Cora Lee Meek & Lawrence Earl Johnson

Cora & Larry-Hell Raisers For Sure

 

Cora and Larry were my Grandparents and my Father's parents.  

They started off their lives together raising hell.  When they got married (for the first time), on June 29, 1925, they lied.  They lied about their ages.  Grandma Cora said she was 19, but she was really only 15.  Grandpa Larry said he was 22, but he was really only 19.  

They were married by the Justice of the Peace in Altus, Jackson County, Oklahoma.

Grandpa stated his occupation as being a Farmer.  Grandma stated her occupation as being a Farmer's daughter.  I guess after she was married, her occupation became a Farmer's wife.  It turns out that Grandma had many occupations after she got married.  Farmer's wife, baby maker, guard of the still where they made their white lighting/moonshine, etc.

The husband's parents were named as V. E. Johnson (Virgil Eagleton Johnson) who lived in Eakly, OK.  The wife's parents were named as Mrs. Martha Miller who lived in Binger, OK.

Please see their marriage record below where they told their tale....

Grandma and Grandpa had six children together.  Their first child died shortly after she was born.  Their second child was Jasper Edgar born 1927, Virgil James was born in 1929.  

Below is a photo of Grandma Cora with either Jasper or Virgil.

Cora Lee Meek

Grandma and Grandpa separated after Virgil was born.  I am not sure if they got divorced and remarried or not.  In any event, they were still seeing one another.  They got back together again when they discovered that Charles Paul was on the way.  Charles was born in 1931.  Ellen Jane was born in 1933, Lawrence Gerald was born in 1935.

Back row, Cora, Virgil, Front row, left to right, Lawrence, aka little Larry, aka John, Ellen, Charles

In the photo above, Jasper is missing.  He may been away somewhere.  My Dad, John has his hands all balled up like he was going to fight.  Being the youngest, he had to fight his brothers, and the Johnson boys were raised to be tough.  My Dad's hands are already almost as big as Charlie's hands.  I think this photo was taken after they came to California from Oklahoma.  Hell Raisers for sure in this photo.  I'm not too sure if any of them had any Holy Roller in them; maybe a tad toward the end of their lives.

Lawrence Earl Johnson is on the right and his brother, Harve Orville Johnson is on the left

I don't have very many photos of my Grandpa Johnson.  The photo above is one of the few that I have.  Again, a couple of Hell Raisers and then some! Not a drop of Holy Roller in these two!

My grandparents eventually divorced.  Cora went on to get married again to Don Sinclair.  Larry never remarried. 

I have many stories about the Johnson family.  Some of them went on great adventure.  Some of their adventures weren't so great.  I am debating whether to tell you about some of their adventures.  Lots of juicy stories, that's for sure!

Moonshine and Prairie Dogs

For some reason, I have this fascination with the prohibition era.  I think it is because I know that some of my ancestors and Grandparents were moonshiners.

I ran across an interesting story when I was researching prohibition in an Oklahoma paper printed in 1921.  The story is about moonshine and prairie dogs. 

Prairie dogs are a type of squirrel.  They build complex tunnels that include separate areas for sleeping, going to the toilet, and even a separate area to be used for a nursery.  They live in large colonies and feed on grasses, roots, and seeds.   They tend to be very social little creatures.  They have a complex communication system that include different pitched barking sounds.  Prairie dogs got their name from settlers crossing the plains.  The settlers thought they sounded like dogs barking.

 Check out this article I found.
The El Reno Daily Democrat (El Reno, Okla.), Vol. 31, No. 5, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 20, 1921
Prairie Dogs Soused  (By United Press)
Cheyenne, Wyo., April 20.--Wyoming prairie dogs are the latest victims of illegal booze traffic.  When a sheriff's posse visited the country west of Cheyenne recently in search of moonshine stills, members of the band saw staggering prairie dogs, unable to find the "front door" to their holes.  Investigation showed that several pints of whisky had been "cached" in various prairie dog holes and had been broken with the consequences of a spree in dog town.

These particular prairie dogs mentioned in the article above apparently, washed their grasses, roots, and seeds down with moonshine.