Many people say they have an “old car.” A 1964 Mustang, for an example. Then they ask what I have. I reply, “I have an ’09.” They look at me oddly and I correct myself — a 1909.
My grandfather, Marvin Rostetter, grew up very poor in the small town of Secor, Ill., which has a population of 500. He was born in 1913 to a mother just 16 years of age. Growing up poor and having very little seems to make a person more appreciative of the things they have. Perhaps that is why this 1909 Economy Model G survives. In 1926, Marvin’s maternal grandfather, Henry Robert Brown, died and bequeathed Marvin this 1909 Economy. Being only poor and 13 years old at that time, I am not sure how Marvin managed to retain the car until his accidental death in 1997.
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