John Breakey Geddes

John Breakey Geddes. Our grandfather, our father’s father, John Breakey Geddes, was a formidable man. I never knew him, he died when I was 3 years old, but I do have memories of him. He was tall, thin, and had the family eye disease also (Retinitis Pigmentosa) and when I knew him he was always squinting. The light hurt his eyes. But oddly enough in this disease, the light is what fades. It’s needed, but it’s painful. The middle name “Breakey” was the name of the doctor who delivered him, which was a common thing to do in that era. Probably so grateful that mother and child survived the birth, they took his name to honor him. He’s probably around 66 years old in this picture and still wearing glasses, so not completely blind yet. He died at 78 years old.

What I didn’t know about him was that he was a poet. We have several writers in our family. Being farmers, and being a writer also just doesn’t seem a likely pairing. But we have several of his poems in the family archives. One was written about Cholly, he may have been Grandpa’s first grandson. If not first, close to first. But also the one he knew best because they lived in the same house. Here’s the poem about Cholly.

Cholly and His Christmas Tree

Cholly heard about a Christmas tree,                                                                                                             

And Santy, who does down the chimney creep

To fix a lovely Christmas tree,

For good little boys who sleep.

Who knows what lovely dreams

Passed through that little head,

As he lay there sound asleep

Dreaming of the joys ahead.

Then Christmas morn,

Speechless with delight and joy,

For that was the grandest tree

Ever seen by my little boy.

There was amazing things

Beneath that tree,

A truck, a drum, a tricycle,

All shiny and fair to see.

While about this world I roam,

No more pleasing sight will I see,

Than our little Cholly boy

And his Christmas tree.

The fireplace in this picture is still standing in the old farmhouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where this picture was taken. Built, I believe by John’s father, William Geddes

He looks to be posed for this picture. That is his “Cholly boy” in the picture on the mantle behind him. The photographer is unknown, most likely one of his own children. Whomever it was, they were gifted with the camera as there are many wonderful photos of years past and people now gone on to the next life. At the writing of this piece “Cholly Boy” is himself 79 years old. Time is a wonder. We start as babes, and end, as the Bible speaks of, withered and old. Such a phenomenon.