1900 A.D.

According to the 1900 census, Thomas William Wood [1838- ] and his mother, Nancy Jane Batts-Wood [1823-1905], were living together in Madison, Monroe County, Missouri. He farmed and operated the Hayden Hotel. Thomas also owned and farmed property in Oklahoma.

The town of Madison, Missouri was named in honor of James Madison, President of the United States. The first house in Madison was built by Henry Harrison, who came from Madison County, Kentucky. Harrison used the house as a tavern in 1837. James Eubanks, from Tennessee, opened the first Madison store in 1838. George Cunningham was the pioneer blacksmith. Madison had a population of 500-600, a public school, two churches, two general stores, one harness shop, three drug and grocery stores, one grocery and a meat market, one flouring-mill and a saw-mill, one furniture store, and one wagon shop.

In the 1900 census of East Pike Run Township, Pennsylvania, John Oliver Dixon [1881-1956] was listed as a coal miner.

June 4, 1900: The Twelfth1900 Federal Census was taken of Flat Rock Village, Honey Creek Township, Crawford County, Illinois by enumerator Clarence H. S. Kaley. The family of Joseph Rankin Tedford [1854-1941] was listed.

My maternal Great Grandfather, Joseph Rankin Tedford [1854-1941], is located on line 64 of the Census Sheet. He was head of the household. It was noted that he had been born in June 1854 in Illinois and was 45 years of age. He had been married 18 years. His father and mother had been born in Tennessee. His occupation was insurance agent. He rented the house in which his family lived.

Great Grandmother, Emma Catherine Riber Tedford [1855- ], Joseph's wife, was listed as having been born in September 1855 in Illinois. It was recorded that she had mothered eight children of which seven were living. Her father was born in Maryland and her mother in Illinois. She could read, write and spoke English.

The oldest daughter listed was Zura J. Tedford [1882-1973], born in December 1882, and was 17 years of age and single. Interestingly, she was listed as a school teacher.

My Grandmother, Edith Georgia Tedford, born in December 1886 was then 13 years of age having been born in Illinois. She was attending school.

Great Aunt Mabel A. Tedford [1888-1947] born in November 1888 was eleven years of age having been born in Illinois. She was attending school.

Great Aunt Alta Tedford [1891-1979] born in January 1891 was 9 years old having also been born in Illinois. She was attending school.

Great Aunt Alma Renee Tedford [1895-1942] was born in March 1895 and was 5 years old having been born in Illinois. She was not yet in school.

The youngest child listed was Marie Tedford [1897-1990] was born in December 1897, was 2 years old having been born in Illinois.

John Otis Hewgley [1900-1967], the seventh child of John Bell Hewgley [ -1933] and Laura Lee Wood-Hewgley [1865-1940], was born January 20, 1900 at the Hewgley home-place in Missouri.

I don't know the date this next photo was taken. It is a picture of my grandmother, Mary Marie Dixon-Wood [1858-1921]. The identity of the child she is holding is not known. I'm reasonably certain it is one of her children, but I just don't know which one.

This next picture is believed to be Otis Calvin Wood [1897-1918]. I do not know where or when it was taken.

These following three photographs are of Guy Manyard Wood [1881-1969]. This first photo appears to have been taken in the early 1900's.

Here is my grandmother.

Chicago authorities reverse the flow of the Chicago River, sending the untreated sewage of Chicago away from the city's water supply (Lake Michigan) and to the Mississippi River instead.1901:

Photography begins its rise as a popular art, thanks largely to the efforts of George Eastman. His "Brownie" camera, the first easy-to-use amateur instrument had been introduced in 1900.1902:

1902:

August 6, 1902: Neal Edward Wood, Sr., [1902-1964], my uncle, was the sixth, and last child born to John Wood [1850-1923] and Mary Maria Dixon-Wood [1858-1921]. He was born at Hooser, Cowley County, Kansas.

1902:

American inventor Willis Haviland Carrier develops the air conditioner to control indoor levels of temperature and humidity.

1903:

King Camp Gillette begins selling the first safety razor and blade, which soon makes the straight-edge razor obsolete.

1904:

September 15, 1904: Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first airplane flight.

November 6, 1904: Sarah Ann Wood-Morris [1840-1904], eldest daughter of George Edward Wood [1810-1883] and Nancy Jane Batts-Wood [1823-1905], died in Mexico, Audrain County, Missouri. She was 64 years old. She was the wife of Malcolm G. Morris [ - ].

November 7, 1904: The very next day Thomas William Wood [1838-1904] after learning of his sister Sarah’s death, committed suicide in Madison, Monroe County, Missouri. He was 68 years of age.

The Madison Messenger newspaper carried the following story about the suicide:

Thomas William Wood [1838-1904], was buried in the Cottingham Cemetery located four miles South East of Madison, Monroe County, Missouri. The graveyard is off a gravel road and still cared for privately by the families of ancestors buried there. The Wood tombstones are in good condition.

A newspaper stated that Thomas William Wood [1838-1904] and his sister, Sarah, were buried side by side. But, my cousin, Kevin Hewgley, a great great grandson of George Edward Wood [1810-1883] and Nancy Jane Batts-Wood [1823-1905] who has personally visited the cemetery, does not recall a tombstone for Sarah.

A portion of an obituary of Thomas William Wood [1838-1904] from an unknown newspaper account stated Thomas:

"...was ready to respond to anyone for assistance, and the morning of the day that he took his own life, he came up to town inquiring for the church collector, in order to make his gift for the next year's work. At the time of his death he was 66 years old, having been born in Kentucky in 1838. Rev. Jones preached the funeral of Mr. Woods and his sister, Mrs. Morris, at the Cottingham graveyard, Wednesday afternoon, and in the presence of a large concourse of friends they were laid to rest in graves side by side. Mrs. Woods, the aged mother, is prostrated from the awful shock and the deepest sympathy of all is out to her in the loss of two children in the same day, one of which was her stay and comfort."

Some older members of the family maintain, I'm told, that Thomas was murdered, maybe by his brother-in-law James Burtin. Those family members contend Thomas was happy, making plans for future years, visiting with relatives that evening, and then suddenly, when James Burtin is the only one in the room, Thomas is dead.

The thought that Thomas was murdered by James Burtin, husband of Chrissy, is not supported by any evidence of which I am aware nor is any motive suggested.

An ice cream vendor devises the ice cream cone at the World's Fair in St. Louis, Mo.

1905:

May 25, 1905: Six months after the deaths of two of her children, Thomas and Sarah, Nancy Jane Batts-Wood [1823-1905], died. She lived age 82 years, 2 months and 19 days. She is buried next to her husband, George Edward Wood [1810-1883], in the Cottingham Cemetery. Cemetery records are kept by a Dorothy Swindell for the several small cemeteries around Madison City, Monroe County, Missouri.  My father, George Dixon Wood [1888-1956], Nancy’s grandson, was 17 years of age when she died. I never heard him mention the names of Nancy or his grandfather, George Edward Wood. I don't know why.

The obituary of Nancy Jane Batts-Wood [1823-1905] reads:

"Death of ‘Grandma Wood"

"While the good people of Madison were sleeping last Wednesday night there was one awake and at work—death. Just after the night had turned he called at the home of Nancy J. Woods and claimed her as a victim.

"Nancy J. Woods was born in Henry County, Kentucky March 6^th, 1823, died May 25, 1905, aged 82 years, 2 months and 19 days. She was married to George E. Woods March 9^th 1837. To this union 11 children were born, nine of whom remain to mourn her loss. In 1856 she came to Missouri and since that time has made her home in and around Madison. ‘Grandma Woods’, as she was called by all who knew her, was loved and respected by everyone from the smallest to the greatest. She had often remarked to the writer, ‘She was ready for when the Lord called for her ***(2 words are missing). She early in life found her Saviour and united with the Christian church of which she was a member at the time of her death. Services were conducted at the home Friday afternoon by Eld. J. B. Corwin assisted by Rev. R. A. Jones. Five generations were present at this service; 34 grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren, 6 great great grandchildren, after which the body was conveyed to the Cottingham graveyard and laid to rest to await the great day when the dead shall arise. To the children who mourn the loss of a mother and grandmother we would say look to Jesus who is able to keep you in this time. Yes there’s a home for weary souls, a rest for pilgrims found; a home where God the father dwells, where peace and joy abound." R.A.J.

The art of writing obituaries has diminished over the years since this one was written.

The first pizzeria in the United States opens in New York City; pizza, of Neapolitan origin, soon becomes an international favourite.

1907:

April 7, 1907: James Morrow [1812-1907], great grandfather of my wife, Lillie Mae Morrow-Wood [1933- ], died and was buried at Pilot Point, Denton County, Texas. He was buried at Valley View Cemetery, Valley View, Cooke County, Texas.

November 16, 1907: President Theodore Roosevelt signed a proclamation declaring statehood for Oklahoma as the forty-sixth state.

November 25, 1907: Sid Muirhead, future husband of my mother’s sister, Thelma Evelyn Wright [1909-2001], was born.

1908:

Henry Ford's Detroit, Mich., factory begins manufacturing the Model T, the first automobile priced within the range of the middle class.

The Boy Scouts are founded in Great Britain by Lieutenant General Robert S.S. Baden-Powell. The movement eventually spreads around the world.

1909:

1909 July 5: Thelma Evelyn Wright [1909-2001], my mother’s oldest sister, and eventual wife of Sid Muirhead [1907- ], was born.

1910:

General of the Army in World War II, Omar N. Bradley, graduated from the Moberly, Randolph County, Missouri, High School, in the class of 1910. [Note: Perhaps he was a classmate of some of my Moberly, Missouri ancestors.]

Mary Malissa Hartman-Dixon [1853-1910], wife of Arthur Overend Dixon [1855-1915], died in 1910 and was buried at Granville, 1 mile west of Coal Center and California, Pennsylvania.

1911:

January 15, 1911: My uncle, Hollis Waldroff "Walt" Wright [1911-1977], was born in Keota, Haskell County, Oklahoma to Hollis William "Jack" Wright [1870-1949] and Georgia Edyth (Edith) Tedford-Wright [1886-1973].

1912:

September 7, 1912: Guy Manyard Wood [1881-1969] married his first wife, Martha Virginia McKee [1893-1935], at Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma.

American novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs publishes the first of his Tarzan stories about the son of an English nobleman raised by apes in the African jungle.

1913:

August 25, 1913: My father, George Dixon Wood [1888-1956], married his first wife, Rena Mae Moore [1893-1961] at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. They both were teaching school.

The 16th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States is ratified, enabling the federal government to levy an income tax.

Ford Motor Company pioneers assembly line production, leading to cheaper cars and the motorization of the U.S. and eventually much of the world.

1914:

My mother, Katherine Maybell Wright-Wood [1914- ], was born at Dewey, Washington County, Oklahoma to Hollis William "Jack" Wright and Edith Georgia Tedford-Wright [1886-1973].

1915:

May 8, 1915: Mary Frances Wood-Starks [1842-1915], wife of Jacob T. Starks [ - ], third child and second daughter of George Edward Wood [1810-1883] and Nancy Jane Batts-Wood [1823-1905], died. Her obituary stated the following:

"She was the daughter of George E. and Nancy Wood, born April 4, 1842, came to Missouri in 1856 from Kentucky. Surviving brothers and sisters were: Mrs. Nannie Roberts, Mrs. Joe Dixon, Mrs. John Hewgley, Mrs. Crissie Burton of Idaho, John Wood of Kansas, James Wood of Oklahoma, G. E. Wood of Washington. She was a member of the Christian Church. She died May 8, 1915."

October 19, 1915: Kessler E. "Kay" Wood [1915-2001], my oldest half-brother, was born.

Kay was an oilfield driller. Kay and his first wife, Lucille Rose [1917-1988] lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and around the United States. He and Lucille finally settled in Odessa, Texas where each lived until they died.

My father attended the Central State Normal College in Edmond, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. Here are some photographs of him, but he is hard to spot.

Guy Manyard Wood [1881-1969] also attended Central State Normal, a teacher's college at Edmond, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma.

November 14, 1915: Arthur Overend Dixon [1855-1915] was a coal miner. He died following a coal mining accident in Mercy Hospital in Granville, Washington County, Pennsylvania. The Washington Observer newspaper reported on November 18, 1915:

"Messrs. Dixon of Missouri, are here attending the funeral of their brother, Arthur Dixon, who died in the Mercy Hospital at Pittsburgh on Sunday and was buried from his late home at Granville on Tuesday afternoon."

Arthur was a very big and powerful man. According to his grandson, Glen J. Dixon of West Yellowstone, Montana, Arthur was once taken to jail after a night of too much drinking. After the constable tied his wrists together with thick rope, Arthur asked the Constable, "Are you finished.?" He then put his hands in front of him and in an instant pulled his hands apart breaking the rope.

Arthur was injured in a slate fall at the Eclipse Mine. According to Glen Dixon, if Arthur had not been a big and power man he probably would have been killed instantly.

Burial was in Howe Cemetery. The cemetery is located at Howe Street, Elco, near West Pike Run Township., Washington County, Pennsylvania. To reach the cemetery from Elco, take Route 88 south. When Route 88 turns, continue straight up the hill to Howe Street on the right.

According to a tombstone in the cemetery, the first acre of land for the cemetery was donated by William Howe on June 2, 1820. William Howe was buried just inside the entrance behind the church when he died August 15, 1820. The cemetery is large and still in use. The oldest stones are directly behind the church and to the right of the church. There is a war memorial in front of the church listing the names of those who fought. Up the hill to the left of the church is a building with veterans' graves around it.

1916:

Here is a picture of my maternal grandmother.

In 1916 my paternal grandparents, John Wood [1850-1923], at 66 years of age, and Mary Maria Dixon Wood [1858-1921], aged 58, stopped farming. They turned the Burden, Cowley County, Kansas farm over to their daughter, Maude Wood-Foltz [1878-1956] and her husband, Walter. John and Mary moved to a rented house in Edmond, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. In December of 1916 John and Mary bought a small frame house at 116 East Second Street. The house had a front porch and small back porch. It set on what later became the historic Route 66 highway.

October 18, 1916: Annie Beatrice Smith [1889-1954] and James Walter Greenis [1889-1961] were married.

1917:

1917-1918: More than 26 million men from the United States ages 18 through 45 registered with the Selective Service for World War I and over 4.7 million American men and women served during the war.

December 17, 1917: Jemima Morrow Varnum [1863-1917] died at Brigden, Moore Township, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada at age 54 years, 2 months, 22 days.

1918:

A worldwide epidemic of influenza reached its peak in 1918. More people were hospitalized in World War I from influenza than wounds. Army training camps became death camps--with an 80% death rate in some camps. Worldwide influenza pandemic kills perhaps 30 million people. Troop movements associated with World War I and subsequent demobilizations spread the disease to every continent.

During the first World War Laura Lee Wood-Hewgley [1865-1940], my grand aunt, registered and received certification from the Red Cross to become a war nurse. She volunteered in Moberly, Randolph County, Missouri.

March 24, 1918: My uncle Otis Calvin Wood [1897-1918] died from influenza in an Army Hospital at Fort Worth, Texas during World War I. During his life Otis achieved the honor of scoring highest in the high school examinations for all of Cowley County, Kansas at the age of 15. Otis enlisted in the United States Army after his Junior year at Central Normal State School, Edmond, Oklahoma a few weeks after turning 20. Just before his 21st birthday Otis died in an Army training camp at Fort Worth, Texas.

She was referring to Otis Calvin Wood [1897-1918] who was in the army during World War I. Otis was stationed at Bowie Post, near Fort Worth, Texas. Otis didn't survive and died on March 24, 1918.

Below is an image of the actual postcard from my great-grandmother, Mary Maria Dixon Wood [1858-1921] at Hooser, Kansas, addressed to my father, George Dixon Wood [1888-1956] at Sapulpa R 9, Oklahoma on Sunday 8 p.m. She wrote,

"Received telegram from Commander at Bowie Post. Now Otis is to be operated on for ear trouble in the morning/ Father is going tonight. Look for worse news and be prepared for the worst Mother."

She was referring to Otis Calvin Wood [1897-1918] who was in the army during World War I. Otis was stationed at Bowie Post, near Fort Worth, Texas. Otis didn't survive and died on March 24, 1918.

May 1, 1918: Thomas Hewgley [ -1918], the fifth child of John Bell Hewgley and Laura Lee Wood-Hewgley, a veteran of World War I, died at Camp Grant, Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois.

May 19, 1918: George Samuel Morrow [1897-1986] and Mary Essie Sullivan [1899- ] married in Valley View, Cooke County, Texas. Here is their wedding picture.

June 1, 1918: Ross Maxwell Greenis [1918- ] was born at Strathroy, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.

October 21, 1918: Ula Opal Lee Hewgley [1893-1918], fourth child of John Bell Hewgley and Laura Lee Wood-Hewgley, died.

October 27, 1918: My cousin, Naomi Lea Wood-Freeman [1918- ] was born at Pernell, Garvin County, Oklahoma to my uncle and aunt Guy Manyard Wood [1881-1969] and Martha Virginia "Jennie" McKee [1893-1935]. Here she is at a very young age:

1919:

1919 April 4: A grand aunt, Nancy Jane Wood-Roberts [1846-1919], daughter of George Edward Wood [1810-1883] and Nancy Jane Batts-Wood [1823-1905], wife of William Roberts [1840-1930], died. Her obituary appeared in the Madison Times, Madison, Monroe County, Missouri.

"Death Ends Long Suffering"

"After an illness extending over a period of twenty-eight years, Mrs. William Roberts passed away at the family home northwest of Madison Monday afternoon. Mrs. Roberts was 73 years of age. Two sons, Omar and Arthur Roberts and the aged husband are the surviving relatives. Funeral services were conducted from the home Tuesday afternoon by Elder Steve Owings and burial was made in the Madison Cemetery."

September 4, 1919: My brother, George Leonard "Cocky" Wood [1919-1978] was born to George Dixon Wood [1888-1956] and his first wife, Rena Mae Moore [1893-1961].

1920:

January 16, 1920: The 1920 US Census was taken in the Clintonia Township, DeWitt County, Illinois. The family of Dickerson Lee Wood [1869-1935] was enumerated.

Dickerson was the head of the household. He owned the home free and clear they lived in. He was listed as a white male. His age isn't legible on the census form but the last digit of his age was 9. (In 1820 he should have been about 51 years of age.) He was married. He could both read and write. He was born in Illinois. His father and mother were born in Virginia. His occupation was noted to be "grain buyer." He worked in a grain elevator.

The census noted that Dickerson's wife was named Tossie. She was a white female aged 47. She was born in Illinois. Her father was born in Virginia, her mother in Kentucky.

Three children lived in the home. Bruce A., Margarite S., and Maud B.

Bruce was a male, white, age 21 and single. He was born in Illinois. He worked as a bookkeeper at an elevator (apparently the same location as Dickerson.)

Margarite was a white, female, single, 18 years of age born in Illinois. She worked as a sales lady in a paint store.

Maud was a white female, single, age 16 born in Illinois still attending school.

My uncle, Elmer John Wood [1884-1953] married Anna May Beckman [1890-1964] in about 1920 in Seattle, Washington.

August 20, 1920: Joan Laura Holcomb [1920-1988], future wife of George Leonard "Cocky" Wood [1919-1978], was born at Centralia, Illinois.

The National Football League is founded in Canton, Ohio, with Jim Thorpe as its first president.

KDKA, the first commercial U.S. radio station, begins broadcasting in Pittsburgh, Pa. It covers the Harding-Cox presidential election returns.

1921:

A cousin, William Woodford Wood, died in 1921.

March 5, 1921: Neal Edward Wood, Sr., [1902-1964] married Christine _____. After Neal and Christine married they made their home in Oklahoma City. Uncle Neal worked for the Phillips 66 Oil Company until he retired. They lived in a brick home on a residential street in Oklahoma City. Although I don't know Christine's maiden name here is her photograph.

March 13, 1921: Eight days after marrying Christine, Neal's mother, Mary Maria Dixon Wood [1858-1921] died in Edmond, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. A picture of her grave and marker at Gracelawn Cemetery, Edmond, is shown below in the February 14, 1923 entry of the death and obituary of her husband, John Wood [1850-1923].

1922:

January 1, 1922: On New Years Day my cousin, Neal Edward Wood, Jr., [1922-1987], was born, I believe in Oklahoma City, to Neal Edward Wood, Sr., [1902-1964] and Eunice M. "Christine" Walker Wood [1902-1927]. His younger brother, James Carroll, will be born in 1925, discussed below. Here is a picture of the two boys taken in their later teens.

June 22, 1922: Alvin Clarence Varnum [1883-1948] married Clara Taylor [ -1972].

In Kansas City, Mo., the first unified shopping mall, Country Club Plaza, is opened by the J. C. Nichols Company.

1923:

February 14, 1923: My grandfather, John Wood [1850-1923] died Valentine's Day at 216 E. Second, Edmond, Oklahoma City County, Oklahoma. He lived 73 years, 0 months, and 16 days. He was buried February 16, 1923 at Grace Lawn Cemetery, Edmond, Oklahoma City County, Oklahoma. All of his children, except Elmer, were present at his funeral. The following obituary appeared in the Edmond Sun newspaper on Thursday, February 22, 1923:

"John Woods was born in Kentucky, January 29, 1850. He died at his home on East Second street, Feb. 14, 1923.

"His family moved to Monroe County, Missouri when he was six years old. At the age of 27 he was married to Mary Maria Dixon. To this union six children were born.

"The wife of the deceased died March 13, 1921. One son, Otis C. Wood, died in army camp, March 24, 1918. The rest of his children are living and all were present at the funeral except Elmer J. Wood of Seattle, Wash.

"Funeral services were conducted from the family residence Feb. 16, Rev. Ishley officiating for Rev. McGehee, who as absent from the city."

John Wood [1850-1923] and Mary Maria Dixon Wood [1858-1921] are both buried in the same plot at Gracelawn Cemetery at Edmond, Oklahoma. Their son, Otis, is in the same plot. The grave markers are below:

Credit cards are introduced in the United States. Issued first by hotels and gas stations, the industry explodes after World War II.

February, 1924: Arthur Varnum [1924- ] was born to Alvin Clarence Varnum [1883-1948] and Clara Taylor Varnum [ -1972].

October 4, 1925: James Erasmus "Razz" Wood [1835-1925] died at Hardin, Crooked River Township, Ray County, Missouri. He was buried October 6 in the Lavelock Cemetery at Hardin. I don’t know when nor where the following three pictures were taken, but my guess is Missouri. These pictures were in my father’s possession upon his death. Each photograph was labeled "Jim and family." I do not know who the people are but my cousin, Neal Freeman [1940- ], concludes it is James Erasmus "Razz' Wood [1835-1925]. James was born at Lacey Springs, Rockingham County, Virginia to Gabriel Wood [1810 -1870 ] and Delilah Cole Wood [1812 -1889].

Sometime in 1925 my cousin James Carroll Wood [1925-1970] was born to uncle Neal Edward Wood, Sr., [1902-1964] and Eunice M. Walker Wood [1902-1927]. A picture of James can be seen, along with his older brother Neal, under the date of January 1, 1922 above.

Here is a photo taken around 1925 showing my father, uncle Guy, uncle Elmer, my brother Leonard, and my cousin Naomi.

1927:

Sound is introduced to motion pictures; The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, is a hit, and the silent movie era ends.

1928:

My aunt, Thelma Evelyn Wright [1909-2001], on the right and an unknown childhood friend on the left in Oklahoma about 1928:

Cartoonist Walt Disney introduces Mickey Mouse in the animated cartoon Steamboat Willie.

1930:

April 5, 1930: The 1930 Federal Census of Yeager Township, Hughes County, Oklahoma was enumerated. (Can be found on www.ancestry.com, 1930 Federal Census, State of Oklahoma, Hughes County, Yeager Township, District 32, image 4 of 40.) It discloses that:

Hollis W. Wright, head of household, lived in a rented house, at $25 per month, male, white, age 50, married, age 29 at first marriage, was not attending school or college, could read and write, was born in Tennessee, his parents were both born in the United States, spoke English, was a laborer in the oil industry, was employed on the census date, and was not a military veteran.

Georgia E. Wright, wife, female, white, age 46, married, aged 21 at first marriage, was not attending school or college, could read and write, was born in Illinois and her parents were both born in Illinois, spoke English, not employed outside the home.

Thelma E. Wright, daughter, female, white, age 20, single, was not attending school or college, could read and write, was born in Illinois. Her father (Hollis) was born in Tennessee, and her mother (Georgia) was born in Illinois, spoke English, and was not employed outside the home.

Waldroff H. Wright, son, male, white, age 19, single, was not attending school or college, could read and write, was born in Oklahoma. His father (Hollis) was born in Tennessee, and her mother (Georgia) was born in Illinois, spoke English, and was not employed outside the home.

Katherine M. Wright, daughter, female, white, age 15, single, was not attending school or college, could read and write, was born in Oklahoma. Her father (Hollis) was born in Tennessee, and her mother (Georgia) was born in Illinois, spoke English, and was not employed outside the home.

Myra E. Wright, daughter, female, white, age 12, single, was attending school or college, could read and write, was born in Oklahoma. Her father (Hollis) was born in Tennessee, and her mother (Georgia) was born in Illinois, spoke English, and was not employed outside the home.

1930s: The Great Depression closed many factories and mills. Many small farms were abandoned, and many families moved to cities.

This is a picture of Guy Manyard Wood, his daughter Naomi Lea Wood, and his wife Martha Virginia "Jennie" McKee taken around 1930.

World's population surpasses two billion.

1931:

1932:

October 31, 1932: My father and mother, George Dixon Wood [1888-1956] and Katherine Maybell Wright [1914- ], married Monday, October 31, 1932 in Seminole County, Oklahoma. Mother was 18 years, 4 months, and 26 days old. Dad was 44 years, 5 months, and 27 days old. A Spring-December marriage. The Great Depression was in full swing.

October 17, 1932: Elizabeth Morrow [1859-1932] died Strathroy, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada at age 73 years, 1 month, 21 days.

1933:

1933 June 7: Well, here I come. Seven months and seven days after my mother and father married I was born. The event occurred on Wednesday, June 7, 1933 at Wewoka [a Seminole Indian word meaning "barking water", Seminole County, Oklahoma. I was his third and her first child. Did mom and dad fudge a little? Who knows. Who cares.

My mother often referred to the location of my birth as Motor Inn. I can recall being at the place of my birth with dad when I was quite young, perhaps 5 years old. It was located alongside side Highway 270 between Wewoka and Holdenville, Oklahoma. It was a large two-story white building with external steps leading from the ground to the upstairs floor.

The surrounding area looked like an old lumber yard. I remember seeing a "For Sale or Lease" sign dad posted on the place. Later, in my 60’s, I was told Motor Inn was a dance hall. I’m not sure who told me. It tickles me dad may have run a dance hall. It seems so out of character. But then I only knew him the last half of his life. He had already raised one family before I was born. He rarely talked about himself.

July 19, 1933: The following month my future wife, Lillie Mae Morrow [1933- ], was born July 19, 1933 at Fort Preston, Grayson County, Texas. This is the house in which Lillie was born:

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is established by the U.S. Congress and begins an enormous program of building dams, hydroelectric generating stations, and flood-control projects.

1934:

Here is an early picture my father. He was teaching school at Franks School near Fittstown, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, in 1934. Dad is in the center of the picture holding up a cute little curly haired kid, me.

Darkest hour of the American Dust Bowl--in which drought and unwise cultivation lead to massive topsoil erosion--reduces farmers to penury.

1935:

March 12, 1935: George Washington Wood [1867-1935], son of George Edward Wood [1810-1883] and Nancy Jane Batts Wood [1813-1905] died. 

August 14, 1935: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. Good thing he did, else I would be at work right now.

Here is Thelma Evelyn Wright Muirhead [1909-2001] and her new baby daughter Mona Carol Muirhead [ - ] in Oklahoma around 1935.

The U.S. Social Security Act establishes federal pensions in an effort to alleviate the effects of poverty on retired workers, dependent children, the blind, and the disabled.

1936:

Pearl E. Dixon [1885-1936], daughter of Arthur Overend Dixon [1855-1915] and  Mary Malissa Hartman-Dixon [1853-1910] and wife of Joel L. Conaway [1876-1959], died.

1937:

Friday, March 12, 1937: My brother, Phillip Maynard "Phil" Wood [1937- ], was born at Seminole, Seminole County, Oklahoma. He was dad’s 4^th and mother’s 2^nd and last child. Phil's middle name is unusual. He was named after western cowboy movie star, Ken Maynard, according to mother.

I'm not sure when we moved to Harden City, Oklahoma but I believe it was about 1934.

May 26, 1937: My other brother, Kessler Edmund "Kay" Wood married Lucille Rose [1917-1988] at Ada, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma.

1938:

My first recollections are of Harden City, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma. Harden City, today, is a virtual ghost town. It is located South of Ada off Highway 99-377 just East of Fittstown. At Fittstown one turned East onto Highway 99A for three miles to Harden City. The landscape was populated with oil derricks and an huge oil refinery. Those things are all gone now.

Harden City was the location of the E. H. Moore, Inc. company camp. E. H. Moore, Inc. was in the oil business. When I lived there Harden City was a small, but, active populated place. The company camp was a residential area comprised of concrete streets, sidewalks, and well tended white houses. At night the camp area was illuminated by constantly burning natural gas torches extending upward some 15-20 feet into the air. The camp was clean, well kept and lighted. It was a pleasant place. I have fond memories of it. I used to chase fireflies in the adjacent fields at night. I recall no instances of crime. Except, perhaps, my own.

There was a family named Arms that lived in the area. They were not connected with the residents of the camp although we all went to McLish Grade School located adjacent to the camp. The Arms boys (there were 3 or 4 of them) used to like to fight. One time several boys and myself built a boat. We wanted to use the boat in a stream of water a mile or so away. We built the boat with wood boards we scrounged from around the area. We scraped tar from the concrete pavement which we used to cover the bottom of the boat to prevent water leakage.

When finished we carried the boat to the stream. It was hot and the boat was heavy but we persisted until we got it in the water at the "swimming hole." Along the way the Arms boys began pelting us with rocks. We responded, in like fashion, of course. Eventually they disappeared and we finished our journey to the swimming hole.

After swimming and playing with the boat, which remained afloat admirably, we decided to hide the boat along the stream in some bushes so we could use it again on our next trip to the swimming hole. We didn't want the Arms boys to find the boat and damage it.

Little did we know but the Arms boys were lurking about and must have seen where we hid the boat. The next time we came to the swimming hole the boat had been demolished. We were livid with rage.

As it happened this all occurred after the commencement of the Second World War. The Arms boys had been storing old newspapers in an abandoned house in a nearby woods. Paper was stored in those days for some sort of recycling to be used in the war effort.

We decided to retaliate against the Arms boys. We sneaked up on the old abandoned house and set it on fire, burning it to the ground. Sweet revenge. So, there was some criminal activity in the area, ours. Since the Statute of Limitations has run I don't mind divulging all this now.

Initially we did not live in the Moore camp. We lived in a small house just South of the camp. I recall mother placing me on a quilt pallet in front of an open screened door. The house we lived in was a white wooden clap-board single-story building. It had three rooms. The toilet was outside in the rear. There was a small front porch. The house was set in a grassy field surrounded by oak trees. Below is a front view of the house.

A small boy about my age named Jerry Crutchfield used to play with me. I had a red wagon and a red tricycle I rode. I can remember flying kites in the field behind the house. Below, Jerry is on the tricycle to my right. Just visible in the trees is the family outhouse. We did not have indoor plumbing.

In front of our house was a sandy dirt road. Looking northward up the road I could see the playground of the McLish Grade School. I could see kids playing on the swings, see-saws, and slide. I heard them shouting at recess. My school career began in that school. The school is long since gone. No physical trace can be found of it.

My first grade teacher was Miss Hatcher. She was a tall, brown haired lady who wore glasses. I got off to a good start at school. I liked it.

1939:

September 21, 1939: Patricia Ann "Patsy" Wood [1939- ] was born to Kessler E. Wood [1915-2001]and Lucille Rose Wood [1917-1988]. I don’t know where Patsy was born. She later married Robert Waco Moore [1938- ]. I don’t know the place of their marriage. Patsy and Robert had 6 children: Trina Lynn, David Waco, Steven Glenn, Terry Lee, Cherie Ann, and Carl Edmond. I don’t know how the marriage with Robert Moore ended. Patsy has remarried Thomas Stuart. I don’t know the date or place of that marriage. Below is the only picture I have of Patsy.

Well, finally I got to go to school.

The only visit to the old John Wood farm at Burden, Cowley County, Kansas was in 1939.

September 14, 1939: My half-brother, George Leonard "Cocky" Wood [1919-1978], married Joan (pronounced "Joe Ann") Laura Holcomb [1920-1988] in St. Louis, Missouri. Leonard and Joan had five children: Cindy, Judy, Jimmy, Kessler and John Jay.

Here is Judy Wood, daughter of George Leonard "Cocky" Wood and Joan. I don't know her age here. She later married a man named Henderson. She is presently the Justice of the Peace in Albany, Shackleford County, Texas. She succeeded both her father and her mother in that position. She lives in the same home in the town in which she grew up.

These photos are of Jimmy Wood [ - ], brother of Judy, and son of George Leonard "Cocky" Wood [1919-1978] and Joan Laura Holcomb Wood [1920-1988]. These pictures were taken in their front yard at Albany, Shackelford County, Texas. It is my understanding he is a football coach at a Texas High School.

Joan was a kind, friendly, very patient person whom I admired a great deal.

Little League is founded in Williamsport, Pa. It admits girls in 1974. Little League teams have spread all over the world: its World Series draws on more countries than the professional version.

1940:

1940-1945: Over 50.6 million men ages 18 to 65 registered with the Selective Service. Over 16.3 million American men and women served in the armed forces during World War II.

My father was a "pumper" for E. H. Moore, Inc.

I remember Mrs. Dickson, my third grade teacher at McLish. She wore glasses. I was afraid of her but she never really gave me any cause to be.

September 18, 1940: Laura Lee Wood Hewgley [1865-1940], died at Moberly, Missouri. I was seven years old when she died. I never knew her. My father never mentioned her. I doubt he even knew of her. Her obituary read:

"Death Calls Mrs. Laura Hewgley"

"Mrs. Laura Hewgley, widow of the late John Hewgley, died at McCormick hospital at Moberly, Thursday, September 18^th. Mrs. Hewgley is survived by five daughters, Mrs. May Ogilivie, Springfield, OR., Mrs. Ruth Gaffney, Orofino, ID., Jessie Davis, Shelbyville, MO., Mrs. Cora Hoffman, and Mrs. Lillian Swisher, both of Novinger, MO., three sons, J. O. Hewgley and James Hewgley of Detroit, Mich., and William Hewgley, Madison; 16 grandchildren and one sister, Mrs. Joe Dixon of Madison. One daughter, Mrs. Opal Gaines and one son, Tom, preceded her in death. Deceased a daughter of George and Nancy Jane Woods, was born near Madison March 20, 1865 and spent all of her life in this vicinity with the exception of the past five years, most of which were with her sons in Detroit. She was married to John Hewgley in April 1886. Mr. Hewgley died in August 1933. She was a member of the Hickory Grove Baptist Church. Funeral services were conducted in the Ash Baptist Church Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock, by Rev. Coleman White. Burial was in the Ash Cemetery."

Ah, politics. I recall Dad nailing political campaign signs on telephone posts in the Harden City area. The signs were for the election of E. H. Moore to the United States Senate. I have no idea whether Moore won or lost. I also recall political posters for Wendell Wilkie running for President of the United States against Roosevelt.

Sunday, December 7, 1941: The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. War with Japan was declared by the United States the next day. I was eight and one-half years old. I can't remember anything of the actual start of the war, but I can sure remember that things changed.

America enters World War II. The war would popularize many new inventions and products, including margarine, nylons, Hershey Bars, and the jeep.

January 20, 1942: The Nazis decided upon extermination of Europe’s Jews. I remember dad listening to the radio for news about the war. All kinds of goods were rationed due to the war. Sugar, gasoline, tires, etc.

January 29, 1942: George Edward Dixon [1877-1942], son of Arthur O. and Mary M. Dixon, died.

February 19, 1942: Despite the Bill of Rights and notwithstanding the Constitution of the United States the Los Angles Times newspaper urged that security measures be taken against Japanese-American citizens on the West coast after the attack on Pearl Harbor. On February 19, 1942 President Roosevelt ordered all west-coast Japanese-Americans arrested and placed in concentration camps.

A lesson should be taken. The United States government can become a police state just as rapidly and readily as any dictatorship, the Bill of Rights notwithstanding.

Later the United States Supreme Court upheld the arrest and incarceration of the Japanese-American people, men, women and children. They were incarcerated in desert areas of California. Their homes and property confiscated.

In the final analysis a citizen of the United States is no more immune from a police state than the citizens of Nazi Germany were. Government is hazardous to your freedom. The United States Constitution is just a piece of paper. I was shocked and disgusted when I learned of this atrocity by the government. I didn't learn of it until law school.

July 22, 1942: Gasoline and sugar rationing began in World War II. I remember my mother using honey in lieu of sugar.

September 27, 1942: Joseph Edmond Dixon [1863-1942], husband of Lucy Alice Wood Dixon [1859-1946], died.

Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank, her family, and four fellow Jews go into hiding in Amsterdam to avoid Nazi persecution. Her diary of her years in hiding becomes a classic of war literature.

Enrico Fermi oversees the first sustained nuclear chain reaction (in a squash court at the University of Chicago). This leads directly to atomic bombs and the development of civilian nuclear energy.

April 23, 1943: Thomas Franklin Morrow [1943- ], brother of my wife Lillie, was born in Pottsboro, Grayson County, Texas.

The entire community of Harden City, Oklahoma turned out for scrap drives throughout World War II. Scores of people, adults and kids, scoured the country side in search of scrap metal, copper, rubber, tin cans to recycle for the war effort. The salvaged material was used to make equipment for the military. Both the top and bottoms of tin cans were cut out and the cans flattened with the top and bottom inside and salvaged for the war.

Dad monitored and maintained the oil pumps on various sites called "leases." The Moore oil company leased property rights from the owners of the land sites. The oil wells pumped oil from the ground through iron pipes into holding tanks. Dad would periodically measure the oil in the tanks and maintain records of the amounts of oil. The crude oil was ultimately transported by pipe line to refineries in the area for processing into by products of the oil. Here is the way he looked during that time:

Many men employed at the Moore camp were called into the military for the war. The Frederick family was typical. Reba and Charlene Frederick were the same age as Phil and I. Their father, Charlie, was called into the military leaving their mother, Athalene, to keep the family together. Reba and I used to roller skate on the sidewalks of the camp.

I developed an enjoyment of reading. I read such books as Black Beauty, Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, the Bobbsey Twins series and Tom Swift series. My reading included comic books too. Superman, Captain Marvel and Batman, among others, were favorites.

On Saturday mornings for dad and mother would drive into Ada, Oklahoma to do the weekly shopping.

I used to trade comic books, Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel, at a used comic book store in Ada. I gave the proprietor two comic books in exchange for one used comic book. There were three movie theaters in town. One was the Kiva theater which showed cowboy movies, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, and Roy Rogers.. Adventure serials were common with the movies. Flash Gordon and Perils of Pauline are examples. Cartoons and war propaganda movies displayed the Nazi’s and Japanese as murderous and evil people.

During the war we moved into one of the Moore company houses several miles North of Harden City. The location was on one of the oil leases operated by the company, called the "Schauer Lease." I rode a school bus to school. We were fairly isolated. I found ways of entertaining myself. I recall having a new bee-bee air gun. I shot and wounded a dove with it. I endured severe pangs of guilt watching that poor helpless dove die from my cruel act. I’ve never shot another. Another day I witnessed a consequence of death. I came across a decaying carcass of a dog in the nearby woods. I can still see it in my memory.

Environmental concerns were not evident. The oil leases were composed of oil pumps which sucked the crude oil from the ground and transported it to oil tanks via pipelines. My father’s job was to see that the pumps and tanks were filled without mishap. That function, though not hard work, consumed seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Large ponds called "slush pits" containing oily chemically saturated water were abundant.

One day while fooling around the edge of one of those pits I slipped and fell in. Darn near drowned. There was no one around to help me out. Stifling a feeling of panic I managed to carefully work my way out of the pit to safety. But it could have easily gone the other way and my history on this earth would have ended at about age seven.

Having been raised on a farm in Kansas during his younger years Dad was never content unless we had a hog, cow and chickens. On the Schauer lease the car lot, hog pen, and chicken coops were just across the road from the rear of our house. When the weather turned cold enough for the flies to disappear we killed and butchered the hog for meat. The cow produced fresh milk, cream and butter. Eggs and fried chicken were plentiful. Due to the war rationing the food came in useful.

Dad was transferred to another oil lease several miles away. We moved to another company house on that lease. There dad constructed a barn. We had a cow or two, the usual hogs and chickens.

Because of gasoline rationing he buried a 55 gallon steel drum into the ground. In it he stored unrefined gasoline, called "drip gas." Our car ran quite well on the gas. Gasoline rationing ceased to be a problem for us. Dad would probably have wound up in prison in the current day and age for storing the gasoline in the ground. Times were different then.

1944:

Dad was laid off by E. H. Moore. He located new employment as a pumper for the Sunray Oil Company near Allen, Oklahoma. He moved us into a company furnished house in an isolated area along the Canadian River. I rode a school bus and attended a one-room elementary school, called McCall’s Chapel. Not far from us lived two boys, Leonard and Billy Taylor. They also attended McCall’s Chapel. I would encounter them later in my life. Leonard would ultimately introduce me to my wife, Lillie.

It was several miles up a dirt road to the nearest town, Allen, Oklahoma. There was a fairly dense woods around our house. I frequently went squirrel hunting. Large red ants proliferated around the house. I dug a deep round hole in the sandy soil. The ants would fall off the edges of the hole into a pool of crude oil. I then burned the oil, killing the aunts. I did it so much I began having nightmares about ants attacking me.

Dad’s job with Sunray did not last long. He rented a room in a residence in Allen, Oklahoma. While Mother, Phil and I stayed in the rented room he traveled in search of work. I went to school in Allen for about a month.

The U.S. Congress passes the Serviceman's Readjustment Act. Better known as the G. I. Bill of Rights, (G. I. means Government Issue) it helps make college education accessible to millions of American veterans.

1945:

Dad found employment at a war munitions plant at McAlester, Pittsburgh County, Oklahoma. We moved into the town of McAlester. It was exciting. It was my first experience living in a town. We lived in an apartment on the fifth floor of a five story brick building, a few blocks from downtown. A hardware store was the ground floor of the building. We could either walk up the stairs or ride an elevator to the apartment.

A young girl, whose name is lost to my memory, about my age lived in one of the other apartments. She taught me how to play a Ouija board. Next door to the apartment was a house.  The people who lived there had an upright "player piano." Paper rolls punctuated with small holes caused the piano to play music when processed through the piano.

We had indoor plumbing and a bathroom. The bathroom not only had a toilet that flushed but spouted hot steamy water from a shower. Up until then our baths were in metal washtubs full of heated water. What a luxury to have indoor running hot water, toilet and baths!

School in McAlester was different from anything I had yet experienced. The school was a two storied brick building. Hundreds of kids attended. I walked to school each day. There I met my first girlfriend, Joen Weingarten. She was Jewish. I had no idea of what being Jewish meant. I liked her. She controlled me adroitly. We walked to and from school together. Her father operated a lady’s ready to wear clothing store downtown. I never met her mother and father. I don't believe they were in favor of their daughter socializing with a gentile boy. I had my first real date with Joen. We saw a movie matinee, Singing in the Rain, a musical.

I participated in competitive sports for the first time, a track meet. I remember doing a high jump, 100 yard dash, and running a baton relay race.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt died before the war ended in 1945. I recall his death. There was widespread sadness. He had been President my entire life to that point. A new president, Harry S. Truman, took over. It was strange to hear and read the new name.

Two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. One on Nagasaki and another at Hiroshima.

August 14, 1945: On V-J Day, Japan unconditionally surrendered.

1946:

The Weingarten family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Joen wrote me several letters. They changed their name to Wingate, and operated a retail store there. I was puzzled about the name change. I remained ignorant of the prejudices the Jews faced for years.

Dad's war job in McAlester at the munitions plant ended. We moved into a farmhouse of a farmer named Brill near Holdenville, Hughes County, Oklahoma. The Brill farm was located on a sandy road about 3 miles south of the small unincorporated community called "Horntown." The farmhouse was the residence of Mr. Brill and his wife. Horntown was located on Highway 270 nine miles east of Holdenville, Hughes County, Oklahoma. Horntown was at the intersection of Highways 75 and 270.

Dad and mother rented and slept in a back room of the Brill home. Phil and I slept in a converted corn crib at the rear of the farmhouse. Mother had "kitchen" privileges and prepared our meals. We were back to outdoor plumbing using an outhouse and tubs for baths. Water was drawn from a water well in a metal cylinder.

Dad found work in the oilfield again.

Phil and I attended Moss School some 3 miles away. The school was located one mile south of Horntown on Highway 75 and 2 miles east of Highway 75. We rode a school bus. The entire student body of elementary and high school was less than 200. One building housed the elementary grades. Another contained the high school grades. Three of the four buildings can be seen below. The rock building on the right of the picture is the junior high and  high school. The building running horizontally in the rear of the picture (also rock) is the elementary school. The white building in the left rear is the agriculture building. The grass and sidewalk area is the "campus."

A building behind the agriculture building contained a coal bin with boys and girls toilets on each end of the coal bins.

Toilets were simply wooden seats with intermittent holes through which human waste was excreted into pits dug into the earth. Actually they were slit-trenches covered by a building. Everybody used the toilets, students, teachers, and sporting event spectators. There was no running water in the toilets.

Each classroom had a potbellied coal stove. In winter the teacher would send one the boys to the coal bin to fetch a bucket of coal to feed the stove and keep the room warm. Of course those who sat adjacent to the stove were subjected to too much heat while the far end of the room was quite cool.

Boys often hunted skunks and o'possum in winter. The skunks would spray those boys with the pungent skunk smell. Sitting close to the hot coal stove in class enhanced the skunk smell permeating the room. I like the smell of skunk.

February 7, 1946: My grand aunt, Lucy Alice Wood Dixon [1859-1946], widow of Joseph Edmond Dixon [1863-1942], died at Madison, Missouri. Her funeral was held on February 13, 1946. The obituary read:

"Funeral services for Mrs. Alice Dixon who died at her home in Madison Thursday night, were held from the Christian Church in Madison Sunday afternoon. The Rev. C. W. Cornn conducted the service, and Miss Margaret Stephens sang "In the Garden" and "Going Down the Valley." Among those from distance attending were: Mr. and Mrs. Frank Cramer, Quincy; Mr. and Mrs. Ben Durbin, Jefferson City, Mrs. R. E. Hoffman and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Swisher, Noving; Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Davis and Mrs. Martha Wilcox, Shelbyville; Joe K. Carter, Hannibal, Arnold Davis and Miss Sparks, Hannibal, Mr. and Mrs. George Hickey, Moberly, Mr. and Mrs. Ira Caldwell, Mrs. Mary Acuff, Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Mitchell and Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Lewellen, Paris."

My dad purchased 40 acres of sandy loam farm land two miles south of Horntown. The farm was on highway 75-270, about 4 miles North of the Canadian River at Calvin. It was a rectangular parcel of land. The highway ran along the west side of the parcel. It was known in the area as the "old Hillary Bell" place.

Dad bought a two room white house and moved it onto the northwest corner of the 40 acre farm. A water well was dug for water. An outhouse was constructed and there we were, home. On the southwest corner sat the old Hillary Bell house. It was vacant and uninhabitable. It had a water well, outhouse, smoke house and barn. The walls of the house were buckled. Wind blew through it as though it was a water sieve. The floor was buckled as well. It needed major renovation.

With World War II over Leonard got out of the Navy. While he traveled about looking for oil field work he left his wife, Joan, with us in the two-room house. Here we are standing on the front porch of the little house.

That 40 acres is still "home" for me to this day. I was approaching my 14^th birthday when he bought that farm.

There was a West entrance from the front porch into the house. Two porches and doors along the South side of the house allowed entry into the house from that side.

Drinking water was obtained from a water well at the back door of the house. A long cylindrical water bucket was attached to a rope which traversed through a suspended pulley. The bucket was dropped through a small round metal housing into the ground until it hit water. The bucket would fill with water which was then retrieved by pulling the rope thorough the pulley. The bucket of water was emptied into a water pail. We drank water using a metal dipper, dipping into the water pail and drinking from the dipper. We took baths using a Number 3 wash tub. In the summer the baths were taken outside on the back porch. In winter we put the tub inside the back door in the kitchen. Water was heated on a large wood cooking stove in the kitchen.

The toilet was an outhouse about 25 feet East of the rear of the house. It was a "2-holer." Toilet paper was provided by use of Sears or Montgomery Ward catalogues. It was a drafty affair with the cold North wind blowing through the walls and up through the two seat holes. One did not lightly run out to the outhouse in winter. Most people used a utensil called "slop jars" at night. The "jars" were kept at a strategic location in the house during the night and emptied each morning.

The front portion of the house consisted of two rooms. One was mother and dad’s bedroom. The other was the living room. The interior door between the bedroom and living room was covered with a curtain. There were doors leading to the exterior front porch from both the living room and the bedroom.

Another interior doorway led from the living room into the kitchen. A large wood cook stove in the kitchen provided most of the heat for the entire house. The top of the stove had round cast iron removal sections allowing one to insert firewood into the bowels of the stove. Handles were inserted into the removable stove tops. One portion of the stove was enclosed as an oven for purposes of baking.

About half of the forty acres was covered with black-jack trees. The other half was tillable soil. The soil was plagued with sandstone rocks.

Dad drilled a water well on the northwest corner of the rectangle shaped acreage and moved a two room house onto it. The Wood family lived in the two-room house while a larger old 4 room house on the southwest corner was renovated by Dad and I for living. Renovation consisted of jacking up the floor of the old house and installing wood foundations in the form of wooden sections sawed from trees. The roof and sides of the house were covered with rolls of tar paper. When completed we moved into the larger farm house and rented the two-room house.

In addition to the four-room farmhouse and the two-room rental house, there was a smoke house, a 2-holer outhouse, a separate building combining a garage, chicken house, and milking stalls. A large barn built from logs was just east of the garage-chicken house-milking stalls. The barn provided storage for hay and corn along with hog pens. Each winter we butchered hogs. The meat smoked and cured, then stored in the smoke house for eating. Lard was rendered from the skin of the butchered hogs. The cooked skin remaining from rendering lard was used to make lye soap. Some of the cooked skin, called "cracklins" was eaten. The cows produced milk from which the cream was separated. The cream and chicken eggs were sold during the weekly trips into Holdenville.

The primary legacy my father taught and left with me was how to work. I did not realize it at the time, and I don’t think he consciously set out to teach me the "legacy," but he unfailingly kept me engaged in all kinds of work. Picking up and hauling rock, plowing ground, planting corn, and what he called "Kaffa Corn," and hairy vetch. I felled untold numbers of black jack trees, built barbed wire fence, harvested, shucked and shelled tons of corn. Cows were fed meal or hay daily and milked and tended. Hogs were fed, pens repaired. I attended to breeding of the cows and birth of the calves.

The first year about 20 acres was plowed with a team of horses rented from a neighboring farmer. Dad taught me how to break the ground with the turning plow. Corn was primarily grown to serve as feed for the hogs and cows. About 20 of the 40 acres was farmed. The remaining 20 acres was densely covered with blackjack trees.

Through some kind of government program dad managed to get the tillable land terraced to help prevent wind and water erosion. A pond was dug to catch and provide a water reservoir for the livestock. Dad had learned from the dust bowl 1930's.

Most cash income, however, came from dad’s employment as a pumper with the oil company. The daily farm tasks were carried out by me as instructed by dad. Additionally, I hired out as a farm laborer baling prairie and peanut hay, threshing peanuts, cutting timber, and other general laboring tasks. As an illustration, I earned $3.00 per day cutting persimmon trees and sprouts on the nearby Eckles Ranch. Henry H. Leewright, father of one of my closest friends, Don Leewright, was the foreman of the Eckles Ranch and kept me well employed. I used to work with the Leewright hay-baling crew. We baled prairie and peanut hay. Pay ranged from a penny to a penny and a half per bale of hay, depending upon whether it was prairie or peanut hay. I did a lot of farm labor work.

One of the hay baling crew members was an older man, in his 50's. I only knew him as "Shooter" Bill. He had one eye. His face was bronze and creased from years of toiling in the hot sun. We were working on a hay stack one day baling peanut hay. It was hot, dirty, and dusty. I was constantly hitting the water bucket to quench my thirst.

Shooter said, "Here, chew some of this. It'll keep you from getting thirsty." He handed me a package of Beech Nut chewing tobacco.

I didn't smoke or chew tobacco. But, I took some of the tobacco from his pouch and thrust it in my mouth. I returned to the peanut hay stack and resumed moving the peanut hay to the man feeding the hay baler with my pitch fork. As I tried to chew the tobacco I would almost gag. My co-workers chuckled and wanted to know how I liked it. Shooter assured me the longer I chewed the sweeter it got.

He was wrong! The stuff was horrible! I began to turn green, became sick and vomited. I was done for the day. I've never chewed tobacco again.

Oklahoma winters were extremely cold. The North wind howled and screamed as it blew. Temperatures 10 degrees below zero were common. Ice storms were frequent. Our house was heated with firewood. Cooking was on a wood cook stove. Phil and I shared a double bed in the rear room of the house. Quilts were piled high and were frozen where Phil and I breathed on them during the nights. Nocturnal excursions to the outhouse in the winter were non-existent. A "slop jar" was used. It was COLD!

Construction begins on Levittown, the archetypal mass suburban housing development, in Long Island, N.Y. Housing tracts are born.

Mobster Bugsy Siegel opens the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. The desert city's boom in gambling and entertainment begins.

Procter & Gamble develops Tide, the first synthetic laundry detergent. In 1949, they will introduce Joy, the first synthetic liquid detergent.

1947:

One day two new boys arrived at Moss. It was my former acquaintances at McCall's Chapel at Allen. Leonard and Billie Taylor had come.

A daring two-piece style of women's bathing suit, the bikini, comes into fashion. It is named after a Pacific island on which atomic bomb tests are being conducted.

1948:

1949:

I ran a winter trap-line for skunk and possum. I skinned, stretched and cured the hides selling them in Holdenville for 15-20 cents a hide.

I loved baseball. The New York Yankees played the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1947 World Series. Al Gionfriddo climbed the Yankee Stadium center field fence 415 feet from home plate and robbed Joe DiMaggio of a home run. Of course all we had was radio at the time and I didn't see the catch, but I heard it on the radio. Video clips of that catch are replayed during every World Series season. Years later I had the pleasure of meeting and co-managing a Babe Ruth League baseball team with Al Gionfriddo, one of the finest people I ever met.

Dad found and bought an Allis-Chalmers farm tractor. It was major improvement over the team of horses we had been using to plow and cultivate the crop.

Dad's brother, Elmer John Wood [1884-1953], began experiencing strokes which continued until his death in 1953. Elmer and his wife were living in a small house with no in-door plumbing. They had no children. Elmer had been a master candy maker in Seattle, Washington. He made "Parisian Chocolates" for Fredericks and Nelson Department stores (no longer exist). His first stroke forced his retirement.

November 29, 1949: Ira Blanche Dixon [1889-1949], daughter of Arthur Overend Dixon [1855-1915] and Mary Malissa Hartman-Dixon [1853-1910], died.

1950:

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