Mattie Bell (Bridges Jones) & Martin Harmon Jones Photos

 

The Making of Double Cousins

 

Martin Harmon Jones, Mattie Bell Bridges Jones, Hugh Springfield Bridges and Nancy Jane Jones Bridges. 

The lady on the right is Nancy Jane Jones Bridges -- Hugh's wife and Martin Harmon's sister.  Mattie Bell is Martin Harmon's wife and Hugh's sister.

Memories of Martin Harmon Jones Part 2

 Interview with Martin Frank Jones (my uncle)

12 Feb 2013

Recorded by Nancy Quillin Long

I went to visit with Martin and the following is from that visit.  See also the printed copy of Martin Frank’s blog.  Several years ago, Martin Frank wrote his memories down and now is placing them a little at a time on his blog. 

 Martin Harmon Jones never owned anything.  He grubbed out mesquite trees, chopped cotton, and was a day laborer for other farmers.   People thought a lot of him.  He was known as “Farmer Jones”.  He always lived on farms.  When the Depression hit, Martin Harmon lived in a 2-room house that Mimi and Pappy (Mimi is Ava Ella McNair Jones and Pappy is Joe Carroll Jones) had lived in there in Thalia, Texas, after they moved to their house on the hill.  Mimi and Pap's home on the hill burned down and then they rented a home from Allen Schulty back in town. When they were able, Mimi and Pappy bought the Stovall’s house (the house by the school) in Thalia.  When Martin Harmon developed bad heart problems, Pappy moved that little 2 room house onto their lot, very close, so that Mimi could care for them.  That is the house that Martin Harmon lived in when he died.  Later, Pappy had purchased a home in Crowell that he was letting Martin Frank/Vonne live in, and when Pappy retired from farming, Martin and Vonne bought a house by the school. Mimi and Pappy then moved to Crowell.  Once again, Pappy moved that little 2 room house to Crowell and place it on a lot just across a pasture for Mattie Bell to live in.  Pap added a room to it.  Pap then purchased the house right next door and Bill/Faye lived there until Bill got a job as a game warden in Canadian.  When Bill/Faye moved, Pap sold Mattie’s house and moved her in next door.  

Memories of Martin Harmon Jones

 Interview with Carolita Quillin Jones

March 1, 2003

Recorded by Nancy Quillin Long

Martin Harmon (Granddaddy Jones) was one of Carolita’s favorite people.  The Joneses were the salt of the earth, but were considered “hayseed” country people. 

Carolita remembers Martin Harmon being a well-framed, handsome man of medium height.  He was thin, but not poorly.  He was a very quiet, unassuming, gentle man.  He was kind and soft-spoken.   He was a spiritual man and didn’t make much ado about it.  He was honest, upstanding and hardworking.  Martin Harmon always wore suspenders and long sleeve shirts with kaki pants. He had false teeth but never wore them; he even ate without them.  He whittled and made the children whistles out of hollow willow stalks.

 Carolita’s first recollection of Martin Harmon was as a janitor at the Thalia schools.  Carolita would help him sometimes with his chores there.  She remembers him sprinkling the floor with “O’Cedar” and sweeping and cleaning the floors.  He would also attend the boilers and did most anything that needed to be done at the school.  Martin Harmon was responsible to ring the school bell in the morning for the start of the day, at noon, and again for school to let out. 

 Carolita was told that he was a day laborer, mostly clearing land or tending to other people’s land.  He was basically a sharecropper.  Martin Harmon never owned any land himself. 

 Granddaddy Jones did night watch at the cotton gin.  His assignment was to make sure that a fire was not ignited.  When the cotton bales came off the press, they would be so hot they could easily ignite.

 Martin Harmon fell into bad health with heart problems, yet he never complained.  Carolita remembers him being short winded and that his nose would bleed profusely. 

After he fell into ill health, Pap (Jo Carroll Jones, his son) moved Martin Harmon and Mattie Bell’s 2-room house onto his property in Thalia.  They placed the home at the back of the property.  Carolita remembers him sitting in his chair at the back of the house.  He would always lean the chair against the wall.

 Martin Harmon loved to help with the animals.  He would milk the cow, keep some of the milk for himself and bring the rest to Ava.  He tended the chickens for Ava, and he cared for their horse.

 They dug a cellar in the dirt, and Martin Harmon was the storm watcher.  They would gather everyone in the cellar and Martin Harmon would stand outside and watch the storm.  Carolita remembered getting to go out and watch with him.  She felt that she learned a lot about the weather from him. 

 Inside the dirt cellar, Martin Harmon dug a hole to keep his cash.  No one, save Eddie Hugh knew where the money was hidden.  Martin Harmon was saving this cash (not much more than $100) to pay an old grocery bill.  When he died, Eddie Hugh told the family about the money, and they all wanted to split the cash among themselves.  They eventually did split the money and it also split the family.  Jo Carroll was left to pay the grocery bill.  All the Jones family would have starved if it had not been for Joe Carroll who always had work and a little money and didn’t mind caring for his family.

Granddaddy (Martin Harmon) was crazy about Carolita’s son, Bryan, and Truman, her husband, loved to hang out with him.  Martin Harmon loved fishing and would fish with a cane pole.  Truman and Martin Harmon were great fishing buddies. 

 His death certificate says that Martin Harmon died quickly of a heart attack.

Martin Harmon Jones Family Group Sheet

 

Paul and Merphia's Marriage License

 

Paul Bryan Quillin WWII

 

Once again Paul was drafted into the Army for WWII.  The year was 1944, and he was 47 years old.  He went to training at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas.  Because of his severe injuries suffered at the construction site, the military soon realized that he was unable to benefit the service, and they released him within 6 months.

Paul Quillin WWI

The records from Camp Travis in the Texas World War I Records list him as Paul B Quillan. His record is found on page 294 and he is listed as a wagoner in the 85th infantry supply company. 

http://texasescapes.com/WorldWarI/CampTravis/CampTravis.htm

WORLD WAR I   

Camp Travis & The 90th Division
San Antonio, Texas   by John Troesser

With the war over - or nearly so -

the troops of the "Cactus Division" had time for photos.

Photo Courtesy of the Carl McDonald Collection

When the United States entered World War I, thirty-two training camps were set up. Half of them were "tent cities" and were for National Guard Units while the other half had wooden barracks for the regular Army.

Camp Travis was situated a few miles from downtown San Antonio adjoining Fort Sam Houston. Originally the name was Camp Wilson, named after the man who "kept us out of war." It was the point from which troops were mobilized in 1916 to quell the Mexican Border Crisis brought upon by the Mexican Revolution.

 

With the formation of the 90th Division in 1917, it was renamed Camp Travis after William B. Travis of Alamo fame. One of the Regiments within the 90th was the 19th Infantry.

Originally the troops of the 90th were to be from Texas and Oklahoma exclusively, but as the men were shipped out, their replacements were from other states. By the time they got orders for Europe in June, 1918, a good percentage of the troops were "foreign."

In August and September of 1918, The 18th "Cactus" Division was formed of the left over units still at the Camp. They were still preparing for the French trenches when the war ended on November 11th. After the war - troops were mustered out through the camp and in 1922 - Camp Travis was absorbed by Fort Sam Houston.

 

Sources Report for Paul Bryan Quillin

                 Compiled by Nancy Quillin Long in Dec. 2013

 

1900 United States Federal Census. “Paul B. Quillin.” (Leonard, Fannin, Texas)                           Roll: 1633; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0066; FHL microfilm: 124163,     <ancestry. com>accessed 2010.

 1910 United States Federal Census. “Paul Quillin.” (Haskell, Haskell, Texas)             Roll: T624_1562; Page: 26A; Enumeration District: 0109; FHL                                          microfilm: 1375575.<ancestry. com>accessed 2010.

1920 United States Federal Census. “Paul B. Quillin.” (Seymour, Baylor, Texas)             Roll: T625_1774; Page: 17A; Enumeration                                      District: 11; Image: 619.<ancestry.com>accessed 2010.

1930 United States Federal Census. “Paul Quillin.” (Seymour, Baylor, Texas)                           Roll: 2289; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0002; Image: 108.0; FHL                                    microfilm: 2342023<ancestry.com>accessed 2010.

1940 United States Federal Census.  “Paul B. Quillin.”  (Pampa, Gray, Texas)                               Roll: T627_4042; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 90-9<ancestry.com>accessed 2012.

Texas Death Index, 1903-2000. “Paul B. Quillen.” (Texas: Texas Department of Health, 2006).<ancestry.com>accessed Feb 2011.

MacQuillin, Claude. The Quillin (MacQuillin) Family: the MacQuillins in Ireland and The Quillins in America. Compiled by Milligan Wood Quillen and Mary Kinser Brown.  Published by The Quillin Clan: Gate City, Virginia, 1961. Reprinted 1987. “Truman Bryan Quillin” pp. 133-135.

 Quillin, Truman Bryan Quillin Sr. Personal interview. 1990.

 Quillin, Carolita.  Personal interview.  2000.

U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989. “Paul Quillin.” (Pampa, Texas, City Directory, 1940). <ancestry.com> accessed  2012.

U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1947-1918. “Paul Bryan Quillin.” United States, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm. <ancestry.com>accessed 2011.

History Sheet for Paul Bryan Quillin

 

History Sheet Revision 2013

Paul Bryan Quillin

Compiled by Nancy Quillin Long

Source:  based on interview with Truman B. Quillin, Sr., census records, WWI draft card

 

Unfortunately, I did not know this grandfather (Paul Bryan), so I do not have any personal recollections of him.  I can only go on the brief information that my father, Truman Bryan Quillin, Sr., gave me concerning his father.  I do know that my mother (who was Paul’s daughter-in-law) liked him and had fond memories of him.  He was described on his draft card as having blonde hair and blue eyes, of medium height and a slender build.  Upon reflection and knowing now that Paul came of age during the Great Depression, I believe that he faced real adversity.

 

Here is his story:

 

Paul Bryan Quillin was born in Leonard, Texas, to the parents of Beverly Johnson Quillin and Polly Ann Sprouls (sp?).  Leonard was incorporated as a township in 1889 with a population of 400 people.  There were 9 stores, 3 blacksmith shops, a church, a gin, 2 hotels, 2 doctors and 2 lawyers.  I found Paul in the 1900 census still living in Leonard with his father, mother, 2 sisters, and 1 brother.  They are in order: Maggie, Kathleen, Horace Cleveland, and Paul Bryan.  His father was farming.  Sister Opal had not been born.

 

B.J. and Polly had moved to Haskell, Texas, in the 1910 census where B.J. was the proprietor of a hotel.  Paul was 13 years old and all of his brothers and sisters were living with them, including his oldest sister, Margaret, who was now married to Joel Moses.  Joel was the cook for the hotel and there were 4 Moses children.  There were 6 boarders living at the hotel.  One male boarder (age 53) was born in France and was also a cook.

 

Paul completed his first year in high school, and I’m thinking that he dropped out at that time.  He would have been about 14 years old in 1911.  Of course, there is no way to know what he did during this time, but WWI had erupted, and Paul was drafted into the Army at age 21 on June 5, 1918.  This would have been at the close of the war, and I do not know how he participated.  The only thing I have found is his draft card.

 

By the next year, he was living in Seymour, Texas, where he met and married Emma Merphia Ewing on 12 April 1919.  Paul and Merphia were found in the 1920 census living in Seymour.  Merphia’s sister, Ludie, and her 2 children were living with them. 

 

Three children were born to this union: Truman Bryan, Francelle, and Billye Merle.  They were all found living in Seymour in the 1930 census.  They attended the First Baptist Church.  For a time, Paul worked for Mr. Brown at the grain elevator.  When it burned down, he found construction work building the Brazos River Bridge.  At this job site, a crane carrying a bucket of cement broke and fell on Paul.  He suffered severe injuries, including a broken back.  He spent nearly a year in the hospital.

 

Another unfortunate turn of events occurred probably around 1935.  Merphia left Paul, and eventually married Oscar Hart.  She took the 2 daughters with her.  Their son, Truman, who would have been about 11, came home from school one day to find an empty house.  Paul and Truman went to live with Paul’s sister, Opal, who also lived in Seymour in the old family home where B.J. and Polly had lived.

 

At this time, our nation was in the grips of the Great Depression that affected all world markets.  For someone like Paul who was dependent on others for employment, the Depression was a travesty.   Paul moved around to find any kind of work available.  In the summer, Truman would travel and work with him.  Paul would earn $.75 cents an hour, while Truman would earn $.50 cents an hour.  Paul lived in such places as Pampa and Plainview and often would work thrashing oats.  (The combine was yet to be invented.) 

 

In the 1940 census, Paul and Truman were living with his sister, Margaret, and her husband Joel Moses in Pampa, Texas. (540 S. Gillespie St.)  Paul was working as a clerk in a grocery store and made $255 dollars in the previous year.  Truman was an attendant at a filling station and made $85 dollars the previous year.  Hearing the stories of this time with the Moses family, the time was not all bad.  The Moses clan loved music and would spend many evenings on the porch “pickin’ & grinnin’”.  It was said that the infamous Bob Wills would join them on occasion.

 

Once again Paul was drafted into the Army for WWII.  The year was 1944, and he was 47 years old.  He went to training at Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas.  Because of his severe injuries suffered at the construction site, the military soon realized that he was unable to benefit the service, and they released him within 6 months.

 

Paul eventually moved to Vernon, Texas, where he married for a second time to Johnnie Moye.   He lived on Bacon Street until his death in 1957.

 

His death certificate states that he died of uremia at the Veteran’s Hospital in McKinney.  It reads that he was an officer, but I have not found any documentation of that.  Paul was buried in the Old Seymour Cemetery.

Beverly Johnson Quillin Group Sheet

 

I used FTM to publish this family group sheet. 

Paul Bryan Quillin Group Sheet

 

Memory Lane 2

 

Top picture: ^ The home of my great-grandparents, Beverly Johnson Quillin and Polly Ann "Sprowls" Quillin. Eventually their daughter, Opal owned the home. 

Bottom picture: ^ A few doors down across the street was the home of Opal's sister, Cathleen "Corintha" Melvina Quillin Bagby.

Top picture ^ the home where Daddy and his siblings were born.

Bottom picture ^ This location is symbolic to me. The stone at the top of the building is engraved with the name of the business, The Banner Publishing Company. Daddy was hired as a paperboy and years later he became an accomplished owner and publisher of The Vernon Daily Record. 

Daddy is now taking me to Crowell, Texas, to see my Jones & McNair Family homesteads.

History Sheet Truman Bryan Quillin, Sr.

 

History Sheet

Truman Bryan Quillin, Sr. (childhood)

Source:  Interview with Truman Bryan, Sr.

Recorded by:  Nancy Long Quillin in 1990

 Truman Bryan was born at home in Seymour, Texas, on 18 June 1924.  Dr. Johnson was in attendance as well as several family members, possibly including Aunt Kathleen.  His older sister, Francelle, and his younger sister, Billie Merle were also born in this same house.  Truman remembers when Billie was born.  He and sister Francelle were outside riding tricycles.

 Truman started school a year early at the age of 5 because his Aunt Opal was a schoolteacher, and he would go with her each day to a small community, Levelview, near Seymour.  When he entered the first grade in the Seymour school at age 6, he was very ahead of the other students and was promoted a grade after the first year.

Truman attended the First Baptist Church of Seymour, Texas, and was baptized at the age of 10.  However, as a grown man, he realized that he was not converted and was baptized again in 1948 in Thalia, Texas.

 In 1935, when Truman was 11 years old, he returned home from school one day to find that his mother had moved away taking with her his sisters and all of the family possessions.  Truman moved with his father into Aunt Opal’s house (his father’s sister).  Living there also was Mildred, Aunt Kathleen’s daughter.  This was the house where B.J. and Polly, the grandparents, had lived when they were alive.  Later, Truman’s mother, Merphia, filed for and was granted a divorce in 1935.  When Truman’s father was injured on a construction site, Truman continued to live with Aunt Opal.

 With the country in the grips of the Depression, Truman would go with his dad in the summers wherever they could find work.  Many times this would be shocking oats.  They would work 12 hour days, with Paul earning $.75 cents a day and Truman working at his side, earning $.50 a day.  They found work in places like Pampa and Plainview.

 When Truman was entering the 8^th grade, he moved to Plainview to be with his dad and attended the Plainview school for what was to be his last year.  His Uncle Joe worked for the Railroad on the Ft. Worth-Denver line.  He lied about Truman’s age and got him a job on the bridge gang for the railroad.  Truman now earned $.35 cents an hour working an 8 hour day, only 5 days a week.  School became a thing of the past and working for survival was the only pastime Truman ever knew.  He remembers this being a very hard time, but he was never unhappy.

 Also living in Plainview at this time were Aunt Maggie and Uncle Joe. (Paul Bryan’s older sister and husband.)   They had a large clan and their last name was Moses.  Every Saturday night the whole clan, relatives and friends would gather for a hoe down.  Paul Bryan and Truman would join in for the fun.  Bob Wills, the one who became famous later, would play the fiddle; Uncle Joe would join him on another fiddle.  Others who could play would join in for an evening of song and entertainment.

 World War II broke out, and instead of being drafted into the Army, Truman joined the Navy when he was 17 years old.  He attended boot camp in San Diego, California.  At the end of boot camp, only 8 men out of 138 didn’t receive leave.  The rest, including Truman, were shipped to the South Pacific area on Noumea, New Caledonia, near the Loyalty and New Hebrides Islands. 

During the 36 day voyage there, Truman developed chronic sea sickness and began vomiting blood.  As soon as the ship reached its destination, the captain transferred Truman to a receiving station and he was assigned land duty.  He stayed at the receiving station for 6 weeks and was then stationed at Espirito Santo in the New Hebrides Islands.  He worked on a Naval Air Force base, and they put him in Bomber 3.  He serviced aircraft and worked under the chief electrician.

 Truman was sent back to the States on 1 Jan 1945.  Of course, this time they were wise and flew him to San Francisco.  He had a 36 day leave at the end of which he was to report to Philadelphia.  He returned to Seymour to visit family and also visited his mother in Vernon.  He boarded a train in Wichita Falls for Philadelphia.

 Upon arrival there, they sent him to an 8-week electrical school in Williamsburg, Virginia.  He clearly remembers a German prisoner of war camp there in Williamsburg.  He made passing grades at the school and became eligible to attend a full course for electricians in Washington D.C.  So they stationed him in Washington D.C. for 6 months.

 The war ended, but the morning after he arrived in Washington D.C., they froze electricians.  He had earned enough points to get out of the service, but this was not allowed since all electricians had been frozen.  He was unable to complete the course since he wouldn’t sign up for the regular Navy, so they transferred him to Newport, Rhode Island.  Here he was assigned a very unusual job for a trained electrician.  He was in charge of 500 mess cooks, 2 barracks of 250 men in each.  Truman stayed with this assignment until he got out of the service, which was for another year. (Sept. 1946)

 Truman then went to Vernon looking for a job and worked through Christmas at Western Auto as a salesclerk.  He had applied at West Texas Utilities in the hopes of working as an electrician, but when they hired him, they wanted him as a salesclerk.  During this time, Truman met Carolita Jones, a nurse at the Vernon Clinic Hospital.  They were married and with his job, they moved to Knox City, Texas.  There he supervised sales of several stores in the region.

 THIS HISTORY IS CONTINUED ON ANOTHER SHEET

Sources for Carolita Jones Quillin

 

1930 United States Federal Census. "Carolita Jones." (Precinct 2, Foard, Texas, 1930) Roll:    2333;   Page 1A; Enumeration District: 003; Image:71.0; FHL microfilm: 2342067.         <Ancestry.com> accessed Feb 2011.

1940 United States Federal Census. "Carolita Jones." (Foard, Texas, 1940) Roll: T627_4033;    Page: 1B, Enumeration District: 78-2. <Ancestry.com> accessed Feb 2011.

Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas: 17 November 2007. Obituary.

Personal Interview. Carolita Quillin. 1995.

Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997. "Carolita Jones." (Texas Department of State Health Services.         Microfiche.) <Ancestry.com> accessed 2011.

U.S., World War II Cadet Nursing Corps Card Files, 1942-1948. "Carolita Jones." (National         Archives and Records Administration; Washington, D.C. compiled 1943-1948;      Box#:305). <Ancestry.com> accessed March 2014.

U.S. Public Record Index, Vol. 1. "Carolita Quillin." (Voter Registration Lists, Public Record            Filings, Historical Residential Record and Other Household Database Listings.)         <Ancestry.com> accessed 2013.

U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. "Carolita Quillin." (Social Security             Administration. Death Index, Master File). <Ancestry.com> accessed 2011.

Web: Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-Current. "Carolita (Jones) Quillin." Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Sources Report for Truman Bryan Quillin, Sr.

 
Sources Report:  Truman Bryan Quillin, Sr.                    Compiled by Nancy Quillin Long
                                                                                                                        Dec. 2013
 
1930 U.S. Federal Census.  “Truman Quillin.” (Seymour, Baylor, Texas) Roll: 2289;                           Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 0002; Image: 108.0; FHL microfilm:                        2342023.<Ancestry. Com> accessed 2009.
 
1940 U.S. Federal Census.  “Truman B Quillin.” (Pampa, Gray, Texas) Roll T627_4042; Page: 5B;                               Enumeration District: 90-9. <ancestry.com> accessed 2009.
 
Find a Grave Index, 1761-2012. “Truman Bryan Quillin Sr.”  (http://www.findgrave.com/cgibin/fg.cgi)                     <ancestry.com> accessed 4 Feb 2013.
 

MacQuillin, Claude. The Quillin (MacQuillin) Family: the MacQuillins in Ireland and The Quillins in                       America. Compiled by Milligan Wood Quillen and Mary Kinser Brown. Published by The                      Quillin Clan: Gate City, Virginia, 1961. Reprinted 1987. “Truman Bryan Quillin” pp.133-                               135.

 Obituary Daily Times. “Truman Bryan Quillin Sr.” Web: Obituary Daily Times Index: 1995-2012. (Provo, Utah: 2012). <ancestry.com> accessed 2012.
 
Quillin, Truman Bryan Quillin Sr. Personal interview. 1990.
 
Quillin, Carolita.  Personal interview.  2000.
 
Texas Death Index, 1903-2000. “Truman Quillin Sr.” Austin, Texas: Texas Department of Health.  <ancestry.com> accessed 2009.
 
Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2011.  “Truman B Quillin.” Texas: Texas Department of  State Health Services. <ancestry.com> accessed 2009.
 
Texas Marriage Collection, 1966-2011. “Truman B Quillin Sr.” Texas: Texas Department of State Health Services. <ancestry.com> accessed 2009.
 
U.S. Public Records, Volume I. “Truman B Quillin Sr.” Compiled from Voter Registration Lists, Public Record Filings, Residential Records, etc. <ancestry.com> 2010.
 
U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949. “Truman B Quillin.” Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy                 Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities. (College Park, Maryland: National Archives, 1 Jan             1939-1Jan 1949). Record Group: 24; Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1798-2007;                     Series ARC ID: 594996; Series MLR number: A1 135. <ancestry.com> accessed 2011.
 
U.S. Social Security Death Index. “T.B. Quillin.” Number: 457-28-1673; Texas: Before 1951. <ancestry.com> accessed 2011.
 

Memory Lane

When Daddy (Truman Bryan Quillin, Sr.) passed away in 1998, I made a scrapbook of my trip back home in 1990 and the memories we made as we spent several days, at my request, traversing down memory lane. We traveled over many red dirt roads and small-town streets. He indulged me as we took time to stop for pictures, giving us a chance to walk around these old family places. I picked his brain, and I took many notes of his recollections. I am forever grateful for this time spent with him! It was invaluable to my family research. I loved him so very much. These are the first two pages of that scrapbook, made as a tribute to him. Many of the pages of that scrapbook are of the Jones family history the McNair family history, as well as the Quillin family history. I will share those with the related families. 

 

Small Town America Part 2

 DISCIPLINE

My parents acted like "grown-ups", like they knew what they were doing. They never needed my help in making decisions. They told me what to do, and I did it because "they said so."  No, meant no.  Mother hated for me to whine and cry, "That's not fair."  She would always point to the door and say, "I don't see a sign over that door that says, 'life is fair.'”

Disciplining children in the 50s was a high priority and disrespecting elders was unheard of.  I was taught how to use formal introductions and to always say yes maam, yes sir, please and thank you. (Even in my adult years, Mother would always correct me if I said, Yeah.... after a reminder that was a slouchy word, I would change it to Yes.)  When Mother dropped me off for a sleep over at a friend's house, she would always remind me to say thank you to the mom for her hospitality...and the first thing that she would ask when I got into the car the next morning was, "Did you say thank you?". I was taught to look everyone in the eye and I often heard Daddy talk about how important it was to have a firm handshake.  When I talked back to my parents, I would be disciplined immediately.  There was no 'time-out' in some silly chair. A whack on the butt straightened me out. I seldom would repeat the same act, at least not in their vision. And I learned from Bryan and Paula’s mistakes. Because teachers were allowed to discipline children, classrooms were quiet rooms where kids learned and obeyed. The last thing any kid wanted was the principal making a phone call to a parent. That always brought more discipline — not some parent threatening to sue a school.

 Parents paid more attention to one another and the family situation as a whole. Children were not the center of the universe and it was often said that children were meant to be seen, not heard.  This is not to say that children were not loved and cared for, quite the opposite.  We were loved and discipline and taught our responsibilities and given the freedom to make right and wrong decisions. I also had more freedom in my day to day life than children have today, and I learned how to fill my time, mostly in an imaginary world during solitary play time. It gave me the ability to discover for myself many things, and it taught me to put myself into perspective compared to other lives around me. This afforded me the ability in my college years to see that my parents were pretty smart after all.  I can honestly say that during my married years, my mother was my best friend, and she held that position until she died. But she was a mother to me when I was growing up, not my best friend.

Small Town America Part I

GROWING UP IN A SMALL TOWN
DURING THE 1950s & 1960s

Wilbarger-County-Courthouse-001.jpg (576×400) (texascourthousetrail.com)

America was a very different place back then, as I'm sure that each generation can say of their 'growing up' years.  Many things change with each passing decade.  Mother gave me her childhood history of the 1920s and 1930s, so I view this as an extension of that history of what life was like 'back then'. Remembering my childhood is a huge positive, and though I don't live in the past, I certainly haven't forgotten it.  I was lucky to grow up in Vernon, Texas.

 Looking at my title, life in small town America seems long, long ago and far, far away. As I drive across the countryside nowadays, I see all the small towns drying up.  I see old train depots falling to staves. The railroads changed the West, as it created many small progressive little communities. The young people have abandoned those areas for the hustle and bustle of the Metro areas, a place where they can blend in and do their thing their way and not be scrutinized. That wasn't the way life was for those of us who were raised in these small towns, under the microscopic view of everyone.  And that all mattered, it was important to help one another, but it was important to report one another so that help could be found and problems could be solved. Societal changes, technological advances have made our world a different place today.

 It makes me sad that we don't preserve our history, but then the cynical side comes out in me because I have seen that monuments are being taken down because they make someone uncomfortable.  We can't change what is behind us; we can only change the direction we are going.  It's not my philosophy to tear down the achievements of someone who committed their life for a cause in their day and age....it was a different time, different mindset.  They were sacrificing and doing what was right for them in their time.  We have grown to learn that much of our history was not right, but we can change that path to move forward from where we are today. It is offensive to me to see those things torn down by using today's standards for justification.  It would be better to celebrate those lives for paving the way and creating steps stones so that we learn from our past.

 But then I digress…back to rural America…a very special place in time!

All across America in the 1950s, families lived in mostly rural areas. In these vibrant small towns, there was largely no need to go elsewhere for business. We were involved with extended family because everyone still lived in close proximity to their family roots. (I believe it was my generation that became less dependent on our hometown roots. We left home for higher education, graduated from college, and took jobs, usually in larger areas to make good use of our education.) There were metropolitan areas when I grew up, but I viewed them as a place for big business and the corporate world.  I remember being a bit frightened and in awe whenever our family ventured into the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

 (Photo of our home on 3619 Texas Street was taken by Daddy in 1954 - two years before I was born. We moved from this home in 1963.)

I didn't realize the value of growing up in a small town until I grew older.  As I connected with my childhood friends on Facebook, I realized that they share the same values because we shared the same background, a commonality of what our responsibilities were, then and now. Sharing the same space in our formative years formed a bond and I now see that we share 'common ground'.  We all learned the hard way which was the right way, and we were held accountable. Our families, along with our community, had expectations of us.  That was a good thing, something which is missing in today's society, the lack of connectivity to a larger tribe.  We all knew one another and never wanted to 'lose face'.

We lived in a very real world, meaning it was all 'hands on'... we lived in the 'here and now'.  We didn't have the cyber world to lose ourselves in.  We played hard; we played outside, and I knew when I heard Mother whistle that I needed to return home immediately. We focused on one another and how we fit in with others, learning the nuances of relationships. We were more than just a number; our lives and those lives around us mattered.  It's how we got by - depending on one another, helping one another, figuring out things together, fighting with one another and communicating face to face to solve our differences.

 

The family unit in the 1950s was very important. In post WWII, the young adults (our parents) were yearning for a safe marriage and parenthood.  American society was conservative and materialistic. Our parents wanted us to have more than they had, including education. Girls stayed in their parental homes until they got married; I would have never considered living with a man unless we were married with vows made in front of God, family, friends. The community was always informed via wedding announcements complete with story and photograph of the bride. Women were looked upon as housewives dealing with day-to-day household activities, while the man went out into the world to make a living for his family. Yes! Things have changed.

Many mothers took their responsibilities at home as their job. They were there to nurture and make the place we lived "home". They were there for us. It was a 24-7 job. Children didn't learn their values from a worker in a daycare. Women who had dual careers (home and outside of home) certainly had their hands full. It must have been a tough responsibility to feel the need for a job outside of the home to make ends meet.  

I was born on Friday, 31 Aug 1956. The President of the United States was Dwight D. Eisenhower and had just been nominated again at the Republican Convention. His Vice president was Richard Nixon. The average cost of a new house was $11,000 dollars with annual yearly wages being around $4,450. A new car might cost $2,050 and a tank of gas would cost 22 cents a gallon.

We moved to 4105 Bismark Street in 1963. Photo was taken by Daddy.

 

Some First Handwritten Notes

 Mother (Carolita Jones Quillin) wrote about her parents and their dating/engagement/marriage. 

Cherished Handwritten Notes

 I love that these are written in my mother's handwriting. They are some of the first scratch notes that Mother wrote. The first one seems to be in bullet form. Each line could start with "Ava". For example: Ava married, Ava moved..., Ava was 19 days old..., Ava was a student of Papa..., Ava was 8 when Papa..., Ava went to University..., Ava was in 8th grade...

Later, Mother (Carolita Jones Quillin) scratched out notes about her childhood.

Mother's Memories of Her Mother

 My mother, Carolita Jones Quillin, was very helpful as I began my research. She actively participated and put much energy into recollecting her past history. This is her type-written memories of her mother, Ava Ella "McNair" Jones. 

Mother wrote this later after Mimi passed away on the back of the above memory page. 

J.C.Jones Family Group Sheet

 

Mimi's School Days

1920-1921 

Old Thalia Wooden School

My Parents

 I originally wrote this at the bottom of my "Growing up in a small town" series. I decided to go back and insert this short synopsis of my parents because this is where my journey begins. My first purpose of this blog was to document the rich history of my lineage as far back as I can prove... I wasn't thinking that I would detail my parents so quickly, as that is so recent and so raw. I WILL, however, detail them fully in the weeks ahead.

MY PARENTS

Mother

Before I close my "Growing Up in Small Town America" series, I have to brag on my parents. Though I have recorded much about their lives in their own papers, I would be remiss not to tell what they each meant to me as a child growing up.  I was given so many opportunities because of their sacrifices.  My mother was not my friend, but she was my beloved mother. She lived through the Great Depression but learned to love life through it all, which she passed along to me. She taught me all that I needed to know to become a well round individual, complete with proper manners. She taught me to love God, to respect others, and how to handle difficult situations. She was ROCK solid.  She transcended my soul as a mother, and later became my best friend. Though their marriage fell apart, I was always loved by both with agape love.

Daddy

I really have to brag about my daddy. He was abandoned as a small child, left in his father’s care with nothing. They had to fend for themselves and often lived in places with a dirt floor. They travelled around to help harvest crops. He pulled himself up by the bootstraps, so to speak, with the help of my mother, he truly became a community leader. He was handpicked by Mr. Nichols (a well-known newsman in America, see his book) to take over the newspaper, and from there Daddy rose in the ranks of influential people in the community.  Because of him, Vernon was able to form a hospital district through his connection with Representative Bill Heatly and Senator Jack Hightower helping to get Gov. Connelly to sign the proclamation. He was head of the first Wilbarger County General Hospital board and a plaque inside the door honors his service.  He secured land for the new high school stadium, researching, traveling and eventually securing the best design. His name is also on a plaque at the field house. He secured land and made proposals for Nacona Boot factory to find a home in Vernon. Without progressive forward-thinking men like Daddy, Vernon may not have become such a vibrant little town.

Sources for Ava Ella "McNair" Jones

 My Maternal Grandmother

1910 U.S. Federal Census. "Ava Mcnair" Ancestry.com
1920 U.S. Federal Census. "Ava E Mcnair" Ancestry.com
1930 U.S. Federal Census.  "Ava Jonas" Ancestry.com
1940 U.S. Federal Census. "Ava E Jones" Ancestry.com
1950 U.S. Federal census. "Ava Jones" Ancestry.com
Social Security Death Index. Ancestry.com
Texas, US, Birth Index. Ancestry.com

1991 - Introduction to my first McNair booklet 

On 30 March 2016, I transferred this booklet into a current word document. In 1991,I sent this booklet out to several family members, including distant cousins to help establish our connections.  I was able to save this booklet from a floppy disc. Some info didn't translate :)

     It is my privilege to share with you the information I have found on the McNair family.  My main sources were of great help compiling this information.

      The first person I must thank is Ova Kerr, my grandmother's sister.  She supplied me with some rich family history given to her by Lessie Trena McNair Rawlins, Charles Franklin McNair's sister. Lessie's source was a family Bible.

      My second invaluable source was a book I found in the Texas State Library titled McNair, McNear, McNeir Genealogies compiled by James Birtley McNair in 1923, but his second volume published in 1929 was where I found my family connection. (I have since purchased this collection.)

      My last source, and probably my most important one, was my mother, Carolita Quillin.  Through family albums, news clippings, letters, address books, etc., and countless hours of reminiscing with me, I have been able to pull together the following history of the McNair clan.

      Before advancing further, I must explain that there were discrepancies between the information in the family Bible and the library book.  Such pitfalls are a genealogist's nightmare.  The biggest discrepancy was found with the name of Mack McNair's father.  The family Bible listed his name as Jackson McNair, but the book listed his name as John McNair. Through research at the Texas Archives, I feel that I can substantiate that his name was John McNair.  It is my belief that his name was probably John Jackson McNair and the family referred to him as Jackson.  A case in point is with my great-grandfather, Charles Franklin McNair.  The family and community knew him as Frank McNair.  Most people would not have recognized him being referred to as Charles.

      There may never be a way to totally substantiate any conflicting information, but where there were differences, I have tried to make note to you without causing confusion. Also the symbols I have used are as follows: b.= birth; m.= married; d.= death.

      I sincerely hope that you find this information as intriguing as I have.  It is my wish to keep the family history alive for those to whom it matters and for those future generations who may someday wonder who we are!

                    Nancy Claire Quillin Long

                         August 1991

 2023 - advancements have been made and I feel certain of my documentation of this family back to John's father James McNair born 1747. Genealogy is an ongoing process.