My father (my daddy as I called him)
Charles ("Chuck") Edward Beall was born December 10, 1901 on his family's farm in Erath County, Texas. He was the oldest of 4 children born to John Gideon Beall and Mazeppa Ada Jones Beall. His siblings were Mabel Clara, Thomas Lee, and Alice May, all born in Erath County.
The family lived on and farmed 100 acres that his mother's father had given them in very rural Texas. He recalled being last to take a bath in one tub of water drawn from the well (the younger kids went first!) It was a metal bathtub that his mom set in front of the fire so they could keep warm. But by the time it was Chuck's turn, it was always stone cold. He said that's what he got for being first-born!
Chuck's dad, John, was a fiddle player, and when he wasn't working the fields, his dad played the fiddle for square dances at neighboring farms. When Chuck was 6 years old, he wanted to learn to play too, but his dad wouldn't let him touch the fiddle fearing he'd break it. He begged his mother to please let him try. She finally agreed, but said he had to sit in the middle of his mom and dad's feather bed so nothing would happen to it if he dropped it. He could try to play for as long as he wanted, but he wanted to get down off the bed, she'd put the fiddle back in its case and no more until the next day. He finally surprised his dad at a square dance and showed him he could play 2 fiddle tunes. His dad was so proud that he kept bringing the dancers back to the same tune so Chuck could play. He had taught himself to play by ear, played wonderfully all his life, and never could read music.
The entire family came down with smallpox in 1916, which killed many people at the time. Chuck's fever was so high he was unconscious for 3 days. His mother had the mildest case, and rubbed her husband, all the kids and herself with lard to keep them from scarring. They all recovered, but not long after, they headed West to make a better life for themselves, leaving the farm behind.
Chuck's parents and all 4 children worked their way through Texas, New Mexico, and part of Arizona by picking cotton and other crops, making enough in each place to go further West a little at a time. He remembered they stopped and lived in Arizona for 2 years, then left there in 1921 to head to California.
They reached the city of Ontario, San Bernardino County, California in October 1921, where they had lived for just 2 months when his mother was struck by a car on Christmas Eve 1921. She suffered devastating injuries and died the day after Christmas on December 26, 1921 at the age of 42. Her husband John and son Chuck were at her side.
Chuck's dad, John, never remarried. After Mazeppa's death, he took Chuck and his other 3 children and moved to the San Francisco Bay area of California.
Chuck's first marriage was in about 1930 to Marguerite Pearl Whittaker from Happy Camp, California. Chuck and Marguerite had two children, Harold ("Hal") Wayne, born in Happy Camp in 1930, and Colleen Fay, born in San Francisco in 1932. Hal and Colleen grew up playing music with their dad, and both loved singing - they harmonized together so well.
Chuck continued to play the fiddle for square dances at nights and on weekends. During the days, he drove a street car in San Francisco (he told his daughter, no, it was NOT a cable car), then delivered baby laundry running up and down the steep steps of the homes built on those famous hills in San Francisco.
While Chuck and Marguerite were living in San Francisco, Chuck's dad John was killed in a terrible accident on May 1, 1933 while working on a large highway being put through the mountains outside of Hayward, California. It was the height of the Great Depression, there was very little money, and they had to bury his dad in an unmarked grave. They were given a cemetery plot for John by a family that had become their friends at the time of the accident.
Chuck and Marguerite divorced several years later, and in
1948, Chuck met and married Phyllis Powell in San Francisco. They moved across the Bay to Marin County on a little hillside overlooking the Bay, and they had a daughter, Eileen Hope in 1949. Chuck made many friends in the Marin County area, and was especially close to Don and Doris Donaldson, who ran the Sausalito newspaper, and who lived on a little farm. The Donaldsons even had a sweet, friendly little cow in their small pasture that had a red collar around her neck with a little bell. Don played the guitar, Doris played the guitar and mandolin, Chuck played the fiddle, and they formed a group that entertained happy square dancers in Marin County, in San Francisco, and across the Bay in Oakland.
In 1953, Chuck, Phyllis, and their daughter made the move to Long Beach in Southern California, where his brother Tom was working in a furniture factory. Chuck got a job working at the same factory, and the family bought a little home in North Long Beach.
From there, Chuck went to work for Santa Fe Railway, where he got a Class 1 driver's license and drove a big rig truck until he retired at age 75. Chuck told his daughter he had lied about his birth date by 10 years to get hired at the railroad (born on a rural farm, he had no birth certificate, only an entry in the family bible), so he ended up working until he was 75 before he could retire!
Chuck never did stop playing music - he played the fiddle, mandolin and guitar, but the fiddle was his love. He won the National State Champion Fiddle Player of the Year several times in the senior category, and had 100s of trophies that attested to how well he played and how much people enjoyed his music.
Chuck and Phyllis divorced in 1964, and he met and married his third wife, Dorothy Rodgers, in 1966. He and Dorothy, who loved his music, the fiddle contests and square dances, began entertaining as a duo at rest homes in their hometown of Hemet, California, delighting everyone they played for.
Chuck passed his love of music on to all three of his children. They all loved to sing and play music and loved spending time together, but they especially loved Chuck. Sitting in on jam sessions he hosted in his living room and at fiddle contests with a crowd of people, everyone playing happy music is something they all fondly remember.
Chuck died on October 25, 1987 just short of his 86th birthday. He had a wonderful life, and left behind a loving family that can still hear him playing the fiddle. "Play Rag Time Annie, daddy!"
Charles ("Chuck") Edward Beall was born December 10, 1901 on his family's farm in Erath County, Texas. He was the oldest of 4 children born to John Gideon Beall and Mazeppa Ada Jones Beall. His siblings were Mabel Clara, Thomas Lee, and Alice May, all born in Erath County.
The family lived on and farmed 100 acres that his mother's father had given them in very rural Texas. He recalled being last to take a bath in one tub of water drawn from the well (the younger kids went first!) It was a metal bathtub that his mom set in front of the fire so they could keep warm. But by the time it was Chuck's turn, it was always stone cold. He said that's what he got for being first-born!
Chuck's dad, John, was a fiddle player, and when he wasn't working the fields, his dad played the fiddle for square dances at neighboring farms. When Chuck was 6 years old, he wanted to learn to play too, but his dad wouldn't let him touch the fiddle fearing he'd break it. He begged his mother to please let him try. She finally agreed, but said he had to sit in the middle of his mom and dad's feather bed so nothing would happen to it if he dropped it. He could try to play for as long as he wanted, but he wanted to get down off the bed, she'd put the fiddle back in its case and no more until the next day. He finally surprised his dad at a square dance and showed him he could play 2 fiddle tunes. His dad was so proud that he kept bringing the dancers back to the same tune so Chuck could play. He had taught himself to play by ear, played wonderfully all his life, and never could read music.
The entire family came down with smallpox in 1916, which killed many people at the time. Chuck's fever was so high he was unconscious for 3 days. His mother had the mildest case, and rubbed her husband, all the kids and herself with lard to keep them from scarring. They all recovered, but not long after, they headed West to make a better life for themselves, leaving the farm behind.
Chuck's parents and all 4 children worked their way through Texas, New Mexico, and part of Arizona by picking cotton and other crops, making enough in each place to go further West a little at a time. He remembered they stopped and lived in Arizona for 2 years, then left there in 1921 to head to California.
They reached the city of Ontario, San Bernardino County, California in October 1921, where they had lived for just 2 months when his mother was struck by a car on Christmas Eve 1921. She suffered devastating injuries and died the day after Christmas on December 26, 1921 at the age of 42. Her husband John and son Chuck were at her side.
Chuck's dad, John, never remarried. After Mazeppa's death, he took Chuck and his other 3 children and moved to the San Francisco Bay area of California.
Chuck's first marriage was in about 1930 to Marguerite Pearl Whittaker from Happy Camp, California. Chuck and Marguerite had two children, Harold ("Hal") Wayne, born in Happy Camp in 1930, and Colleen Fay, born in San Francisco in 1932. Hal and Colleen grew up playing music with their dad, and both loved singing - they harmonized together so well.
Chuck continued to play the fiddle for square dances at nights and on weekends. During the days, he drove a street car in San Francisco (he told his daughter, no, it was NOT a cable car), then delivered baby laundry running up and down the steep steps of the homes built on those famous hills in San Francisco.
While Chuck and Marguerite were living in San Francisco, Chuck's dad John was killed in a terrible accident on May 1, 1933 while working on a large highway being put through the mountains outside of Hayward, California. It was the height of the Great Depression, there was very little money, and they had to bury his dad in an unmarked grave. They were given a cemetery plot for John by a family that had become their friends at the time of the accident.
Chuck and Marguerite divorced several years later, and in
1948, Chuck met and married Phyllis Powell in San Francisco. They moved across the Bay to Marin County on a little hillside overlooking the Bay, and they had a daughter, Eileen Hope in 1949. Chuck made many friends in the Marin County area, and was especially close to Don and Doris Donaldson, who ran the Sausalito newspaper, and who lived on a little farm. The Donaldsons even had a sweet, friendly little cow in their small pasture that had a red collar around her neck with a little bell. Don played the guitar, Doris played the guitar and mandolin, Chuck played the fiddle, and they formed a group that entertained happy square dancers in Marin County, in San Francisco, and across the Bay in Oakland.
In 1953, Chuck, Phyllis, and their daughter made the move to Long Beach in Southern California, where his brother Tom was working in a furniture factory. Chuck got a job working at the same factory, and the family bought a little home in North Long Beach.
From there, Chuck went to work for Santa Fe Railway, where he got a Class 1 driver's license and drove a big rig truck until he retired at age 75. Chuck told his daughter he had lied about his birth date by 10 years to get hired at the railroad (born on a rural farm, he had no birth certificate, only an entry in the family bible), so he ended up working until he was 75 before he could retire!
Chuck never did stop playing music - he played the fiddle, mandolin and guitar, but the fiddle was his love. He won the National State Champion Fiddle Player of the Year several times in the senior category, and had 100s of trophies that attested to how well he played and how much people enjoyed his music.
Chuck and Phyllis divorced in 1964, and he met and married his third wife, Dorothy Rodgers, in 1966. He and Dorothy, who loved his music, the fiddle contests and square dances, began entertaining as a duo at rest homes in their hometown of Hemet, California, delighting everyone they played for.
Chuck passed his love of music on to all three of his children. They all loved to sing and play music and loved spending time together, but they especially loved Chuck. Sitting in on jam sessions he hosted in his living room and at fiddle contests with a crowd of people, everyone playing happy music is something they all fondly remember.
Chuck died on October 25, 1987 just short of his 86th birthday. He had a wonderful life, and left behind a loving family that can still hear him playing the fiddle. "Play Rag Time Annie, daddy!"
My father (my daddy as I called him)
Charles ("Chuck") Edward Beall was born December 10, 1901 on his family's farm in Erath County, Texas. He was the oldest of 4 children born to John Gideon Beall and Mazeppa Ada Jones Beall. His siblings were Mabel Clara, Thomas Lee, and Alice May, all born in Erath County.
The family lived on and farmed 100 acres that his mother's father had given them in very rural Texas. He recalled being last to take a bath in one tub of water drawn from the well (the younger kids went first!) It was a metal bathtub that his mom set in front of the fire so they could keep warm. But by the time it was Chuck's turn, it was always stone cold. He said that's what he got for being first-born!
Chuck's dad, John, was a fiddle player, and when he wasn't working the fields, his dad played the fiddle for square dances at neighboring farms. When Chuck was 6 years old, he wanted to learn to play too, but his dad wouldn't let him touch the fiddle fearing he'd break it. He begged his mother to please let him try. She finally agreed, but said he had to sit in the middle of his mom and dad's feather bed so nothing would happen to it if he dropped it. He could try to play for as long as he wanted, but he wanted to get down off the bed, she'd put the fiddle back in its case and no more until the next day. He finally surprised his dad at a square dance and showed him he could play 2 fiddle tunes. His dad was so proud that he kept bringing the dancers back to the same tune so Chuck could play. He had taught himself to play by ear, played wonderfully all his life, and never could read music.
The entire family came down with smallpox in 1916, which killed many people at the time. Chuck's fever was so high he was unconscious for 3 days. His mother had the mildest case, and rubbed her husband, all the kids and herself with lard to keep them from scarring. They all recovered, but not long after, they headed West to make a better life for themselves, leaving the farm behind.
Chuck's parents and all 4 children worked their way through Texas, New Mexico, and part of Arizona by picking cotton and other crops, making enough in each place to go further West a little at a time. He remembered they stopped and lived in Arizona for 2 years, then left there in 1921 to head to California.
They reached the city of Ontario, San Bernardino County, California in October 1921, where they had lived for just 2 months when his mother was struck by a car on Christmas Eve 1921. She suffered devastating injuries and died the day after Christmas on December 26, 1921 at the age of 42. Her husband John and son Chuck were at her side.
Chuck's dad, John, never remarried. After Mazeppa's death, he took Chuck and his other 3 children and moved to the San Francisco Bay area of California.
Chuck's first marriage was in about 1930 to Marguerite Pearl Whittaker from Happy Camp, California. Chuck and Marguerite had two children, Harold ("Hal") Wayne, born in Happy Camp in 1930, and Colleen Fay, born in San Francisco in 1932. Hal and Colleen grew up playing music with their dad, and both loved singing - they harmonized together so well.
Chuck continued to play the fiddle for square dances at nights and on weekends. During the days, he drove a street car in San Francisco (he told his daughter, no, it was NOT a cable car), then delivered baby laundry running up and down the steep steps of the homes built on those famous hills in San Francisco.
While Chuck and Marguerite were living in San Francisco, Chuck's dad John was killed in a terrible accident on May 1, 1933 while working on a large highway being put through the mountains outside of Hayward, California. It was the height of the Great Depression, there was very little money, and they had to bury his dad in an unmarked grave. They were given a cemetery plot for John by a family that had become their friends at the time of the accident.
Chuck and Marguerite divorced several years later, and in
1948, Chuck met and married Phyllis Powell in San Francisco. They moved across the Bay to Marin County on a little hillside overlooking the Bay, and they had a daughter, Eileen Hope in 1949. Chuck made many friends in the Marin County area, and was especially close to Don and Doris Donaldson, who ran the Sausalito newspaper, and who lived on a little farm. The Donaldsons even had a sweet, friendly little cow in their small pasture that had a red collar around her neck with a little bell. Don played the guitar, Doris played the guitar and mandolin, Chuck played the fiddle, and they formed a group that entertained happy square dancers in Marin County, in San Francisco, and across the Bay in Oakland.
In 1953, Chuck, Phyllis, and their daughter made the move to Long Beach in Southern California, where his brother Tom was working in a furniture factory. Chuck got a job working at the same factory, and the family bought a little home in North Long Beach.
From there, Chuck went to work for Santa Fe Railway, where he got a Class 1 driver's license and drove a big rig truck until he retired at age 75. Chuck told his daughter he had lied about his birth date by 10 years to get hired at the railroad (born on a rural farm, he had no birth certificate, only an entry in the family bible), so he ended up working until he was 75 before he could retire!
Chuck never did stop playing music - he played the fiddle, mandolin and guitar, but the fiddle was his love. He won the National State Champion Fiddle Player of the Year several times in the senior category, and had 100s of trophies that attested to how well he played and how much people enjoyed his music.
Chuck and Phyllis divorced in 1964, and he met and married his third wife, Dorothy Rodgers, in 1966. He and Dorothy, who loved his music, the fiddle contests and square dances, began entertaining as a duo at rest homes in their hometown of Hemet, California, delighting everyone they played for.
Chuck passed his love of music on to all three of his children. They all loved to sing and play music and loved spending time together, but they especially loved Chuck. Sitting in on jam sessions he hosted in his living room and at fiddle contests with a crowd of people, everyone playing happy music is something they all fondly remember.
Chuck died on October 25, 1987 just short of his 86th birthday. He had a wonderful life, and left behind a loving family that can still hear him playing the fiddle. "Play Rag Time Annie, daddy!"
Charles ("Chuck") Edward Beall was born December 10, 1901 on his family's farm in Erath County, Texas. He was the oldest of 4 children born to John Gideon Beall and Mazeppa Ada Jones Beall. His siblings were Mabel Clara, Thomas Lee, and Alice May, all born in Erath County.
The family lived on and farmed 100 acres that his mother's father had given them in very rural Texas. He recalled being last to take a bath in one tub of water drawn from the well (the younger kids went first!) It was a metal bathtub that his mom set in front of the fire so they could keep warm. But by the time it was Chuck's turn, it was always stone cold. He said that's what he got for being first-born!
Chuck's dad, John, was a fiddle player, and when he wasn't working the fields, his dad played the fiddle for square dances at neighboring farms. When Chuck was 6 years old, he wanted to learn to play too, but his dad wouldn't let him touch the fiddle fearing he'd break it. He begged his mother to please let him try. She finally agreed, but said he had to sit in the middle of his mom and dad's feather bed so nothing would happen to it if he dropped it. He could try to play for as long as he wanted, but he wanted to get down off the bed, she'd put the fiddle back in its case and no more until the next day. He finally surprised his dad at a square dance and showed him he could play 2 fiddle tunes. His dad was so proud that he kept bringing the dancers back to the same tune so Chuck could play. He had taught himself to play by ear, played wonderfully all his life, and never could read music.
The entire family came down with smallpox in 1916, which killed many people at the time. Chuck's fever was so high he was unconscious for 3 days. His mother had the mildest case, and rubbed her husband, all the kids and herself with lard to keep them from scarring. They all recovered, but not long after, they headed West to make a better life for themselves, leaving the farm behind.
Chuck's parents and all 4 children worked their way through Texas, New Mexico, and part of Arizona by picking cotton and other crops, making enough in each place to go further West a little at a time. He remembered they stopped and lived in Arizona for 2 years, then left there in 1921 to head to California.
They reached the city of Ontario, San Bernardino County, California in October 1921, where they had lived for just 2 months when his mother was struck by a car on Christmas Eve 1921. She suffered devastating injuries and died the day after Christmas on December 26, 1921 at the age of 42. Her husband John and son Chuck were at her side.
Chuck's dad, John, never remarried. After Mazeppa's death, he took Chuck and his other 3 children and moved to the San Francisco Bay area of California.
Chuck's first marriage was in about 1930 to Marguerite Pearl Whittaker from Happy Camp, California. Chuck and Marguerite had two children, Harold ("Hal") Wayne, born in Happy Camp in 1930, and Colleen Fay, born in San Francisco in 1932. Hal and Colleen grew up playing music with their dad, and both loved singing - they harmonized together so well.
Chuck continued to play the fiddle for square dances at nights and on weekends. During the days, he drove a street car in San Francisco (he told his daughter, no, it was NOT a cable car), then delivered baby laundry running up and down the steep steps of the homes built on those famous hills in San Francisco.
While Chuck and Marguerite were living in San Francisco, Chuck's dad John was killed in a terrible accident on May 1, 1933 while working on a large highway being put through the mountains outside of Hayward, California. It was the height of the Great Depression, there was very little money, and they had to bury his dad in an unmarked grave. They were given a cemetery plot for John by a family that had become their friends at the time of the accident.
Chuck and Marguerite divorced several years later, and in
1948, Chuck met and married Phyllis Powell in San Francisco. They moved across the Bay to Marin County on a little hillside overlooking the Bay, and they had a daughter, Eileen Hope in 1949. Chuck made many friends in the Marin County area, and was especially close to Don and Doris Donaldson, who ran the Sausalito newspaper, and who lived on a little farm. The Donaldsons even had a sweet, friendly little cow in their small pasture that had a red collar around her neck with a little bell. Don played the guitar, Doris played the guitar and mandolin, Chuck played the fiddle, and they formed a group that entertained happy square dancers in Marin County, in San Francisco, and across the Bay in Oakland.
In 1953, Chuck, Phyllis, and their daughter made the move to Long Beach in Southern California, where his brother Tom was working in a furniture factory. Chuck got a job working at the same factory, and the family bought a little home in North Long Beach.
From there, Chuck went to work for Santa Fe Railway, where he got a Class 1 driver's license and drove a big rig truck until he retired at age 75. Chuck told his daughter he had lied about his birth date by 10 years to get hired at the railroad (born on a rural farm, he had no birth certificate, only an entry in the family bible), so he ended up working until he was 75 before he could retire!
Chuck never did stop playing music - he played the fiddle, mandolin and guitar, but the fiddle was his love. He won the National State Champion Fiddle Player of the Year several times in the senior category, and had 100s of trophies that attested to how well he played and how much people enjoyed his music.
Chuck and Phyllis divorced in 1964, and he met and married his third wife, Dorothy Rodgers, in 1966. He and Dorothy, who loved his music, the fiddle contests and square dances, began entertaining as a duo at rest homes in their hometown of Hemet, California, delighting everyone they played for.
Chuck passed his love of music on to all three of his children. They all loved to sing and play music and loved spending time together, but they especially loved Chuck. Sitting in on jam sessions he hosted in his living room and at fiddle contests with a crowd of people, everyone playing happy music is something they all fondly remember.
Chuck died on October 25, 1987 just short of his 86th birthday. He had a wonderful life, and left behind a loving family that can still hear him playing the fiddle. "Play Rag Time Annie, daddy!"
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