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a bedridden invalid for a year. Perry and I had to take over and do the farming. We moved to another place. Papa died in Aug of 1909, In September I was married to Raymond Robertson. He was 25 and I was 21. Mama and Raymond went to Anadarko in horse and buggy and got license. It was late when they got back but we went down to Preacher Johnson and got him out of bed. He was barefooted. Next morning we left by covered wagon for eastern part of state to rent a farm, We stopped the first night at his brother's who lived west of Rush Springs. After we went to bed in wagon his brother came and wanted to look at his shotgun. Soon another came with cowbells and such, pulled the wagon off the road. Raymond finally gave them a dollar to buy a jug of wine. We went east near Purdy. Had never been in this part of Oklahoma. Kids ran and peeked around corner of house. Men with sacks of con on back of mule or horses going to mill to have ground into cornmeal. We didn't like the looks of the country so came back after a week. He had an Indian lease and we built a dugout with dirt floor and dirt walls half way up. But we were as happy as could be. Then he got the Colorado fever and in February another couple, Perry Thompson, his wife, 9-year old boy and a 9- months old boy, and ourselves left for Colorado in covered wagons. We got as far as Chickasha the first day. The next day we bought new harness for our mules and went on. We were three weeks on the road but were in no hurry. Got away from the railroad and couldn’t buy any food to so had to eat crackers. We camped 9 miles east of Gage, The men tried to buy bread at a farm house but the woman did not have any but she said she would bake some biscuits. The men said they'd go take care of the baby while she baked them. Mrs. Thompson was real jealous and wouldn't let him go after them, wouldn’t even eat them after Raymond went and got them. We got away out west and could see a big lake and trees ahead of us. Decided to camp there but never got there as it was just a mirage. Stopped at Two Buttes and filed on 320 acres of land., While waiting to find land, we camped in a wagon yard. Had to go to Lamar to file on the land. It took two days to go and two days to come back. Built us a half dugout on the place. My Mother, Grandfather, and Uncle George came to Lamar on the train and got a man to bring them out in a car for there were a few cars by then. They found land and we took them to Lamar to file, Got there on Saturday so stayed in camp yard on Sunday. Raymond and Mama got out and rented a house for I was expecting my first baby anytime. Found a woman and her 17-year old daughter to move in and stay with me. Got in house on Sunday and Mama and the others left Sunday at midnight for home. Monday morning, the woman in the next house got -my husband to move her and five kids to Two Buttes. Went to see the Doctor and said he’d be back by Thursday but he didn’t make it. Elmer was born on April 28, 1910 about 2:30 on a Thursday afternoon. Got a card from Raymond saying he was working on a well drill but he got in about 4:30 on Sunday. Mamed our boy Walter after my Grandfather. Mother and two brothers came out in a wagon and the last of May we moved back to the farm. Almost there when a hailstorm hit. We were in a draw and the team got scared and wouldn’t pull us out. The hail broke through the wagon sheet over the covered wagon. Covered the baby with quilts. When the storm was over, the men went to a house to get a team to pull us out but his all loose on range, so got his hack and hitched our horses to it. We went to their house and they got us all dry clothes and we stayed that night. Raymond worked at whatever he could get to do. Sometimes he’d haul freight from Lamar and I’d be alone 3 or 4 days at a time with the baby. He traded his mules for 4 unbroken mares and 2 colts so he had to break them to work. After he got them broken, he put in a feed crop. I would |
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