Who is my granddaddy?

PART TWO OF AUNT MINNIES LETTER TO DOROTHY CAFFEY MCGREGOR

Papa (Elmer J. Guernsey) got land and our first house, until a home could be built, was a half-dugout and half-loghouse with an “arbor” in front to shield it from the sun. The land was different from our former home (Manchester OK was in the middle of the wheat belt with rich dark soil). This was a land of red hills between the valleys. The hills were covered with ankle deep grass; the grass in the valleys was several feet high – “as high as a horse’s belly”. There were many trees in those valleys – cottonwood, elm and black walnut. The winding Washita River then had a narrow channel between high banks and the water was clear.

John West built our home for us in 1901, the year Pauline was born. Papa haulded the lumber from Canadian, Texas. Our was a five room frame house -“such a folly to build one so large” was the opinion expressed by some of our neighbors (the new home, shown above, for the family of eight was without electricity or running water while the girls were growing up). The rooms were soon carpeted with rag carpets loomed in strips which were sewn together in room size. Fresh hay was used for padding and the carpet was securely tacked around the edges. Mama made “fancy work” of crochet and embroidery, hung pictures, and added house plants and cut flowers to make hour home attractive.

3 Guernsey Girls

LUELLA IN THE WASHITA RIVER, ALIDA AND MINNIE ON THE BANK WITH THEIR DOG TOM

Sometime at night we could hear the trees fall when the beavers cut down trees for their numerous dams and we could hear the mournfull howl of coyotes. There were many quail and prairie chickens.

After Shep died, Curt got another dog, a bloodhound, whose name was Tom. He was very friendly and was known throughout the area. All of us thought he was especially good at removing stickers from our barefeet; they did not seem to hurt so much when he did this for us. On several occasions, Tom visited the school. He knocked on the door with his tail. When the teacher opened the door, he pleaded that he might come in to visit. He should have received as “A” in sociability.

We all went to church in a farm wagon. Papa and Mama sat on the spring seat and we children sat in the back on quilts over clean hay. Neighbors wagons were hitched on all sides of us at the school house, which was the center of all community activities – Sunday school, church service, and box and pie suppers held to raise funds for various affairs. Here was held the Christmas programs given by the children; a huge tree lighted with candles thrilled and delighted every child.

Guernsey children

Back row Curt, Luella, front row Alida, Pauline, Mike and Minnie

To my kinfolk and friends, Part Three of early day life on the Guernsey Ranch will follow soon.
Enjoy,
Jim Lee

THE GUERNSEY GRANDMOTHERS

OUR GRANDMOTHERS JOURNEY FROM GRANT CO. TO ROGER MILLS, CO.

For this story we will go back over 100 years for what life was like for our children’s grandmother….. the ‘GUERNSEY GIRLS’…..

LUELLA ETHEL GUERNSEY, born 1894, married Lee Caffey, children Dorothy, Bill and Gene.
ALIDA LENA GUERNSEY, born 1897, married Orren Anderson, children Marjorie and Jim Lee.
MINNIE MAE GUERNSEY, born 1898, married Elmo Innes, children Pat, John and George.
PAULENE GERTRUDE GUERNSEY, born 1901, spinster, school teacher.

Dorothy Caffey McGregor wrote “our mothers and their brothers (Curt and Mike) were raised in Western Oklahoma where they retained the rich heritage of their pioneer ancestors, a spirit filled with courage, integrity, friendliness and pride”. Fortunately for us, Dorothy collected stories from Minnie and Curt that could be passed down to future generations. She wrote “the following is a letter purporting to be from our aunt Minnie Innes, to me. It also contains much information I obtained from our uncle Curt Guernsey.”

LETTER TO DOROTHY

My parents (Elmer and Madelena) first lived at McCracken, Kansas. It was there that Curt was born in 1892. When Curt was not quite a year old, Papa took part in the largest, worst, and last of the land runs – the opening of the Cherokee Outlet on September 16, 1893. He staked a claim six miles east of Manchester in what became Grant County, Oklahoma Territory. It was there that Luella, Alida and I were born.

Because of Papa’s desire to handle cattle on a large scale, as his brother Charlie was doing, and because of alluring letters from him which told of plenty of wood, water, and grazing land in the Custer Bend area (later named Strong City), he pulled up stakes and we started on a hard, 200 mile trek to Roger Mills County, early in October of 1900 ( I would estimate they traveled 20 miles per day, or about 10 days).

Uncle Charlie sent two of his sons – 22 year old Everett (along with his wife Lucy Trammel Guernsey and their 8 month old son Oran) and 14 year old Clarence to help us make the move. Our uncle believed in putting boys in the saddle very young so our cousin Clarence served as the experienced, proficient cowhand with our young brother Curt(age 7) as his only assistant to move our 35 head of cattle. The first day out, our cattle broke into some mans cornfield. After Clarence had to get them out by himself, he complained to Papa that he needed more help than just a baby. This hurt Curt’s feelings. His knuckles were already skinned on a big bare saddle horn because his mount, really a work mare, kept reaching down for grass. Neither cowboy complained again for the rest of the trip. They were given the job and expected to do it.

The next day Curt had climbed up on the wagon wheel to get a drink at one of our stops when our Aunt Minnie pulled him down to administer eight spanks in the appropriate place. This was his only birthday present. I imagine that Leulla was not quite as gleeful at this event as Alida and I were, for her birthday was to come six days later.

We must have made quite a procession on our trek. Papa drove the hayrack loaded with farm implements; three other covered wagons carried our furniture and other household goods. Everett and Lucy each drove a wagon and Mamma and her sister Minnie Hondrick, drove the third. I don’t remember of course, but probably sun-bonneted Luella and Alida were allowed to take turns riding in the different wagons; I was most likely vociferous at having to stay with Mama at all times.

On our trip to Roger Mills County, we drove through South Enid. At that time there were both a North and South Enid. The cattle took up the full width of the street. A bicycle rider approached and waved his to make the cattle move out of his way. One brindle cow took a side swap with the a hind leg and broke out some spokes in the front wheel of his bicycle. This brought forth several unkind words. On that trip there were no bridges for the cattle and only one wagon bridge at Dover over the Cimmaron and one at Bridgeport over the Canadian River.

Curt’s dog, Shep, had faithfully followed the wagons all the way from Grant County. When we got to Hammon, which was then little more than a tepee village of Cheyennes, three Indians tried to persuade Papa to leave the dog so that they could have him for a meal. We could not part with him!

We finally arrived at Uncle Charlie’s home (Custer Bend) and we were all glad that wearisome trip was over.

I believe this picture was taken in the red earth hills around Strong City, Oklahoma Territory around 1900-3. Granddad is driving the wagon and you can see the girls peacking out of the wagon. To my knowledge granddad never learned to drive a car, a true rancher who’s transportation was always by horse.

This has been part I of our Aunt Minnies letter to Dorothy. Part II will follow soon. I am not certain how many of you are logged in to this blog, whoismygranddaddy.com If you did receive this edition, would you email me, jimmielee@suddenlink.net to confirm your receipt.
Thanks kinfolk,
Jim Lee