Family History

A pathway to Paul James Essex

Born: 17 Dec 1914 in Augusta, Ky.

Mother: Mary Elizabeth Glaser

Father:  Paul Essex

Married: 19 Jun 1944

Died: 26 Jan 1991 in Felicity, Ohio

Milestones: Moved to Ft. Lauderdale at age 11; graduated from Ft. Lauderdale High School in 1932; moved back to OH working for Liggett and Myers Tobacco Co.; enlisted in 1942; captain in 1945.​

Paul James Essex was born in Augusta, Kentucky, on December 17, 1914,  the son of Paul Essex of rural, Ohio, and Mary Glaser Essex of Neville, Ohio. He died at age 76 on January 26, 1991, at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.

At the time of his death, he was a resident of Felicity, Ohio, but during his lifetime, he had lived in several other places. When he was 11 years old, the family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School in 1932.

The family returned to Ohio shortly thereafter, and he worked for Liggett and Myers Tobacco Company and attended Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky.  In 1942 he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and rose to the rank of Captain by 1945. He served as a Company Commander and saw overseas duty in New Guinea and the Philippines. During the War, he met Dorothy Dee Moore at Moose Lake, Washington, and they were married June 19, 1944. After the war, Paul and his family moved to a farm on Saltair Road near Bethel, Ohio, where they lived until 1989.

From 1948 to 1975, Paul was employed by the Department of Agriculture, Tobacco Division. He began as an inspector, and when he retired, was the Regional director for Burley Tobacco Inspection, headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. He supervised over 300 personnel in ten states and was recognized for outstanding federal service.

He enjoyed his work for many reasons, among them the fine people he grew to know as he traveled in the Southern states from Maryland to Florida to Missouri. He also enjoyed seeing new places; he and his wife visited most of the continental United States.

Paul was a member of the American Legion for many years and a longtime supporter of the republican party. He was intensely interested in national and international politics, and he was an avid reader of history and literature.

He had a deep respect and love for the land he lived on and farmed. He frequently said we are caretakers of our land, not owners, and we should leave it in better shape than we found it. He enjoyed most outdoor activities including golf, hunting, and fishing, and led his children and grandchildren to share that enthusiasm.

He was devoted to his family, a loyal and loving husband, father and grandfather. 

Narrative about Grandpa Paul written by Grandma Dee.:

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Paul arrived back in Sprague, Washington, for his first meeting with his baby daughter.

He was a delighted father.  He helped my mother with the grocery store until she could find a manager.  We then started back to Ohio (by way of San Francisco where we picked up Bab) and made the long trip “on Route 66”.  

Mom and Dad Essex (Mary and Paul Sr) and Ruth had moved into the house on the farm on Saltair Road and had begun renovation.   To give an idea of the job they had undertaken the house

was listed in the tax “books” as uninhabitable.  They more or less camped as they tackled

the most necessary jobs.  The first thing they did was prepare a room for Paul and me (Dee) and

the baby (Mary Jane); it was the big bedroom upstairs on the west side of the house.  They did a beautiful job, even re-tiling the fireplace.  We were warmly welcomed.

Paul was so happy to be back in Ohio and living on that little farm.  He and his sisters

bought it as a family farm while he was in the Army Air Corp so they each owned a third.  It was spring

and time to take care of the tobacco bed and plow the garden space and plant the corn.

He was happy!  He really wanted to just be a farmer.  Unfortunately, he had no farm

equipment and no money to buy any.  But, if he had the money, there was no equipment\

on the market because the factories had not yet changed over from manufacturing war

equipment to making agricultural and industrial and domestic machines.

Paul decided he would farm during the growing seasons on our small acreage and would be a  tenant farmer on more acreage.  He would then work for the USDA (United States

Department of Agriculture) as a tobacco inspector during the Burley tobacco sales which

are in the winter months.  In order to do that he bought some horse-drawn equipment and

a team of horses.  We sold our 1937 Packard convertible to buy that and bought Aunt

Louise’s old car (very old car) for transportation  There’s really a lot more to that story--

nothing is ever really simple, is it?

Okay! Here’s more of that story.  Paul arranged with Uncle Albert (Aunt Louise's husband) to mow and house his hay for half of the crop.  He took his team and mowing equipment and cut the hay and

left it to cure until the next day.  He got a crew together to help him rake and load the hay

on the wagon to take into the barn.  One of the crew drove the team and wagon to the field while he took the rest in the car which he parked in the open gateway to the field.

They had the first big load of hay on the wagon, they all climbed on the load and headed

for the barn to put it in the loft.  

All was well until something “spooked” the horses  and they ran away – scattering people

and hay as they went.  They headed straight for the gate.  The car there didn’t stop them.

One ran on each side of the car and the wagon tongue went right through the middle,

clear through the radiator, and into the steering wheel.  It did stop the horses!

There were a lot more episodes during the few years we stayed with the plan for farming with the winter months for tobacco markets.  There was much more good than bad but none of it was very profitable.  It was during that time we started building our small house right up the road from Paul's parents, that later was expanded into the split level that many of you will remember.  The original house was pretty small.   That took a long time because we were trying to pay for building supplies as we

were ready to use them.  We had one and four-ninth children when we started and had

two and seven-ninths when we moved in.  Kathy arrived about eighteen months later.

We had built a two-bedroom house so we started adding on right away and finished the

attic  for bedroom space for the girls.  That all took time.  We were crowded.  Forgot to

mention that Paul built the house,  with help from his uncle, Charlie Glaser. a carpenter, and occasional hired workers, and then whatever friends wanted  to help and had a little time. As I said before, when Paul decided he could do something, he did it.  He did it well enough to be a sturdy shelter.  One problem, of course, was that when he made that decision it was not always as soon as I wished he would do that something.  Oh, well!

When Paul and Ruth and Bab divided the property, Paul had just under forty acres and

the huge old barn.  The land had been abused by tenant farmers (as had the house) and

needed to be restored.  That was a challenge for which Paul was ready..  He had  been

reading a book (can’t remember the name) about a situation so similar and which 

described everything that was done to bring the land back.  Paul did that with our small

farm.  As I said, if Paul decided to do something, he did it!

Oh, he was angry one fall!  It was the first year after we moved to Lexington when he

was Director of the Burley tobacco region’s Production and Marketing Division.   We

had a neighbor as tenant for our crops.  Paul had shown him where he could cultivate

and where to leave the ground undisturbed.  He showed him areas which were to only

be contour cultivated and other important use of the land.  Well, the man plowed past

the indicated  markings and, even though it was only about space for two rows, it began

a down hill flow for heavy rain and started the erosion all over again.  It took years to

repair the damage.

Paul loved his little farm.  He walked it nearly every day and knew it well.  It was not

large enough to support a family, but the crops (legumes, grains, tobacco)  paid the

taxes, maintenance, and insurance.  It was a great place for raising children and dogs

and cats.  I loved it, too.  The period when we had dairy cattle, Ayreshires, was the

most difficult.  That’s a whole “nother” story!

It became obvious, as our family grew in number and age, that we must have more

income.  I started teaching (Grandma and Grandpa Essex took care of the children)

and Paul tried different jobs.  He never had a problem getting a job.  He did arrange

to keep his winter job with the USDA Tobacco Inspection service.  He finally decided

to work for the USDA for the Flu-cured tobacco market in the south as well as for

the Burley tobacco market in the winter.  That let him be at home in the spring and

early summer to attend to his farm and family although he was away from home for

six months of the year.  That was work he liked and he stayed with it until he retired.

He was extremely successful in this work.  At the time he retired he was Regional Director of the USDA Tobacco Division of the Production and Marketing Division

and was in charge of the inspection service of  all Burley tobacco markets (that was

ten states) and the Maryland tobacco markets.  He and one man in Raleigh, NC,

who was in charge of the flu-cured markets in the south (seven states) were next

in  authority to one man in Washington.  Paul was told that he was to be sent to

Washington, but he really did not want to go.  He was near retirement age and

looked forward to going back to his little farm.   It seemed so certain we would

be moving to Washington that we had actually found a house we could rent in

Maryland near the ocean.  However, the promotion and move were slow in coming,

and Paul reached retirement age and years of service to be able to retire and come

home.  And that’s exactly what he did – retired and came home.

There  was another aspect to Paul’s work on the tobacco markets.  In the summer

months we could all go with him.  It  made a wonderful vacation for our family

and we all saw parts of the country that were new to us and met charming, friendly Southern people with the true hospitality that is written about.  The men Paul worked with made a point of telling the children (away from his hearing) what a fine man their Daddy was and how much he was admired and respected by everyone.   It was all true.

Above all, it was good for the children to hear.

After retirement Paul had time to do things he enjoyed.  There was time for golf, time

for hunting, time to raise a BIG garden, and time to make improvements on the farm.

There was time for a leisurely breakfast while he read the newspaper.  There was time

to watch every football game and golf match broadcast if he chose to do so.  One favorite

thing was, on awakening in the morning,  to say, “Let’s go to breakfast!” –which

we did, usually going to Felicity to Armacosts,  and then, in later years, going to the

Feed Mill.  There were always friends to see or more places to go, sometimes just

spending the rest of the day roaming.

It was in this period of  retirement that he rescued the puppies from drowning.  My version of that episode is somewhat different than that of  Kathy, Mitchell, Jana and

Paul.  It was a warm day and the living-room door was open.  As I stood there I heard

puppies crying.  I looked across the road just in time to see a puppy jump into the old

well.  There were more puppies and the mother dog, a collie named Brandy, owned by

Kathy and Mitch, and all of them were whining and crying.  I started running to them

while yelling and yelling for Paul.  He came running and grabbed a ladder to use in the

well.  When we arrived at the well there were only two puppies left on dry land.  I grabbed those two and ran to the house to lock them inside and to call Kathy to come.

She and the children were there in a rush.

But the thing he liked best was that he had time to be a GRANDPA !!!   He did that

well from the beginning, and, as the numbers grew and he had more practice, he was

nearly perfect in that role.

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Paul James’ mother:  MARY ELIZABETH GLASER ESSEX          

By Caroline Essex Wagner

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Mary Glaser Essex was born in 1891 in Neville, Ohio, and grew up in the house built by

her grandfather Schoch who, like her paternal grandparents, had emigrated from Germany in the mid-nineteenth century.

In 1912 she married Paul Essex, who for some years had been the most eligible bachelor of the village.  After their marriage business and circumstances necessitated many moves. In each new situation Mary set about making a comfortable home for her family with whatever came to hand.  She especially busied herself with the kitchen and setting a good table.  To a few German dishes, such as “boneless birds”, and Paul’s favorites from his mother’s collection, such as creamed hash-browns, she began adding recipes learned from friends in a succession of homes.  From Kentucky came cream-pull candy and her famous fruit cake.  In Florida she delighted in the wild fruit from which she made countless jars of jams and jellies.

Also in Florida, she learned an American version of a Chinese dish that became a family favorite. Though never a food faddist, she liked to try new things, and she was quick to adopt curry, barbecue. and Brunswick Stew introduced to her by roaming relatives.  When asked by her daughter what gift she would like from France, she replied, “A real French onion soup recipe.”

Mary felt a deep love for her family and friends, but seldom expressed it verbally.  She believed that love is something that you DO.  Her affection was often disguised as a big bowl of mashed potatoes, a platter of fried chicken, and an apple pie.

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Paul James' father:  Paul Essex

Born Aug 31, 1880

Died May 4, 1972

Paul Essex was a respected and beloved man. Not just by his own children and grandchildren, but also by extended family and his community.

As an example of his care for family, one Christmas there was a huge snowstorm with several feet of snow that blocked and closed many of the roads that led from Neville up into the nearby creeks and hills where his sister and brother-in-law and their young children lived. Paul knew they were going to have a sad Christmas, so he gathered up a bag of gifts and hiked several miles to their farm. He had to make his way through those feet of snow, sometimes walking on top of fenceposts.

Paul was born to Albert Lindley Essex (also known as Buck) and his wife Rachel Belle Reed. He had two sisters. Hattie (who married John Jarman) and Edith (who married Alfred Demaris). Another sibling did not live to adulthood. Paul was raised in Neville OH in a house near the Ohio River. He loved his friends, his family and baseball (among other things). Paul grew up to become an excellent baseball player. Two other local guys, Charlie Case and Slim Sallee, went on to become quite successful in major league baseball, and Paul was offered a contract to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as well.  However, in 1900, Paul had gone into business with his father, Buck, and made $5000 in a year. This was a lot more than any baseball player was making, so he turned down the offer. He continued to love baseball, though, and played until he was 40 years old with a local traveling team (the Bacon All Stars) sponsored by the Apollo Tobacco Company. Paul played and also coached and managed the team.

One of the Neville community traditions was a big rabbit hunt. Men would gather, hunt, and sell the rabbits to fund a big oyster dinner for the whole community. The picture above is from the Police Gazette magazine and depicts one of those annual hunts.

Paul traveled extensively. He attended the St Louis World’s Fair in 1904. He also went to New Orleans for the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase, and to East Texas to explore opportunities in the oil fields (which he decided against).

These travels and adventures led to Paul marrying later than was normal at that time. At about the age of thirty, he married Mary Glaser, also of Neville. They had three children, Ruth, Paul James (also known as Bud) and Caroline (also known as Babs). They lived many years in Neville, lost pretty much everything in more than one flood, and “made do” when times got hard, which they did rather more often than seemed fair. The family lived in a number of places including Mt. Olive, Augusta KY, and Lexington, always moving to follow work opportunities.

In the 1920’s, there was a real estate boom in Florida, which led to the Essex family relocating about 1924, along with a relative who was to be a business partner, to the Ft Lauderdale area. They lived in a small but comfortable Spanish style home. Paul and his partner owned a Dry Goods wholesale store in a three-story brick building and were fairly successful. At one point, the store sustained damage in a tornado that had spun off from a hurricane, but they persevered. When the Great Depression came along, they were holding on until Paul’s partner took off with all the money they had. At that point, they moved back to Ohio, where Paul began working for the American Tobacco Company as the depression wore on.

When Paul eventually retired, he and Mary, along with their three (grown) children, bought a home with some acreage on Saltair Road in Bethel, Ohio. The home was listed on the property rolls as “uninhabitable,” but Paul dug in and worked tirelessly to fix it up and make it livable. Eventually, it became a lovely two-story brick home that welcomed beloved grandchildren, treasured family, and many friends. Ruth lived in that home with her parents, and Paul James (Bud) and his wife built a house just “down the road.”  Paul and Mary’s four grandchildren have wonderful memories of walking up the country road to their home, hearing Grandpa’s stories, learning to play cards (especially Euchre which he taught them as soon as they were old enough to hold the cards!), helping in the garden or the barn, exploring the creeks and fields on the farm, learning about family history and what a second cousin three times removed is, and just generally being loved and appreciated.

Paul was known as an honest and honorable man and was revered by his family and friends.