His Name Was Barney
© 2010 - William C. Highsmith

His full name was Barney Watson Thomas. The original family he sprang from consisted of himself and eight sisters. However, his parents often took in cousins, and also adopted another boy named Julian The family were 'dirt poor' farmers but there was always room for one more if the need arose. They were good people.

Today, when one hears the name Barney, the image of the big purple dinosaur that brings joy to the 'tiny set' or perhaps the deputy from the TV show comes to mind. However, when I speak of Barney, I am speaking of my uncle. He was born January 28, 1906, and died August 27, 1968. Although his life spanned merely sixty-two years, it was a lifetime of bringing laughter and happiness to those who crossed his path.

Barney was not a man of challenging size; rather, he stood probably about five-feet-five. However, when you were in his presence, you knew you were near a man. His was not the demeanor of a bellicose individual, but rather, simply that of self-confidence. It was this trait that allowed him to 'tell on himself' and laugh along with his audience.

Barney used to tell a story about himself as a little boy. It seems he was like any other red-blooded youngster born in Southeast Georgia in the very early 20th century. He once set a trap for birds and succeeded in catching a cardinal. Of course, to the small boy, it was simply a red bird. Anyhow, after removing the bird from the trap, he had a sudden nature call. Well, with the creature in one hand, he attempted to answer the call. Unfortunately, the red bird reached across and attacked what one might call a 'worm'. The attack was successful in drawing blood and much laughter from all who heard the story.

Barney Thomas was a hard-working man. He worked for the National Cylinder Gas Company. He had a trying family life in that he lost a little girl at a young age. His first little girl, born in 1943, died early of leukemia at the age of nine. His poor wife suffered from severe mental problems until she died. He had a young son, who had a speech disability and nobody could understand what he said. His was a trying time. As time went on, his health began to fail. He had four or five major heart attacks. However, he never complained. When you talked to him, you would have guessed all was well with the good man as he joked and tried to make people laugh.

Although the funny man had serious setbacks, he never relinquished the characteristic that caused him to be beloved. He covered his griefs and sorrows very well. If one did not know the circumstances, they would never sense his problems.

Barney was an avid fisherman. He would fish the salt waters near the ocean or the fresh water of the local swamp - aptly known as "Thomas' Swamp". The writer was with him on one such fishing expedition to the salt water. It was at a fish camp called Brown's creek where we fished. Uncle Barney had caught a nice string of his favorite spotted trout. I watched as he snagged another one and put it onto the string. As soon as he dropped the string back into the water to keep them fresh, a shark came along side the pier and devoured every fish on his string. He was not a happy man.

I remember a tale he used to tell on himself. It seems he was fishing alone - this time in the swamp environment. As he walked along the bank of the stream that meandered through the swamp, he rounded a curve in the path and came face to face with a black bear. Uncle Barney always carried a 32 caliber revolver in his belt. He said, "When me and that old bear met on that tract, I don't know which one of us was the most scared. I was shaking like a leaf as I tried to draw my gun. The old bear was just as surprised and scared as me. He decided to run one way, and I ran the other."

The candle of our family, and indeed the world, burns a little dimmer without 'the funny man'.

By William C. Highsmith - November 2, 2010