Everyone has to be born somewhere. I was lucky to be born in Dr. Goldberg's office in downtown Braymer,Missouri. My parents lived 10 miles outside of Braymer in the McBee Chapel community of Carroll County,named after my Scottish ancestors, the McBee's. I have fond memories of downtown Braymer. For instance I remember when they introduced Dr. Pepper,the softdrink, to Braymer. They put out a cooler with all you could drink bottles of this drink and I drank so much I was sick. I remember when 'Aunt Jemima', a black actress came to Braymer and did a pancake feed to introduce us to her employers pancake mix--she was the first black person I met. I lived in Braymer from my birthdate 4-30-51 until 1957 when we moved to Kansas City but every summer we came back to Braymer to stay on our family farm,nicknamed the Smith Place,after the family who originally owned it. My grandmother,Sara Jane Toomay (Collins/Kepley/Thompson--she liked men) used to have all of us grandchildren come and spend the summer and she would plant a garden and we would spend the summer being wild.
In 1992 I moved back to Braymer,built a house out on the family farm and got to know my family/neighbors around Braymer. It was a great time. I played pitch in downtown Braymer with some of the gang. I got closer with my Uncle Robert and Aunt WIlma Hughson,who have always been like a second set of parents. My mother moved back to Braymer in 1992 also and on to Cowgill in 2002 and later Independence and has had a great retirement. I moved to Las Vegas in 1996 but now live in Iowa but visit Braymer often and still own property there.
I don't know if you have a hometown but if you don't you have missed out. It is a fantastic thing to have a place where everyone knows everyone and you can be relaxed about who you are. My life has been enriched by it. My hometown of 886 people is a great asset. If you don't have a town you feel close to,feel free to get to know mine. Dean Hughson
(click on this picture to see me in my favorite bibs with my mom)
(The music you hear in the background is "Mashed Potatoes" by Dr. C.L. Woolsey, Braymer's famous ragtime composer and a close friend of my Uncle Mike Toomay)
