Chapter Thirteen: “Mama Betty” and the Thanksgiving,1913, journey in a covered wagon

Pearl, now approaching her ninth birthday, gives an admiring and detailed recounting of the life story of her “Mama Betty” to begin this narrative. Then, we witness yet another move to Oklahoma. This time the method of travel is quite unusual for Pearl and Billy. We end the chapter with crossing the Red River bridge in the horse drawn wagon. Enjoy. RAN

  Pearl’s narration continues:

  EXTRAORDINARY ORIGINS OF EVERYDAY THINGs

Handwriting was invented by the Syrians.

Buttons were once made of dung.

Buttons were in use 300 years before buttonholes (12th CenturyAD).

       The first tooth brush was used by Egyptians.

     The brassiere was invented by Otto.

        Toilet tissue was invented in 1857.

      Soap pads (SOS) were first made in 1917.

       Band Aids were first used in 1921.

                                          —Charles Pananti

MAMA BETTY’S STORY

   I have said very little about Mama Betty.  So now, after a year with her, learning her Tennessee accent and queer expressions of hers; such as “Northerner” for Norther, when a cold wintry blast came through;  “Well, bless Paddy”, an exclamation she used quite frequently when a pleasant surprise came her way, we will examine her story.

  She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 27, 1874, the oldest child of Thomas Newton and Tessie or “Tet” (Baggett) Savage.  When she was seven they moved to middle Tennessee, twenty miles north of Nashville, near Greenbriar.  The Ceif Jones Store was near their home and was referred to frequently, perhaps less than a mile away.  Two country churches graced their countryside: a Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church one and one-half miles from the Savage home, of which Tessie was a member and a Bethlehem Baptist Church, only a mile away where the family attended a greater part of the time.

 The Bethlehem Baptish Church was organized as early as 1838, some 42 years after Tennessee joined the Union.  This church, it seems, was a center for all the youth to gather in Betty’s young life.  I recall that both churches doubled as schools; if so, Bethlehem was the school that the Savage children attended.  No doubt Betty played a part in the many activities, being quite popular among the younger set.  She was so small, she said, that she wore her black hair in shoulder length curls until she was 16 years old.  She attended parties, square dances, had many admirers, a few beaus, but apparently no serious suitors in her 36 years she lived at home in Tennessee.

Mary Elizabeth (Betty) was four when brother John was born.  Two years later her brother Noel was born.  A couple of years later another brother, Thomas Monroe joined the Savage family.  Following an eight year span without babies, another little brother came along whom they named Augustus, but always known as “Gus”.  After another two years Christopher was born, nicknamed “Chris”.  When Chris was two, Ruth was born, and now, Betty had a sister, after waiting twenty years for this blessed event.  Ruth was two years of age when Melvin was born, and that ended Thomas Newton’s and Tet’s child bearing.  They were addressed by their children as “Pap” and “Ma’am”.

   Mama Betty was second mother to the four youngest children, even though her mother remained in good health.  There was much to be done in this large family: growing gardens, orchards, soap making, sewing for the family, even the men, using home spun cloth for their every day wear.  Tobacco was the principal crop, so Mama Betty planted tobacco plants and wormed the plants by hand when they became infected.  Ma’am Savage did no field work, but was always described as a strong, robust woman, compared with Betty, who was small, weighing about 100 pounds!  Tom, the father, was a small man, subject to migraine headaches, was an avid reader, sitting up late nights to read after the rest were sound asleep.  He kept abreast with the political issues of the day, reading the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers.  To distinguish him from other Savages in the area, he was called “pig” which also indicated his small stature.

An abundance of pure, soft spring water flowed freely in the region and just down the hill from the Savage home one of these springs provided the family’s household supply of water.  Of course, carrying it uphill from the spring house where they kept their milk and butter was a task.  This was long before the era of refrigeration.  From the way Mama described the task, the large pails of water must have weighed almost as much as she!  Some winters, steps leading down to the water supply would become slippery with a film of ice, and she related that on one occasion Mama almost slipped into the icy water!  Once in a great while a headrise would come down on the creek, carrying away the pails and crocks of milk and butter stored there.  But these events were quite infrequent happenings that never caused serious problems for the family.  Oh, by the way, after Betty carrying pails of water uphill for some twenty-five years, they drilled a well right beside the kitchen door. 

This was the year before Mama Betty came to Oklahoma. Noel Savage and wife, Vesta (Baggett) Savage and children, Versie, five and Chester, one year, lived near Hedley, Texas, a small town some ten miles away from Clarendon, the county seat of Donley County, Texas.  In the summer of 1910, this family made a visit back to Tennessee, bringing Betty back with them.  It was probably prearranged because of Betty’s frail health for the past 10 – 11 years caused from about with Whooping Cough at the advanced age of 25!  The Noel Savage family believed that the high, dry Texas and Oklahoma atmosphere would be good for her health and perhaps they were right.  She spent much time in the cotton fields, learning to pick cotton, but by handling the cotton so carefully that not a speck of trash was left on each beautiful white lock, her total pounds-per-day was extremely small compared to the average picker.

Ed. note: If interested, this 2013 medical report summary describes Whooping Cough’s effect on a person, a woman especially, throughout their lives following this infection. They are weaker and often die younger.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130618101612.htm

 

Of course, Betty missed the home and family back in Tennessee, but kept busy helping Vesta around the house besides going to the field with her brother Noel.  Her oldest brother, John, also lived in Sunset, Texas, some 50 miles northwest of Dallas, far from Hedley, Texas which was located in the Texas Panhandle.  John and his wife, Annie had Mable and Hubert, near the ages of Noel’s and Vesta’s children.

 The next year the Noel Savages were drawn to the Jackson County, Oklahoma, area less than a hundred miles from the home in Hedley, Texas.  Here he was also engaged in farming, residing in the South Greer community, some three to four miles from where Will Ware lived, near to the home of Pete Thornton and his family.  As Papa and the Savages were all Baptists they soon met and became acquainted, later becoming close friends.

 Perhaps, this story of Mama Betty will tie in with Pete’s and Betty’s courtship and marriage.  So now, “Back to Oklahoma”.

 

BACK TO OKLAHOMA, AGAIN

It was Thanksgiving Day, 1913; moreover, it was moving day.  Extensive preparations which had been going on for days, now had culminated in a well fitted wagon made comfortable for our journey.  This trip was to be a lengthy one, some 165 miles, winding through the country on dirt roads.  A team of horses and wagon could travel some 30 miles per day by starting early and borrowing some of the night in the shortening days of late November, but on a long trip such as this we could not hope for more than 25 miles per day barring any inclement weather.

    The preparations were very interesting and exciting to Billy and me.  Papa had outlined his plans with Mama some half dozen times; plans which would make the wagon comfortable and efficient for traveling for eight to ten days.  First, there must be an extension built on either side of the wagon called “over-jets” providing enough width to accommodate our mattresses, the beds on which we would sleep during our trip.  Over-jets was a new term to Billy and me, and we felt very important strutting about, telling our cousins and my school friends how Papa was going to put over-jets on our wagon.

  Then there was the chuck box or food box built into the back end of the wagon.  This box was so constructed that when closed, the door sloped from the top of the wagon bed at 90 degree angle, and when opened out, being hinged at the bottom, provided a table from which to prepare and serve the food.  Legs made from narrow boards resting on the ground supported this double duty table and chuck box door.  Inside the box, when closed, there was plenty of room to store food supplies and cooking and eating utensils.

   Everything was in readiness for the move, now.  Uncle Clint, Aunt Bee and their children, one, a year older than I and one a year younger than I and some little ones all came to help us load the wagon.  We had three beds, a cook stove, a table, some cane bottomed chairs, Grandma’s rocking chair and pie safe, the stand table, our three trunks, clothing and supplies, plus a large, wooden quilt box.  I must tell you about this quilt box.  Mama Betty wrote a letter to Green Briar, Tennessee, telling the family there that she was now in her own home in need of her quilts she had made through the years at home.  Before many days had passed Papa came home from Ector, our nearest town, with this large box in the wagon.  In the fourth grade now, I began to read the addresses on the box:  From T. N. Savage, Greenbriar, Tennessee:  To P. H. Thornton, Ector, Texas.  Shipping tags were placed about on the box, making sure it would be delivered to the right destination without being lost along the way.  Another interesting notation on another side of the box was:  To Cief Jones Store, Greenbriar, Tennessee, which told us that Mama Betty’s father had picked up the large box at the country store which had been used for shipping merchandise.  We would hear the name of this country store over and over again through the ensuing years.

 With the furnishings in place, our mattresses fitted securely into the over-jets on the wagon bed.  Mama and Papa would occupy the spring seat in the front of the wagon but Billy and I were to spend most of our time on the high bed in the back part of the wagon; a riding place which would become very boring before very lo

  After all was loaded, Uncle Clint and Aunt Bee welcomed us into their home for the night.  It began to rain, so darkness came early on that November evening; furthermore, there were some last minute checking to make everything secure from the team’s harness to the rearranging of supplies in the chuck box.  Papa had a nice kerosene lantern with a bulls eye in the chimney.  It was very useful on dark nights, traveling or at home to inspect the animals or to locate prowling varmints.  It was sprinkling rain by now and the men were about finished so they told Harry, now past ten, to take the lantern in out of the rain so the chimney would not be likely to crack.  Harry disobeyed; he went in with the lantern, told a different story, came back out and sure enough, the rain broke the chimney!  This was rather disgusting to Papa, just starting on the trip, needing a lantern to see to the stock in the evening, and now a new chimney to buy.  But Papa had seen through Harry’s trick; he had taken the lantern out on purpose so the rain would break the glass chimney because he wanted the bull’s-eye out of it!  My father chuckled many times about the way young Harry’s plans went awry, because, you see, Papa didn’t let him have the bull’s-eye after all!  Just on purpose!

      Thanksgiving morning arrived at last and we were on our way.  Clouds hung heavy and threatening, but only a mist was falling.  We had said our loving good-byes to Aunt Bee and Uncle Clint and the children, knowing full well that the 160 plus miles that lay between us would prevent our seeing each other for many months, or maybe years.  Another wagon would be traveling with us; Mr. Nelson, riding alone, whose destination was Cordell, Oklahoma, some 120 miles farther than our new home would be.  It was a boon, indeed, for Mr. Nelson to have the company of another wagon going his way for the greater half of his journey.

    The teams moved briskly along the first day, for they were fresh and we were all alert and filled with anticipation of what lay ahead.  Clouds remained dark and lowering but very little rain fell that day.  As we passed along unfamiliar roads to Billy and me; roads lined with post oak and black jack and other timber, with open clearing now and then.  The end of this day would find us some twenty-five miles away from our former home, 25 miles closer to a new and better home for us.

 When night began to fall, and it became dark early that day, we stopped on the grounds of a country church and made camp for the night.  The wagon covers had been treated with linseed oil to help in shedding the rainwater, as they were stretched tightly across the bows.  We were thankful, if somewhat dubious, that we had this protective cover for our bedding and supplies.  The steady rain that began just as we had finished our evening meal, was a true test as to how well the wagon sheets would turn the water.

That first meal on the road was quite an experience for Billy and me.  We had heard Papa and Mama extolling the blessings of having an iron skillet-‘n’-lid to cook biscuits on an open fire.  When they learned that our fellow traveler, Mr. Nelson owned one of these wonderful inventions, they were delighted.  And so Mama made biscuits, and after the fire had burned the dead wood to a bank of ashes the “skillet…” was put in the ashes, practically buried there, and lo and behold, the biscuits did cook!  We were not to enjoy this luxury for many meals, however, as the rain wouldn’t cease for very long, making dry firewood difficult to find.  Everyone was disappointed, and I have never heard since that time so much complaining about having to eat “light” bread or loaf bread which we had to buy along our way!

    As there is little to relate on the next two days of our journey which took us some forty miles farther on, except rain and more rain, mud and more East Texas mud, it seems an excellent space to reminisce over the events of the past year.  Billy and I had met and enjoyed a new set of cousins; we had been present as Ernest had received injury to and the loss of his eye; we attended church and learned songs that we had never heard before; we had attended a burial, Billy’s first; we had met Uncle Bud and Aunt Ellie Ware, Great Uncle and Aunt, and visited in their home; also, we had met and visited the McPherson family when I “claimed” my first boyfriend, and the family had given Billy a small dog, “Cricket”, who was accompanying us to Oklahoma, walking part of the way, but sleeping in the wagon most of the time.

 The topics Papa and Mama discussed were some that Billy and I didn’t understand very well, or at least, didn’t touch our lives.  They remembered that Great Uncle Jap who lived with Will and Maggie Ware passed away in 1913; either early in the year, or later.  Also, Lela, four year old daughter of Will and Maggie died of diphtheria in 1913.  If these deaths came early in the year, the parents didn’t bother us with the sorrow.  Maggie Gillis Ware, “walking family history book” related to me at age 93 that she recalled that both Uncle Jap and Lela died in 1913.  She reflected on the events and concluded that Uncle Jap died first because she recalled that they “laid Lela out” on Uncle Jap’s bed in his bedroom: an unoccupied bed now that Uncle Jap had gone on.  The Wares’ neighbors had “washed and dressed” the small child for burial, not making use of the services of an undertaker.  I am aware of Grandma being away much of the year we spent at Ector, Fannin County, Texas.  She was probably in Oklahoma with some of the family there.

       This travel took us to St. Jo, Texas some 18 to 20 miles west of Gainesville, Texas.  Its was Saturday night, and Papa and Mr. Nelson sought a wagon yard where the teams could be sheltered, and find a much needed rest.  I’m sure that we all welcomed the use of kitchen accommodations provided for us there, too.  The next day would be Sunday, so Papa and Mama, and I’m sure Mr. Nelson joined them in deciding to send Mama, Billy and me on ahead by train, leaving the men with the teams and wagons to battle the rain and mud the rest of the way.

        Uncle Charley Thornton lived near Burkburnett, in Texas, across Red River from Aunt Dove’s and Uncle Elias’ place.  Papa decided that was the place to go and wait until Papa and Mr. Nelson arrived with the wagons.  So our family boarded a train at St. Jo, Texas, bound for Burkburnett, that Sunday, November 30, 1913.

  Papa and Mr. Nelson were nearly a week making the 75 miles between the two towns.  Mama experienced many anxious moments and hours, apologizing over and over again for being so much trouble to Aunt Kate and Uncle Charley, in spite of their generous hospitality extended to us.  Mama was “turned around” in her directions at the place where their home was located.  By being turned around, is getting directions mixed!  About Monday or Tuesday morning we awoke to a clear sky and bright sunlight.  But to Mama, the morning sun arose in the West!  She was very distracted, and no matter how Aunt Kate tried to set her straight, the sun came across the autumn sky to set in the east!  After this day of frustration, I, too, became turned around!  Mama and I were ready to move on and get our directions straight!  But there would be a few more days of anxious waiting for us

      Upon leaving Uncle Charley’s home near Burkburnett, Texas, we crossed the Texas-Oklahoma bridge which spanned the Red River, built in 1910.  Before the bridge was constructed the only means of passage across the river was by fording it with team and wagon or other vehicle, and on horseback.  There was considerable traffic as Burkburnett, Texas was the principal town for farmers living on the Oklahoma side of Red River.

      An incident occurred at some point shortly before the construction of the bridge which was an attraction for numerous travelers passing by this way.  Apparently, a family was fording the river with team and wagon, transporting their household belongings from one home to another on the other side.  While only a short distance from the Texas bank of the river, the wagon began to sink into quicksand.  

Other teams with their drivers were summoned to help dislodge the vehicle, but to no avail.  The teams then were quickly led away, lest they too, would be victims of the treacherous quicksand.  The family in the beleaguered wagon was quickly transported to safety.  The belongings and home furnishings were transferred to other wagons on a more solid footing, but a sad end to the story was that the parlor organ in the wagon was impossible to move out.  The ornate top of the organ could be seen quite clearly a short distance from the north side of the bridge, but the wagon itself was sunken in the sand.  We saw the sight many times as, despite head rises and flooding on the river, the majestic organ held a silent vigil in its place in the wagon bed for many years!

     As we crossed into Oklahoma that crisp, December morning, while Mama and Papa sat on the spring seat in the covered wagon with Billy between them, I stood behind them looking straight down the road over the backs of the horses, taking in the free breeze, the sunshine, and the blue, blue sky….  I still recall the exhilaration I experienced as I anticipated the new home!  I don’t recall Mama’s and Papa’s expression of their delight to be there on the plains of Oklahoma; I only remember the beautiful, new feeling I had as I entered a new era in my young life!

“Out where the hand clasp’s a little stronger,

Out where the smile dwells a little longer,

That’s where the West begins.”

                                                                          Arthur Chapman

The adventure of moving for children is charming and Pearl captures some of the excitement of new discoveries. Next chapter will find Pearl’s family settling into a nice home and farm and wonderful school experience. Stay tuned. RAN