oo&nuor, *Di*H B. 268

Transcription

1 oo&nuor, *Di*H B. 268

2 \ ForVj A-(S-149) BIOGRAPHY Fcny. \ WOfcKS I-ROGKESo ADHIEISTRATIGH \ Indian- Pianoor History Project for Oklahoma 269 GOIFHRT, JDITH B. INTERVIEW. 8868, Field Worker's name A«n«R- This report made on (date) Ootobar Name 2. Post Office Address II Bono. Oklahoma. 3. Residence address (or location) 1014 South Book Island Street 4. DATE OF BIRTH: Month j n 1 y Day ia Year 1881* 5. ' Place of birth j 6. Name of Father Place of birth Other information at out father 7. Name of Mother Place of- birth Illinois. Other information about mother Notes or complete narrative by the t/ield worker dualin^ wi'th the life and story of the..ercon interviewed. Ruf^r to Manual for swj»;ostod subjects and queotionc. Continue on blank sbec-t: 1 if necessary and attach,firmly to: this form. Number of sheets attached

3 270 GODFREY, "DI3H B. INTERVIEW. ^ v B, Barry, Interviewer. October 14, 19S7. Interview with Mrs. "Edith B. Godfrey. Bl Reno, Oklahoma. Born Juix 18, i881 Fatter-Janes Rule. Mother-theoba (Powll) Rule. lire. Edith B. (Rule) Godfrey was born in Jackson County, Kansas, near tbe little town of Soldier on July 18, 1881* Her grants lived on a farm one-half mile north of Soldier, Kansas,and it was at this littl* tcvn that she attended schodl. In HoTenber, 189^ she married George Godfrey and the first day of December of that same year found them on the train with th*lr little baggage bound for Oklahoma. Mr* Godfrey was a carpenter by trade, and h* had a brother in / x El Reno who kept writing for him to come, saying carpenters were in great demand, and a lot of building going on. The only person Mrs. v %>dfi«y knew when ah* landed in 21 Reno was her sister-in-law^ In a few days after th«y arrif^d X / in SI Reno they bought them, a little two room house with one-fourth block of land, located dn Jenkins Street. After they had been in Bl Reno just a week her husband accepted some carpenter work at #ort Sill. /

4 271 GODFREY, BDITH B. INKIER VIS W E- This was the most lonesome tide of hqr life md she laugfied about going to her sister-in-law each d.y, playing the organ for amusement; >he said she xould sit for hours playing these songs, "Aft«r tn* flail", "Little Anni«=> Rooney", "Blue Bell", "Sweet Marie", and "In the Shade of th«i la Apple Tree". In h*>rfcorcp she had a little cook stove, a table her husband had made from a pool table, a bed, two chairs, a box for clothes, a eupboard made f~*om boards that fastened on the wall* But Mrs. Godfrey soon solved thp problem of loneliness by putting on her best sunbonnstt, and spending a while with h*»r new nei. hbor from North Carolina. When she returned she had left scanp zinnia seed to brighten a new spot and had brought away with h^r a cutting from a rose bush from North Carolina. Th«family fr ra xllinois brought lily bulbs, and soon these wre started all over "El Reno, as were rooming gioiies from Kansas, four-o- 3locJc8 from Texas aha othsr flowers from otner "back homes". A few years later the Godfrey family added two more rooms to their little home. Mrs Godfrey told how she liked the 8loping back yard with its young grape arbour, what queer little secret pleasures and delights she had in watering

5 \ GOJ3FH5Y, EDITH B. INTERVIEW > 3 these grow. Plants were set in a row along the edge of thfl back porch to gat the rain. Some ware in little pots no bi ger than a jelly-glass. An old earthern dish from a flower pot wat> filled with cold water for the birds. The grass -jrus d*»ep and irot round tne trunks of th? young apple trees* In the green-painted ah(*& neat carpenter and gardentools were kept and pans of seed, also dried ears of corn hung on tha vail* Mrs. Godfrey attended the Methodist Church, she told one time about going on a Sunday school picnic, it was a beautiful summer morning. Hay-racks would leave the church and long before time to go, people were assembled there, girls in freshly ironed summer dresses. cushions and herding'little children. Women carrying Men bustled about seeing to the ice cream freezers and filling the hay-racks. A few automobiles were to go, and several carriages. At last, Mr Turner who was driving his big team of brown horses said," l e l l, X guess this one's about as full as i t can get." As they, started off*the horses reared a little, and the crowd in the hay-racks squealed, all jammed together. Then

6 273 GOOTHRY, EDITH B. IH2SETIE?'* 8868*. 4 - the horses settled into an even trot, and tha^-nay-rack went bumping over the dusty streets, with th«ir hard ruts. It was fun riding like this, because they were having a pianict* lie whole town seemed to wear a changed, festival afcr. As they traveled along the wide summer streets, the fraradhouses looked clean and fresh, th«,jgrass at each hous* looked green and the flowers very bright in the clear sunshine. Carriages and automobiles passed th«hay-racks going c.t to the picnic grounds, and the people looked back and waved.. Then what a shouting when the old hay-rack rattled across che old wooden brfgge over th» Canadian River north of ^1 Reno. In* road beyond the bridge was narrow, as they parsed those farmhouses north of town, with square-paned windows, yards with picket fences and lilacs in the yards. Ifeep tangled woods on one side with grape vinns and tali underbrush, with the winding Canadian River as a back ground. The pasture gate was propped open now, tne long shiny grass wus already smashed down by wheel-tracks. beyond the open sp ice at the entrance the group of people who were getting the grounds r»ady looked up and yelled, "Come on w. Mrs. Godfrey said i& took them only a minute to gat off the hay-rack. Women were bending

7 274 QOTR8Y., SDim B. INTgHVlEW down, unpacking the baskets on the grass and getting out the assortment of picnic dishes that people had brought, The men busied themselves making rope sitings in th» oak trees* marking off Ha place for the races. After dinner most of the children went down to the river bank, the water was shallow here where it spread over a sandy bottom. Some of the boys went to a swimming pool beyond the bend, hidden in trees. Little girls had their skirts tucked above their knees and wer* splashing gleefully* Th«river was such an attraction that it was hard to get anyone for the games, Mrs. Godfrey remarked. Sfc> added that this picnic was on* of h<»r happy memories. The Godfrey family continued to live at their little home on Jenkins Street until the Fort Smith and Western railroad bought it in about 1905«This railroad was built and th*» center of the track was >righ% over the Godfrey welj,, She* remarked that after all these years after each big rain, a sunken place appears where this well once stood. Mr. Godfrey helped to build &fcs /ort Smith and Western depot, «kiea was located about six biocteeaot of the siain part of town on ^aat Woodson Street.

8 275 QODFHBT, KDITH B. HWBH7IBW Mrs. Godfrey said SI Reno*a schools consisted of five frame buildings whan she came here, each building containing two rooms each. In the center of each school room stood a large coal or wood heater. She said they Tory often had entertainment at night at the school houses and churches. In later years the Godfrey family established the East Side Grocery located at 617 South Roberts Street. Mr. and MTB. Godfrey hare reared their family of ten children in Canadian County, own their home at 1014 South Bock Island Street and today are g ad that they ventured into Oklahoma. j