Letters From the Past: Juanita Thompson Gleghorn November 21, 2000 - Part I

This is the first half of the second letter received from Juanita Pearl Thompson Gleghorn. In this part of the letter, she mentions my great-grandparents, Phillip and Lodema Hairston, my grandparents, Redic and Myrtie Bryan, and their sons Whit (my father) and Buster.  She writes about her parents Ora Cox and Floyd Thompson and mentions their first child, her brother, Clarence. 

I omitted information about living family members and copied the remaining parts of the letter as written.

                                                                                                

                                                                                         11/21/00                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Dear Diana:

          Thanks so much for the photo of Mother’s first four children. It’s so sweet blown up.  I have a small copy of that photo. 

 Four Thompson Children
Juanita, Clarence, Lucille, and Bowie

The photo of the Bryan home in Seymour I vaguely remember going there for of Whit’s parent’s funeral. One as I told you was in the east part of town, and the other was in the west part of town, not the one of the picture you sent. The picture of the house you sent was the nicest one. The porch was very interesting to me, most all country homes didn’t have screened porches.

This was the Bryan family home that Juanita referred to as "the nicest one." 

          I hope to find a copy of the book you mentioned of the Hairston family. Let me know where I can get a copy, if I can’t find it here.

          The Hairston, Uncle Phil’s house had a front porch, two front rooms, a room on the back, the kitchen, and dining room together. What was a first interesting fireplace, then we walked into the other front room and there was a fireplace against the same wall. They used the same chimney. I think that it was the only old house like that I’ve ever seen. Uncle Phil was probably like a father to Dad for he loved them like parents.

This appears to be the Hairston house described by Juanita. I know that, at times, the Bryans lived with the Hairstons. The children are Bryan children; Buster, Willa Mae, DeRay, and Marie. I would date this between 1912 and 1914 in the Levelview area of Baylor County. 

          I figured out after you mentioned Redic buying the old Wiggens place that Mother told me the first place they lived was on the Wiggins place about one mile west of Seymour west. The reason I remember it; was hearing her tell they had a telephone there, and someone called her and asked who was speaking. She said, “Ora Cox,” she hadn’t gotten use to her name being Ora Thompson. So you know they helped them by renting the place to my Dad. 

This is the article Juanita was referring to. It was found in the Baylor County Banner, November 22, 1912

          I have realized the folks many years ago really helped one another. Mother did tell me about living in the house with Uncle Phil and Lodema. I’m sure Mother loved them and appreciated her for they raised a lot of Black eyed peas. She was pregnant rather soon after they married, and Clarence, her first born never liked black eyed peas. Dad always liked them, as well as me, but we had good luck with them in our garden in a while. They do best in sandy soil and around Levelview the soil was mostly sandy in our community.

Next - Juanita Thompson Gleghorn November 21, 2000 - Part II

          

Diana

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