Lucy Allen Smith

Lucy was the third child of Christopher Columbus Smith Sr. and his third wife Joanna (McGraw) Smith. 

Lucy was born with normal eyesight.  However, by the time she was five she had started to lose her eyesight. 

Florence Smith Yandell on the left and Lucy Allen Smith on the right

Lucy lived with her Mother, Joanna until her Mother's death in 1936.  After Joanna passed away, Lucy went to live with her sister Florence and her husband Oscar Yandell who lived on the Smith home place.

Lucy, like most other people who's sight was impaired, was highly developed in other ways.  She had a fantastic memory and it is said that she never forgot anything.

Lucy had Joe Cole write down the names of her Father's sister and three of his brothers.  She was hoping that someone would find them since she and her family had lost track of them after her Father, Dr. Smith passed away.  Their names were Jane, Bob, Dave, and Black.

Jane (Martha Jane) married Zedoc Stuchman.  Bob (Robert Larkin) married Margaret Ross first and Mary Chastian second.  Dave (David Elijah) was my Great Grandpa.  He married CJ Long first.  They did not have any children.  He than married my Great Grandma Margaret "Tinney" McGill.  They had seven children together.  Black (Charles B) married Sarah Fletcher.   They must have all visited Dr. Smith at his house  in Yell County, AR for Lucy to have remembered all of their names.

I would love to talk to anyone who remembers Lucy or any of the others mentioned here.

Christopher Columbus Smith

Christopher Columbus Smith was the first born child of Thomas H Smith and Agnes (Arnold) Smith.  He was born January 20, 1842 in Tennessee, and died in Yell County, Arkansas in 1898.

CC Smith was the oldest brother of my Great Grandfather, David Elijah Smith, and the Uncle of my Grandpa Fred Smith.

CC Smith packed a lot of living into the 56 years of his life.  He was married three times, served in the Civil War as a Confederate Soldier, and became a doctor.

He is listed on the Register of Physicians and Surgeons 1881-1896 certified to practice in Yell County, Arkansas.

He is buried in the Smith Family Cemetery near his farm in Yell County, Arkansas.

More to come about this amazing man who lived his life to the fullest!

Smith Family Cemetery, Yell County, Arkansas

Mama Rosie's Hot Potato Salad Recipe

My Mom made the best potato salad ever!  Since it was so delicious, I make mine the same way.  I 'm going to share her recipe with you but I don't have the exact measurements for anything.

Rosie's Hot Potato Salad

-Russet or Red potatoes, peeled and cubed (enough to fill a 2 quart sauce pan) add water and boil
-6 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped - you may save one for garnish if you wish
-chopped red onion or yellow onion to taste
-mayonnaise to taste (you may use light mayo)
-red or white vinegar to taste
-salt and pepper to taste

Once potatoes are cooked, (I like mine semi-firm) mix with chopped eggs, copped onion, mayo, salt, pepper, and vinegar.  I always add the vinegar last. 
You may use a potato masher if you want your potato pieces a little smaller, but don't mash too much.  You still want your salad chunky. 
You may want to garnish the top of the salad with one of the boiled eggs, sliced and sprinkle with a little paprika.

Serve salad hot.  Um-um Good!

The Term "Okie"

Californians Coined the Term "Okie"

According to this article published in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Santa Cruz, California on Friday, May 12, 1939, it was the residents of California that coined the term "Okie". 

We call them "migrants," scarcely hinting that they are Americans.

One hundred thousand!  Two hundred thousand!  Three hundred thousand!  The ill-clad and ill-fed migrants poured into California in broken down jalopies. 

Californians looked scornfully on this procession of human misery, "Migrants" was not the word to express contempt, and, and so Californians originated the word "Okie"

The article goes on to discuss John Steinbeck's relationship with the migrants, the camps, the "Grapes of Wrath", etc.

Please see attached article below.  My family experienced all of the "Okie" wrath. They hung in there and rose above it. They were still impoverished and lived simple lives, but their lives were better than the one they had before.

 

Tudy and Me

This is Tudy (Doreena) and me at our Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house on Rd 198 in Poplar, Ca.  I was about 7 or 8 here and Tudy was 5 or 6.  We were born almost exactly two years a part.

The house was still two rooms at this time.  The front room served as a living room/bedroom combination and the back room served as the kitchen/dining/bedroom combination.  Our Grandpa built the house himself.

Tudy and I spent more time here than we did at our own house since Grandma took care of us while our parents worked.  I thought it was the most wonderful place in the world and felt very safe and secure there.

As you can see, our skin was tanned from playing outside so much.  Tudy would always get much darker than me since she inherited the skin tone of our Father.  I would burn first and then get a little tan.  In the summertime, it would get so hot we wouldn't stay outside for too long unless we were in the shade.  We would run around in the  sun a bit, back in the shade, and back into the house to cool off.

Grandpa only had a swamp cooler in the front room that had to be sprayed down with water from the outside periodically, but it did a pretty good job of keeping us cooled down.

I don't know how my parents, Grandpa, and other family members stood the heat to work in the fields to support us.  Thinking about it now, I have a whole new respect for them and what they had to endure.

My Old Tulare County Pics

This blog has lots of wonderful photos of the Tulare County area.  This was an area where many of the families and people (referred to as Okies) migrated to during the dust bowl days and shortly afterward. 

I grew up in Tulare County until I was 11 years old.  My sister, Doreena Lynn aka Tudy, was born in Porterville, Tulare County, CA in 1957.

https://oldtularecopics.blogspot.com/

Smith Cousins - Mama's Side

Uncle Don and Aunt Betty's Girls
  
My Grandma and Grandpa Smith had six kids. Uncle Don was the first one to marry, although, he was the third one born out of the brood.

In this photo is Edna Mae, (the oldest out of thirty Smith grandchildren) Donna, and Barbara.  I'm not sure where the photo was taken.  I thought it might have been taken in Poplar, CA at the left front of my Grandma and Grandpa's house; but after looking at the surrounding background, I have determined it wasn't.  It might have been taken somewhere in Stockton, CA. 

I always thought Edna Mae was so wonderful and so pretty.  She was such a sweet person.  I miss my big cousin.