hotel. This was a very important stand in its early days. Previous to the completion of the Quakake Railroad, connecting with the Beaver Meadow and Hazleton roads, Summit was one of the most important points of travel on the Catawissa Railroad. Large quantities of freight were daily shipped at this station for Hazleton and vicinity. A large quantity of freight and coal transported over the Catawissa Railroad is weighed at this station. It contains the only post-office and store in the township. The post-masters were A. Henrahan and Abraham Focht. The store was built by H.H. Roth, of Philadelphia, in 1879, and has quite a large trade. The most prominent and influential residents are Abraham Focht and Frank Kentner. The former is the present land owner, and in 1879 built an addition to the village of a number of houses." SOURCE: Munsell's History of Skuylkill County, pp. 223-24 4. Information on Carl's last legal driver's license in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Birth date: 02-04-10 Restrictions: L (must where corrective lenses) Driver number: 01973890 License expires on: FEB 29 1984 CARL F. BROBST BOX 454A LOCUST VLY BARNESVILLE, PA 18214 5. Obituary in Allentown Morning Call: CARL F. BROBST:[FIFTH Edition] The Morning Call. Morning Call. Allentown, Pa.: Sep 4, 1984. pg. B.06 CARL F. BROBST Carl F. Brobst, 74, of Locust Valley, Tamaqua R.D., died Monday in Coaldale Hospital. He was the husband of the late Magdalene (Kostition) Brobst. He was a signal maintainer for the former Reading Railroad Co. before retiring. Born in Quakake, he was a son of the late Harry S. and Phoebe (Bachert) Brobst. Surviving are two sons, Arthur of Catasauqua and Harry S. of Great Falls, Mont.; a daughter, Mrs. Mary Lou Eisenhart of Pensacola, Fla.; four brothers, Charles of Still Creek, Tamaqua R.D., Elmer of Quakake, and Kenneth and Howard, both of Ginthers, Tamaqua R.D.; 11 grandchildren and seven great- grandchildren. Memorial services will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Davis-Roche Funeral Home, 237 E. Broad St., Tamaqua. Subject: Re: Descendents of Harry Samuel Brobst Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2001 21:19:50 EST From: BTLENUT@@aol.com To: tbrobst@@agere.com Pop was so cool and so much fun. He died in Coaldale Hospital officially but he may have been dead before he reached the hospital. He went into congestive heart failure at home and called Peggy and/or Horse for help. The money from his Social Security check mysteriously disappeared somewhere in there. I'm sort of surprised Mom and Dad didn't tell you this but maybe they want to forget the misery. Peggy lived down the road with her sick husband and they were all friends. Pop had lots of friends up there who he called "old plugs like me" and when he'd go to hang out with them he'd say he was going to "loafing headquarters." When Peggy's husband died he continued the friendship and I suppose you could call her his girlfriend but she really used him. Horse was either her nephew or her neice's husband. Pop had a longterm tenant in the larger house on his land and when they moved out somehow Peggy suggested this crew of her scummy relatives from Philadelphia. There was another relative living in a trailer on the land too (although that could have been Horse and his family too, my memory is a little fuzzy on that). They had a thirteen-year-old daughter who would visit with Pop until the day she told him that if she wanted, she could "cry rape" and get him in trouble. That was the last time he allowed her in his house. He t! old me this himself. Horse later said he wanted to buy the propery. Taxes were about $1000 per year and it was tough for him to pay so Pop said OK. No agreement was ever signed; no money changed hands. Horse went ahead without permission and tore down the front house and put a modular on it. Cheri knows quite a bit about this scumbag. He was running a chop shop and eventually was arrested. We were very close to each other. I used to call him pretty often and drive up every month or so once he moved onto his land. Marylou took everything from the house in Lofty except for a couple of small pieces of furniture and the brass bed that I have now. She wanted that too, for Mariel, but Pop sat on it and told he had promised it to me and she'd have to move him off it to get it. That's why I have it now. I consider it Pop's blessing. I miss him every day. Marylou also took all the household money except for $20. Pop was lucky that he had the houses in Barnesville or I don't know what he would have done. The house he lived in was very small but it was cosy and I loved visiting him there. We would sit and watch TV or sit outside on the swing or walk around a little. Pop loved sweets so I would usually bake him a pie, which he would eat immediately. About a month or so before he died, he wanted to show me where his parents were buried, which he did. I don;t remember if little Carl was buried there but I do remember Pop telling me that his grave was moved some time at least a year after he died and the people who moved it opened the coffin to look at the baby. Pop didn't look. Kevin was close to Pop too, although I never seemed to cross paths with him up there. Kevin named his son Karl after Pop. When I was about 28, I told Pop that if I ever had a son, I would name him after him. His face lit up, then he said (laughing), "I'm not holding my breath, Honey," Anyway, Chris's middle name is Carl, after Pop. It was important to him, naming children after him. The two children he had named after him both died and that's why I'm named after him. I remember watching TV on Pop's lap every Sunday night when I was little. It was the warmest, most comfortable spot in the world and he was perfectly content to have me there through Walt Disney and Bonanza. I left when Gunsmoke came on; not my thing. Pop would come home from work in the evening after dark and would be surrounded by grandchildren. He had a trick with his false teeth where he would make them clatter in his mouth. That was always good for hysterical laughs. He would have dinner, often something like pretzel soup(pretzels in hot milk) or a big bowl of Puffed Rice. After dinner he would sit on a high stool in the kitchen sometimes and Cheri or I would comb his hair into silly styles. He would give us a 50 cent piece, which bought an awful lot of candy in those days. Pop loved having his hair combed. It was thick, wavy and beautiful and he may have been a little vain about it. Pop called all the boy grandchildren "McGee" and all the girls "Honey." He had lots of funny things he said and liked humor that was a little raunchy. For instance, if one of the kids had grown a lot, he would ask him if he put his feet in horseshit. He liked fat women and he said that he liked a woman who could give him shade in the summer and block the wind in the winter. He wasn't a fan of pornography; he said "why should I watch them? Let them watch me!" I could go on and on but I've been doing this long enough. I need to get off . Sleep well. Carla
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