WHAT DID HE DO FROM 1919-1923?
Went to Hedding College in Abingdon for one year in here… (conjecture: maybe he farmed with Grandmother Cline?)

Started out farming south of Delong right after getting married in 1923; in 1929 he took the civil service test for mail carrier and got the Delong area mail job (probably never more than 100 boxes;) retired from the job in 1969 with almost 40 years of service!  Delivered mail starting on 3/24/29 to the Delong area – about 30 miles in total riding.  On bad weather days, he would ride one horse for 15 miles, come in for lunch and then take another horse for the remaining 15 miles.

Owned quite a stable of cars in his lifetime to include Frazers, Studebakers, Fords Chevies, VWs but always  wanted a Cadillac and eventually owned 3 toward the end of his life.  He bought one at the price of $5,000.  He had to enlarge the garage beside the house to accommodate the length of the Caddies.

Ran track in high school and was spiked during his junior year at the Knox County district track meet, tearing his Achilles tendon – he had a big scar.  The fellow who spiked him said the following year (senior) – ‘I hope what happened last year doesn’t happen again – I spiked a guy.’ After the race, Sam told the other guy – “I’m the guy you spiked.”  That day he won the regional and went to the state meet (though he didn’t place in the state.)

Taught adult Sunday School class at the Delong Church and took responsibility for securing preachers for the church, occasionally played the piano for church services and ushered nearly every Sunday there was a service.  He always seemed responsible for many of the activities.

Knox County Rural Letter Carrier’s Association member which, although there were business meetings, was mostly social with picnics and socializing with Witherells and ______;

Was a member of the Delong volunteer fire department and periodically went out on runs;

Good sense of humor, but not necessarily a joke teller.

He was very impatient.

He didn’t like leftovers and liked to have 2 big meals a day – dinner and supper – along with a hearty breakfast.  He did not like coffee – said he never had a cup in his life – but he did like tea.  He was a big milk drinker – in Delong they had a cow.  This required they leave family functions before Gladys wanted to since Sam had to go milk the cow.

He lost his teeth at a very early age – in his forties – and had a lot of trouble with his dentures.

When Sam L. came upstairs, you knew there was a problem.  The only two times Samuel B. remembers him coming up were:

• There are cigarettes in the glove compartment – are they yours?  Yes.  Well, I wish you wouldn’t.
• Samuel B. disconnected the odometer so that you wouldn’t know how many miles were driven.  He took the car out without permission and his dad let him know that wasn’t such a good idea – he lost privileges for a week or two.

When there was a lot of snow, Samuel L. would take Samuel B. along – only some of the roads were plowed so Samuel L. would drop Samuel B. off and have him walk the 1 mile to deliver mail to the 3-4 homes that were unplowed. At the holidays various members of the family would come along to help, even though it was against the postal rules.

He asked Fred to promise not to allow the doctor to send him back to the hospital.  Dr. Douglas sent him to the hospital for a unit of blood before the anniversary party – held around 2/11.

“Delong moved to Abingdon” for the afternoon of their 50th anniversary (everyone from Delong was in attendance at the Abingdon Congregational Church.)

He died on Thad Long’s 10th birthday.

Here’s a diary he kept from 1935-1939 when he was “relief diarist” for Gladys

Reviewed/additions by:  Marilyn Long,