The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-12-15
JOHN JOYNER'S HOUSE.
How It Was Built and How 1a
Was Paid For.
lFrom the Atlanta constitutional

Atlalta Is tDe nOuhc IHat coy hOi
Five years ago that was the uglies'
lot on that side OF town. There was no
cottage there-no grass, no tiowers,and |
set away back, on the end farthest from
the street, was two roomed sbanty.
81 bought the place." said Joyner,
in the fall of 1888. There was nothing |
on the lot but that little shanty. The
place was to be paid for in thirty-eight
monthly payments of $40 each, and as
soon as the place was bought we
moved into the shanty."
"How many OF you!"
"Wife and five children-three boys
and two girls. Winter came on and l
hadn't saved any money. You see,
none of the children were old enough
to help-all of 'em in school-and $40
was heap of money TO come out OF
$50.
Then it costs more to live in winter
ANYHOW. There are tho clothes to buy,
and wood, and thousand and one
little things that you never think OF till
winter comes. We had hard time
that winter. The roof was rotten and
there were cracks in the walls. There
was no plsstering, not even q loit To
the house. Every time it rained the
floor was as wet as if it had just been
secured, and many a time when went
home at night | have brushed the
snow from the coverlid in handfuls, or
walked up in the morning and found it
| in little lines and heaps like snow
breast works. We just made up our
minds-my wife and THAT some day
we would have q new house on that
lot. We managed to keep up the pay
ments, though, and when springtime
came we began saving money"
To understand Joyner's story, you
must know John Joyner. He was a
patrolman then, and was until the
house was finished, and patrolmen
worked then, as now, for 90 day.
That was $50 month, and out of that
amount $40 went to pay for the lot.
That left 800 to live on-five children
and all in school.
81 drew up my own plans," said
Joyner, "and made all the calcula-
tions."
"Did you ever do anything like that
before2r
go, no. There's nothing stylish or
architectural about it; just plain com
common sense house. We saved up
little at a time and early in the summer
of 'S4 | bought the first material. Ii
was S15 worth of sills and l paid casf
for them. Then, just as fast as 1 coult
save the money, l bought saw, and
SQUARE, and chisel, and Ratchet. TheI
/ 1 began shaping my material. Every
day, or every night if it happened to b'
moonlight night. measured ant
t sawed and cut until the sills were al
ready to be placed together
, THAT was when policemen worked
twelve hours day, wasn't, it?'
"Yes, but l made it rule to worl
al tleast an hour every day, and l stucl
: to it pretty we'll.
"Then [ bought the studdiDg, an6
l plating, and rafters, and fitted then
, too. During the autumn had two o
| three hours of spare time every day, s.
bought $500 of lumber on credit ali,
Q by winter had the framing complet
t and all my lumber slowed away i
) press. In the winter time OF course
couldn't put in much time, and the
Q beside it was about all could do t
!, live and keep up those payments.
8 81 had already sorter patched up tn
n root, but ! couldn't spare the none
1 for roof, and it was leaky and slopp
s but not SO bad as it was the winte
t before.
: "We managed to keep up the pay
D ments, though, and early in the summe
@ 'S5 began building. TIE pillars an
d the chimneys l was afraid to try
Y make, so hired that done. That's th
8 only thing about the house from top
(; bottom that didn't build with my ow
: hands.
= "As soon as the pillars were laid
: had already been sawed, and the hous
l. went up in hurry-censidering this
a there was only one man at work on j
Q and that he could work but an hour 6
: so every day. BY the end of April th
Il whole frame was up and the sheetin
/, for the shingles was on.
# ''The house stood that way for tw
is months.
d 81 was out OF money and had {
n atch up.
,s "In June, though, l bought the foo
d Ing and misunderstanding and ceilin
It and molding-all on credit, or rather
a borrowed money and paid cash for tt
t lumber. Mr.. Charles E. Boynton LOAF
If ed me $500.
Q "By the middle of August the hou'
If was shelled up and coating of pail
IS the first heavy priming-had bee
@ put on.
: "Then we moved over into the ne
h house. There wasn't lathe in II
l. There were neither doors nor window
1T nothing but rough plank shutters.
j. "Before winter came, though, "
Q had put in the doors and windows.
d have thought lots of times that was th
v hardest work OF all-putting lock an
! hinges on the doors and window pane
it and catches ON the windows an
If hinges on the blinds. Then WEN
boys helping me-began the lathin
9 and by winter the rooms were separs
t ted. All this while we were keepin
IS up the payments. Another idea ws
Q that l al ways paid cash for my grocer
e les. It's the best plan and l think
d saved me $5 a month during all this
g time.
% Next spring we plastered the hous
t and wbitewashed it, and then W
II settled down to paying off the bills an
l.. money had borrowed. We furnishe
u the new house gradually, but nOthin
e further was done on the house unit
r, 'S7. Then we finished painting it an
:, built the porches, front and rear.
a "After ,hat was done L bought m
IS the lumber and built the fence. l kne,
s it was my last piece of work, and
h just tried myself on it. l bought th
e rough posts and sawed them int
y shape, beveled them off nicely, dug th
}, holes and planted them. Then W
/ painted 1.-THE boys and
Q "The flowers2 Well, my wife an
d the girls did that. They always di
d like flowers, and the yard is just fu
d OF them.
VI 81 never sawed q plank or painte
@ one. or did anything else about build
e ing house until began on that on
C but it's as pretty a house as you wi
find anywhere, and the builders tn,
o have examined it say it is as good
d they ever saw. It's all finished nov
# every room. is furnished-there al
is seven of them in the house-and "
10 have a piano, and the girls have learl
It cd to play at home, and"
IL eyes sir" remarked pstrolman tn
r had listened to the story, land tho
10 two little girls and John Joyner are
N good musicians as there are in Atlant
l. I've heard them play together and
n was the finest music ever heard"
e eyes," said Joyner, "it's all finishe
Y, now, and everything paid for.
5, haven't heeu as proud of anythin
at since that day put on gray uniforl
is and marched of from Americus wit
Ia thp Sumtpr liuht guards