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- This is a letter from Elsie to Mary Kay Daniels, Aline's daughter. Dear Mary, After our conversation last week, I realized you are interested in the history of our family. I'm writing some of the episodes as I remember them. You may share this information with Aline and Eppie as to its accuracy. Perhaps they may have some input. Most of our family of nine were born in the old log house that Papa built. It was a two story. A lean-to, as it was called, was added for the kitchen. It had sort of a breezeway from the kitchen to the smokehouse. This was used for fire wood, crops, and our meat such as ham and bacon was smoked there. There was not one of us born in a hospital. There were midwives. Ours was Mrs. Barker. They would come and stay through the birth; a country doctor was called. Dr. Kyle or Dr. Higgins delivered most of us, I think. Those are the only names I ever heard mentioned. We had no electricity or water in the house. We carried water from the well or natural springs. We used these to cool our milk. Cream would rise to the top. We would skim the cream off and churn our butter. There were churns however; we mostly used a fruit jar by shaking it back and forth. The lamps used kerosene. This was another chore we had to do. Clean the globes and refill the lamps for the next evening. We washed our clothing and linens by washboard. When the weather permitted we would do this outside. Our white clothing was boiled in a large boiler. If we hung them outside in the winter they would freeze stiff. On Saturday a wash tub would be brought into the kitchen. We would all have our baths. Otherwise we would take a spit bath. There would be a bench outside on the porch with a wash pan. The men could wash up there before coming inside to eat. Our main meal at noon we called dinner. The men needed a larger meal to keep up their strength. The evening meal we called supper. Most of the time we would have corn bread and milk, with onion and bacon, still my favorite. We had lots of dried beans, which I have never tired of to this day. We always had to go outside to the toilet. We had Sear's catalog or newspaper, never hearing of toilet paper. Papa and Mama were members of the Holiness Nazarene Church. We went to Church & Sunday school always, unless the weather didn't permit. When the Preacher prayed everyone knelt on their knees. This was our practice at home. We never ate a meal that thanks wasn't given to the Lord for our food. After breakfast we returned to the living room and we knelt again and Papa or Mama would pray for the sick and ask that he would guide us safe through the day. It was the same before going to bed. After Mama passed away, it seemed the church members didn't support Papa as they should. He sorta dropped out. However, he never gave up his Bible. He could quote scripture with the best. The Bible was Papa's favorite book. Papa and Mama tithed, as little as they had. The country stores available to us were Sybert and Glenn Town. The store was owned by Glenn's. A Glenn on the North, South, East and West, thus the name. Our only transportation was horseback, buggy and wagon. Or shanks pony (as they called walking). There was a Mill at Sybert on Sax River. Papa would take his corn there and the corn meal was made. When he had extra corn it was traded for flour. He also grew sugar cane. We had a mill. We children would drive the horse around that turned the Mill. The juice would run off. This would have to be cooked the same day. Sometimes Papa would work into the night before it would boil down to molasses. They were the best. We always had biscuits for breakfast. On occasion we might get to go with Papa to Greenfield to take produce. Once when I went with him he took me to the beanery for lunch. Family style, we sat at a table with other farmers. We lived off whatever the land produced. There would be basket dinners in the summer time after church. There would be tablecloths spread on the ground. All the food was put together. We would eat, play and visit. There would be ice cream socials in the summer at Glenntown. We would have soda pop as well as cookies. There would be pie suppers held at the school on Friday nights. Pies would be auctioned off to the boys. They would try to find out whose pie to bid on so they could eat with the girl of their choice. We played some basketball in school. Leola was a good forward. We wore bloomers that were made from flour sacks. Bleached of course. Sometimes someone would yell out Pilsbury or Globe! They didn't always bleach out. We also had a game we called ante over. We would throw a rubber ball over the house to be caught on the other side. Again it could be hide and seek. You can see by now we had to make our own entertainment. Letha had left her organ with us. We played chords - sang from the songbooks we had. We didn't have a radio. Very few telephones - we didn't have one. When we lived at the Metcalf place we were quite isolated. Once in a while a salesman or drummer would get lost and come our way. One such day one came our way. The man's business was restoring old photographs. If Esther & Leola were home they had gone somewhere. I was the oldest one there. I can see us now. I think I was holding Eppie and the twins were huddled on each side of me. We didn't have many chairs. The salesman was well groomed and good looking. I think I might have become intimated by him and felt we had to give him some business. We found an old photo of Papa and Mama. He thought it would restore nicely. He thought I was the mother of Irene, Eppie and Aline. I guess he thought I was one of those mountain child brides. A few weeks later he returned with the picture. I ran and hid. I could hear Papa at the door explaining he didn't have any money etc. They walked outside and Papa ended up giving him a pig in payment. This is the picture Eppie has today. We all felt she should have it. A long time after Mama died, Papa didn't want to see a picture of her, it was too painful. I believe Papa mourned her death until the day he passed away. Our education was limited. Eight grades were taught in the same room. Again, to go to the toilet we had to raise our hand with two fingers up to get permission. Letha taught Crisp School in Cedar County after 3 years of high School. World War one was here and there was a shortage of teachers. The boys would be taken out of school at about 6th grade to help with crops. Then in the fall harvest time they were needed. Most never finished more than the 7th grade. Letha and Tommy were married after her 18th birthday and came to California Sept. 1919. Papa built us a new house not far from the old log house. We were all elated. We could finally leave the old log house. We were still moving chicken and stock to the new location. This was Feb. 1921. Papa, George Glenn, (Papas' half brother) Esther, Leola and I were going back to the old place for the last load of chickens. It was a windy nite. We heard Mama call out "Wes, Wes, we started back and could see the problem. Not much could be saved. They did manage to get a few pictures - the organ and the new stove that was Mama's pride and joy. The house burned to the ground. There were empty houses around. However, by late summer we were back in the old log house where Eppie was born Christmas eve 1921. Mama passed away Jan.10th 1922. She had not been well all summer. She had kidney failure. I think they called it dropsy at that time. I don't believe Eppie had been named until that time. Seems like Papa said, "that settles it". We have always regretted Eppie not knowiing Mama. George was not living at home then, however some one went for him. John Shaw came to Shaw School for Leola, the twins and me. Mama called each child to her bed. She had a special message for each of us. She wanted us to be good childreen and meet her in heaven. Then she just slipped away. Papa vowed he would never leave his children. When people wanted to take one of us, he would always had the same commet, " I don't have a child to spare". Papa was broken hearted. He suffered more than any of us over our loss. A lot of men just left their children. We were all close to Papa. I wonder even yet how he survived. We have some comfort in the fact that when we grew up and became financially able we shared with him. George was married 1922. Ruby was the eldest at home. She had dropped out of school about the 6th grade I think. Ruby had full responsibility for Eppie's care. She bathed and dressed Eppie so nice. A family by the name of Benton Wilson and his wife had lost a baby. They were millionaires. They asked their housekeeper if she knew anyone who could use their baby clothes. They were all sent to Eppie. Nice dresses, gowns, diapers and undershirts. I think Eppie was the best dressed of all at least until she was about a year old. I remember when she was just learning to walk, she would go around the wall but she wouldn't turn loose. Papa came home and had gotten some candy. He got real close to Eppie and rattled the paper sack. Eppie made a little jump into Papa's arms. Ruby was the next one to come to Calif. 1924 I think by train. 1923 Letha & Tommy financed the trip. Ester left in 1926. She came by automobile John Birch - cousin - Florence and France Glenn. 1927 Leola married Virgil and moved to Cedar County. From 1927 it was Papa, Aline, Irene and I. We moved to the Metcalf place. We had all attended Googer School, also known as Cave Springs. We learned at an early age to protect one another. For example, Myrt Clapton who was our teacher was pregnaggnagnant and at the time and sick a lot. I was in the 6th grade. She would have me distribute the lesson to the students. About this time our school received some free textbooks. She asked me to pass them around, a list she had given me. As sooon a as I finished I realized Irene and Aline didn't have a book. At this time I confronted her. She a given her own son a book. She could easily have tutored him at home. The twins were to receive a book from Della Stanley when she had finished. The poor girl was a nice girl, but she was quite retarded and would never have finished. Mrs. Clapton was angry with me. She was not hired the next year. The twins never got a book. Have I mention on Friday afternoon at school we would have spelling matches, also cipher which Leola and I loved. We looked forward to this. We didn't get a lot of education, however we learned our 3 Rs well. The last years we were in Missouri Papa had to go away to earn some money. Sherman, George and Hubert, Papa's half brother, took him to Iowa and Nebraska to work in the cornfields. He would send money home to us. Uncle Sig. our great Uncle stayed with us. He had a good sense of humor. Papa was always careful who he had around us. He had always wanted to come to California. Papa, as we all heard him say, "I've got to get out of here, before you girls start marrying these hill billies". March 1929 we started for California. Letha, Tom, Ruby and Ester sent us money. Papa bought a 1922 Ford sedan and Sherman offered to drive us. He was to have the car once we got here. Papa never learned to drive. I think it took us two weeks. Again Tom came to our rescue and paid three months rent for us. Mr. Dick Jennings owned the property. Most of the Jennings boys went to work for So. Cal. Edison. I doubt if Tom was ever re-imbursed for the money he paid out for us. Papa did go and help build their house in Visalia. Two days after we arrived here, I went to work packing oranges, Papa starting picking them. I didn't want to go to school as I had been out 2 years. They would have laughed at me. Not so today. Tommy was generous to all of us also his own brothers, 11 or 12 I'm not sure. They helped us so much it could have been a hardship on them, I never heard either one say so. Again Tom would send Letha home to see us whenever he could afford to take off work. When Papa passed away, he was buried beside Mama. Together after 41 years. The thirties were tough even in Calif. When Pres. Roosevelt was elected in 1932 the nation started rolling. He was either loved or hated. I believe he was responsible for many great things. I never meant to write this much. It seemed one thing triggered another. Hope you will excuse my spelling, phrasing and writing. There are many other things I could tell you. This is not about me or it is not to be self- serving in anyway. Be careful what you ask for next time, you just might get it. Sincerely Elsie 11/6/99
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1912 - 2006 (94 years)
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