Robert Fleming Fleming ll, Uncle Rob as he was later known to the Fleming children, was 19 at the time the family moved to The Plains. In 1885, when he was 27, Mary Fleming bought another neighboring farm known as The O’Bannon Tract. This was for Rob.
Uncle Rob never married. I was told he suffered a broken heart when the woman he loved refused his offer of marriage. Not wanting to live alone on his farm, he accepted his brother’s generous offer for him to continue to live at “Green Mont”. After the third floor was added in 1903, Uncle Rob, then 45, moved up there with the younger children. He didn’t want to be any bother. I know I heard at least one story of a shoe being tossed on a particularly raucous morning.
Clarissa Fleming was his favorite. Having no family of his own, he, more or less, took Clarissa under his wing. They were great buddies. Rob’s farm was about 2 miles Southwest of Green Mont. Clarissa was often his companion as he traveled back and forth from Green Mont to his own farm. Clarissa would hop off and open and close the gates on the journey.
I’m sure Uncle Rob showed his gratitude for his brother’s never-ending hospitality in many ways, but one of them was by purchasing a new car for the family every few years and taking care of all of the car’s expense and upkeep. In those days, owning a car was a big deal.
Uncle Rob would never ride in this car. He had another car; a beat-up old model “T” Ford that he drove around in with Clarissa. I remember Clarissa telling me how she would ride along standing on the running boards so she could hop off to open and close the farm gates when she and Uncle Rob drove around; Mike Harris did this for Clarissa in years to come, when she was behind the wheel and Mike was the favorite nephew.
R. B. Lee Fleming died on May 10, 1925 at the age of 80. Uncle Rob died 5 months later to the day, October 10, 1925. He was 71. He left the bulk of his estate, including his farm, to Clarissa.
Marloe Woollett: I actually have a glass-fronted bookcase that Aunt C. gave me, saying Uncle Rob made it for her. He must have been skilled in carpentry! And wasn’t he the one who made those amazing little carved miniature baskets out of peach pits??
as remembered 