Charles Albert Binkerd (Bert): Jack Binkerd's Memories

 

by Jack Binkerd (nephew)

Charles Albert Binkerd was called Bert. His ancestry is mixed European. His father's line has been in America since before the Revolutionary War. The maternal line is first generation from England.

Bert was born in Dorsey, Holt, Nebraska. It was a little town that should be called Binkerdville.  There were a lot of Binkerds living there. It is a suburb of O'Neill. There is no more Dorsey. It was probably absorbed by the bigger town of O'Neil.

Bert was tall about 6'2" - 6'3" with deep set blue (Jack thinks) eyes. He had a shock of wavy black hair that stood up in front. He was a quiet, intense sort of person. He wasn't a  talker. He had a quiet sense of humor that wasn’t on top all the time. He would make tongue & cheek comments.

Bert Lived in Park City, Utah. The whole family lived there.  The Binkerd family lived on a hill above Main Street. The second floor of the old houses were on the street behind them. Will was a Stationary Steam Engineer in the mines. He did work on the steam plant for the mines. Bert worked around there but Jack wasn’t sure what Bert did. 

Bert was not a religious person. Park Citywas certainly not a religious town. It had the reputation of being a rough town. He only knew one man in Park City who served a mission. After he came back, he was smoking and drinking. In Park City, there was a  lot of religious intolerance. General Karn brought miners into Utah to hold the Mormon church in check. Bert was raised in that atmosphere. Will moved his family from Nebraska because of a job.  He was a  stationary stream engineer. He worked at a steam generator that was south west of fairgrounds.

Bert and Bob (Robert) talking  about a hanging. As they were talking, they realized that they were in the same crowd in France. Bert said,  “I was there too.” Bert adjusted after the war better than Bob who was shell shocked besides having a mean streak and hard to get along with. Bob didn't get along with many people. Bert wasn't like that. It caused problems in the relationship.

Bert was a second father to Jack. Bert wasn’t married yet and he was still living with his parents. Robert (Bert’s brother) was erratic with jobs and as a result his family moved in with Charles William and Jennie.  Robert was a truck driver or worked in the deserts of California. Jack got to know Bert very well during these times. Jack’s earliest recollection of Bert was when they lived in a small collection of houses that was on the end of the street car line. This was Lake Breezeat the end of 2^nd South.  The family had a large frame house, a barn, a large chicken coop with a lot of chickens and an outside cellar. They had a small farm that was about ½ acre. There was also quite a few fruit trees. Jennie had a large strawberry patch. They were the  best strawberries in the country. and a lot of chickens. Jennie did most of the farm work.  When Bert wasn't working at the Smelter, he would help his mother

Bert and Robert and built a cess pool and also installed indoor plumbing. When they put in the cess pool, they tipped over the outhouse. Jennie wasn’t happy because she wanted to save the outhouse and convert it into a chicken coop or chicken building.  The boys thought that it was too old and too messy to deal with. Jack doesn’t know for sure who did it of if they did it together but they ended up burning it. Jennie chased after Bert and Robert. It was Robert that she caught.

Jack’s favorite memory of Bert was when they sat down together and just talked. Even though he  was terribly shy, he was very nice and friendly. He was nicer to Jack than Robert was.

Robert was a very loud person and a truck driver. Bert was a quiet sort of person. Robert and Bert were arguing one day and Robert was jumping up an down in the middle of the floor and hollering,  “Why #@*#, I can talk louder than you can.” Bert then took him down. Jack thought it was funny.

One day, Jack was told to put his toys away. He had left his toy fire truck across the middle of the side walk. Bert tripped on it. He stopped and clapped it. He usually didn’t lose his temper but when he did he really did lose it.

Bert could get mad though. One day, he  was doing  mechanical work on a car. He bruised and hurt his knuckles with a wrench. He swore and through it across into the middle of the field saying, “#%##% knuckle buster.” Jack went  out later and got it and kept it for many years. Bert didn't get mad easily. When he did get mad, he would leave.

Jack was a Mason. He told Jack that if he  wasn’t a Mormon, that he could get him into the Masons. It was quite a few year later that Bert and Jennie  got him into the Junior Alcoves. This was a part of the Alcove Lodges which was  a part of the Masons

Jennie was a strong willed woman. Bert never said anything negative to his mother but he was differential. Bert was inclined not to argue with his mother. He would go along with what she wanted. After Will died, Bert took care of his mother. In fact, Jennie lived with him until she died.

 He was a nice person that was very modest. Before he and Nedra were married, he decided to call  her. Nedra had let it slip that she had just got out of the bath and just had a towel on. He made her get some clothes on before he would talk to her.

Jack remembers when Bert was courting Nedra. He would take her out on dates an things like that. He was the typical bachelor until he met Nedra. He was smitten by her. He was in his 30's when he married. Jack felt that one reason he was a bachelor for so long was because of his shyness. There was no girl that attracted him enough or showed enough interest for him to even consider settling down.

Will died first of a heart attack leaving his wife and two sons..