Sam "Eugene" Hewett Alternate spelling Hewitt

Birth: He was born in 1922 in Louisiana.  

Family Information: Son of Ben Wade and Minnie Hewett.

Brother of Allie Belle, Benny Wade, Jr., Irene, Clark, and Charlotte Hewett.  

Description: On his Draft Registration Card dated June 30, 1942 he was described as being 5'7" tall, weight 145 pounds with brown eyes and hair and a dark complexion.  

Pre-Colony History:  

Home in Colony: In 1935 he was living in the Newllano Colony.  

Job in Colony: In November 1933 he was among a group of boys including Ray Campbell, Carl Mahler, Ray Long, Sylvester Watson, Bill Busick and Robert Peecher who were stacking the veneer sheets as they were shaved off the log.  

Other Info: At Christmas time 1928 Curly Goble and Warren Fread carried a load of building materials to the Rice Ranch; on the return trip they brought sixteen hogs and 38 bales of rice straw. To carry this load, a floor of stout planks and beams had to be constructed over the bottom of the truck and then "the "fun" commenced. The hogs had to be captured and such squealing and grunting of the indignantly protesting porkers was never heard in those parts -- and such pulling of legs and ears you never saw, but after a strenuous hunt and battle the poor beasts were at last safely [loaded] and then the 33 bales of straw were piled upon the floor above the hogs and when that was accomplished you would have seen a truckload about as high as the ranch-house and on of top of that clambered Harold and Ben Hewett, Jr., going to help celebrate Xmas at the Colony's home. Baldwin and little Eugene followed them in Baldwin's Rolls Royce twenty cylinder car which [was] equipped with all the luxuries and trimmings of a modern traveling palace."

In April 1929 Mrs. Minnie Hewitt held a birthday party in honor of Billie Busick, five years old, and Charlotte Hewitt, just four. Also attending were Clara Mae Fread, Byron Busick, George Maki, Jimmie Dix, Eugene Hewett and Buddy Synoground.

In June 1933, Oscar Needham loaned his big Buick coupe so the fourth grade could have their spring outing on the banks of the Sabine river. They enjoyed swimming, fishing, ice cream, mud baths and a perfect day. The group included: Hulda Mahler, Frances Roe, Genevieve Quipp, Billy Busick, Eugene, Ernest Ogden, Raymond Campbell, Joe Lentz and their teacher. When they left the colony, four children were hanging on the outside, while five rode on the inside with plenty of eats and an ice cream freezer filled with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries. Their picnic included biscuits with egg, honey and peanut butter filling and raw carrots for relish. While the teacher read to some, others threw stones far out into the stream, with Ernest and Raymond claiming to have thrown into Texas. The 'colored' ferryman, having come down, went into convulsions of laughter after spotting Eugene, who had covered every square inch of his body, except his eyes and mouth, with mud.

In July 1934 Lloyd Potter took ten boys including Eugene, Sylvester Watson, Byron Busick, Billy Busick, Phillip Lentz, Joe Lentz, Jimmy Dix, Quentin Quipp, Kenneth Dean and Clarence Fread on a camping trip to Hadden's Ferry on the Sabine River. They swam for a while; borrowed the ferryman's rowboat and plowed up the river; ate fried potatoes and eggs, bread and jelly, and a fine icing cake. Come evening they set out trout lines and picked moss from the trees to make a bed. They played through the night, getting very little, if any, sleep.  

Post-Colony History: In 1940 he was living in a home in the unincorporated New Llano, Louisiana (site of the old colony) with his mother and sister, Charlotte, while working as a news worker.

In 1942 he was working at Joe's Ice Plant in New Llano -- the old colony ice plant -- at that time owned by Joe Johnson.

In 1951 he married Dorothy Dix Denby and had one daughter, though they divorced before she could walk.

Death: He died in 1981 and was buried in California.

Sources: Family Source; US Census: 1930, 1940; "Llano Colonist": January 5, 1929, April 27, 1929, June 17, 1933, November 25, 1933, July 7, 1934; US WWII Draft Registration Card; Califorina Death Index; FindAGrave.com