More neighbors

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2003 5:31 PM

As my mind walks back thru the pages of time I remember Grady Dunn, a good friend who walked 2 miles to our house one winter and waited on Daddy when he was sick. then he would walk those 2 miles back home and work all day. That’s not only a neighbor but a dedicated friend. After Daddy was gone he was still there for all of us. Grey Waldrop another good neighbor about 4 miles away past Brooks but a good man and friend. I never was able to get all the kin folks of Waldrops & Gentrys straight. I doubt if they could.. I believe Mr. Waldrop married Mrs Gentry after they both had lost spouses and each had several children and then they had children and I heard Mrs. Waldrop tell her husband one time that he had better get out there for his children and her children were beating up on their children. Then there was Bob Gentry & Turner Gentry & Tom Jones & Scott Brooks & Jess Brooks  & Claytie Jones & more & more. Somehow as a boy I got the impression that in other larger places there were better people than around Brooks but alas I learned that that was wrong. They were the salt of the earth all around us. I am leaving some out I know but one just came to mind I cannot afford to pass up and thats Lester" Goober" Gentry the old bachelor who attended all ball games and social functions at school and always had raw peanuts in his pocket.

I guess it was that same year that Daddy was sick that the neighbors came by the wagon load bringing plow tools, food, children & all to break up our land and get it ready for planting. They knew I could do the rest but could not do what they did and we had to have a crop so we could have cotton for cash, corn for livestock and peas & vegetables for food.. That was a great day and I have and still am grateful for what they did and thank God that I was born in a place and time where his grace abounded. Tears came to my eyes that day and they are full to overflowing now. We did make a crop and Daddy was still ailing and threatning to kill himself at that time. I guess I was about l3. I cannot remember for sure but I do know that fall we gathered and ginned 3 bales cotton and Daddy told me to get Ray Waldrop to come and help me load it on wagon. We stood up one bale in front wagon and then loaded one flat and another on top. then he told me to take it to Beckville and sell it. I got on top front bale and felt about like a peckerwood sitting way up there . Daddy told me to go to 3 buyers and get bids and sell to highest one. As I drove into Beckville Mr. Billy Watkins came out and stopped me and ask if he could bid and I said yes even tho he was not one of 3.  He cut sample and bid 5 cents per # and told me if I did not get it raised to come back with scale wt and he would pay me. I drove on to cotton yard and Roy Gentry was there weighing. The other 3 buyers did not raise bid so I sold to Billy. Thats $25 for a 500 bale cotton. Not much money but enough to buy school clothes & sack flour etc.  Well its Saturday and supper time. Mildred is better but I am still cook so I better get to my job. She might fire me.  Love you. Lloyd

More neighbors

Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 8:30 PM

Neighbors in early days included everybody in community but all were not equal.

Down past Cokers place turn right and find more Williams, forgot some names but Johnnie I sure can remember he was a good man and had good children, then swing toward Brooks school and there is Ray Waldrop, a good man & fair farmer. I remember one year he let his cotton get grassy and onlty way to get it out is with a hoe. He hired James and I to hoe from Monday thru Friday at 75 cents per day. This might have been more than we were worth but we did get after it and on Fri. he paid us off about sundown. Thats $3.75 each. We were rich and walking tall until we got home and Daddy told us he had to have the money to buy groceries on Sat. We knew he needed it and we would benefit from groceries  but still hated to part with it. Then next one was Roy Gentry & Billie and boys. Roy was a good bird hunter & dog trainer and worked farm to get by. He would run scales for cotton buyers in Beckville in fall. Then was Uncle Jim and will get to him later on "uncles, good and bad" Then Earnest Gentry and others depending on time. Earnest & Fletia would let us have a party at their house and we would make the house shake as we did square dances to fiddle, harmonica, guitar and what have you. Older ones in main room and we small fry in kitchen or a bed room. We also played "post office" thats where you walked a girl around house in dark and kissed her. Good times were had by all. They say at one party on a cold freezing night some boys came from a neighboring community messing with our girls. Well about 11:00 PM someone shot the lights out and the boys took off to their Model T and it was frozen and would not start. They had to be cranked, nothing automatic, anyway a big slim fellow said let me have that crank and he spun it they said he boiled water in radiator before it cranked. Another neighbor over a little farther was Mr Twomey and he would let us party also, He needed to for he had 3 girls to marry off and one boy. Anyway on this special summer night Forest  Brooks had a date with Mozelle Dobbins and his folks let him use Model T to bring her. While they were in house we cut a big water melon and took heart out, picked up rear wheels and put them in melon rind, When they came out to go Forest  cranked up and put in gear and wheels would spin. He got fighting mad but knew better. We had a good laugh and let them go. Mildred is doing OK. Bed time, see ya later gator, Love you

Mules & more horse stories

Date: Sunday, January 19, 2003 4:31 PM

We had a good team mules, Red, tough & smart, weigh about 850# and Burl weighed about 950. On a heavy load red would lean forward  and Burl would hit forward and if it didn't move we were in trouble. Red was not broke to ride but it was my assumption that if I plowed all day I was entitled to ride to house so one day after heavy plowing I tied traces up and turned Burl loose and I got on Red and we followed along behind. I was one smart peckerwood for I had mastered a bucking mule but when we got about 50 yards from barn he bowed his back and made big leap bucked and threw me about 10 feet into air. We never did break Red. After Polk was gone I rode Burl to those parties. On a cold night with ground frozen when I turned him loose to go home you could hear him a mile away as his feet slapped the ground. He was some rough. You needed a flexible backbone to ride him. Roads were bad after big rains and any newcomer coming thru in car was likely to get in ditch or high center in road. We always pulled them out with no charge. Just being good neighbors.  On one of those occasion a man in a big car passed our house going uphill and made it around bend before getting to Joe Williams house but then went into ditch on left with front car pointed uphill. He went to Wms house and Odie hitched up their big team and tried to pull him out but failed for it was a dead weight and ditch was deep. I heard the commotion and ran up to see what was going on. When Odie failed I told man I could pull him out. He ask about size my mules and I told him they were smaller but could do it. He laughed and said if they could he would pay me $5.00 so I hurried home hooked to wagon put chain in and went up there on past to Wms house turned around came back headed down hill with car headed up hill hooked to car and told man to just guide it. I holler get up and mules hit traces and pulled and car slid around headed down hill and with momentum we snatched it out. The man handed over $5 and I took it.

We always cut wood for kitchen in summer and gathered pine kindling and knots anywhere we could find them. On this day we were at back 40 which was all woodland we had. I  had additional frames on wagon which made sides about 2 ft high and I was driving with Ray in wagon with me and James following and throwing in pine knots when I drove over yellowjacket nest in ground. I did not know it but when wagon cleared they were boiling up and there was James and they covered him. They also hit mules and they tried to run. I jammed wagon in between a big stump and 2 trees so they could only kik front end wagon. I squatted down in corner and fought them off Ray & I best I could. When worst was over I hollered for James and no answer so I started in direction I hd seen him last and about 50 yds found his overals and further in I found his shirt and a little further I found him. We only wore shirt & overalls in summer so he was butt naked and stung all over. Its a wonder it did not kill him. Went back and killed y. j. in his clothes and then backed wagon out and went home. Its about church time, more later. Still love you. Lloyd

Our neighbors

Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 8:40 PM

Up hill my favorite neighbors were Floyd & Lizzie Waldrop, They were the salt of the earth kind of folks, ready to help, sit with sick, cut wood, plow, kill hogs, they were always ready. One winter we ran out of fire place wood and Daddy was sick. Floyd took James & I to cut up a big fallen oak log. It took both of us on saw to pull it back and Floyd had to do all busting as we were too small. We could load it on slide & haul to house.

Another good neighbor was Benny Boy and Juanita. Juanita was an Apostolic but a good woman and Benny was a hard worker.

Then we had Grandpa & Mammy and we all loved them. Grand pa would tell some pretty big yarns but I guess we needed that and he was a champion watermelon grower. One time he hired me to kill crows which were eating his watermelons. He thought I could not kill them so he promised me a quarter for everyone I killed. He thought I would keep them scared out of patch. I had a single shot 12 ga. and went after them. I found a big sweet gum tree with 6-8 in it and I slipped toward them and there was a dead pine tree with bark gone so I walked the log and got right under them and killed 3 before they knew where I was. Grandpa paid me and fired me same time. He could not stand paying all that money.

Then up top hill was the Joe Williams family. They were good people, Mrs Williams being Miss Sallie Lee sister. They were older but good neighbors. The oldest child was Nonie, then Odie and Emma Lee. Odie had a model T and tinkered with it all time. He and someone went to West Texas one time to pick cotton and he got about 60 miles per gallon by coasting down all hills. They were pretty good farmers and I did like those peanuts. They had an old mule named Alex about 27 years old and Buddy Gentry and I backed him up to a post under barn shed , parted hair on his tail, pulled around the post, tied it and I slapped him on rump and he nearly tore barn down before I could get my knife out & cut hair.

The Kelleys lived down road at back of our place and they were poorest people around. They were always borrowing food  and other things and never could pay it back but as bible says we kept giving and I think they did appreciate but they never did prosper, always wondered why as he had a brother in Gary who had a store and prospered. He would sometimes bring them load of goods.

Most peculiar of all our neighbors were Jimmersons. I rode over there when I was about 9 for Daddy sent me and old man J was on porch which was covered with children, chickens and dogs. I was afraid to get off horse. Then old folks died or moved and left Dave, Clyde and Ed who had burned a house and spent time in reformatory or prison. All bachelors, dirty, poor farmers, made boot leg whiskey and lived off land. But Dave was a willing helper and shared his kill with us and for that I was glad.  More later it’s my bed time and I have had a busy day. Love you, Lloyd

Present day up date & # 1 ibstallment  on " uncles"

Date: Friday, February 21, 2003 7:35 PM

I am about same. Feel good most time except for swelling of feet & legs. Its not real bad but does prevent "The walking man" from doing much. I bought a 4 wheeler but haven’t had time to ride it.    Mildred has pretty well recovered from heart attack but is having terrible pain in back where there is no hope for relief.  I was praying for complete recovery but it does not seem likely. You pray for us. Took her for checkup yesterday and I bought a few things at Sams

My business is still racing away. Best I have seen in 40 years. What to do is the question

I have just learned that I am known to youth of our church as "The Amen Man" I do speak up.

Uncle Hardy Woods, Daddys oldest brother married a Gentry from Brooks community and when I first knew them they lived in a community out of Carthage. We were never close to them as travel was hard and slow by wagon. I did get to know them pretty well when I went to Carthage school and was in the senior play and stayed with them  when we practiced at night.  J.D was oldest boy and he lived  on Hyway 59 before you get to Sabine River toward Marshall, I believe LD (Bud) was next boy and he lived with us one year and helped with crops, courted Wilma Brooks, Then Oscar  who was a professional oil well driller and they say a good one, and Pete who was killed by an outlaw on the street of Carthage. Some of his descendants are in Carthage now and I see them from time to time. There were several girls but I will not try to list  them.

Then Uncle John who was shot and killed as he walked by a mans house. I never could get any information about this incident.

He had two children. His son Elton who had several children and lived in Marshall and daughter  Mable who married Sam Fogle, a good man, and they had several fine children, God fearing people. One named Sam who I reccomended to East Texas Baptist university for a job and am glad of it for he made them a good man who is one of its Vice Presidents today. Mable is living in a nursing home in Marshall now.

Next was Uncle Frank, whose wife was named Shadie. They had 2 daughters and one boy named Harmon but went by Jack. Uncle Frank was a wanderer who worked enough to keep going. I remember them coming to our house and Mama was not happy about it at all for they were "free loaders". One time when Grandpa lived on hill above out house Jack came to our house to loaf and eat like a hog and he would not work and that made me mad. James & I were cutting and splitting pine logs into stove wood so I told James I was going to whip Jack if he did not work and for him to saw with him and I would split and then I would saw with him and James could split. At noon we went to house and ate and lay on front porch until time to go back to woods. I told James & Jack to get up and lets go and Jack said he was not going and I said you are going or I will whip you. He was about my age & size but I was ready so he went.  Then when we came from work we had to cross road to get to house and Jack turned up hill and went to Grandpas. He never came back so far as I can remember. He made a truck driver and died a few years ago. To be continued, Love you, Lloyd

Stories from long ago

Date: Friday, March 21, 2003 8:39 PM

Its been so long since last one due to health circumstances that I forgot where I stopped with Uncle Sam. Anyway it does not matter but he was a character that looked a lot like Jiggs from comics. I only lasted one semester boarding there. I needed food and was not getting it so I moved to Aunt Sally boarding house and that woman did put a spread on table and I started growing. There were 10 freshmen and one senior and he made us walk the line. He would whip us with a broom. We had to bend over and grab ankles and Baldy would bring broom back and swing like a batter trying to knock a home run and down it would come and he usually would lift you off floor. His pleasure was to bring back and hold until you got so nervous you would jump and he would laugh and then hit you an extra lick for fun. He was a tyrant but we needed discipline and he was it.

This is where I learned to play poker with money I could not afford to lose. It was penny ante and I learned how to play all nite on a dime. If I lost I quit but if I wound up with a quarter I had a good night. Needless to say this was not good so I moved to a private home of the Parmleys for the best way to break a bad habit it to get away from the bad environment. They were fine Methodist people and If I did not go to Baptist church on Sunday Mrs Parmely MADE me go with them. It was good and I loved them for their care and support. They were friends until death parted us.

Last uncle, Daddy called Bugger Red, Frank Smith who married Aunt Mattie. He was ideal husband for her, not mean and she could manipulate him like a yoyo on a string. However she could not get laziness out of his bones. I loved both but hated to get my hug from her when she visited for she was amply endowed wit large bosoms and I would nearly suffocate as she pressed me to her.

Remember many things about Uncle Frank but will relate an incident that happened one time as James, Ray & I , and perhaps Bo met  together at mouth of Martins Creek for an impromptu fishing trip. The only thing good about it was we had 2 chocolate cakes and Ice tea. The fish did not bite but we had a cake eating time.

Now I will tell of a trip. I believe it was summer of 38. I had a ford car about yr. old and Mama wanted to go visit Aunt Kate at New Roads La. That was alright until Aunt Jewel decided she and her family would go also. We stacked everybody in, some sat on buckets and some sat in laps and of course we had to make pit stops, no money to spend but every body drank the mans ice water and went to bath room and flushed toilet  and ran mans water bill up. We might spend 50 cents for gas and use $5 worth of water. One time the man watched and resigned himself to a bad day and then the back car door flew open and 3 more dashed to bath room and he shook his head and turned away.

Well Aunt Kate was ready for us with new corn, peas, potatoes and tea with real sugar. We had a good visit, great memories now and saved enough money to ride ferry across river to get home. My car never did get over that overloaded trip. Visited Mississippi river, capitol, rode elevator to top bldgs & had a great time.

Its 8:30 and my bed time. Love you, Lloyd

Thanksgiving, Hog Killing, Duck Dressing

Date: Friday, December 06, 2002 10:46 AM

I walked back thru time in my mind yesterday to about 1930 during depth of the Great Depression to weather about like this spell which we called hog killing weather. It was cold enough until meat would not spoil until you could take care of it. By that I mean salt the shoulders, hams, & pack in wooden boxes prepared for purpose of keeping meat for several months.

Well lets go back to beginning. We had about 6 hogs we had raised and now they were about 300 # and would be real good. I think Floyd and Lizzie Waldrop lived up on the hill and they agreed to help. This means I was 14, James 13, & on down the line. We prepared the barrels, got the wash pot ready to heat water, firewood, water, work table, sharp butcher knives, all this the day before, plus digging a hole in ground where we sat the barrel on a slant where it would hold hot water and you could put the whole hog in, one end at a time and add hot water until it would scald hide and soften the hair to where we could scrape  hide and cut hair off even or below hide. A 22 rifle to  shoot hog or if that not available and some times it would not be, hit hog in head with sledge hammer and then cut his throat.

Back to meat.  We would take all rough cuts with lard and run thru meat grinder and add salt, pepper and spices and make sausage,. We would eat soon or put in prepared sleeves of cloth or caseing, (cleaned intestines of hog) and stuff sausage in them and sometimes smoke them and other cuts meat. We had what we called a smoke house and when we put a fire in it smoke would pour out cracks of walls.  It did work. This also helped to cure meat. I really liked spare ribs cooked immediately with pans of biscuits, butter and sorgum molasses. It was great (and also probably the beginning of clogging my arteries). Such was life on the farm. We had other treats as well.  A pond in Smith pasture where fish were for the taking and a resting place for ducks & geese. Daddy or myself when he was not available, would take shotgun and slip up behind dam and try to get 3 or more while sitting on water and then another or 2 when they flew. Picked feathers and saved to make pillows (none of this foam stuff like you get at WalMart) and Mama would make duck & dressing, giblet gravy, open a jar of peach pickles we had put up. Feast fit for a king.

Also had 9 pecan trees coming off at different times so from early fall until Jan, Feb we had pecans. They came at a good time for we had usually been out of meat for 2-4 months. Eat pecans and slick off like a town dog.

Hope all of you have a good Thanksgiving & thank God for his goodness to us, freedom, health, family, friends, Jesus our Lord and a home in heaven when this life is over. We are about as usual. Pray for us.  Love all of you. Come to see us. Lloyd

Uncle John Tom & Jim Gaston PLUS uncles on Woods side family

Date: Monday, March 03, 2003 8:39 PM

Aunt Mildreds husband was John Tom Ross. I remember he was a kind respectful man that did a lot of smiling, a hard worker and a good manager. There is a difference. I remember he had money when we did not. He converted from farming to cattle early on and had a bob tailed truck and hauled livestock to and from sale barn for others. Then when the gas field developed he had it made for sure. He was dependable, truthful and highly respected by all who knew him. They had 3 boys and a girl and they all made good citizens.

Then there was Aunt Jewels husband Jim Gaston. He was a lot older than she, loud and liked to be the center of attention. He could kick his hat off his head and do all kinds of contortions that most of us could not. He always had a car and when they came he insisted on taking us somewhere like the night it came a storm when we were at Beckville in the show and by time we headed home Caney Creek was flooded and deep. We barely made it. They lived near Grandpa and then in the house with Him until he died.  He was a hard worker and farmed the place with Grandpa.

Aunt Robbie, Daddy’s oldest sister married Jeff Allen. She died before I was born so only knew her from what I was told. She was a good woman and Uncle Jeff I did know was a good man and worked hard to raise his family of  Bessie, Jewel and Jimmy. They lost some children as infants as so many did in that time .

Next was Francis, (Fanny) who married Kenney Williams.  Aunt Fanny had health problems and Uncle Kenny had to farm the boys out with relatives. Some of the family thought Uncle Kenny was part of the problem but I did not think so.  He too stayed with members of family from time to time. He was some what allergic to work but the boys turned out OK and made good men. Raymond, Dana, and J.K.

Next was Aunt Belle who also had health problems, who married Sam Crawford. Uncle Sam was a brother to Uncle Earl who I wrote about earlier.. After Aunt Belle died Uncle Sam married an old maid school teacher who was cross eyed. They ran a boarding house for 2 to 4 boys and the Arthur Woods boys all boarded there for he was their Uncle also as he was a brother to their mother and then Dana and next myself. I milked 2 cows before breakfast for $5.00 per month and paid $10 in cash. they nearly staved me and i was a growing boy weighing only 110 when I got there . Will complete this letter later. Its my bed time and have Dr appointment tomorrow for Mildred nad myself.  The AMEN man says good night and love you.

Uncles continued

Date: Sunday, February 23, 2003 4:24 PM

I do not know how to print my own letters so I do not know what I wrote  but I know Mable married Dan Fogle and Uncle Hardys son was JP and not JD.

Now for today lets think about Uncle Jim, Daddys twin brother.  Daddy was tall and lean and Uncle Jim short & heavy and the differences did not stop there, Daddy was Type A, which I inherited and Uncle Jim was opposite, but they loved each other and visited more than any other brothers. Every time they came Uncle Jim would say Gladys we must go and they eventually loaded into the buggy and then Uncle Jim would walk back toward house and say Si I need to talk to you a few minutes and sometimes the minutes went to the half hour or more with Aunt Gladys squirming all the time. Uncle Jim married later in life and they only had one son, Drew, who Uncle Jim called son, or old son, never by name. Uncle Jim was not considered a success as a farmer but thats the only occupation I know he worked at. His problem  seemed to be lack of motivation and a desire to talk with anyone who came within hailing distance, regardless of how grassy the cotton was. We went thru woods to school many times which carried us right by end rows in his big field and he always stopped us and talked & talked. Aunt Gladys was from a bunch of hard working brothers and sisters who married successful men so she gave Uncle Jim a hard time until he got loaded up and he would say, Gladys shut up. and she knew to shut up for the time being. I liked to go by house for she was always good for a piece of chocolate cake or cocoanut pie.

One year Uncle Jim needed money and I guess bank would not loan him more so he borrowed from Lee Waits, his brother in law, and mortgaged his good team mules. Well the year went by and he could not pay so Lee drove a small team to his house and got Uncle Jim big mules and left the small mules. After he was gone Uncle Jim cried and Drew, only a boy, saw the whole episode and determined in his heart he would make money, and he did. Lee could have taken the team and left nothing but he did not, which is to his credit.

Reagan Gentry, a neighbor boy, wrote a song about "Big Jim" which you need to add to your collection of our family. Well its 4:20 Sunday PM and I need to get Mildred’s supper and go to church.  She is having a bad day. Lower back intense pain and still weak from heart problems.  Pray for us.   Love you,  Lloyd

Cousin John Alden

Date: Saturday, January 25, 2003 7:47 PM

Many of you do not know cousin John, or papa John as his workers called him. He was Aunt Kate Brown Crawfords oldest child and about 1 year younger than me. They lived away most of t he time. Uncle Earl was a railroad man. They said he could cuss with the best of them and better than most. When I was a little boy they came to visit and we had a great time running thru the country, going fishing and eating watermelons wherever we went. I knew all the patches and owners never minded as long as we did not bust the largest, only ate what we wanted, and got the rind out of the patch. We would run 4 miles to Buckner creek between Waldrop Cemetery & Fairplay.  It was spring fed and cold and in the shade. You could dive in off bank or swing out over creek on a grape vine or rope and drop into the big hole. Aunt Kate had one daughter who is still living and boys named Joe Ervin, Clifton and Tyrus. Ty was named after Ty Cobb one of the alltime great baseball players. Uncle Earl was a great fox hunter and baseball fan. Joe, Cliff and Ty are all dead. All this is background for present facts.

John is in bad health but you would not know it by talking to him. We have had some good conversations lately over recipes for cooking meat and Susan, Phils wife sent me a cook book of them from him.  She is a Dr and is looking after him. He has refused to go back to a hospital. She says he has had lots small strokes and cannot drive or use phone as numbers confuse him. He and Ty killed squirrels a few years back until they stretchd their gun barrels by trying to shoot them out of tall cypress trees.

We are about the same and still able to take nourishment.

One little story or is this my second.  2 baseball players who loved game very much wondered whether it was played in heaven.  One died and went there and found out they did.  He got permission to talk to his friend on earth and told him he had good news and bad news. The good news was they did play ball in heaven and he paused and one on earth ask what the bad news was and other told him.  Bad news is that you are pitching Friday night, May God bless and keep you, with love to all, Lloyd

February 1, 2005  -- This written by Bo