D for Domino

Domino games are quite popular in the Hill Country. They are played in every community. Especially 42.

I first learned about the 42 game a few years ago when I was doing my ancestry research. It appeared our aunts played the game as well. When they were young, they were involved in a lot of social, charitable, and church-related activities. In connection with that, their names were often mentioned in the social column of the local newspaper. One of such entries informed that our aunt Victoria won every game (out of 14) played during the local 42 tournament (1916), "which was something never done before (...)" (1). At the time when I read the old newspaper, I had no idea what that 42 was, I had to look it up.

Where I grew up adults and teenagers did not play dominoes. They played cards. Dominoes were left to the kids, who played the most simplified domino game only. It was matching the dots, with no score counting. The rules of the game were not complicated: the person who got rid of all the tiles the fastest won the game. Anyway, adults played cards only. No wonder then I had not heard of 42 or chicken foot.

I am not sure whether I am ready to learn how to play 42. Well, I would rather visit with people than focus on the game and counting the score only.

During our visit to the Czech Museum in La Grange, we came across the exact same type of domino set our Texas parents had owned (see above).

1. The Plano Star-Courier (Plano, Tex.), Vol. 27, No. 51, Ed. 1 Friday, May 26, 1916, newspaper, May 26, 1916; Plano, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth601588/: accessed June 5, 2018), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Collin County Genealogical Society.