A "lucky day" this year, but also the 110th anniversary of the birth of John Vernon CAIRNS, one-half of the duo known as "Grandpa and Grandma-the-Greats" by later generations and originator of that artery-clogging tradition called "The John V. Cairns Memorial Breakfast" celebrated at LOVE family reunions.
John aka Jack was born in Mazomanie, Dane County, Wisconsin on 12 DEC 1902 the son of Charles Worthington CAIRNS and Caroline Susanna SCHUMANN most likely on the family's Hickory Hill Farm. Grandpa said, there were hickory trees on the hill across the road, the nuts of which they harvested and stored in the attic. Another memory he passed on was that the family lived in the granary while the new house was being built. The house and outbuildings are still there, the first residence on Carter Road east of Hwy. 78 just north of the intersection with Hwy. 14.
John was surely named for HIS grandfather, John Verner CAIRNS who came to Wisconsin from Orange County, New York in 1847. John, his older brothers, Frank Elmer and George Worthington, and his younger brother, Alfred Charles, grew up farming. We can imagine that their mother, having no daughters to help with household chores, recruited one or more of the boys for help in the kitchen. Jack seemed to be able to hold his own with a frying pan at least.
He graduated from Mazomanie High School having made arrangements to make up the class work missed when he, Alfred and their parents traveled to California in an attempt to ease Caroline's battle with tuberculosis. Early pictures show him to be rather nattily dressed often sporting a pipe (then there are the later pictures with dropped trou...Grandma always had her camera ready for those). He worked in auto repair garages early on. His letters to Mildred before they were married (traveling to Rockford, Illinois in the "little red roadster") are more practical than ardent. He made bathtub gin, or something like it, and played poker to bring in extra money during the lean years of the 1930's.
He was a partner for many years in Capitol Welding located on Dickinson Street in Madison (nothing remains of the building today). In his profession he was involved in taking up the street car rails in downtown Madison after they were no longer used, securing Blackstone the Magician for one of his escape performances and welding the circular staircase in Woldenbergs, one of the ladies' department stores on the Square in Madison (if I remember correctly, the staircase was made of aluminum and Grandpa was one of few welders who had the skill needed).
Jack was a Mason and member of the Zor Temple in Madison. He always had tickets for the Zor Shrine Circus in February. He belonged to the East Side Business Men's Association. He took his brand new son-in-law down to Mickey's Tavern where he, Jack, was a returning customer (I think this was some kind of bonding thing or initiation...Dad must have passed muster).
He practiced the after-lunch-20-minute-nap long before it became recognised as an energy booster in studies. He was known to have his hair tied up in ribbons by his daughter and, years later, by his granddaughter during said naps. He also provided wake up service for his daughter with a tuneful, "Little Bonnie Bump-up, time to get your rump up" during his morning shave. He cried over sad movies and said, "I think I heard a buck snort" when he farted (making grandchildren double up in giggles).
He was an outdoors man. He camped, hunted, fished, gardened and built some really impressive wood fires (both inside and out at The Cottage). He bought The Cottage for back taxes in the mid '40's and, I think, it became his real "home" from then on. First, escaping there on weekends in a big green Cadillac or Buick with Biffer, the dog, in the trunk, Grandma riding shotgun and a lucky grandchild or two in the back with the food. Later it was their retirement home.
He lived nearly a century. Perhaps not a remarkable life in the grand scheme of things, but that's ok. He was Grandpa, I smile when I think of him and I'm glad we got to share part of our lives together.
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