Dillard Caswell Tate ²

  General Notes:

Dillard Caswell Tate
Written by his brother, James David Tate

Dillard Caswell Tate was the second son and the second child in the famil y. He was born October 11, 1910 in Madison County, Kentucky.

He was a quiet man but when he spoke, 'you listened'. There was a so ng by Willie Nelson called the "Red Headed Stranger" that reminded me of D illard, even though he wasn't red headed. The line in the song says, "Don 't boss him, don't cross him", this was Dillard, the 'gentle giant'.

There was not one man more fair or more honest than him. He was mo re of a 'loner' than anyone else in the family. He lived on housebo at on the Kentucky River for a while then he lived in a shack up Bell Jon es Hollow located near Boonesboro where he farmed.

He married later in life than most of the family. He married Rhoda Pete rs from Booneville, Kentucky. He raised his family of five childr en as a tenant farmer during the depression. He bought his farm on Brooks town Road in the early 1940s.

Dillard passed away July 21, 2002.

The Big Three
Written by James David Tate about his three older brothers

Gordon, Dillard and Paul were inseparable. They grew up during the depres sion and knew 'hard times'.

Gordon had a lot of drive. I don't think there was a mountain that he cou ld not climb or at least figure out a way to get around it. He knew all a bout baseball and how to make good sorghum molasses.

Dillard was a patient, honest and fair man. There was this story about h im selling a cow to a neighbor. He had a good milk cow that a neighbor wa nted to buy. The neighbor offered him one hundred dollars for the cow b ut Dillard said the cow was only worth seventy five dollars. This was Dil lard Caswell Tate.

Paul believed in precision and dedication. If he did a job it was done t he right way no matter how long it took.

Dillard and Paul used to tell the following story about Gordon. Mom and d ad were living in Bell Jones Hollow at the time and the three boys were at tending the McCord School on Boonesboro Road. Mother prepared their lun ch with 'one meat and biscuit' and 'one blackberry jam and biscuit' for ea ch boy. Mother put their lunch in a lard bucket. Gordon was assign ed to carry the lard bucket to school. When noon recess came, the three b oys went outside to eat their lunch and opened the lard bucket to find a h alf a bucket of lard. Gordon had picked up the wrong bucket when they le ft home and Paul and Dillard never let him live this down.

Paul was really the storyteller of the three boys. Gordon used to tell t he story about the time they went to Hamilton, Ohio for work and stayed wi th dad's sister, aunt Jenny. It was cold weather and the water pipes h ad frozen in the house. Aunt Jenny told them if they needed to go to t he bathroom to, "Just do it in your hand and throw it out the window".

One time Dillard was sick in bed and Gordon and Audrey had come in from Oh io. Gordon and Audrey came into the room and stood at the foot of Dillard 's bed. Gordon said, "Well Dillard, I got married". Dillard replied, "We ll Red, you have played hell now".

Social Security Death Index about Dillard Tate
Name: Dillard Tate
SSN: 400-50-9319
Last Residence: 40475 Richmond, Madison, Kentucky, United States of Ameri ca
Born: 11 Oct 1910
Died: 21 Jul 2002
State (Year) SSN issued: Kentucky (1954

U.S. Public Records Index about Dillard C Tate
Name: Dillard C Tate
Birth Date: Oct 1910
Street address: 735 Brookstown Rd
City: Richmond
County: Madison
State: Kentucky
Zip Code: 40475
Phone Number: 859-624-0696
Record Number: 328956156
Household Members: Name Est. Age Birth Year
Dillard C Tate 97 1910
Marion D Tate 51 1955 ²

Dillard married Rhoda Peters, daughter of Sam Peters and Emma Unknown, on 12 Mar 1932 in , Madison, Kentucky, USA.² (Rhoda Peters was born on 2 Jul 1917,² died on 9 Feb 1990 in , Madison, Kentucky, USA ² and was buried in Memorial Gardens In Madison Co., KY ².)