Hernandez Family (Sharecropper)

During the time that John Easterly owned the Heermann Store, it was used primarily as a
residence for farmers. Interviews with Ignacio Hernandez, who was born in the store in
1920, indicate that his father, Maximilian Hernandez was a sharecropper for John
Easterly (Oscar and Ignacio Hernandez to Pat Castanon, November 11, 2007). Ignacio
Hernandez recalls that the family grew cotton, blackberries, plums, watermelons,
cucumbers and several other types of vegetables. The Hernandez family took the
products to the market, first by wagon, next by Model T, and then by Model A. The
Hernandez family lived in the building until 1939, when John Easterly died, and the land
went into probate.