Lukhard

My dad's cousin "Teeny" shared some of her recollections of  family on a recent visit with me.  Her mother,  Miriam, was my grandmother's sister.  Her father was Herman Leslie Lukhard, Sr.

Ida Rene Abbott > Jacqueline D. Abbott > John B. Zaun > Teresa Zaun Austin.
Miriam Edith Abbott, sister of Jacqueline D. Abbott, married Herman L. Lukhard).
Miriam E Abbott > Miriam "Teeny" Lukhard > Robin Rachael Vaughan.

Herman Leslie Lukhard
Herman did not have a high school education, but became one of the most successful businessmen in Richmond.  From a job at the corner grocery store sweeping floors at age 17, he worked his way up to the meat department, training to become a butcher.  Eventually he went in with a partner and opened the first Lukhard's Market in Richmond.  The business grew to six stores which were managed by family members.

Lukhard's Market, Westbury Shopping Center

From Style Weekly, Jan. 1 1980: "The 12,000-square-foot building at 400 Libbie Ave. once was home to a beloved neighborhood grocery, Lukhard's Fine Foods. Lukhard's closed five years ago. Nonetheless, neighbors still refer to the site as Lukhard's, never as Rite Aid, the chain drugstore that replaced it."
Herman raised various animals for the store.  Once he got up in a tree to teach the turkeys how to roost so they would be safe from predators.  Did you ever wonder why turkeys are transported in crates? Uncle Herman loaded turkeys one day in the back of a truck and went in to grab lunch.  When he came back out, the frightened turkeys were piled up in one end of the truck and half of them were dead.  He frantically threw them out of the truck and tried to resuscitate as many as possible, but was largely unsuccessful.  Hard lesson.

I remember when they raised pigs on the farm, and my Aunt Miriam calling out, Soooieee!  Soooieee!  All the pigs would come running up from the wooded area around the pond.  A little runt piglet was given to Teeny's daughter Robin to raise.  The piglet became a pet, but somehow, tragically, it got into the truck with the pigs going to market.

Lukhard's was part of the Richfood co-op, which enabled small independent grocers in the Richmond area to compete with large chain supermarkets.  When Herman retired, Lukhard's was passed on to his sons.  His oldest son Dee bought his brother out.  When Dee's daughter Lindsey died in 1979, he sold two of the stores, closed the remaining four stores and retired from the grocery business.

Dee, Herman, and Miriam 1931

Herman's struggle with alcohol came to a head after Teeny's husband Kenneth died unexpectedly at age 47. Once, when Herman started to drive off in his car, Teeny told him that she would call the police if he drove. He said, "If you do, I'll never speak to you again."  She said, "Okay, if that's the way it has to be.  I'm still going to do it."  He said, "You ARE my daughter, aren't you?"  He gave her the keys, went in the house and took a nap.

Herman loved to invest in land.  He purchased a piece of property in the mountains and donated it to his beloved Battery Park Christian Church to use as a camp.  He bought Spring Green Farm in 1957 from the Tillman family, who were descendants of the original builder.  (The main house was built in 1778).  When Herman died, all of his assets were tied up in land, so in order to pay expenses and support Miriam, half of Spring Green farm was sold to his son Dee.

Approximate boundaries of Spring Green Farm in Old Church.  The main house and ten acres was sold outside the family, and the rest is parceled out to family members.

Robin Racheal Vaughan
Teeny related several stories about her daughter Robin's escapades as a child.  Robin had a habit of hiding or running away and causing widespread panic.  When she was very little, she locked herself in the bathroom and would not answer when her mother called.  Teeny picked up a deck of cards that Robin had been forbidden to play with, and sat on the floor outside the bathroom door, passing the cards under the door one a time.  Silently, the cards would be pushed back out under the door.  Teeny used that tactic until Uncle Kenneth came home and unlocked the door.

Robin (painting by Miriam Lukhard)

Another time Robin went missing, causing panic for hours while people searched all over the farm and everywhere.  Uncle Kenneth came home from work and went to use the bathroom before joining the search.  A small voice from behind the shower curtain said, "Hi Daddy." Robin was wrapped up in the shower curtain with nothing showing, not even her feet.  She knew she was forbidden to be in the bathroom when Daddy was doing his business, so she knew she needed to make her presence known.

Some kids from church came to spend the day on the farm.  They took turns riding Robin's pony Stardust while Robin led them down the road.  Stardust got stubborn and would not come home.  When it started to get dark and the parents came to pick up their kids, they were nowhere to be found.  Once again, a search party was formed. Robin was brought home in the back of a police car, past the long line of parents' and searcher's cars parked along on the road.  The church kids followed behind, leading the pony with two astride.

Another time, when Robin was found after being missing for a while, she said indignantly, "I know where I am!" This quote was used at her funeral.

Stardust, Robin's pony