Reitha Jo Jones 1925-1993

 A Great Blessing To Me

My Aunt Jo

Being raised around someone who wasn't deemed as "normal" became the "normal" for me. I never saw my aunt Jo through a different lens than just who she was. I was never afraid to be around her and it all seemed very normal to me. Therefore, throughout my life, I was able to view ALL people with deformities as normal. It was the greatest blessing that could have been given to me as a child. Thank you, Aunt Jo, for being a special gift to our family. 

Reitha Jo Jones was born on 24 Jan 1925 to Joe Carroll Jones and Ava Ella "McNair" Jones. She was the first child born to them, and it was a struggle to bring her into this world since Jo was stuck in the birth canal. After an extended labor, forceps were finally used. Jo was born with physical deformities. Everyone left, including the doctor, thinking that there was no way that Jo would survive. Directly after birth, Ava’s mother, Ella (Ella Vermell "King" McNair), took Jo and worked with her, clearing her passageways of mucus, etc. Ella breathed life back into Jo, and she lived to be 63 years old. 

A son, Martin Frank Jones, was born in 1926. When my mother, Carolita, was born in 1928, Ella and Charles McNair took Jo into their home in order to help Ava, because she would have had 3 infants in diapers.  They taught Jo to walk and potty trained her, and when life returned to normal for Ava and Joe, Jo returned home. 

This was during an era when people kept those with disabilities from the public eye.  Jo did attend school with her brothers and sisters until it became too obvious and difficult.  She was teased by the other children.  They eventually took Jo to the Masonic Hospital in Dallas, Texas, and were told that nothing could be done for her.  They were given the option of leaving her there to be taught life skills, but Ava did not have the heart to leave her.  They brought her home and Jo lived with them until the end of her life.  

Picture on the left is just before their trip to Dallas.

My mother, Carolita, watched over Jo throughout their early years in school. Carolita was a tomboy and wasn't afraid to take anyone on who was making fun of Jo. Mother remembers in the early days of going with her mother to Vernon to shop and Jo was always in tow. Mother remembers returning to the car and having onlookers peering into the car with Jo hunkered down in the floorboard trying to avoid their nasty gazes. It would make Mother hopping mad. And when this sort of thing happened at school, Mother was not afraid to fight for Jo.  Jo would sit beside Mother in class so that Mother could help Jo navigate the classroom, learning to read and write. They did this until it became too complicated. Jo began to stay at home and learn the life skills from Mimi. 

Ava, my grandmother, was the angel who cared for Jo for her entire life on earth. Ava taught her many life skills, such as house cleaning, helping in the kitchen, ironing, and Jo did beautiful embroidery, making kitchen tea towels for everyone and for every occasion. The tea towels that I mostly remember were the sets including a towel for each day of the week with each day having a design depicting the chore for that day, i.e. cooking, laundry, ironing, etc. I, to this day, carry on the tradition of making these tea towels. 

Joe Carroll Jones History Sheet

 

HISTORY SHEET
Joe Carroll Jones
a.k.a:  J.C. Jones, Carroll Jones, "Skinny" Jones
The grandchildren called him Pappy or Pap

Compiled by Nancy Long (grand-daughter)
February 2013
Source: Interview with Carolita Jones Quillin 1993
 

            Joe Carroll Jones (my Pappy) was born to Martin Harmon and Mattie Belle Jones on 19 Feb 1902 in Whitewight, Fannin Co., Texas.  By 1910, the family had settled in Foard Co., Texas, and 6 sons had been born with a daughter to follow in 1919.  Martin Harmon’s father, Martin Ervin Brooks Jones, lived with them and was still living with them in 1920, so I feel certain that Joe Carroll knew his grandfather well.  The family was in the same location in 1920, with older brother Albert and his new bride, Joicy, also living with them.  J.C.'s father, Martin Harmon Jones, worked mainly as a sharecropper, working the land for other people and grubbing out mesquite trees to make pastureland for others.

            Joe Carroll (Pappy) attended a one room school through the 8^th grade and then dropped out.  He courted Ava McNair in a horse drawn carriage.  He once took her to a party and left with another girl.  His brother, Hugh, had to take Ava home.  When they decided to get married, Ava’s father, Frank McNair, was adamantly against it.  Frank knew the night that they were going to ask him if they could get married, and he went on to bed before they got home.  They went in to his bedside anyway to ask for his permission.  He said she could if that is what she wanted, but that he would not bless the marriage.  Even though Frank was a minister, he did not even attend the marriage.  They were married on 8 Dec 1923 in the parsonage in Vernon by Dr. Mima.

            After the marriage, they lived with Martin Harmon and Mattie Belle for a while.  Joe Carroll farmed all day, and when they could establish themselves in a home, he also began working in the cotton gin.  His job there was to poke the cotton through the first machine to keep it from becoming jammed in the claws that rotated to shred the cotton.  The machine snagged his glove and pulled his whole arm into the machine which was brushing his head.  They worked day and night to save his life, and the recovery lasted for the better part of a year.  There were complications with the arteries and veins rotting and breaking loose, causing it to hemorrhage.  He eventually lost his thumb, but the hand was saved.  This was his left hand, and since he was left-handed, he had to learn to do most things with his right hand. 

            Early in their marriage, they were also faced with complications during the birth of their first child, Reitha Jo, in 1925.  It was an extended labor and Jo was stuck in the birth canal.  Forceps were finally used, yet Jo was born with physical deformities.  Four more children (Martin, Carolita, Doris, Faye) were born between 1926 and 1931 with no further problems.  This was during an era when people kept those with disabilities from the public eye.  Jo did attend school with her brothers and sisters until it became too obvious and difficult.  She was teased by the other children.  They eventually took Jo to the Masonic Hospital in Dallas, Texas, and were told that nothing could be done for her.  They were given the option of leaving her there to be taught life skills, but Ava did not have the heart to leave her.  They brought her home and she lived with them until the end of her life. 

            They lived and raised their children in the Thalia community during the Great Depression.  Thalia had a nice school, several churches, a grocery store, gas stations, a lumber yard, 2 cotton gins, and when the highway was paved, the community thrived.  They had to work hard, but the family was always clean, clothed and well fed. 

            When Joe Carroll finally purchased a truck, he no longer worked in the cotton gin.  He began working for the Highway Department hauling supplies for them.  Eventually, he purchased 2 more trucks and kept his brothers in work.  As a part time job, he used one of his trucks as a school bus.  In his younger years, these trucks and his temper were his downfall.  At that time cars had to be cranked, and in cold weather, that proved problematic.  His temper would flare, and he was known to throw the crank through the crank case, so his temper could be expensive.  At other times, he would rant and rave, and Ava would always say, “That’s enough, Carroll.”  He was a worry wart and Ava would get frustrated with him.  Carolita remembers Ava telling him. “You act like you don’t have any faith at all.”

            About 1934, Joe Carroll and Ava purchased a butane refrigerator which eventually exploded and burned down their home “on the hill” and everything in it.  Fortunately, the family had gone for a ride and no one was home.  They had only the clothes on their backs and the children were all barefoot.  They drove to Electra that night to stay with Ava’s parents.  Joe Carroll returned to Thalia, and when he found a place for them to rent, he sent for the family.  The community had a shower for them to help replace some of their things.  Eventually, they were able to make a down payment on a home in downtown Thaila in 1939.  Joe Carroll moved another small house onto the back of their property for his parents, and Ava took care of them for the rest of their lives. 

            Joe Carroll’s father died in 1950, and sometime around 1957 or 1958, Joe Carroll and Ava moved to Crowell, Texas.  Joe Carroll also moved the little house that his parents lived in and located it near their property in Crowell so that Mattie Belle could live near them.  Joe Carroll farmed on his own and worked for a large landowner, Guy Crews.  He made good money because it was rich land, and he would get a portion of the crops for working the land.  When he got enough money together, he purchased his own land, about 180 acres closer to Crowell.  He still worked land for Guy Crews, but Guy’s nephew proved to be a thorn in Joe’s side because he wanted the land.  The family did well living off the land.  Joe Carroll eventually hired a large Mexican man, Ike.

            Joe Carroll loved riding horses and he always owned a horse.  I remember one very special horse, Ginger, and oh, how he loved that horse!  He rode quarter horses in parades, and he lived for the Santa Rosa Roundup.  He rode in that parade every year, and I remember seeing him ride Ginger.  He raised pigs on his farm, and he would take me out to see the piglets.  He told me that we don't name the pigs because we don't keep them, but I would name them all for myself anyway. He also had cattle, but I wasn’t very interested in them.  It was obvious how much he loved the land and how much he invested in it.  In May 1971, he was named as the first Conservation Farmer of the Year by the newly organized Foard County Soil and Water Conservation District.  He was presented the award at the Lions Club luncheon on May 18, 1971.  During the prior 3 years, he had accomplished : 8,327 feet of parallel terraces; 2,809 feet of diversion terraces; 2 acres of grassed waterways; 96 acres of conservation cropping system; 96 acres of crop residue management; 96 acres of contour farming; 18 acres of pasture management.  It was a proud day in his life and he said, “It gives me a good feeling knowing I have fixed my land up the best way I know how.”

            Both Joe Carroll and Ava were devout Christians and were an important part of the First Baptist Church in Crowell, where Joe Carroll was always a deacon.  Joe Carroll taught a men’s Sunday school class and was a lay person.  He would be called to fill in at area churches as preacher.  He was also a dedicated Mason and was a huge influence on my dad, Truman Bryan Quillin.  Truman re-dedicated his life and was baptized as an adult because of Joe Carroll. 

            Joe Carroll could often be found down by the town square in Crowell.  He would gather with his buddies and they would play dominoes.  He was nicknamed “Skinny” in his early years, and most people in Crowell referred to him by that name.   He also loved to play croquet. Polished shoes were a must and he wore a shirt and tie every single day.  I remember many times his tie was braided leather with a silver clasp.  He lived his life well and gave of himself to others and the community.  Through him other people found opportunities to better themselves.  I loved him…he was my Pappy!

            Late in life, he became dependent on Vicks 44 cough syrup because he always struggled with inner ear infections and a cough.  He contracted a non-infectious meningitis which affected his nervous system, and the last several months were a struggle for him and those who loved him.  He died on May 9, 1972.