Although I have lived and worked in Washington, DC for the past twenty plus years, my roots are in Robertson County.  My dad, William Jacob "Bill" Brunette, was born and raised in New Baden and still lives in Hearne.  He is the son of William "Will" Brunette & Emma Annie Dieckmann Sauer Brunette.  My mother, Lois Evelyn Bush Brunette, was born and raised in East Boone Prairie.  She's buried at the East Boone Prairie Cemetery.  She was the daughter of James Charles "Charlie" Bush & Lizzie Agnes Jett Bush.  My sister, Carol Ann Broadus, her husband, Gary, and their two sons, Christopher (wife Miranda Gardner) & Justin, all live outside of Hearne.  Many more relatives, including aunts Charlene Bush and Vernell (Mrs. Taylor) Morgan, live in and around Franklin.  Charlene, by the way, is the current president of the local chapter of the Daughters Of The Republic Of Texas.

My family's roots grow deep in Robertson County.  A direct maternal ancestor, David Tate Winkler, settled near Wheelock when Texas was still a Republic.  It is through David Tate Winkler's lineage that I became a member of the William Joel Bryan Chapter Of The Sons Of The Republic Of Texas.  A direct paternal ancestor, Frank Brunette, immigrated from Prussia in 1869 and was one of New Baden's first European settlers.  He purchased land in New Baden in 1876, several years before large numbers of European immigrants settled there under the leadership of John George Meyer.  Numerous other relatives fought during the Indian Wars, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, & Vietnam.

I grew up in Hearne, graduated from Hearne High School, received B.A. & M.A. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin as well as a J.D. from Baylor University School Of Law in Waco.  A member of the Texas and District of Columbia Bars, I have my own public relations firm in Washington that specializes in federal legislative and regulatory consumer issues.

I am a member of the five-member board of directors of Roll Call:  Friends Of Camp Hearne, which seeks to preserve Hearne's World War II Prisoner Of War Camp.  I'm also an ex officio member of the Robertson County Historical Commission (you have to live in the county to be "officio").  I work very closely with Robertson County officials and residents when collecting materials to display on this website.  I make it back to Robertson County at least four times a year.  During each week-long visit, my dad and I can normally be seen traipsing through pastures, crossing creeks, walking cemeteries, conducting courthouse research, and taking pictures of local attractions.

Since I live and work in Washington, DC, which is 1,300+ miles from Robertson County, I'm focused on researching my own family and bringing materials online that are relevant to large numbers of people.  As a result, I regret that I am unable to respond to individual research requests about unrelated families.

I can be contacted as follows: