Part 3 Chapter 18 Summary

In 1951-1952, LBJ also labored to transform the Pedernales Valley into "Johnson Country" again. His grandfather Sam and great uncle Tom settled there in the 1860s, filled with dreams of riches but possessed of little business sense. Tom died in 1877 flat broke. Sam married the canny, hardworking Eliza Bunton, who was firmly dedicated to the family motto, "Charity begins at home." They scraped together enough money to return to the Pedernales and grew cotton on a tract they purchased near the lost Johnson Ranch. Their eldest son, Sam, Jr., married Rebekah Baines in 1907 and their first son, Lyndon, was born in a little "dog-run" cabin. The family moved to Johnson City in 1913 and when Sam's parents died, he opposed his siblings' desire to sell the broken-down homestead. Wanting to keep the dream alive, LBJ's father bought the property and moved back...