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Brunell Bashlor was born in 1906 in Clinch County, Georgia, the second child of Colquitt Bashlor and Bessie Cox Bashlor. She and her older sister, Myrtle, were close in age and affection; and it was a terrible loss to Brunell and her family when Myrtle died of appendicitis in 1915.
Brunell's father was woodsman for a turpentine company and also served as caretaker at Dames Mill Pond. The family lived there on the banks of this beautiful cypress lake, and some of Brunell's favorite memories were of her childhood days in that idyllic location.
After Brunell married Needham Barlow of nearby Homerville, she moved with him to Jacksonville where he worked as a street car conductor. Life as a member of the Barlow family was not easy for Brunell, and she went home to Mama several times when things got too rough. As seven children were born to Brunell and Needham in fairly short order, she became more resigned to Needham's ways and devoted herself to cooking and caring for her large family.
The Barlow family had moved to a house in the county near Kingsland, Georgia when tragedy struck twice in 1941. In April, 1941 their house burned down while the family was away from home. No one ever knew for sure how the fire started, but Needham thought that some moonshiners, who might have thought that he informed the law on them, had set the fire. In May, 1941 Colleen, the oldest child of Brunell and Needham, drowned in the Satilla River while wading with a friend. Neither Colleen nor her friend could swim and were unable to save themselves when they ventured too far out and encountered a sudden drop-off. Brunell was devastated by the loss of her beloved oldest child and never entirely got over her death.
The community of Kingsland rallied around the Barlow family after this double tragedy and helped them build a house in town. Kind neighbors donated food, clothing, and furniture to the family; and some of this furniture was still being used by the Barlow family nearly 50 years later.
Brunell dedicated herself to raising her children and seeing that they had what they needed, even if it meant that she had to do without everything but the bare necessities. Her son Jimmy remembers that she saved five dollars a week from her small grocery allowance to send to him at college. All of her children could tell similar stories of the sacrifices she made for them.
In 1975 Brunell suffered a massive heart attack and nearly died. After she recovered she had to watch her diet carefully and visit the doctor frequently to have her blood checked. Before all of this happened, Brunell had been a rather quiet person; but she evidently decided that she had a lots to say before she died and became a lively conversationalist.
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