My grandfather, James Cordis 'Cordie' Bastin, first told me the following story when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I unfortunately had forgotten who it was about, but I asked my Dad, James Glen 'Glen' Bastin about it the other day. The following, now-complete version, with names, is courtesy of my parents, Glen and Edith Bastin (thanks!) (Mindy, I don't know if you ever heard this story, before :-) The historical time-frame of this
story is from about 1929 or 1930: "Kenith 'Kenny' Bastin was about 5 or 6 years old and his brother, C. L. was a couple years older; but Kenny was bigger and huskier than C.L. even though Kenny was younger. Kenny had C. L. down in the floor and he had a straight razor shaving his older brother, C. L. Uncle Papa, Bella Bastin, [their father! -- Gary] came in and was scared to death when he saw Kenny with a straight razor shaving C.L. So, Uncle Papa said calmly, "Kenny, that thing ain't cutting just right. Hand me that razor so I can sharpen it." Kenny just handed him the razor." Notes: 1. For our English readers, a 'straight razor' is the same as what is also called a 'cut-throat razor'. For our younger readers, it is/was a single-bladed, very thin, and very sharp folding knife, having a blade about 5 inches long. It was the only shaving apparatus available until approximately 1904. That year, the safety razor, which uses razor blades, was first introduced. The total number of safety razors sold was rather
small until after World War I. US Soldiers were issued safety razors upon joining the Army in WW I (straight razors were deemed 'too dangerous') and, upon returning home after the war, the practice of shaving with a straight razor was almost universally replaced with the safety razor among the younger generation(s). (Electric razors didn't come along until much later.) Many men who started shaving with a straight razor before WW I continued using them, though, as they felt that the shave was closer with
a straight razor. In the 1930 timeframe, the 'advantage' of not having to buy razor blades was also a factor, since the Great Depression was underway, and many older men still had a straight razor, shaving brush, and a razor strop, anyway. These factors kept some men using a straight razor long after the safety razor was the most common shaving instrument. 2. In order to better understand the family relationships of the relatives mentioned, CL and Kenny were the sons of Bella (pronounced as 'Beeler') and Bessie Bastin:
Bennett, Bessie L. 3. Kenny died at the age of 40 on 6 Jul 1964 as the result of an unfortunate automobile head-on collison accident on Hwy-218 about 3 miles east of Horse Cave, Hart Co, KY. Also killed as a result of this same accident was a BASTIN cousin, Gordon D. Lile, who was in the same car. He died on 12 July 1964 from injuries from the same accident. Gordon was the son of Clyde Lewis Lile and Pearl B. (Bastin) Lile. 4. Bella was my great-uncle, a brother to my Grandfather 'Cordie' Bastin. I remember Kenny, Bella, and Bessie Bastin well. Bella used to walk down the lane in front of my grandfather's house daily, and I remember seeing him almost every time I visited and stayed overnight at my grandparent's house. I remember 'CL' also, but he had moved away, and I only recall seeing him at family gatherings when I was growing up. -- Gary Bastin ==== BASTIN Mailing List ==== 
Date: Tue, 19 May 1998
From: Gary Bastin
To: BASTIN-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: A BASTIN Close Shave
Birth : 12 Dec 1904
Death : 30 Dec 1977 Hart Co, KY
Family:
Spouse:
Bastin, Bella Osborne
Birth : 26 Jan 1899 Probably in Metcalfe Co, KY
Death : 24 Dec 1966 Barren Co, KY
Parents:
Father: Bastin, James Thomas 'Tom'
Mother: Smith, Nancy Eugenia 'Jennie'
Children:
Bastin, Cecil Leo 'CL'
Bastin, Kenith R. 'Kenny'
Bastin, Eugenia Ann
Visit the BASTIN Family Website at
http://geocities.datacellar.net/Heartland/Prairie/9714/
Get your own Free Home Page