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Pappy Richey was a man of many talents. In the early years of his life
He was a farmer, stage coach driver,and a country veterinarian.
He drove a stagecoach to and from Glasgow and Scottsville Ky.
I remember he told of mud roads and the Barren River would flood and he would have to swim the horses across the river.The stage was pulled by six horses. Pappy was also a story teller. He like to tell about the first time he saw someone talking on a phone. He said he went outside to see who the person was talking to through the wall.
Another story he liked to tell was about the same stagecoach stop.
One day he saw a man open a box take out a little bottle and take the cap off it and drank it. He said the man called it kokie kola. I wish Pappy had the forsite to have bought some of the Coca Cola stock.
In 1903 he moved to Barren co. Ky. and bought a farm in the Lyons school area of that Co. in 1906. There He and Nellie raised the children of his first wife and the seven of their children.
He made sorgurm molases from sugar cane he raised and did custom
work for others. I was a child during the last of Pappy's working years and I would enjoy eating the foam from the newly cooked mollases.
He also raised dark tobacco and cured it and twisted it to sell to neighbors. He was in his 80s and still plowed the tobacco patches and made molasses. He raised me after my mother died when I was seven years old. As I grew older I would drive the team while he plowed his tobacco fields. After he would twist his tobacco he would send me out on the old horse named Bob to deliver it. I was about nine or ten years old at the time.
Pappy was a success at raising all his children except Little Charlie who died at age five. He had two sons that were teachers, two that were Baptist preachers and the others were successful in their endeavors.
Pappy was very well respected by all who knew him and was liked by all.
I was one of his biggest fans , as I guess you can tell.
He was active until his late 80s and died at near 90 in 1955.
Pappy, It has been almost 50 years since you left for heaven and I still miss you.

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