roy drake - Honeysuckle Farm, LLC

The Pigs Won That Round, Part 2

This is part 2 of a set of posts. If you haven’t read Part 1, I recommend you click the link and read that post from yesterday. I wrote this set of blog posts at the end of Family History Writing Month (February). I’m in the middle of edits on a novel and I’m feeling creative. Today’s post was written because I wanted to see what this story would be like if it were in a novel. This story isn’t highly edited, in fact, it’s hardly edited at all so there will be errors. It is what it is. In regard to sources used for the story, I looked at the newspaper article from yesterday, my dad’s memory of the event, and I looked up the weather for 7 November 1960 (the date of the incident) on Extreme Weather Watch. I was limited in weather station choices for that date. I chose to use the weather for Tulsa, Oklahoma as it would have been similar enough. The weather for Tulsa on 7 November 1960 included a low of 30 and a high of 53 degrees and no precipitation.

In the event you didn’t read the post from yesterday, this is a retelling of a story about my 2nd great grandfather, Ervin “Poppy Lon” DRAKE. I’ve written about him before and those stories are linked in yesterday’s post. Since today’s post includes references to CJ DRAKE, the grandson of Poppy, I’ll include links to posts about CJ below.

One of the Tenderest Tough Women I Ever Knew

Charles Junior “C.J.” Drake, a Follow-Up

Case #13218, Carle Burleson, b/n/f/ vs. William J. Drake, et al: Update on the Death of C.J. Drake

Yesterday I posted a bonus picture of Poppy. Today I’m posting the record of his charter membership at Poynor Baptist Church in Delaware County, Oklahoma. Poppy loved going to Poynor Church.

Please remember the story below is BASED ON facts but I’ve filled in with pure imagination to make it more like a novel. Enjoy.

Poppy’s in Danger

It was a cold Monday morning on 7 November 1960. Poppy shivered, despite his denim coat and the layers of clothes he wore under his overalls. He grabbed 3 sticks of wood, bundled them in his arms, and headed back into the house to build up the fire that had waned overnight. His back hurt and his knees would barely lift him up the stairs this morning. Below freezing was no temperature for an old man. Poppy’s thoughts drifted to his recent birthday – number 85 for him. The family had thrown him a birthday party and he’d been happy to oblige. Some folk didn’t get to live as long as him. They’d buried his 18-year-old grandson five years prior, just before Christmas. That was a tough year. CJ was a good boy. Poppy said a prayer for CJ even though he knew prayers wouldn’t do the boy any good now he was gone and buried.

He shut the door with his foot, put the wood on the fire, and looked out the window. The weather was still good enough to be outside some days. It was on the cold side, but no snow or rain or ice yet. He poured himself a cup of coffee. As he was pouring, he sent a quick thank-you prayer for his great-grandson Roy who had hauled up fresh water from the spring just the day before. Fresh water made the best coffee and he was thankful for it! Poppy grabbed his coffee cup and went outside, despite the cold. His porch rocker was his favorite place on days with decent enough weather. His eyes were too poor to read his Bible but he could sit and converse with God while he rocked. He missed going to church at Poynor on Sundays but his health just wasn’t good enough for him to get out anymore. Poppy sipped on the coffee and it helped keep him warm while the world woke up. He loved a good morning like this. The smoke from fireplaces around the valley hung low in the trees and the smoky scent was comforting. Poppy dozed off for awhile.

When Poppy woke with a start, he wasn’t sure what had woken him. He looked around and saw nothing out of place. He tore off a piece of tobacco from the twist and put it in his mouth. When he looked up again there was a feral hog in the yard. He hollered at it. It stared back at him, unflinching. Poppy pondered what to do next. Finally he hauled his frame out of the rocker and stood. He straightened up as best he could and threw his arms out to make himself look bigger. He hollered and waved and ordered the feral boar to go away. It did not. Instead, it picked up an acorn off the ground and chewed on it slowly, pondering what he should do with Poppy. Flustered, Poppy had another go at the hog. Unflustered, the hog stared at him coolly. The boar wandered to a different spot and continued eating. “Well ain’t you a dandy,” mumbled Poppy. He stepped off the porch and got closer to the hog. He made himself big again and yelled louder. The hog was unaffected and wandered into the barnyard. “Now, you can’t go in there! You stop!” Poppy picked up the pace but couldn’t block the hog from the barnyard. The hog turned toward Poppy. Poppy made himself big and loud again. Before Poppy stopped yelling, the hog was on him. Its tusk gored Poppy’s leg and knocked him over. The hog gored him again and then bit him. Poppy’s breath was short and fast. His heart was racing, as were his thoughts. The hog stabbed him again and Poppy screamed. He felt the tusk pull out of his leg and it was followed by sharp teeth biting into his thigh. He instinctively rolled over to protect his thigh and the hog took a chunk of flesh out of Poppy’s back side. He started to grab his buttock but thought better of it, thinking it might behoove him to keep his fingers for another day or two. Poppy kicked at the hog but the boar kept coming at him. He rolled on his stomach again and his hand slammed against a rock. “A rock,” thought Poppy, “I need that.”

As the boar dug in for another bite of his leg, Poppy’s fingers were busy digging the rock out of the dirt. He rolled over using all his body weight to propel himself and swung the rock as he rolled. The rock hit the board square in the eye and it staggered. Poppy bashed its head again and it backed away. By then it was too far away to reach so Poppy threw the rock with all the strength he had left and smashed the boar in the forehead. The boar turned and ran into the woods. Poppy’s body shook, as much from cold as from the shock of the attack. He fell back to the ground and passed out.

The End

That’s all I’m writing for today. I hope you enjoyed the more creative version of the story. Just realize, it’s a fictionalized account and not what really happened – at least not that I know of. Have a great weekend!

Until next time,

Lisa @ Days of Our Lives blog

Resources Used in Crafting the Fictional Version of this story:

“The Local Scene,” (Miami News-Record, Miami, Oklahoma), 9 Nov 1960, local news article; Newspapers, https://www.newspapers.com/ : accessed 26 Feb 2024, page 7, col 1.

Drake, Roy. Interview. By Lisa Williams, 26 Feb 2024.

Poynor Baptist Church Membership Roll book. Recorded in 1952. Privately held collection.

The Pigs Won That Round, Part 1

Happy National Pig Day! When I saw that it’s National Pig Day it made me think of a story about my 2nd great grandpa Ervin “Poppy” Alonzo DRAKE. There are other posts about Poppy and you can find them at:

Ervin Alonzo Drake, 1940 (includes a photo of Poppy and his family);

Take It Easy (in the middle of the post, there’s a brief section about Poppy’s daughter Pearl and it does mention the hog attack in that post);

Poppy Makes a Comeback (includes a photo of Poppy and Annie).

In addition to the pictures in the posts above, here is a bonus picture of Poppy that I love:

As you can see, the photo is dated February, 1959. Back row from left to right: Ervin “Poppy Lon” DRAKE, Mark DRAKE, Eugene DRAKE. Bottom: Roy DRAKE.

Note to reader: I’m writing this story at the end of February – the end of Family History Writing Month. I’m in a creative mood and I wanted to write this brief story using the facts I found, but I also wanted to write the story as if it were in a novel. I wrote it both ways so I could decide which to publish. As it turns out, I want to publish both. So today you’ll get the facts – part 1. Tomorrow you’ll get the creative short story as part 2. I hope you enjoy both.

Dad’s Version

Dad was about 15 or 16 years old when Poppy was attacked by the hog, so he does remember when it happened. His version is below.

Dad said Poppy was old when this happened. Old enough that Poppy had stopped going to church because he didn’t feel up to it anymore. Dad recalled Poppy was in his mid-80’s when he was attacked by a feral boar. Poppy was sitting on his porch in the house he lived in down by the creek [Note: I believe this was his residence in the Poyner area over by Southwest City at the place that had a cave on it.] He had a barn and a sort-of-fenced barnyard. The hog came up in the back yard and Poppy tried yelling at it to make it leave but the hog wouldn’t leave. Poppy thought he could run the hog off so he got off the porch and the hog retreated into the barnyard. Poppy continued to advance on the hog and it attacked Poppy. It gored him with its tusks and bit him on the legs and buttocks. Dad said the hog tore chunks out of Poppy’s thigh. Poppy was in the hospital for a few days but didn’t want to stay there so they released him and he stayed with his nephew, John DRAKE, so John could make sure infection didn’t set in on Poppy’s legs and bottom. Poppy stayed with John for a few weeks after he was released from the hospital. Dad said Poppy was never the same after the feral hog attacked him. Poppy walked with a limp after that and his health went downhill fairly quickly. Dad said Poppy died a few years after that attack.

Dad had a lot of memories about Poppy. He recalled that Poppy had cancer both before and after the hog attack. Before the attack, Poppy had cancer removed from behind his ear – probably a skin cancer. Dad was about 10 or 11 years old when this cancer was removed. After the hog attack, Poppy had cancer again and it killed him. Dad recalled the attack being just one feral hog.

What the Newspaper Said

Now, let’s look at the newspaper’s version of this same story which is a little different.

9 November 1960, Miami Daily News-Record, Miami, Oklahoma.

Poppy would have been 85 years old when this happened. EIGHTY-FIVE! Let that sink in! Now, why on Earth would he try to separate two fighting male hogs at age 85?! I’m not sure why Poppy thought he could separate two fighting boars at his age (or even if that’s what really happened), but he paid a price for it. As Dad said, Poppy was never the same and his health began to decline after that.

My personal opinion about the newspaper article is that the author took liberties with the story. I can’t think of a single logical reason that, at 85 years old, Poppy would think it was a good idea to put himself in the middle of 2 boars fighting – whether tame or feral. He was smarter than that. Nonetheless, I’m grateful to the author for recording the story and, in all honesty, I can’t say what really happened because I wasn’t there.

After ‘The Great Boar Fight’

Three and a half years after ‘The Great Boar Fight’, Poppy passed away. Dad had a lot of fond memories of Poppy and loved him dearly. Some of Dad’s best childhood memories are of times he spent with Poppy. He mentioned that he wished all kids could have a chance to spend time with their great-grandpas and feel as loved as he felt.

I hope you get a chance to spend time with your grandparents or great-grandparents this week if you’re fortunate enough to still have them around. They are treasures! If you can’t visit them today, call them up and wish them a happy National Pig Day! Don’t forget, tomorrow is the more creative version of this story!

Until next time,

Lisa @ Days of Our Lives blog

Resources

“The Local Scene,” (Miami News-Record, Miami, Oklahoma), 9 Nov 1960, local news article; Newspapers, https://www.newspapers.com/ : accessed 26 Feb 2024, page 7, col 1.

Drake, Roy. Interview. By Lisa Williams, 26 Feb 2024.

Drake generation family photo dated Feb 1959. Privately held photo.

Long, Hot Summer

It’s been a long summer trying to get my business off the ground. I’ve missed writing these blog posts. Aside from starting a business, there have been so many other changes in the last few months. From mid-August to present we’ve laid to rest two cousins – Robert EVANS and David WETZEL – and an uncle, Alvin BENNETT, Jr.. They will all be missed.

Family Is Everything

When I was a child, I saw almost all of my cousins almost every weekend of my childhood. These days, it seems we only see each other at funerals and weddings. Today was one of those days. Before leaving the graveside services for my uncle Junior, my cousin Chris told me he had a box for me. He gifted me a box of records from the church we grew up in. It’s been quite a trip down memory lane looking through old business meeting notes, membership rolls, etc. Over the coming weeks I hope to share some of those records with you. For tonight, I want to share the baptismal records for my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and even a great-great grandparent.

Poynor Baptist Church

This Poynor Baptist Membership Roll book was in the box Chris gave me. This book is as good as gold to me. It’s like a mini-family history for me. In this book, I found my own record of salvation and baptism (the dates aren’t there but I can tell you it was Autumn of 1976 for salvation and Summer of 1978 for baptism):

My salvation/baptism entry in the Poynor Baptisit Church Membership Roll book.

I also found both of my parents in the book:

My dad’s entry – he was baptized on June 13, 1954.

My mom’s entry – she was baptized on 16 February 1964.

I also found many of my ancestors in the book:

My paternal grandparents, great-grandparents, and even my great-great-grandfather!

I love the story my dad tells about my great-great-grandfather, Poppy Lonzo. He remembers Poppy standing at the back of the Poynor Baptist Church with tears streaming down his face professing his belief in Christ and his regret that he waited so long to accept Christ as his savior. What a beautiful story! It brings tears to my eyes.

Losses, But Also Gains

In this summer of losses for my family, it was refreshing to see the eternal gains we’ve made. Refreshing to know that I will see my people again one day in a better place. Comforting to know that my people are already in that better place waiting for my arrival.

As we move into fall and winter, I’m wishing you more days of rejoicing than grief and I’m wishing you comfort in your days of loss.

Peace,

Lisa @ Days of Our Lives Genealogy

It Is About What They Can Become

“He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” ~ Psalm 1:3, The Holy Bible
Today’s blog post theme is ‘tree’. I knew right away what I wanted to write about and that’s actual TREES! A little side note about the verse above, there’s an old hymn that was one of Bart’s favorites when we attended Poynor Baptist Church. I found the version below on Youtube. I don’t think I’ll ever find a version like the one we sang at that church but here’s a link to one that’s close:
Johnny Cash- I Shall Not Be Moved
(In case you’re a statistics nerd: this is the second day in a row Johnny Cash has been featured in a blog post.)
The Heritage Tree
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” ~ Proverbs 13:12, The Holy Bible
I recently blogged a little about a trip I took in 2011 to the Boston, Massachusetts area. (See the post on the Salem witch trials here.) While in Massachusetts I was going through an ancestral chart on Ancestry that listed a lineage showing the ENDICOTT family as our ancestors. A quick search on Google showed that in Danvers, Massachusetts (near Salem) was a pear tree that was several hundred years old and was brought over to the USA by the original ENDICOTT immigrant ancestor. I went to Danvers and photographed the tree.

The Endicott Pear Tree, Danvers, Massachusetts.

Endicott pear tree.
I later learned there was a whole society devoted to this tree and that they had a project going to keep the tree alive. Part of the project was grafts from the tree that they sent out to members who could then grow a descendant pear tree. All of this was an effort to continue the legacy of the tree. My parents and I got two successful grafts from the pear tree and they are growing in my orchard and doing well. Subsequent research has shown that the genealogy on that particular line was incorrect. Genealogy (especially from the early years of this country) seems to be somewhat cyclical so it’s quite possible that even though that line was incorrect and did not ultimately lead to the ENDICOTT family, a future line will lead back to them. So until a connection shows up in future research I will keep nursing the trees and hope they produce fruit. If it turns out that we simply aren’t connected to them, well then I have a very unique tree with a great history and it’s a unique memento of one of the best vacations I ever took.

My first set of Endicott Pear trees. — My first Endicott Pear tree.

My Endicott pear tree.

Granny and the Chinquapin Nuts

When I was young (elementary school-aged) I was staying with Granny BATES one day and we went for a walk. She picked up a couple of Chinquapin hickory nuts off the side of the road and told me about Chinquapin trees and how she hardly ever saw any anymore because a disease had come through and killed them all. She cracked one open and we ate it. I don’t really remember how it tasted, I just remember her talking about how sweet the “chinky pins” tasted. I kept the extra nuts in a drawer for a long time. (Yikes- I might have a “saving” problem!) I even took them to school for show-and-tell. I never saw a Chinquapin hickory after that until I was an adult. Bart and I like to plant unique trees and we were talking about a project where we could preserve a native species. I told him the story about Granny and the Chinquapin hickory nuts and we decided that was the project we wanted to take on. We ordered 5 Chinquapin hickory seeds from Ozark Chinquapin Society and planted them in honor of Granny’s 100th birthday. The seedlings didn’t make it. My dad has since tried. He gave two of the seedlings to my brother and sister-in-law, gave two to me and kept one in the hopes that one of our trees would survive. Once again- mine didn’t do so well (unless, of course, they sprout up next summer and surprise me). I hope they do. I’d love to have some Chinquapins growing here again.

Granny Bates and I at her 100th birthday party.

Granny and I at her 100th birthday party.

While We’re Talking About Chinquapins…
“For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoot will not cease.” ~ Job 14:7, The Holy Bible

Speaking of Chinquapins, Bart and I saw a huge Chinquapin Oak tree this fall when we were traveling in Georgia. The tree was at Tunnel Hill, Georgia and it was so old the guide said it would have been there during the Civil War when my 3rd great-grandparents- John and Mary (MOBLEY) BATES lived in that area. She allowed us to take a few acorns off the tree and we are going to try to sprout them and grow trees from the nuts.

Ginger and I leaning against the Chinquapin Oak tree at Tunnel Hill, Georgia. The tree saw battle during the Civil War. It's possible my ancestor also leaned up against this same tree - it's that old! — Ginger and I leaning against the Chinquapin Oak tree at Tunnel Hill, Georgia. The tree saw battle during the Civil War. It’s possible my ancestor also leaned up against this same tree – it’s that old!

Me at Chinquapin Oak

The Orchard
“And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.” ~ Genesis 1:29, The Holy Bible
Bart and I have a small orchard. I love that orchard. We order heirloom trees from Trees of Antiquity. The quality of their trees is excellent and I love that they carry varieties that are very old. They try to keep these old varieties from becoming extinct. One year I chose an Arkansas Black apple tree in honor of my 2nd great-grandfather, George BATES, who had an apple orchard in Arkansas at the time he filed his Homestead Entry file.

Homestead Entry File for George "Lum" Bates. — Homestead Entry File for George “Lum” Bates.

Homestead Entry file document for George BATES.
It seems like Granny always had an apple tree wherever she lived. If I’m not mistaken, the tree behind Uncle Butch in the photo below is her apple tree on the place that is now Junior Anderson’s outside Southwest City, Missouri.

My mom, her parents, and most of her siblings.

The “Maker” Trees
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” Proverbs 11:30, The Holy Bible
My Dad (Roy DRAKE), brother Jared, and nephew Patrick, have used trees from my Papa (Eugene) DRAKE’s and great-grandfather Mark DRAKE’s old home places to make things like pens and other woodturned items. My husband cut a huge burl from an old tree on our place hoping that Dad can find some time to practice turning a bowl. Dad has made Christmas ornaments, bats, gavels, and other things out of the trees that have been cut. He does a great job!

A gavel that my dad made and my cousin, Mechelle Wise, won at the family reunion.

Mechelle’s gavel
My sister-in-law Becky and I have made jellies and syrup from tree fruits/nuts. One year I picked the blossoms off our Redbud trees and gave them to Becky. She made them into Redbud Jelly. (It tastes a lot like grape jelly, in case you’re wondering. Very delicious!) I’ve helped make a couple of batches of hickory syrup and in fact, I have a pint sitting on my kitchen table ready to send to a friend in exchange for the maple syrup she sent to me one year. My friend, Kendra, and her husband tap their maple trees up north and make their own syrup. It’s heavenly! Bart and I enjoy foraging together. This year we dug up some Sassafras root for tea and picked/dried some Sassafras leaves for filé powder so we can try Filé Gumbo. We also picked up Black Walnuts but it didn’t appear to be a very good year for walnuts. In fact, it wasn’t really a good year for most wild trees and plants. I’ve even foraged juniper berries and used them in a roast. We love to try new things like that.
I Just Love Trees!
“…Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy…” ~ Psalm 96:12, The Holy Bible
Recently the weather has been windy and I’ve enjoyed hearing the wind blow through the leaves and branches. It’s a soothing sound. The solitude and peace out here in the woods is refreshing. Take some time this week to walk through the forest and enjoy the peace and quiet. It’s good for the soul.
P.S.- If you’re a Christian, you have this glorious tree to look forward to. I can’t wait to see it, too.
“Through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” ~ Revelation 22:2, The Holy Bible

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Sunday Scribe- Tool

Today’s theme for @genealogyphoto is ‘tool’. I chose to go with the definition of ‘tool’ as a device utilized in the practice of a profession (per Merriam-Webster online).
My tool of choice:

My dad's old Underwood manual typewriter. — My dad’s old Underwood manual typewriter.

An Underwood manual typewriter.

This was the tool of a writer. This one belongs to me now. It used to belong to my dad. He wrote many papers on it. He wrote his masters thesis and many other papers on it when he was getting his bachelors and masters degrees. His doctoral thesis was typed on a computer. It was the first of his papers ever done on a computer. You can find his doctoral thesis paper in the archives at the University of Arkansas and you could even order a copy of it online here if you wanted to:
University of Arkansas Library Archives
My dad’s doctoral thesis: The effect of nonverbal communication training on self-esteem, anxiety and locus of control/ by Roy E. Drake
In my high school years I had an Apple IIE computer for writing papers at home but mostly I just used pen/pencil and paper back then. The IIE was for playing Conan the Barbarian or Oregon Trail (which I sucked at).

My parents' old Apple IIE desktop computer ca 1987 ~ it used floppy disks. — My parents’ old Apple IIE desktop computer ca 1987 ~ it used floppy disks.

An Apple IIE desktop computer circa 1987.

After I married I used an electric typewriter and then in the late 1990’s I got a desktop PC to use. Sometime after moving back to Oklahoma, I moved to laptop computers. In 2009 I did a writing challenge and completed a stage play script on my laptop. I was so proud of that script because it was a completed project. The title of the play was Victory. Shortly after I completed the script (and before I printed it off), my laptop crashed and took my play with it. I wasn’t feeling very victorious. Since then I’ve only completed blog posts and I post those shorty after writing them. I haven’t had any major losses of blog posts. (Knock on wood.) In addition, I’ve come to love external drives.
I’m typing this blog post on my trusty (and old) Toshiba laptop. I’ve had this one since 2012 when my last laptop crashed- which just happened to be right after I started working on my comprehensive final exam paper for my masters degree (and I had less than a week to complete the 20-page exam paper). This one’s pretty banged up. My laptops tend to show wear since I take them with me everywhere.
I still write a lot with pencil/pen and paper despite having laptops. Sometimes you just need to feel pencil on paper. There are lots of tools that writers use today but my laptop is my favorite. We’ve come a long way since Underwood typewriters. I’m glad. Even so, I hope to refurbish that Underwood one day.

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Flawless Friday: Weathered- A Worn Bible Equals a Life Well-Weathered

It’s Friday. The photo/blog challenge theme of the day is ‘weathered’. I love these challenges. I’ve told my SIL, Becky, before that we could be given the same ancestor and the same theme and never come up with the same or similar blog post. I love that. I think that’s one of my favorite things about these challenges is seeing where the theme took her versus where it took me. You can read her ‘weathered’ blog post here.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105, The Holy Bible
A LIFE WELL-WEATHERED
That’s what I want- a life that is steady in the word of God no matter what life brings me. In the past, a family’s Bible reflected how much time they spent in the word. Today we have digital Bibles and, I confess, that’s mostly what I use now. It’s not the same as my physical Bible, though.

My Bible I received as a gift in anticipation of my high school graduation. My then-pastor, Les OSBURN, gave it to me.
This Bible has seen me through so much and sadly, it doesn’t look worn enough. This Bible was mine when I got married, when I had my children, and through all the many problems life brings. It also saw me through my successes- graduations, births of children, marriages of children, births of grandchildren, a million things that gave me joy in my life. It has been my companion for three decades. It’s well-traveled, having been to almost every state I’ve been to and even went to school with me when I was in high school. This Bible has been chewed on the corners by our puppy. It’s had pages torn and ripped out by my children (and probably a couple of grandchildren). Pages are highlighted, corners folded over- all the highlights of use and study. Lots of things are tucked in there- photographs, church bulletins, sermon notes. There were times in my life that were so scary I’ve gone to sleep with my Bible on my chest and my arms folded across it. It’s been to the hospital with me when I had a brain tumor removed. It’s been pretty much everywhere with me. My Bible should be more weathered than it is. I have purchased new Bibles over the years and now have a digital Bible, but this Bible- this one is mine and the one that I love most.
EDITH’S BIBLE
My great-grandma, Edith HUBBARD, had a Bible. Like me, she lost a son. It is said of her that she read her Bible every single day of her life without fail. When she heard her son had been in a bad car wreck she was down on her knees praying hard for his life right up until the moment they told her he had died. My heart knows why her Bible looks like it does, with no cover and tattered with use. Her Bible and in turn, her life, was well-weathered.

Edith (Hubbard) Drake's Bible. — Edith (Hubbard) Drake’s Bible.

Edith HUBBARD’s Bible

JESSIE’S BIBLE
My granny, Jessie BATES, had a large Bible on her table and also a Bible for reading. I never saw her reading the Bible and I never knew her to go to church. She was a good grandmother. Very loving and kind. She also lost a child. I can’t imagine that a person can go 8 decades without her son and never pray to God for guidance, help, or comfort. Especially while still retaining such a sweet spirit as my granny had.

Jessie (Riter) Bates' Bible. — Jessie (Riter) Bates’ Bible.

^^Jessie BATES’ Bible- reading size.

Jessie BATES’ Bible- table size.

AUDREY’S BIBLE
This is my mam’s Bible. All my childhood I attended church alongside her every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I watched her help raise four of her grandchildren and care for my grandfather as he died from cancer. She helped care for elderly relatives as they lived out their final days and years. I know she prayed fervently and often and always read her Bible. Her Bible is definitely worn and indicative of a life well-weathered. It is missing it’s front cover.

Audrey (Larkin) Drake's Bible. — Audrey (Larkin) Drake’s Bible.

Audrey DRAKE’s Bible

ROY’S AND KAY’S BIBLES
My parents, Roy and Kay, took me to church from the time I was born- every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night- and any other time the church doors were open. They made sure I was raised to know God and to love Him and I’m so grateful for that. I probably would have been a wild child if they hadn’t taken me to church early and often! I know they prayed often and always read their Bibles. They’ve had many Bibles over the years but these are ones they owned early in their lives.

Both Roy and Kay DRAKE’s Bibles

DEREK’S AND SHAINA’S BIBLES
My kids had Bibles from the time they were old enough to carry one around. They wore their early Bibles out. I’m quite certain that the last time I saw those Bibles they didn’t have covers and the spines were separating from the books. They also had tiny little pocket New Testaments. Derek’s was given away years ago to a homeless man in Boise, Idaho. Shaina’s is packed away. I also have a tiny pocket New Testament packed away somewhere that belonged to me when I was young. Somewhere packed away I’m sure we also have my husband’s old Bible. These Bibles are worn with use and we’ve gotten new Bibles over the years. I don’t have pictures of any of these Bibles so I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it. Derek’s favorite story when he was a child was in Judges 3 where Eglon, King of Moab, was stabbed by Ehud. He loved the battles in the Old Testament. Shaina’s favorite story was the story of Esther.

Derek and Shaina as children

YOUR LIFE WELL-WEATHERED
“A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone that isn’t.”– Charles Spurgeon
Charles Spurgeon was one of my son’s favorite preachers. He is very good and I highly recommend listening to his sermons if you get a chance. You can find them in various places on the internet including Spurgeon.org, Sermon Audio, and Spurgeon Gems. Google his name and you will likely find more. He is called “Prince of Preachers”.
I’d love to see photos of your Bible. Show me your Bible-proof of a life that has been “well-weathered”. Tell me your favorite verse or favorite Bible story. Show me photos of your family Bibles and tell me their stories. I’m looking forward to it.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3: 16-17, The Holy Bible

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Flawless Friday: Weathered- A Worn Bible Equals a Life Well-Weathered

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105, The Holy Bible

A LIFE WELL-WEATHERED

That’s what I want- a life that is steady in the word of God no matter what life brings me. In the past, a family’s Bible reflected how much time they spent in the word. Today we have digital Bibles and, I confess, that’s mostly what I use now. It’s not the same as my physical Bible, though.

My Bible I received as a gift in anticipation of my high school graduation. My then-pastor, Les OSBURN, gave it to me.

This Bible has seen me through so much and sadly, it doesn’t look worn enough. This Bible was mine when I got married, when I had my children, and through all the many problems life brings. It also saw me through my successes- graduations, births of children, marriages of children, births of grandchildren, a million things that gave me joy in my life. It has been my companion for three decades. It’s well-traveled, having been to almost every state I’ve been to and even went to school with me when I was in high school. This Bible has been chewed on the corners by our puppy. It’s had pages torn and ripped out by my children (and probably a couple of grandchildren). Pages are highlighted, corners folded over- all the highlights of use and study. Lots of things are tucked in there- photographs, church bulletins, sermon notes. There were times in my life that were so scary I’ve gone to sleep with my Bible on my chest and my arms folded across it. It’s been to the hospital with me when I had a brain tumor removed. It’s been pretty much everywhere with me. My Bible should be more weathered than it is. I have purchased new Bibles over the years and now have a digital Bible, but this Bible- this one is mine and the one that I love most.

EDITH’S BIBLE

My great-grandma, Edith HUBBARD, had a Bible. Like me, she lost a son. It is said of her that she read her Bible every single day of her life without fail. When she heard her son had been in a bad car wreck she was down on her knees praying hard for his life right up until the moment they told her he had died. My heart knows why her Bible looks like it does, with no cover and tattered with use. Her Bible and in turn, her life, was well-weathered.

Edith HUBBARD’s Bible

JESSIE’S BIBLE

My granny, Jessie BATES, had a large Bible on her table and also a Bible for reading. I never saw her reading the Bible and I never knew her to go to church. She was a good grandmother. Very loving and kind. She also lost a child. I can’t imagine that a person can go 8 decades without her son and never pray to God for guidance, help, or comfort. Especially while still retaining such a sweet spirit as my granny had.

Jessie BATES’ Bible- reading size.

Jessie BATES’ Bible- table size.

AUDREY’S BIBLE

This is my mam’s Bible. All my childhood I attended church alongside her every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. I watched her help raise four of her grandchildren and care for my grandfather as he died from cancer. She helped care for elderly relatives as they lived out their final days and years. I know she prayed fervently and often and always read her Bible. Her Bible is definitely worn and indicative of a life well-weathered. It is missing it’s front cover.

Audrey DRAKE’s Bible

ROY’S AND KAY’S BIBLES

My parents, Roy and Kay, took me to church from the time I was born- every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night- and any other time the church doors were open. They made sure I was raised to know God and to love Him and I’m so grateful for that. I probably would have been a wild child if they hadn’t taken me to church early and often! I know they prayed often and always read their Bibles. They’ve had many Bibles over the years but these are ones they owned early in their lives.

Both Roy and Kay DRAKE’s Bibles

DEREK’S AND SHAINA’S BIBLES

My kids had Bibles from the time they were old enough to carry one around. They wore their early Bibles out. I’m quite certain that the last time I saw those Bibles they didn’t have covers and the spines were separating from the books. They also had tiny little pocket New Testaments. Derek’s was given away years ago to a homeless man in Boise, Idaho. Shaina’s is packed away. I also have a tiny pocket New Testament packed away somewhere that belonged to me when I was young. Somewhere packed away I’m sure we also have my husband’s old Bible. These Bibles are worn with use and we’ve gotten new Bibles over the years. I don’t have pictures of any of these Bibles so I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it. Derek’s favorite story when he was a child was in Judges 3 where Eglon, King of Moab, was stabbed by Ehud. He loved the battles in the Old Testament. Shaina’s favorite story was the story of Esther.

Derek and Shaina as children

YOUR LIFE WELL-WEATHERED

“A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone that isn’t.”– Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon was one of my son’s favorite preachers. He is very good and I highly recommend listening to his sermons if you get a chance. You can find them in various places on the internet including Spurgeon.org, Sermon Audio, and Spurgeon Gems. Google his name and you will likely find more. He is called “Prince of Preachers”.

I’d love to see photos of your Bible. Show me your Bible-proof of a life that has been “well-weathered”. Tell me your favorite verse or favorite Bible story. Show me photos of your family Bibles and tell me their stories. I’m looking forward to it.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3: 16-17, The Holy Bible

Until next time,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Memorial Day Military Roll Call

This is my Memorial Day 2015 Military Roll Call. I’m only listing direct ancestors. If I missed anyone, please feel free to leave a comment or message me. I did not list cousins, uncles or anyone not in my direct line so if you wish to add yourself or someone that is not in my direct line- feel free to leave a comment or message me. Happy Memorial Day and don’t forget:

DRAKE Family:
Vietnam: Roy Drake
Civil War: Sanders Littrell
Joseph Larkin
Bartlett Underwood
Quincy Bell
Mexican-American: Ervin Drake
Revolution: Aquilla Greer
Also don’t want to forget my son-in-law who served: Timothy Easter
BATES Family:
Spanish-American: William Riter
Civil War: John Bates
James Bullock
Charles Seely
John Davis
Jefferson Latty
War of 1812: Frederick Foster
Benjamin White
Revolution: William Chenoweth
Bart WILLIAMS’ Family:
Korean: Bart Williams Sr.
Civil War: Frances DeWitt
Richard DeWitt
William Page
War of 1812: Isaac DeWitt
Revolution: Peter DeWitt

PEACE. PRAYERS. LOVE.
~Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Black Blizzards- The Second Dust Bowl, Abilene, Texas, 1954-1957

The Dust Bowl has always captured my attention and I especially love a well written novel set in that era such as Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust. My ancestors seem to have (thankfully) missed the “black blizzards” (huge, black dust clouds) that rolled across the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s.

Black Sunday, 1935 - a Black Blizzard rolling through. — Black Sunday, 1935 – a Black Blizzard rolling through.

Photograph courtesy of http://www.fs.fed.us/greatestgood/images/gallery/depression-CCC/DepressiontheCCC/photos/photo11.shtml.

When the black blizzards rolled through it blocked out everything – even the sun. This photo was taken at 3:00 in the afternoon on Black Sunday in 1935:

The Black Blizzard of 1935, Dodge City, Kansas.

Photograph courtesy of http://discovermagazine.com/.

You can see a video recreation of black blizzards at http://www.history.com/.
In the 1930’s President Roosevelt ordered the Civilian Conservation Corps to plant a “belt of more than 200 million trees from Canada to Abilene Texas, to break the wind, hold water in the soil, and hold the soil itself in place.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl) This did not stop the black blizzards from returning in the 1950’s although it did lessen their intensity. (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hda01).
My grandparents- Eugene and Audrey DRAKE- and their children lived in Abilene, Texas during the mid-1950’s when the area had a revival of dust storms reminiscent of the 1930’s Dust Bowl storms. My dad was very young at that time. However, he can recall the black blizzards rolling through. He said when they hit, you couldn’t see anything around you. Everyone rushed into their homes and began stuffing wet rags into every crack and crevice possible to keep the dust out. If a crack was missed, dust poured into the home. Even with the wet rags in place, the dust was still a problem. It was like a black wall rolling toward you when the black blizzards rolled in.

1950’s Abilene, Texas
In the 1950’s, Abilene was a dry city so there would not have been any bars there. The Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra gave it’s first concert in 1950 and fine arts groups were active there during this time period. The city boasted a professional baseball team- The Blue Sox- which was associated with the Brooklyn Dodgers and operated in Abilene until 1957. Major employers in the area included the railroad and the military bases. In 1953, Abilene schools were still segregated. (https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hda01) This was the environment in which my dad lived and attended school in Abilene from 1954-1957. He went to school there between his 5th and 8th grade years. He does not remember the elementary school he attended. He said at that time the family lived on North 11th Street in Abilene and they were close enough to the school that he walked to school. I was unable to tell by looking online (especially being unfamiliar with the area) which elementary school he might have attended. He does remember attending North Junior High.

North Junior High School, Abilene, Texas.

In addition to living on North 11th Street, the family also lived on Burger Street in Abilene.
He was very self-conscious and felt out of place being from the country and now attending school in a city. However, he said he was well-liked and remembers being invited, accepted, and involved in school social and academic pursuits while he was there. Financially, life was very difficult. One of his prized possessions was the 1957 school yearbook his mom saved up to buy for him.

Here he is in 7th grade, 1956-57 at North Junior High:

My dad, Roy Drake's yearbook photo, 1956-1957, Abilene, Texas. — My dad, Roy Drake’s yearbook photo, 1956-1957, Abilene, Texas.

He was in Mrs. Boyland’s Homeroom 4. Here is Mrs. Boyland in the 1956-57 school year:

Mrs. Boyland, 1956-1957, North Junior High School, Abilene, Texas.

The Principal that year was J. M. Anthony. He struck fear in students at North Junior High.

J. M. Anthony, Principal of North Junior High School, 1956-1957, Abilene, Texas.

Dad’s favorite teacher that year was the pretty Miss Cole, English teacher:

Miss Cole, English teacher at North Junior High School, 1956-1957, Abilene, Texas.

Outside of North Junior High, the drought raged on in Texas. In regard to the drought, one farmer had these things to say, “…the biggest difference was that in the `30s, it broke people financially. But the 1950s broke them spiritually.” Water arrived in town periodically in tanks on the back of trucks and people rushed to get it. One state official wrote a letter to his peer in July 1950 saying that residents in Abilene were accusing the government officials of being communists, presumably in response to the water shortage issues and other drought-related problems. 1951, 1954, and 1956 were in the top 10 of driest years on record in Texas. Crops wouldn’t grow, ponds dried up, and the ground was so dry it had 6-inch open cracks. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/14/texas-drought-dry-spell-1950_n_926703.html)
In the 1954-56 time period, San Angelo newspapers reported up to 70 mile per hour wind gusts causing horrible dust storms which killed people, uprooted trees, damaged property and crops, and killed livestock; wind spreading fires that destroyed buildings; wind gusts that blew down walls; and, horrific vehicle accidents caused by low visibility due to the dust in the air. At points there was zero visibility due to the dust blizzards. Instead of finding rain in their rain gauges, residents found inches of dust. The storms were often very fast moving leaving little time to take cover.
(http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/rick-smith-where-did-all-the-dust-storms-go) The drought finally broke early in 1957. That was also the year Gene and Audrey and their family moved out of Texas for the final time.

Eugene Drake and his children (including my dad) Roy, Max, Richard, and Carolyn Drake posing at the Texas-Oklahoma state line.

In researching my family’s stay in Abilene, I found two reasons why my grandparents chose Abilene as a residence. My father told me they went there to try and get better jobs and have a better financial situation. In addition to that information, I found a newspaper article on Ancestry.com that helped explain what drew my family specifically to Abilene versus another city. Audrey’s brother, Ralph, moved to that area in 1953 with his wife. Their brother, Carl, was also living there. It’s quite possible that the deciding factor in favor of Abilene was that there were close family members there. You can read about the article I found in my blog post at Days of Our Lives: Close to Home, Close to the Heart, Part 2 beginning at the section heading, “Carolyn Bennett”.
I’m glad my family had that time with other family members but I’m very thankful they moved back here to Oklahoma where my parents married and created my family. Life could easily have turned out so differently. I try to be thankful for every turn mine has taken.
Remember this coming week to treasure family and love each other. For more genealogy goodness, click on over to my Sister-In-Law’s blog at Down in the Root Cellar where she is participating in the same genealogy blog challenge I’m doing this year.

Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Close to Home, Close to the Heart- Part 2

There were a couple of late entries for stories about Uncle David so I thought I would do a mid-week post. Included in this post is an article I recently found that mentioned my Aunt Carol so I thought I would include it as well.
After publishing the previous blog post, my cousin said he remembered the long drives from Iowa back to Oklahoma that his family made when his dad wanted to go fishing with David. He remembers his dad and David shooting at snakes while the kids swam. Troy and David would sit on the bank fishing while the kids swam and they would shoot at the occasional snake they saw in the water.
Memory is a strange and unpredictable thing. After reading the previous blog post, David’s sister Kay commented that she must have been wrong about David enlisting at such a young age. David was actually 17 years old when he enlisted.
David’s brother-in-law, Roy, remembers going noodling with David over in the Disney-Tiajuana, Oklahoma (Delaware/Mayes County), area when they closed the spillways on the dam. They took a gunny sack to put the fish in. Roy caught some fish and put them in the gunny sack but David made him take them back out and throw them back because David said they were too small. Afterward, David regretted that because they didn’t get too many fish that day. Roy commented that David always knew when they were going to close the spillways and he could go fishing. Overall, everyone commented how much David loved fishing. Here is a photo from the GRDA website showing the Pensacola spillway gates:

Photo found at http://www.grda.com/

Carolyn BENNETT
My Aunt Carolyn passed away a few years ago. Yesterday I was doing genealogical research on Ancestry.com and came across a newspaper article that mentioned her. The article was from the morning edition of the Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Texas- Taylor and Jones Counties) dated 14 October 1954. Below is a transcription of the relevant portions of the article:

“Tuscola Residents Visits in Missouri“
“TUSCOLA, October 13 (RNS)- Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Larkin and children, and his brother, Carl Larkin, visited in Southwest, Mo. with Mrs. Gene Drake, sister of Ralph and Carl, and her family. They were accompanied home by Mrs. Drake and her daughter, Carolyn, who visited the Larkins and the N. J. MINITRA family.”
The Ralph LARKIN mentioned here is not our great-grandfather but rather his and Bess’ son, Ralph LARKIN, JR.. Ralph, Carl, and Audrey were siblings. I have no idea what connection the MINITRA family had to ours.
I love that old newspapers include gossip sections like this. They hold interesting information on our ancestor’s lives that can help us place them in a certain location at a certain time. This article also helps explain why Gene and Audrey moved back and forth between McDonald County, Missouri, and Abilene, Texas, several times between 1954 and 1957. An article similar to this one that was published in 1953 helped explain why Ralph LARKIN, JR. moved to Abilene, Texas. It stated that his then-wife was a long-time resident of the area and her family still lived there.

Until this weekend,
Lisa @ Days of Our Lives

Tag: roy drake

Poppy’s in Danger

The End

Resources Used in Crafting the Fictional Version of this story:

Dad’s Version

What the Newspaper Said

After ‘The Great Boar Fight’

Resources

Family Is Everything

Poynor Baptist Church

Losses, But Also Gains