Education - Schmeducation

Grandpa Lester Adair graduated from high school.  Big deal, right?  I guess I just never thought about my grandparent’s education. 

Education in the 1930’s in Oklahoma wasn’t easy, the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl presented many challenges for students, teachers and schools.  Schools faced budget cutbacks and had to come up with creative ways to keep schools running.  Although education was highly valued by Americans prior to the 1930’s the limited amount of funding changed the way we thought about education.  It was a luxury that could not always be afforded.  Education was not highly regulated like it is today.  Students didn’t always attend school for 9 months a year as we do now.  Most students did not attend kindergarten or 12^th grade.  One room schools, where one teacher taught all grade levels in a single classroom was common, particularly in rural areas.

The depression impacted schools beginning in 1932, budget cutbacks led to reduction in school hours, increased class sizes, lower teacher salaries and school closings.  Schools and districts got creative by cutting out courses like music, foreign language, sports programs, cafeterias or even stopped providing school supplies and books to students. {Good hell, this could have been written today}

However, kids began to stay in school longer since jobs were harder to find, which led to more students in under-resourced schools.  Teachers also struggled to teach undernourished kids.  Despite these challenges it was a great time for literature for kids and adults – Dick & Jane readers, Nancy Drew, Dr. Seuss, Earnest Hemingway, Agatha Christie, and John Steinbeck to name a few.

Statistics from Oklahoma schools show Muskogee County had double, almost triple the students in school during the 1930’s as surrounding counties enrolled.  Was this due to more poverty or to an emphasis on education?

The dust bowl added to problems such as decreases in school support/funding due to falling property taxes.   Students were often sent home from school due to dust storms, a bit like “snow days” in our day.  This caused problems as well as teachers worried students would lose their way on the walk home.  The dust was so bad it would be completely dark in the middle of the day.  Lanterns would be lit so students could continue with lessons or sometimes the students were kept overnight so they wouldn’t get lost or overcome by dust.

I can’t imagine attending school in these circumstances, I barely survived school under great circumstances.  But Lester did . . . and I even found his final credit register (report card)

Lester took classes such as:  algebra I, geometry plane, US history, Oklahoma state history, ancient history, English I, II, III and IV,  physics, physiography, psychology, typewriting, com geography, and phys training.

Physiography?  A subfield of geography that studies physical patterns and processes in the earth.  It aims to understand the forces that produce and change rocks, oceans, weather, and flora and fauna patterns.  I’m betting Lester thought Flora and Fauna were attractive girls and that’s why he took the class.  I can’t even imagine why he would consider geometry plane.  He had teachers like Mr. Dalton, Mr. Hogan, Ms. Pinner and Ms. Haworth.  

I find it interesting to think about - Lester graduated.  He lost his mother when he was young, his father left him with his grandparents who were farmers and who were tough and strict.  Education was a luxury that could not always be afforded, and he graduated!  That's awesome.

My hope when requesting his record was to get a home address for him, but alas, it wasn’t include on the record.  Stinking Mack just won’t give up any information. 

Lester graduated in May of 1935, he and grandma Zola married in September of 1936.  Here is their marriage license and certificate.  Notice Lester’s age?  21 years old?  I don’t think so! 

Now I’m no geometry plane major, but if one was born August 19, 1917 and you register for a marriage license September 2 of 1936, that makes you 19, barely.  Not 21 years old.  Zola’s age is correct, she was born November 4, 1916.  Why did they fib on the age?  To avoid parental consent?  You have to be 18 to marry without parental consent, Lester would have been 19 for 3 weeks.  Did he not want to be “younger” than Zola?   Does anyone know the details on this?  Dang I wish they were here, I have a list of questions miles long.  The first one being “grandpa, are your fingers straight in heaven?”

With Her Paramour

Oh fam, I found a scandal . . . Okay, like 3 or 4 generations back, but it’s still fun. Probably wasn’t for them.

A. R. (Albert) & Sarah Hinkle 

Who is Albert Hinkle to us? Albert is our Great Great Great Uncle. 

Researching the Hinkle line I went to old on-line newspaper archives.  You can find wedding notices, death notices and other bits and pieces.  That's how we found the awesome stories about all the run ins Mack had with the devil in the jungles.  

In the 1900 census records I found A.R. Hinkle with wife listed as Sarah.  There were two Hinkle children in the household and a "step-son" George Strahan listed as four years old.  The record indicated A.R. and Sarah were married and the length of time was 1 year.  Interesting, so they were both married before?  Were they widower/widow or divorced?  Digging through the Springfield (Missouri) Ledger and Press there it was - dated October 7, 1897

Oh my Albert!  It seems Albert and Sarah had a forbidden love - and got busted.  But hey, who doesn't want to live with their paramour over a hot tamale factory?  Luckeeeeeee.

There were arrested and their trial was to be held on Saturday.  I have not found the trial records, but I am looking this up for sure!

Bits and Pieces of Mack & Minnie

You know my obsession for Mack runs strong. I don't know why I love that mean old man so much, but I am determined to find his parents. Through this obsession I've found many cousins, and it's been really fun to connect with them and see pictures of their families.

One cousin sent me this treasure. This beautiful photo is Mack & Minnie and their young family. They had 10 children, 8 that reached adulthood (with the first sibling passing in 1925). We believe we know who each person is in the photo, left to right.

William "Bill" Bolen Adair
James "Jim" Harrison Adair (our line)
Eva Mae Adair Barnett
Mack Adair (seated)
Mack Adair, Jr.
Josephine "Josie" Adair Newsome
Arminda "Minnie" Hinkle Adair (seated)
Emma Adair Todd
Beatrice Adair Carroll Fugate

Where is their oldest daughter Cora Adair Peebles? Well, purely speculation on my part but the youngest child in the family is Mack Jr. born in 1899. I am making the assumption that he is the youngest boy - since he is in pants. He looks to be four-ish years old in this photo. If that is the case this photo was taken in 1903 or 1904. Cora married Willie Peebles in 1903, Eva married John "Harrison" Barnett in 1904. Maybe this was taken after Cora's marriage but before Eva married and left home. 



There are always family stories floating around, and it's tough sometimes to tell stories from truth. In visiting with the cousins I've found there are 3 or 4 common themes . . . remember, it's not all pretty and that's okay. Each of these bits and pieces I've heard from at least 3 sources (kinda my standard to include it in my records).

Minnie was one tough gal:

• She always wore something on her head when she was older, as she didn't have much hair.
• She was afraid of water on her head, as a result she rarely if ever washed her hair.
• She chewed tobacco and had a spittoon.
• Once when she had a bad tooth she pulled it herself.

Mack:

• 1 family line indicated Mack was adopted and raised by another family. Two family lines indicated they had never heard that story or anything like that. None of them have any information on Mack's parents or siblings. 
• 3 family sources have all indicated they heard a story of Mack while serving as a constable or deputy sheriff in Missouri shooting and killing a man for drinking at a "whites only" water fountain/trough. This upset the local community to the point Mack was given a referral for similar work in Muskogee Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and that is how the family ended up in Oklahoma.  (UPDATE:  A new cousin contact (4th source) heard Mack was a US Marshal during this incident.  I'm researching)

There is no avoiding it really, but no one has much nice to say about Mack and Minnie. Some of the comments received from cousins (from children or grandchildren of Mack and Minnie) are "meanest people I ever knew" and "they treated their children/grandchildren with what would be considered abuse in our day."

All of them have said Mack and Minnie worked hard, and did the best they could.

Maxine, Grandpa Lester's youngest sister told her family little stories, as it seems she was a bit of a prankster. She got a hold of Mack’s pipe once and stuffed it with dried leaves instead of his tobacco. Maxine had said she had to tiptoe around him for days after that one. Also she cut off half of his mustache once when he was sleeping in a chair on the porch.

Maxine said once that another family member was complaining about how badly they were treated by Mack and Minnie, but Maxine defended them saying they did the very best they knew how. Maxine felt the girls were treated a lot better than the boys.

These things are tough to hear, but I do remember hearing similar stories. It hurts my heart to think of grandpa Lester being treated badly. From stories the boys (our dads) have told Lester had temper too, hearing about his upbringing gives us information that might helps us understand. As a grandchild I never saw that side of him, but I'm sure Bob, Gary and Dean could share stories, one that comes to my mind is when they had to tell him he couldn't drive anymore and they were there to take his drivers license.

There are many sides to people and not everyone sees every side of a person. We do know they donated to the Red Cross (through previous news articles) and they took in their four grandchildren and raised them.

When grandpa Lester's mom, Clara, died his dad, Jim, was also sick with the same flu. The newspaper said that he was improving slowly. Clara's death certificate informant was her mother Mary Buschjost. It appears then she was there. Maybe she came for the birth of the new baby and stayed since Clara wasn't recovering. Maxine said the four children stayed with the Buschjost side of the family for a bit, but were all left outside the front gate of Mack and Minnie's farm with a suitcase. Mack and Minnie took them in.

From records we know that Clara's father died about 18 months before Clara did. His wife Mary had 5 children at home to provide for after her husband's death. It is difficult to imagine the hard choices people had to make then. It was said grandpa Lester and his brother and sisters were left at Mack and Minnie's gate, we weren't there and we don't know if Mary agonized over the decision to let her daughter's children go.  For all we know she may have easily rode away, we just don't know.

And in all of this where was Jim (James Harrison), why did he not keep his children with him? Again, we weren't there and we just cannot know what he was thinking or experiencing. Was he grieving at the loss of his wife? Maxine said of her father, "He was an alcoholic and we would go long stretches without seeing him to finding him passed out in Ma & Pa's (Mack & Minnie) front yard. He'd stay a couple days then be gone again." From Maxine's photo albums it appears Jim remarried a lady named Dora and Jim did much better after marrying her. I did find a census record in from 1940 with a James Harrison Adair with a Darline. I'm researching this further, but can't find marriage records for it. Maxine has her listed as his "common law" wife. But in a photo, they both have wedding rings on. When Jim passed away in 1950 his obituary did not mention being married, nor did his will.

Willie Peebles & Thelma Mounts

William “Willie” Mack Peebles & Thelma Josephine Mounts

Who are they to us? 

Mack and Minnie’s daughter Cora Adair married Will Peebles.  Willie Mack Peebles is their oldest son, he is Lester's cousin.  I don’t know if you remember the escapades of Mack and his friend John Mounts in the Jungles or not, but Thelma Mounts is John’s daughter.  Mack’s grandson married his best buddy’s daughter. 

Willie was born in Oklahoma City in 1904, at some point the family moved to Muskogee Oklahoma, his mother, Cora’s, home town.  Willie married Thelma Mounts in July of 1923.  It seems they settled in Muskogee and raised three children.

Harold Wayne born in 1924, Rosa Lee born in 1927, and Billy Gene born in 1929. (Photo of Harold and Rosa).  The youngest son Billy passed away at the age of three years old after a short illness.

I found several news articles in 1941 with titles such as:  Killing and Suicide Reported at Porter (Oklahoma),  Separate Services Today for Willie Peebles and Wife, and Porter Man Kills Ex-Wife and Self.  Boy, there is some heartache there. 

It appears that on a Saturday night in April 1941 Willie ran into Thelma on the main street of Porter, Oklahoma and was very angry about their divorce and the outcome of the divorce hearing.  The articles do not give further detail as to why he was angry, but he shot and killed her.  He then shot himself in the head and was taken to a hospital in Muskogee in "grave" condition.  He died the next day.  From what I have read it seems the Mounts family took in the two children Harold age 17 and Rosa age 14.  

I’ve been in contact with a cousin – who is the daughter of their oldest son Harold.  She didn’t know the Adair side of the family as it seems after Willie killed Thelma then himself there wasn’t much communication with the Peebles side of the family (Cora Adair’s married name is Peebles).  Harold's daughter says her father never spoke of what happened.

Willie's mother, Cora passed away in 1925, she didn't have to see her son take the life of his ex-wife then his own.  As a mother that would be heartbreaking.  I can't imagine how their children felt, how they moved forward and had marriages and families of their own.  

Thelma as a young girl.

Willie Mack Peebles (facing left) with his son Harold.

Harold and his sister Rosa - children of Willie and Thelma

A Simple Marriage License

What kind of information would a marriage license have?  Date, place, maybe signatures.  I have a copy of the marriage license for M.C. Henry and Miss Margaret Renfrow.  These people are Zola's parents, Pop Henry and Great Grandma Thornsbury.  Good stuff to be learned:

1. MC Henry is Marion Clinton Henry.  It seems he is referred to as Clint by his sisters, but seems his brothers often called him MC.
2. He was 21 years old when he married Margaret, and she was 15 years old.  It's interesting to note also, that she did not have to have parental consent to marry.  Which means she was of legal age.  
3. They were married January 3, 1909 by a Justice of the Peace, J.W. Dean.
4. A handwritten personal note was written on the license by Great Grandma.

"Son of M.C. and Margarett Henry borned February 2th 1912.  Died Feb 2th 1912.  Gone but not forgotten.  He has gone our presise darling never more will he return for he sleeps a peaceful slumber till the resurrectin morn.

for our beloved one gone 

suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not for sich is the Kingdom of Heven, aman."

This makes me so sad for them.  Child birth was so different in her world.  You may have noticed the spelling, as I typed it just like it appears.  Margaret never attended formal schooling, census records indicate she could read and write but that she hadn't attended school.  From previous pictures we know Clint attended some schooling, though I am not sure how much.  

In trying to find out normal ages for marriage then, there isn't really a standard answer.  Each state varied and life expectancy for a woman in the early 1900's is 50 years old.  Things such as poverty, fear, social status, and security (if she lacks family members - men - to provide) all contribute.  Although young, frankly it seemed to be the norm to marry around 15 to 16 years of age for girls in Arkansas at the time.  

This baby boy was born in 1912, Zola (born in 1916) was their oldest child (I thought) until finding this marriage license and note.  I wonder if there were more losses before Zola was born and survived.  

Finding this makes Margaret a little more real to me.  I mean, I knew her but only as an old great grandma with mushy apples and a house that was elevently-billion degrees.  But she was a young mom, with great loss too.  

Margaret Renfro Henry - about 1936 (about 43 years old)

What's in a Note?

Well, here I am again. Obsessing about Mack seems to be my favorite past time. Notice I didn't say "new" favorite past time.

In searching records of the White River Valley Historical Quarterly Society, a publication with interests in counties in Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas, including Stone, Taney, Green and Ozark Counties, I ran across this note:




If you notice in the first paragraph the writer out lines the names listed in the old notebook. Frank Hinkle and Dan Hinkle are included - followed a few names later by Mack Adair.

Pure speculation on my part at this time, but Minnie (Mack's wife) has brothers named Frank & Daniel J. Hinkle.  Could that be the same Frank and Dan Hinkle listed and maybe even working with Mack Adair? Is that maybe how Mack and Minnie met or Minnie's brothers helped Mack find work?  From records found previously in the "Jungles" Mack seems to be fond of religion and the United Brethren in Christ church is an evangelical Christian denomination with roots in Mennonite and German communities in Pennsylvania.  The Hinkles are originally from Pennsylvania and of German ancestry, so it would make sense they were associated with this type of church.  

Mack and Minnie were married by the 1880 census and living in that area. It's the right county and right time frame. Again, I may just be desperately looking for a connection, but I'm going to hold on to this just in case.

Adairs or Not? That is the Question

Family history is a lot of making contacts and exchanging information. I've connected with several of our Adair family's distant cousins and we've kept in touch and shared information.

Mack & Minnie

• Jessie Adair (1881-1882) did not have children
• Mary Adair (1883-1895) did not have children
• Cora J. Adair (1884-1925) - cousin connection (Lynn)
• Eva Mae Adair (1886-1970) 
• James Harrison Adair (1889-1950) - our line
• Beatrice Adair (1891-1959) - cousin connection (Marsha)
• William Bolen Adair (1893-1994) did not have children
• Emma Adair (1895-1962) 
• Josephine Adair (1897-1993) - 2 cousins connections (Sandy & Jo)
• Mack Adair, Jr. (1899-1986) - cousin connection (Chelsea)

Chelsea, this new cousin I recently connected with, is a descendant of Mack Adair, Jr. We shared information and what our sources were. I asked her what she knew about Mack Sr. this was her reply:

"So, as far as finding more on Mack Sr., it is hard and I am not sure we ever will. The story I have always been told about him (and it seems to be a story that was told often as everyone here seems to knows it) is that he was adopted into the Adair family as a baby. He was a member of a Native American tribe that was massacred and as far as we know he was the only living survivor. On census records they did not list him as Native American or Indian because of the stigma and prejudices then. Regardless, I have not been able to even find his adopted family, but I am always searching. I am not sure if that is the full story or even a true story, but I have always been at a wall with him as well and that would make sense to me as to why."

From what our cousin has been told Adair is the family who adopted him.  I'll have to look into this further.