| Biographical Non-Fiction posted April 11, 2022 |
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A farm job.
Minnie and the Masons
by Terry Broxson
In 1925, Minnie was thirty-one years old. Her son, Gil, was six. She had never married the child's father. He was in prison.
The father was from a wealthy family but had been disowned by his dad for his womanizing and thieving ways. He had already abandoned two sons. Gil would never meet his father.
Minnie was the youngest of thirteen kids. Her mother died when she was nine and her father when she was twelve.
Raised mostly by her wits while living with different brothers and sisters, she left their homes at twenty-one to seek her fortune. Fortune was working as a waitress and hooking up with a fellow twenty years older who was a sometimes short-order cook and full-time thief.
Minnie's prospects in 1925 in Dallas, Texas, were pretty slim. Her brothers' and sisters' families were farmers close to the small town of Miles, Texas, a couple of hundred miles away. With no man, no family, her only skills were cooking and cleaning. She answered an ad in the Dallas News.
A widowed farmer in Southern Oklahoma had two young girls, and he needed someone to help take care of his children and be the cook and help with chores on the farm. To prove he was a man of good repute, his ad said he was a Mason. Masons were a secret organization but looked at favorably by folks in this part of the country.
She wrote the man and explained she could do the job, but she had a six-year-old boy, and she wanted $ 30-month wages and train tickets to Oklahoma for her and the boy. If things did not work out, she wanted train tickets to Miles, Texas.
He wrote back and agreed to her terms and enclosed two train tickets to Oklahoma.
When Minnie and her son arrived at the small town close to his farm, the man met them in his wagon pulled by two horses.
Minnie did love the little girls, but she thought the farm was run down. In a few days, she thought the man was lazy.
She was also concerned that there were Indians around. The man said, "Pay them no mind; they are harmless."
At the end of the first month, the man said he would have to go to town and get the money for her wages, and he would do that in a day or two. But Minnie made a discovery that changed everything.
There was a barn about half a mile from the farmhouse. Minnie's chores did not take her down to that barn. But Gil wandered off, and she found him at the barn. She also found a bunch of drunk Indians.
She also found out how this lazy farmer made his living, moonshine. The still was in the barn. His customers were Indians from the reservation that was not far away.
Minnie was appalled. She told the man she was through, and she wanted her wages and the train tickets he promised. The man begged her not to go, but she refused to stay. So, he loaded up the wagon with Minnie, her son, their meager possessions, and drove her to town.
He left her at the train station and said, "I need to go to the bank and get your money and the money for the tickets." Two hours went by. Minnie checked outside several times, but no man was in sight.
Minnie walked over to the general store. There were several men inside drinking coffee. None of the men knew Minnie. At the top of her rather loud voice, she said, "Is there a Mason in the building?"
Silence. The men looked at each other.
Minnie raised it a notch, "I SAID, IS THERE A MASON IN THE BUILDING?"
A fellow came over and said, "Ma'am, can I help you?"
Minnie told the fellow about the farmer/moonshiner who said he was a Mason. She explained the deal they had made, her wages, the train tickets, and being abandoned at the train station.
The fellow said, "Okay, wait right here."
The fellow and five other men left the general store.
A couple of hours later, the men returned. The fellow went up to Minnie and said, "Here are your wages, train tickets, and fifty dollars for your trouble!"
And that is how my Granny and my father got to Miles, Texas.
In 1925, Minnie was thirty-one years old. Her son, Gil, was six. She had never married the child's father. He was in prison.
The father was from a wealthy family but had been disowned by his dad for his womanizing and thieving ways. He had already abandoned two sons. Gil would never meet his father.
Minnie was the youngest of thirteen kids. Her mother died when she was nine and her father when she was twelve.
Raised mostly by her wits while living with different brothers and sisters, she left their homes at twenty-one to seek her fortune. Fortune was working as a waitress and hooking up with a fellow twenty years older who was a sometimes short-order cook and full-time thief.
Minnie's prospects in 1925 in Dallas, Texas, were pretty slim. Her brothers' and sisters' families were farmers close to the small town of Miles, Texas, a couple of hundred miles away. With no man, no family, her only skills were cooking and cleaning. She answered an ad in the Dallas News.
A widowed farmer in Southern Oklahoma had two young girls, and he needed someone to help take care of his children and be the cook and help with chores on the farm. To prove he was a man of good repute, his ad said he was a Mason. Masons were a secret organization but looked at favorably by folks in this part of the country.
She wrote the man and explained she could do the job, but she had a six-year-old boy, and she wanted $ 30-month wages and train tickets to Oklahoma for her and the boy. If things did not work out, she wanted train tickets to Miles, Texas.
He wrote back and agreed to her terms and enclosed two train tickets to Oklahoma.
When Minnie and her son arrived at the small town close to his farm, the man met them in his wagon pulled by two horses.
Minnie did love the little girls, but she thought the farm was run down. In a few days, she thought the man was lazy.
She was also concerned that there were Indians around. The man said, "Pay them no mind; they are harmless."
At the end of the first month, the man said he would have to go to town and get the money for her wages, and he would do that in a day or two. But Minnie made a discovery that changed everything.
There was a barn about half a mile from the farmhouse. Minnie's chores did not take her down to that barn. But Gil wandered off, and she found him at the barn. She also found a bunch of drunk Indians.
She also found out how this lazy farmer made his living, moonshine. The still was in the barn. His customers were Indians from the reservation that was not far away.
Minnie was appalled. She told the man she was through, and she wanted her wages and the train tickets he promised. The man begged her not to go, but she refused to stay. So, he loaded up the wagon with Minnie, her son, their meager possessions, and drove her to town.
He left her at the train station and said, "I need to go to the bank and get your money and the money for the tickets." Two hours went by. Minnie checked outside several times, but no man was in sight.
Minnie walked over to the general store. There were several men inside drinking coffee. None of the men knew Minnie. At the top of her rather loud voice, she said, "Is there a Mason in the building?"
Silence. The men looked at each other.
Minnie raised it a notch, "I SAID, IS THERE A MASON IN THE BUILDING?"
A fellow came over and said, "Ma'am, can I help you?"
Minnie told the fellow about the farmer/moonshiner who said he was a Mason. She explained the deal they had made, her wages, the train tickets, and being abandoned at the train station.
The fellow said, "Okay, wait right here."
The fellow and five other men left the general store.
A couple of hours later, the men returned. The fellow went up to Minnie and said, "Here are your wages, train tickets, and fifty dollars for your trouble!"
And that is how my Granny and my father got to Miles, Texas.
The father was from a wealthy family but had been disowned by his dad for his womanizing and thieving ways. He had already abandoned two sons. Gil would never meet his father.
Minnie was the youngest of thirteen kids. Her mother died when she was nine and her father when she was twelve.
Raised mostly by her wits while living with different brothers and sisters, she left their homes at twenty-one to seek her fortune. Fortune was working as a waitress and hooking up with a fellow twenty years older who was a sometimes short-order cook and full-time thief.
Minnie's prospects in 1925 in Dallas, Texas, were pretty slim. Her brothers' and sisters' families were farmers close to the small town of Miles, Texas, a couple of hundred miles away. With no man, no family, her only skills were cooking and cleaning. She answered an ad in the Dallas News.
A widowed farmer in Southern Oklahoma had two young girls, and he needed someone to help take care of his children and be the cook and help with chores on the farm. To prove he was a man of good repute, his ad said he was a Mason. Masons were a secret organization but looked at favorably by folks in this part of the country.
She wrote the man and explained she could do the job, but she had a six-year-old boy, and she wanted $ 30-month wages and train tickets to Oklahoma for her and the boy. If things did not work out, she wanted train tickets to Miles, Texas.
He wrote back and agreed to her terms and enclosed two train tickets to Oklahoma.
When Minnie and her son arrived at the small town close to his farm, the man met them in his wagon pulled by two horses.
Minnie did love the little girls, but she thought the farm was run down. In a few days, she thought the man was lazy.
She was also concerned that there were Indians around. The man said, "Pay them no mind; they are harmless."
At the end of the first month, the man said he would have to go to town and get the money for her wages, and he would do that in a day or two. But Minnie made a discovery that changed everything.
There was a barn about half a mile from the farmhouse. Minnie's chores did not take her down to that barn. But Gil wandered off, and she found him at the barn. She also found a bunch of drunk Indians.
She also found out how this lazy farmer made his living, moonshine. The still was in the barn. His customers were Indians from the reservation that was not far away.
Minnie was appalled. She told the man she was through, and she wanted her wages and the train tickets he promised. The man begged her not to go, but she refused to stay. So, he loaded up the wagon with Minnie, her son, their meager possessions, and drove her to town.
He left her at the train station and said, "I need to go to the bank and get your money and the money for the tickets." Two hours went by. Minnie checked outside several times, but no man was in sight.
Minnie walked over to the general store. There were several men inside drinking coffee. None of the men knew Minnie. At the top of her rather loud voice, she said, "Is there a Mason in the building?"
Silence. The men looked at each other.
Minnie raised it a notch, "I SAID, IS THERE A MASON IN THE BUILDING?"
A fellow came over and said, "Ma'am, can I help you?"
Minnie told the fellow about the farmer/moonshiner who said he was a Mason. She explained the deal they had made, her wages, the train tickets, and being abandoned at the train station.
The fellow said, "Okay, wait right here."
The fellow and five other men left the general store.
A couple of hours later, the men returned. The fellow went up to Minnie and said, "Here are your wages, train tickets, and fifty dollars for your trouble!"
And that is how my Granny and my father got to Miles, Texas.
 Recognized |
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Granny (Minnie) told me this story in 1977 a few months before she died. I had gone to visit her and asked, "How did you end in Miles, Texas" and this was her answer. She did not mention my father's father. I found that out later doing genealogy research.
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