09-27-2018, 03:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-27-2018, 03:25 PM by IainH.
Edit Reason: Tidying up
)
With my focus on furniture lately, I got a book for y'all: The Anvil of Adversity. It's the biography of JE (Ed) Broyhill founder of the once great Broyhill Furniture Industries. It was written by William Stevens, his son in law in 1966 and his admiration of the man is obvious but, that does not detract from the story. Not exactly a rags to riches, rather an overalls and bare feet to three piece suit and nice shoes story, he worked extra hard towards his achievements.
I waited in line to shake his hand at the Broyhill chair 3 fourth of July picnic in 1985, he was in his nineties and weary by the time I reached him but, when I said "Gaither Walker was my great Grandpa" he perked right up and told me "they don't make 'em like Pa Walker no more" and inquired about the health of my kin. It caused some dropped jaws among my coworkers. Tom Broyhill, Ed's much older brother grew up with my great Grandpappy. Tom gave Ed his start. Dad had many stories related to his grandfather and Tom & Ed. There was some intermarriage between the Walker and Broyhill clans way back.
The book has been out of print for a while but, used copies can be found on eBay and Amazon cheap. It is an interesting window on the development of industry in Western NC in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. If you're into that type of stuff.
I waited in line to shake his hand at the Broyhill chair 3 fourth of July picnic in 1985, he was in his nineties and weary by the time I reached him but, when I said "Gaither Walker was my great Grandpa" he perked right up and told me "they don't make 'em like Pa Walker no more" and inquired about the health of my kin. It caused some dropped jaws among my coworkers. Tom Broyhill, Ed's much older brother grew up with my great Grandpappy. Tom gave Ed his start. Dad had many stories related to his grandfather and Tom & Ed. There was some intermarriage between the Walker and Broyhill clans way back.
The book has been out of print for a while but, used copies can be found on eBay and Amazon cheap. It is an interesting window on the development of industry in Western NC in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. If you're into that type of stuff.