A Son of the Blacksmith, Robert DeLaney

A Son of the Blacksmith

Robert DeLaney

Robert’s book,”A Son of The Blacksmith”, is a story of his

unique life

and is an amazing review of the 20th century,

from a period in 1915 to

the present time in the 21st

century. Covering times from horses and

model T’s through

the

great depression, WWII and the 21st century,

this is a

living testament to a generation. There are times of

happiness

and cheer, and of disappointment and fear.

There

are times of

adventure and sorrow. The details of four

real

life miracles are

described in detail. -

Pieh Tool

Company Inc.

Isaac Delany, an Irishman, arrived in Texas in 1836 with the

Davy

Crockett wagon train. Three generations later,

James

Cecil DeLaney,

“the Blacksmith” was born. As a young child,

he traveled to Houston,

Texas via wagon train.

During this

trip, he met Henrietta Taylor whom

he married in 1911. They

had three sons, Cecil, Robert, and John

Henry. Cecil, the

oldest son, built the “wheels” for the first Moon land

rover.

Their youngest son, John Henry was

Chief Engineer for the

DeLaney Co. overseeing fabrication of steel for bridges,

locks

and

dams on the Ohio and

Mississippi Rivers. Robert,

father, a rancher

at 88 years of age tells his life story as

“A

Son of the Blacksmith”.

Covering time from horses and

Model T’s through the Great

Depression, World War II and

into the twenty-first

century, this is a

living testament to the

generation born in the early nineteen

hundreds. I salute my

Dad for taking

the time to write this book; may it

help us all

learn from his life’s experiences. -

James Cullen DeLaney

My dad believed that we should learn through experiences. I

will never

forget that we were studying the cliff dwellers

school so that summer

our family went to Mesa Verde to see

the site first hand. To make a

hydrometer, you

called a

meteorologist. To better understand

Pompeii, we flew over

an erupting volcano in a prop plane. We were

lowered into a

salt mine in a bucket so that we understood the origins

salt. My brother and I had every pet from a

flicker to a goat

with a

hundred dogs in between. No word was ever left

undefined. No idea

was ever squelched.

This small book is a collection of remembrances of a life well-

lived: of

a young boy who overcame ill-health to

become a

Naval officer; of a

young man who went to college, met and

married the woman who was

to be his life

partner; of a

teacher whose careers spanned the Navy,

purchasing agent

for a steel company, college professor,

and

rancher;

of a

father who came a grandfather and great grandfather

extraordinaire; of a man on a life long quest

for answers,

knowledge,

and experiences. -

Bobbie DeLaney Whelan

This book has deeply touched my soul. I also grew up

during

this era;

therefore, it brought back many memories.

Some of

the early

twentieth century, World War II, growth of

a large

and beautiful city,

Houston as well as personal

accounts of

Robert’s father. He was truly

a wonderful, loving,

and

intelligent man, a pleasure to know.

Gayle

Campbell

Love

DeLaney's Rafter 4D Ranch
Registered Polled Herefords

Western Warehouse for all your western clothing!

A Son of the
Blacksmith

301 CR 286 Lamkin Community Gustine, Texas 76455