# There Were Four Brothers



## Mizpah (Aug 27, 2004)

For Jabx1962, I never told you how I was related to Barney Farley.

There were four brothers: Albert, Bill, Barney, and Charles Frederick Farley. 
Albert and Bill were involved in boat building. Albert built boats in Aransas Pass and Bill raced hydroplane boats. Although they may have occasionally fished for tarpon, they were not that involved in the recreational fishing scene.

Barney was married to Marie and they owned some cottages and a tackle house. He was a part-time guide and tarpon fisherman, part schmoozer and part bull-shooter. He did, however, really promote Port A tarpon fishing. As I mentioned, he started the Texas Tarpon Rodeo.

Charles Frederick Farley was a master craftsman and boat builder. He moved to Port A to begin building boats after storms in 1915 and 1919 wiped out the local fleet. The semi-V hull boats were built from Louisiana cypress and Philippine mahogany and were designed to cut through the chop, which they did like no other at the time and for some time to come. Like any other custom built boat, they had a distinct style and look that was unmistakable. He had three sons, Don (my grandfather), Jim, and Fred. Jim and Fred were also boat builders. Early boats were 18- to 22-footers and powered by single gas inboards, preferably a marine Chrysler 75 but occasionally Model A and Model T Fords, four-cylinder Chevrolet or anything else guides could find. The 24-footer soon became the standard and when properly powered would outrun any production boats, such as early Chris Crafts, through that all too familiar Texas chop. Don Farley built one boat and then turned to guiding for his livelihood until he passed away in 1983. He fished for tarpon from about April to about November and then guided duck-hunting trips in the winter. He became one of the most accomplished tarpon guides in Port Aransas. Don had two sons, Don Roy (my father) who carried on the tradition as a tarpon/fishing and hunting guide and Field, who was not involved in the guide business.

Barney met President Roosevelt's son Elliot on his previous visit to the island and the two discussed the possibility of a visit by FDR. When FDR visited, their initial plan was to use their own small craft and employ Barney as a guide, but the vessel's speed could not be slowed down enough to troll. That afternoon, Elliot and Barney went out with Don Farley in his guide boat and caught two tarpon. The president was impressed with his son's catch and was determined to fish with Don, which he did successfully. In the photo of FDR, Barney and Elliot Roosevelt are holding the tarpon. The two men in the bow are a coastie and a secret service guy. The man behind the wheel is Don Farley, my grandfather and hero.

Long story short, Barney was my grandfather’s uncle. That makes him my……hhummm….my grandfather’s uncle. 
 

Jim


----------



## Brent (May 26, 2004)

*FDR and Don Farley...*


----------



## Brent (May 26, 2004)

*Yung Sun Jim....*


----------



## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Jim, when are you going fishing in the white dress shirt and kahki pants?


----------



## Scott (May 24, 2004)

I think that's called a "great uncle" isn't it???


----------



## Scott (May 24, 2004)

In the photo, which one is Barney and which one is Elliot???


----------



## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

Jim...are you an Engineer at Exxon/Mobil?...

I really appreciate the information about your family. I read the book Barney narrated, and was fascinated by the stories. I re-read the book after reading the post from the other day. I then realized that Barney had given Don Farley much of the credit for the notoriety of the glory days of Tarpon fishing on the Texas coast. I also knew the Stiewigs of Port A, who once owned and operated Woody's down there...

I hope to someday meet you, and introduce myself....

Thank you again for the information...and hopefully I can talk to you someday...


Regards,

Jeff B.

The Tops N Towers shirt looks familiar....I don't suppose you have a wife named Sally?...That girl is one heck of a fisherman...


----------



## Scott (May 24, 2004)

Correction - "fisherwoman"!!


----------



## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

I stand corrected.....she can school anybody.....


----------



## Scott (May 24, 2004)

I'd stack her up against most men when it comes to dragging in a tarpon!! She whipped a tarpon last year in the Tarpon Pro-Am faster than I did. Same size fish, same tackle, same strength line and she bested me by five minutes. She kicked my butt, that's for sure! Maybe it was Sally or maybe it was just the cervezas... anyway, she took the prize for the first tarpon landed in the amateur division for her efforts. Congrats. Sally, time for a repeat this year!!


----------



## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

I have never fished with her, but her reputation says she can handle herself with anybody.. I know her from when she worked at a business on NASA 1..We had a misundertanding about an issue, and I never was able to apologize to her for being misinformed...Irregardles...she is a very nice person to know and be around...hopefully, I will run into her and patch things up....I owe her an apology.


----------



## Mizpah (Aug 27, 2004)

jabx1962 said:


> Jim...are you an Engineer at Exxon/Mobil?...
> 
> I really appreciate the information about your family. I read the book Barney narrated, and was fascinated by the stories. I re-read the book after reading the post from the other day. I then realized that Barney had given Don Farley much of the credit for the notoriety of the glory days of Tarpon fishing on the Texas coast. I also knew the Stiewigs of Port A, who once owned and operated Woody's down there...
> 
> ...


If I got it right, Marie Steiwig was Woody Ousley's daughter and married Foy (I went to high school in AP with their son Calvin for a while). Foy retired from the US Coast Guard. He wrote a letter of recommendation for me when I was applying for my first Coast Guard License in 1983. It's a small world, isn't it?


----------



## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

*Calvin Stiewig*

Jim...the world is about to get smaller....Calvin was my fraternity big brother at Sam Houston State in Huntsville...I beleive Calvin would be about 44, or 45 now...Last I spoke with him he was working in broadcast in Dallas...I went on the Scat CAT on it's maiden voyage in the spring of 1982....

I also know Sally from working at TNT....I used to help Bbyrd at the Hunting and fishing shows...Me and Sally has a misunderstading caused by a person that also worked there, and I was never able to apologize to her....I thought she was really a cool person....I would really like to meet both of you and hopefully smooth things over with Sally...My fiance' is the co-founder of the Texas LADY angler organization...and I have told her many time how much she needs to get Sally involved...she would be a huge asset to the organization..

Again...thank you for setting me straight about the Farley legacy....

you have alot to be proud of,,and the stories need to be told..

Jeff B


----------



## Brent (May 26, 2004)

*It's A Small World.....*

But I wouldn't want to paint it......

:wink:


----------



## Brent (May 26, 2004)

*Small World, BTW.....*

I left quite a few footprints around Huntsville between '78 and '83. King Hall, Sound Machine, Bearkat Hut, Casa Tomain, I mean Thomas, kicking through the ruins of Old Main. The first time I ever say Jerry Jeff was at the Huntsville City Limits. What a time.....


----------



## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

*Old MAIN*

Were you there when it burned down?...

Quater time ath the Fox....The guy who owned the Fox was murdered a few years back...

E ating at the Bearkat Hut...Sigma Chi fight nights...

I transfered to UT after 1983...but,, SAM was a great place to go to school..


----------



## Brent (May 26, 2004)

*Old Main....*

I meant Old Main but typed King Hall. I lived off campus at the time it burned, but when I saw it, it was still smoking. It was a sad sight.....


----------

