Telephone Interview with Oscar Hernandez and Ignacio Hernandez on 11/11/07

Oscar Hernandez is the brother of Max Hernandez and Alma Hernandez. Mr. Felix Flores, owner of the Heermann property where the Heermann store is located, told us that Max Hernandez’s great grandparents had lived on the property. The purpose of the phone call was to establish contact with either Oscar or Max and to learn what we could about the structure and land. Oscar lives on a ranch outside Somerset.

Oscar was very receptive to my call. His father, Ignacio, age 86, was also present in the house. With my asking the questions and Oscar relaying the question to his father sometimes in English and sometimes in Spanish, we managed to find out the following information.

Ignacio was born in the store—which they refer to as the house—in 1920. His father, Max Hernandez, was a sharecropper for Mr. John Easterly, owner [Easterly bought the land from Felix Heermann in 1910 and was dead by 1939]. They grew cotton, blackberries, plums, all kinds of vegetables, as cucumbers and watermelons. [Sounds as though the land was a truck farm]. They took the products to the market at first in wagons, then Model Ts, then Model As. Max worked for 30 years for Mr. Easterly. When Mr. Easterly got angry at Max, he would threaten to leave him out of his will. Ignacio believes that the ruins near the store are those of a cotton gin. Ignacio stated that his grandfather, Pablo [wife’s name Beaquinta] was the first to work on this land, but he did not live in the “house”. [the store was likely not even built at that time. Did he work for one of the Heermanns??]. Mr. Flores recently permitted Oscar to take Ignacio in the store to see again where he was born.

In response to my question regarding the source of water for the Hernandez family when they lived at the Heermann store, Ignacio said they got their water from the hand dug well at the ruins. It was the only good water around.

In response to what he knew about the ruins, he stated they were there as far back as he can remember. John Easterly told Max it had been a cotton gin and that it burned, causing a great loss of cotton and money to the growers. It is difficult to ascertain the exact year of the loss, but it likely burned before Max got there after 1910. Ignacio said the store had never been a saloon but Mr. Henry Koehler who lived two ranches down on 1604 had a saloon. That property is where the storage units are now.

Ignacio confirmed that the store had been a post office at one time.

Ignacio attended a three-room school at Oak Island. The little community was there when he attended school there.

There is a Hernandez family plot at Villa del Carmen Church where Max is buried. It has a white curbing around it. It is near Southside High School.

During the time Max lived there, he had many parties and dances. The family has pictures of these events. There are people standing outside the house around the wagons.

They have agreed to let us see them.

Mr. Easterly did not live on the property. He had a ranch elsewhere [Thelma??] where he had his home. His house burned and he was burned to death. One day two ladies from Falfurrias came to the property and told Max that he would have to leave as they were going to sell the land. Ignacio left the property when he was 18. Ignacio believes that Mr. Easterly had no family and no sisters. [Were the two ladies Victoria Clark and her sister, Executrix of Easterly’s will??]

Pat Castanon

Historic Farms and Ranches Committee

San Antonio Conservation Society