Some random things I’ve found in the search for understanding in regards to the peculiar chain of events which brought upon the death of our grandfather Jess Baugh and the advent of our family. For clarity sake I will use “Jess Baugh” as grandpa, “Jess Homer” as great grandpa.

 

  1. ·      Jess Baugh was known as Santa Claus in Missouri because while he traveled often he would return to Missouri and give candy to all his nieces and nephews.

    ·      Jess Baugh had a pickup with a large box built upon the back of it. He would eat healthy and often eat canned peaches.

    ·      Jess Baugh believed in eating healthy, and was known to train hard and was always in very good physical condition, even moreso than the other Baugh boys. He was known to run a rural road outside the house they grew up in, which is near Dudenville, Missouri… this road is hallowed ground… and it’s long. He would follow a vehicle that had a heavy bag hanging on it; he would run this road every day and was seen on it often. He started boxing very young, and had a professional boxing career and may have fought under many aliases (which was common at the time in order to protect their identity in case of conflicts).

    ·      Jess Baugh was an entrepreneur. The Baughs were poor and this was the era of the depression. Jess Baugh took it upon himself to remove the family from poverty, and traveled far and wide to secure work for the other Baugh boys. Many times he would find work in other states and the other Baugh boys (and other friends of the Baughs) would come and do the work. Often this would be tree work, but not limited to just that… he would get work doing just about anything. He was known for clearing hillsides for ski resorts.

    ·      Apparently Jess was very fond of Paul Baugh and according to multiple sources Paul was a little bit of a terror when he was younger. One one occasion uncle Clarence Baugh was working with Jess and Paul chased him with an electric chainsaw. The story from Dewey (Lois’ husband) is that “Paul was smart. He was spoiled and knew that no one would mess with him as long as Jess was watching, and no one wanted to have to deal with Jess so Paul ‘could do no wrong’”

    ·      Jess Baugh took Naomi in “innocently” according to Lois, and Jess Baugh only had one child in total in his life. Naomi was from Carthage as well. Naomi and all of her siblings came to live with Jess Baugh in Colorado.

    ·      Grandma Blanche Baugh was infertile, but Jess Baugh really wanted children.

    ·      Baugh’s were poor… several facets of the family had little money.

    ·      Jess Homer 1 (my great grandfather) was a farmer and was known to have a plow and only one horse. Everyone knew him for his team or horses as well as pushing his plow with one horse. Towards the end of his life he developed dementia and was known by some (particularly Jennette) as being “mean”.  Jess Homer was known as a hard man.

    ·      No Baugh women recall any sexual or physical abuse by any Baugh man.

    ·      Alcoholism does not run in the Baugh family. Baughs often choose to drink and for some reason they drink a lot in their 30s and then quit.

    ·      Baugh men, especially Jess Baugh, were “his way or the highway” people.

    ·      Clarence Baugh (twin brother to uncle Art) was known to be mean later in life as he drank to excess. Clarence Baugh was also known by the name “Tiger”.

    ·      Baugh boys fought for two reasons: 1. If a man touched you 2. If anyone used the term “son of a bitch”

    ·      Clarence Baugh fought a lot, and was an intense man. He was put into positions on multiple occasions where he had to fight for his life, and did kill a man on at least a couple occasions.

    ·      Clarence, Art, and Homer were all engaged in military service during WW2. Jess Baugh was an MP.

    ·      Clarence was involved in an incident while in the military where (long story short) he stabbed his commanding officer, who challenged him and ordered him to fight him as part of an exercise (apparently no one had ever taken the officer down until Clarence came along). Clarence was subsequently imprisoned in a POW camp for severely injuring the officer (who did not die from the wound). While in prison he fought and severely injured and/or killed Japanese POWs who were also in this prison; he said that he did it because “the same people that are in prison are the ones trying to kill my brothers over there”. This began what eventually would be his unusual exit from the military. Clarence is not the only Baugh to have issues with the structure of the military. Baughs do not like being told what to do.

    ·      I was asked by Baugh women “do you have the temper too”… nearly all Baugh men have the exact same temper… not “blind rage” but a temper that summons their power and focus. Many reports of Baughs fighting, but no reports of Baughs utilizing their rage to hurt their families.

    ·      Jess Baugh was a deputy sheriff of Carthage/Jasper County. He ran for county sheriff but lost.

    ·      Baugh boys developed very good reputation around Carthage. All Baugh boy funerals were absolutely packed with people from all around the area. Very beloved. Reputation they built for honesty, integrity, generosity, and kindness, still prevalent today. Baughs are trusted by the population in this area in a way which is clear and prevalent.

    ·      Blanche Baugh was known as a “kindered spirit” and was laid back. As the oldest of all of the wives of the boys she was very involved in the young lives of the women of the family.

    ·      Lois’ husband Dewey worked with Clarence as well as Jess Baugh

    ·      Baugh boys were not racist; they lived in a racist time. Carthage was, for Missouri, much less racist than other areas. While segregated, the Baughs worked with and had black friends. Some stories may be around that implicated that Clarence said something racist, but this was just while he was drinking and not indicative of a man who was racist. Carthage has less people of color than it used to, and the historic black families of Carthage were “good people” and were friends with the Baughs.

    ·      Many Baugh boys went to Jess Baughs funeral in Laurel Montana. While there some of the Baugh men (who are still alive) saw the log and the vehicle which was involved in the accident. They also talked to an “old boy” who was sitting on his porch when it happened who recounted the story. Story told is very similar to the one that Paul Baugh tells. Was a terrible accident and Jess Baugh likely died almost instantly.

    ·      The death of Jess Baugh was in March of 1968, and to this day is still a sad event for all the Baugh family. It still bothers some people, and the family.

    ·      Naomi’s father was a welder (stepdad) and had a shop on Harrison Street

    ·      Jess Baugh desperately wanted to have kids. Blanche wanted Jess to have a child, and having Paul was something that was planned from a very early point.

    ·      Some Baughs do not like Kansas

    ·      There was a time when Jess Baugh (uncle Jess) got a big job out in Colorado, and all of the brothers and many children went out there. This was when they discovered Paul Baugh. This is likely the time when the picture was taken of Jess Baugh carrying Paul in his arms, apparently at Winter Park (?). This was when all of the cousins found out about Paul.

    ·      Jess Baugh made a deal to take Naomi from her stepfather. He did not beat up the guy. It was only between Jess and her stepfather.

    ·      Jess Baugh was known as a convert to Jehovahs Witness

    ·      Jess Baugh took Paul everywhere. “that’s all he needed was that kid, and if she wanted to leave she could leave as long as she left that kid” Jess Baugh “doded on that boy”.

    ·      Jesse David says that Luke Baugh looks like Clarence Baugh, especially in the eyes.

    ·      Clarence worked with Jess Baugh often.

    ·      Paul Baugh was “smart as a tack” and knew that he agitated Clarence. He teased him.

    ·      In Wyoming Paul and Jess Baugh had a saying “if the wind blows your hat off just grab the one that flew off of the next guy”

    ·      Paul Baugh memorized verses of the bible. Was known as being very smart kid. Had a “lot of Naomi in him in addition to a lot of Jess”.

    ·      Jess Baugh was an outdoorsman. Ate fruit, ate healthy, and was okay travelling and/or sleeping in his truck.

    ·      Jess Baugh kept all kinds of tools in back of truck. Pole saw and chain saw. Invented tools that didn’t exist at the time. Was the first one to use Stihl chainsaws… up until that time Homelite was used.

    ·      Homer Baugh; very respected. Had 11 children. Christian man.

    ·      5 boys, but in reality the two oldest were somewhat separate, slightly more like leaders.. and Homer was the defacto oldest brother due to the traveling and eventual death of Jess. Homer was the oldest brother for most of the lives of the Baughs in memory.

    ·      Baugh boys never fought each other or let an argument fester. They all had tremendous respect for each other. They banded together and looked out for each other profusely.

    ·      Jess Baugh was a good salesman, always got jobs for everyone, and always carried a notebook and pens in his shirt pocket (check the Baugh brothers photo and you’ll see this).

    ·      Jess Baugh had a 2 ton Green Chevrolet pickup with a big box on the back.

    ·      Jess Baugh was an outdoorsman

    ·      When Paul Baugh went to school he was “lost”… Paul was more raised to go along and work with his dad than he was to go to public school.

    ·      Jess Baugh was a prize fighter at one time.

    ·      Jess Baugh used to jog every day near Maple Grove to Avilla. About 6 miles.

    ·      Jess Baugh fought Maxie Rosenbloom. Kenny Baugh (uncle Kenny) was present for one of these fights and it’s verified by multiple Baughs.

    ·      Back then much more common to fight every week or two… some fighters had hundreds of fights under multiple names. Hard to tell when and where this fight happened or many others Jess Baugh was in.

    ·      Uncle Homer had a divorce and had 5 kids with his first wife of which Shirley was the oldest and then 6 with Rosella of which Dick is the oldest , and his first wife married Jesse DAvids moms cousin. Homers kids: Shirley, Janice Kay, Little Blanche, Little Kenny, Little Homer (and from Rosella): Dick, Reatha Rose, Beverly, John, Ben. They all lived together by the river and Homer would take Rosella to the Sunset Drive in. They ate Possum and it smelled awful according to Lois. She says it was like cooking skunk.

    ·      Marilyn Baugh has an updated family tree

    ·      Little blanche is the living family member aside from Paul Baugh who spent the most time with Jess Baugh.

  2. ·      Dewey went to grandpas funeral. Many Baughs went. Art went to see the log that killed him; a Cottonwood log. 4 foot in diameter.  Jess Baugh had the log almost cut off. He was supposed to wait for his buddy to come back to help him. He had a cable hooked to it. The minute he stepped on the running board and it popped loose and the log was so heavy it swung the truck and crushed him.