Dear Kinfolk,

“Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”  An old expression that best describes the pioneers of western Oklahoma, like our grandparents William Henry, Tommie Lee Anderson and their children. 

In Black Bill’s pocket calendar there is a daily diary of his activities during the year of 1908.  I was most surprised to learn that he was arresting people, serving warrants and attending jury trials.  Earlier I reported that he did not become an official Deputy Sheriff in April 1911!  So in addition to  farming in Red Moon and before moving to Strong City,  he was also assisting the Sheriff.  His children said he was always on the move and his diary proves their story.  Hardly a day where he stayed on the farm, examples “helped Uncle John thrash,” “went to Cheyenne bought stove-pipe for the school,”  “went to Elk City sold hogs,” “gathered corn before noon and loaded wheat to take to Elk City,” “killed 14 quail,” “went to Sayre, turned Blue Dog horse back to Walker, got $25.”  I will attempt to transcribe his entire diary and send it to anyone who ask.  The diary does not mention his frequent trips to Hamburg and Elk City to play cards (Faro).

After moving to Strong City and becoming the official Deputy Sheriff of Roger Mills County,   his wages  were probably around $30. a month.  With a family of 7 children to support, he took on a second job with the Herring & Young store in Strong City.  His daughter said he was promoted to manager of their grocery store.

Grandmother Tommie cooked and took in boarders.  Strong City did not have a doctor and Tommie had the reputation of being “an able nurse” when a doctor could not travel from Cheyenne to Strong City.  During the flu epidemic of 1918, approximately 2,500 Oklahomans died.  The Cheyenne newspaper carried a story about Tommie going to Paulyne Caffey’s home as she had the flu.  On Christmas morning, the snow had quit falling but it was impossible to travel the roads by wagon, so no one could take  Tommie back home.  The newspaper said “As Tommie Anderson walked to her home in Strong City, a pretty little girl, Georgia Faye Anderson, watched out the window as her mother neared home-fighting through the heavy snowdrifts.”

Tommie said she was Scotch-Irish-Indian.  We have been able to trace her Cherokee heritage back to Abbeville, SC in the 1700’s.  We are now listed as one of the First Families of the Cherokee Nation because of her relationship to James Boles.  The only story of granddad’s Indian lineage was told by his daughter Leona.  Around 1924, Black Bill decided to take his two youngest daughters, Leona (14) and Georgia Faye (12),  on a two month road trip. 

He left Tommie home to watch over the family place.  They would have been driving a model T car and Bill let Leona do all the driving since she was all of 14 years old.  I believe their final destination was Laurel, Montana where his sister lived and his mother Nancy was buried.  I believe the roads at that time  were mostly dirt.  While Leona was driving granddad would lean out of the car and shoot rabbits or other game with his six-shooter.  At night they would “sleep out” and Bill would cook whatever he had shot.

Our great-grandmother, Nancy Wilson Anderson's gravestone in Laurel Montana.

They traveled first to La Junta, Colorado where his sister was living.  When near La Junta, they drove out to an Indian reservation.  Black Bill got out of the car and told the girls to stay in the car.  They watched him talk  in Cherokee to some Indians and they led him to a teepee.  Later he came back to the car got Leona and left Georgia Faye as she was sleeping.  Leona went back to the teepee with her father and watched as he visited in Cherokee “with an very old lady.”   When they returned to the car, Leona asked her dad who was that lady, he simply replied “it was her relative.”  In all my research I cannot answer who she was.  The girls continued this two month venture through Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.   As the daughters told me of this trip they had a twinkle in the eyes!

My memories of our grandparents were mostly in the 1940’s.   When I was a teenager, I was proudly showing granddad my Hereford heifer calf that I earned by hoeing cotton for  Aunt Leona and Uncle Jess.  He said “Jim Lee we need to ear mark this heifer.”  He proceeded to take his knife out and chopped 1/2 of the heifer’s ear off.   I think I had tears in my eyes for that poor calf.  Also, I remember while staying with Aunt Leona,  granddad was also visiting at their farm near Elk City.  He decided to take my cousin Duayne and I to town.  I am not sure granddad ever made the transition from the horse to the horseless carriage.  As we rounded a country road corner he got to close to the edge and we rolled over.  Duayne and I laid upside down in the car with granddad calmly saying, “don’t worry boys everything is ok.”

They will be remembered as full of love for their children and grandchildren.  When my father Orren died in a car accident, I remember her crying and saying “oh how wish it would have been me instead of my son.” When visiting them in Strong City grandmother would be cooking great biscuits and hugging us at the same time.  She was a beautiful woman who thought only of others.  Tommie Lee had a wonderful Christian influence on Black Bill, her children and grandchildren.

Gravestones of our Grandparents and Uncle Virgil Anderson in Strong City, Oklahoma. Uncle Virgil joined the Army in WWI. Shortly after joining the army he contracted the measles and died, a very sad time for our Grandparents.

William Henry, Black Bill or Bill Lee was a quiet and gentle man and the stories he told his daughters were never in a bragging manner.  Again he simply lived an early life where the six-shooter ruled.  Once when he was at the breakfast table, Leona noticed tears in his eyes and asked whats the matter dad, he quietly replied an old friend had died.   When he left the table Leona  read where William Frederick Cody (Buffalo Bill) had passed away – 1917.  If granddad would have been more of a talker, we would have material for a great western movie.

Family reunion, about 1944 in Strong City. Pictured left to right.......Duayne Sullins, Bob Higgins, Lilly Anderson Higgins, baby Linn Dale Sullins, Leona Anderson Sullins, William H. Anderson, Jack Anderson, Le Francis Sullins, Tommie Lee Anderson, Billy Don Anderson, Jim Lee Anderson, Alida Anderson, Jess Sullins, Georgia Faye Erwin, Dough Erwin, Noma Anderson Powers, Marjorie Ruth Anderson, Lela Faye Powers and Jack Powers. The Powers boys not pictured were Raymond, Powell and Jackie who were serving in WW II.

We are all blessed to have had such wonderful grandparents.

Jim Lee