Notes from Ella Taylor Thomas - January 2, 1978

Transcribed by Angie Jenkins Long

Her parents were Felix Jesse Taylor and Amanda Lee Moody Taylor

It is 8 pm I just finished watching a mine story on T.V. I now live in Okla City but that picture brought back memories of my child hood. My father was a miner. Blocker , ?evinton, Adamson, and Hailyville are very familiar places to me. I was born October 28, 1901. We had just moved from Blocker to Adamson. My mother's brother Bob was with us. I remember so well that 4 o'clock whistle - 4 pm it blew and at 4 pm at shift changing time, I knew when the 4 pm whistle blew Dad would be home soon.

We lived just across the road from the mine. Streets were unknown. I was about 7 at the time (1908). Strikes are not new to me as I remember they happened frequently in those days. And I am familiar with the word Scab--.

Dad had worked one week when he took Typhoid fever. He was seriously ill and keep getting worse. The Company Dr. was taking care of him. Mother sent for their family Dr. from Haileyville- He came, conferred with the company Dr. Dads med was changed. All of it and Dad began to improve. I was forced to take over task that I was much to young. For B??t being in a strange town made it hard on me. As Dad grew worse mother could not leave him to get coal for the 2 fires. There was always large lumps of coal that would roll off the car as it traveled over the rough tracks. We would pick it up & soon had a basket full which would last till next eve. as Dad grew worse I went alone. The men would roll small chunks off - made it easy on me to carry. Dad was back to work.

I was too young to know how we got by but I remember the black-eyed-peas, very suppy as I liked it. I crumbled corn bread into it and never felt hungry. We had to carry ice every day. Dad told me how to go the short cut. I don't remember how much I paid for the ice but do remember that Dad made sure I had a nickel left over for candy. One day I came to a gully. I saw a man lying beside the road. I was sure he was dead, but dad calmed my fear's by saying he was only drunk.

Adamson as I remember it didn't have Shacks. Every one lived in Company houses, 3 rooms built L shape - every one just a like. Our water was hauled in from Springs just outside town. We paid .25 for a barrell full. The barrel was placed in where the back room joined the front so when it rained we did not loose water.

My fathers brother was the Black Smith for the mines but had leased a lot of land and sold post to the mine. The song, We owe it all to the Company Store did not apply to us. When there was a strike we just moved out into a small house on Uncle Calvin's farm. Dad would walk over the mountain to Haileyville and work in a shoe repair shop. I don't know how much money he made but mother would slice salt bacon soak it and roll in corn meal or flour an it was delicious. that with flour gravy made an excellent breakfast. And there was all ways 2 cookies among the small sack of groceries dad brought home at night. We milked one of Uncle's cows so we had plenty of milk and Aunt Bessie divided her eggs with us. She had only a few hens but we usually had enough. So when the strike was over dad owed the company nothing. We felt even as small as I was I felt a pride in my dad.

When I was 8 (1909) we all had the measles, mother took pneumonia following them. She was desperately ill for a long time. My 2 yr old sister stood in the window and cried every day. Dad worked on top so he could run in and see about us. Two of his brothers, knowing the situation came to visit us. With news they had a neighbor Mr. Draper who needed a hired hand and would pay a living wage. That with the promise of fresh air & sunshine in a quiet little house by a branch in the timber gave mother an incentive to get well. She was still weak but as soon as she could travel we were on our way to Coalgate. We settled near Clarita a small farming community.

More Notes from Ella Taylor Thomas

To Whom It May Concern:

After thinking back over my past I remember that in the early years of my life my father Felix Jess or Jessie Taylor, born 3/7/1880 was a Coal Miner in the vicinity of Hartshorn Oklahoma, Haleyville Oklahoma, Blocker Oklahoma and Adamson Okla.

My mother was Amanda Lee Moody Taylor, born 4/13/1884. At about the time I was 4 yrs. old we lived in Haleyville - I started to School at Blocker when I was about 6. I later went to school at Adamson. We later moved to Coal County. I went to school at Clarita which is a small town west of Coalgate. I started to High School at Coalgate Oklahoma when I was about 18 years of age. I lived with my parents all this time.

I was married to Ralph Thomas March 4 of 1921 at Centrahoma a small town a few miles west of Coalgate in Coal County. After my marriage I lived in a the School District of Cabe just north of Coalgate about 9 miles.

Our oldest child a daughter, Evelyn Aline was born on the 27 day of August 1922. The Attending physcian was Dr. J. B. Clark (now deceased) of Coalgate, Okla.

Nine years later our second child Rosalie was born, we used the same Dr. J. B. Clark at her birth.