Percy Mayes - Part 1

WN: August the 16th, and I'm in the church that the Reverend Mayes, Percy Mayes has helped establish, and he's gonna tell us today about himself and also about his church. First of all, Reverend Mayes, I'd like for you to tell us your full name and when you were born and anything you can think of, like your parents and your grandparents, their names on both sides of the family because we want this to go in the genealogical library in Bristow. And maybe one of these days, one of your grandchildren may come back and wanna know everything about Granddaddy.

PM: Thank you. I'm Percy Alford Mayes. My parents were Eric Arthur Mayes and Gurtha L. (Lee) Wortham Mayes. There were six children born to the family. I 00:01:00have one older brother, Ozie Mayes, who passed away last year. The rest of the children are all living. Just one had passed.

WN: Give me their names, but before you give 'em the names, tell me how to spell Ozie's name so we'll have it right in the newsletter.

PM: O Z I E.

WN: O Z I E. Okay.

PM: It's really Ozie Lee Mayes.

WN: Ozie Lee. Oh.

PM: L E E M A Y E S.

WN: Okay.

PM: He's oldest. I'm next to him. We attended grade school together, high school together. Even though Ozie was older than I, I finished high school with him. I guess I was a little more mischievous than he was, and I made two grades in one year.

WN: Oh, how wonderful.

PM: Caught up with him and stayed along with him until graduation.

WN: All right, now what about the other four children? Can you give me their names too?

PM: The other children, Vera (Mayes Dade) is next to me, then Velma, Roxie (Lillian Mayes Tate), Junior. That is, [indecipherable] May Junior, and Ola and Doris (Maybell Mayes Terry).

WN: Alrighty.

PM: All living.

WN: Now where were you? Where were you born? In what area?

PM: I was born in Arthur City, Texas

WN: In Lamar County.

PM: 1919, May 18th, 1919.

WN: And did you come up to Bristow about when, Reverend Mayes?

PM: I came up, I came to Bristow with my parents in 1929, in the month of November.

WN: You came right at the height of the depression then, didn't you?

PM: Yes. And just before in that awfully bad winter, 29 went to 29, 30 real cold. We walked across a pond during the time when it was real cold being in an area we were unfamiliar with, we did not know that we were walking across a pond on our way to school because it was all iced over, and you just think he was walking on the ground if he didn't know where he was. So one day on our way from school, from the Sand Creek School in Okfuskee County, east of Boley. We walked 00:04:00out on the pond that we didn't know was there, and it began to crack.

WN: Oh my.

PM: We turned and went back and went around. So nobody got--

WN: You didn't have catastrophe.

PM: Fell in the pond or anything like that. But the entire group, that is myself, the rest of the children, finished our elementary schooling at the Sand Creek School. I went on along with my brother to Boley High School, where we finished high school in 1937. During that time, we were, they were accepting boys in the service and they had a cc, what they call a CC Camp. There, boys 00:05:00could find employment. When I was not able to get enough money to go to college, I wanted to be in the CC Camp where I could earn enough to get,

WN: Yeah, that was amazing.

PM: To pay for my own college education, and there was a group of boys along with myself who took the examination, and we were all accepted, but they took the number they wanted before they got to me. I left home to go to work, then, in order to put myself through college.

WN: Now wait a minute. Back up. Was that discrimination? Was it white and black or were

PM: No.

WN: It was not.

PM: No, it wasn't discrimination. We just so happened that my family worked 00:06:00bottom land. We had good land where we were, and there was something to do all the time. And the yield from the crop planted was quite satisfactory.

WN: Your father must have been a good farmer, wasn't he?

PM: He was. He was a good farmer, willing to work, and he was in good place where we were, but we just wasn't able to get to college, so I ran away from home. I went to Texas, went to work over there and from where I was, I had intended to go on further south in Texas. And from there I had planned to go to Washington, the state of Washington, where I had an uncle who was quite well 00:07:00off. I wanted to get up there, not to get any of his money, nor his help but to work. And while I was there, this may sound a little funny, but it's true. My brother married and his wife was a friend to Thelma. So [indecipherable] began to correspond with Thema. Thelma wrote me a little card, just a simple little postcard and whatever she had on it sound good. Instead of me going to Texas and to Washington, I came back to Bristow. I mean, I came back to Boley and we were married.

WN: How old were you when you were married?

PM: 21.

WN: 21. And how old was Thelma?

PM: Thelma, if I got a correct age, she was 19.

WN: Very romantic.

PM: And we've lived ever, we've lived together since that time. Have six children.

WN: All right. Now I want you to be sure and tell me what her maiden name was now, and I want the names of all of your children, because this may be important one of these days. Very important.

PM: All right. Her maiden name was Thelma Ryans.

WN: Ryans. And can you tell me her mother and father's names for your grandchildren?

PM: Eliza Ryans was her mother.

WN: Do you know what her maiden name was?

PM: No, I don't.

WN: Okay. All right. I thought it might help your children one of these days. If you can think of it, maybe it'll come to you or something.

PM: I'm sorry.

WN: That's all right. I don't know.

PM: Dukes. *(Based on research, her name was possibly Eliza G. Watts Ryans.)

WN: Oh, Dukes. That's great.

PM: It was Dukes.

WN: that may help your child sometimes.

PM: Yes, it was. It was really Dukes and that's about all they is to it.

WN: Alright, now then, give me the names of your children.

PM: All of them?

WN: All of them. And if you can do their birth dates, do that too.

PM: I can't.

WN: You can't. Okay. All right. Just gimme the names, their names

PM: The oldest daughter is Garnett (ph). The next daughter is Marian (ph), then Margaret, Barbara, Anna and Brenda.

WN: All pretty girls, huh?

PM: All mean as they can be. The only boy born into our family was named Percy Alford Mayes. He suffocated and he was left in a car in Okemah while my wife was shopping, and he turned over towards his nose, toward the back seat. You know?

WN: Yes.

PM: He in the back seat with the nose toward the back of the seat and was down against the back of the seat and he kind of suffocated and then I guess the cool air or something pneumonia developed from, was too complicated from he passed away.

WN: I know that was,

PM: That's the only boy we had in the family.

WN: All those girls

PM: and I have always studied the Bible from a small child. I've been interested in what was written in the scripture, the message for us.

WN: You've always had such a wonderful way of speaking every time I've ever been around where you've done anything, you just do the Word so nicely. You put everything together so well.

PM: I think you, kindly. I believe in studying and I love it. I still do that 00:11:00today. I'm doing a little more writing now than ever before. So, I was appointed a deacon of the church at an early age at Saint Emanuel Baptist Church, where I served as superintendent, the Sunday School at one time, and also, a deacon of the church.

WN: Alright, now. Where is that church?

PM: It's at Boley,

WN: At Boley.

PM: East of Boley.

WN: East of Boley.

PM: Just a few miles east of Boley on 60 off of 62 highway south. And in my love for the study of the Bible, I was drawn to into a close fellowship with the Lord and the studying of the Bible because I wanted to be obedient to what was said 00:12:00in the Bible, and tried hard to live it. And working with different ministers, I felt the urge to surrender fully to the Lord and let him have his way in my life. And under Reverend JW Tumbling (ph) one of my favorite pastors, I felt the urge to preach, and yet I was so ashamed to get up before people. I didn't like public speaking, but I felt that this is what God wanted me to do. So I surrendered to the call, preached my first sermon in Saint Emmanuel Baptist Church east of Boley. Later on, I was called to the, I was ordained and after 00:13:00ordination, I was called here to the church south of Bristow, the what, the church that is now Greater Mt. Herman.

WN: Oh yes.

PM: I pastored there two years, and after the two years, was up people here requested my service. here, but I was reluctant to leave that church because I really loved those people. They loved me. I was quite satisfied at that. But after praying over it, I felt that here was a place where the Lord wanted me to be. So I gave up, accepted a call here, and I moved here October 26th, 1950. I 00:14:00looked at the cemetery [undecipherable] on the east side of the church and there's a rock there. I stood on that rock and summing everything up, I said for myself, five years here will be the limit. And I then, but I missed it. I've been here 42 years.

WN: Oh my word. But now, when you first came, where were, was the church right here?

PM: Yes, the church was on this spot. It was, it is a frame. It was a framed building here.

WN: Okay. Now you've written the history of this church, haven't you?

PM: I have the history. I also have the picture, some pictures here. I've got 'em together for you.

WN: Oh. Now can I take those pictures and have Mr. Coleman make some prints of 00:15:00them. So we'll have 'em for the library and for the historical society?

PM: If you can use them, you'd be quite welcome to them.

WN: I don't wanna take anything, I mean, I'll have a print made of the things and then I'll bring them back to you, but I surely want a copy of this, the history that you have written for our library down here.

PM: I have it here. I have a copy for you. I have copies for you, and I will go over this one, if you will.

WN: Oh yes. Now I do it orally because now we'll have people that'll come down to the library, won't read, but they will listen. So if I've got it on the tape and I have it written and we have, you know, double contact.

PM: Duffey Chapel Baptist Church History. This was written in 1981.

WN: Okay.

PM: "In Bristow, Oklahoma, on August the 15th, 1919, near a persimmon tree on the east side of this present structure, Reverend Frank Duffey, Mrs. Frank (Lela) Duffey, Mr. Beatty Duffey, Brother McKinley Shoals and a borrowed deacon from Lincoln High named Johnny Williams, met in a small oil field house measuring approximately 14 by 14 by 16 feet. These charter members organized the Duffey Chapel Baptist Church and later purchased this lot where the church now stand for $125. The church held an evangelistic crusade at the southeast corner of 10th and Poplar Streets. The meetings were held under tents borrowed from Mr. 00:17:00M Jones. Reverend Johnson conducted the meetings. This effort led to the building of a frame structure, serving as a meeting place for worship until it was demolished. Carpenters building this house were Mr. Shaw, Mr. John Hall and others. The first stage of our new building [indecipherable] was completed in 1964 with Mr. Manset Hale (ph) contractors. The plumbing and electrical work was done by Brother Caesar Tolen. The members of our brotherhood helped with the construction. On March 3rd, 1973, Brother Jonas Thompson offered a motion that we start on the sanctuary of the church. The motion passed and the construction 00:18:00began as soon as plans were completed. Building contractors were Mr. Clyde McDaniel, Mr. Carl Cole and Mr. Raymond Bird. Plumbing and electrical work was done by Mr. Caesar Tolen. On June 10th, 1973, we laid the cornerstone. Reverend A.M. Garrett was guest speaker, and the stone was laid by Bristow Lodge # 74. Reverend I.G. Crawford served as alternate. Our church furniture was purchased at Wagner Brothers Manufacturing Company (ph) of Booneville, Arkansas. One table was donated to the church by Mr. and Mrs. William Cheatham, one by Brother Lewis Hamilton and few cushions by the First Baptist Church of Bristow, Oklahoma. 00:19:00Brother McKinley Shoals was instrumental in getting the cushions for the church. We thank God for His continued blessings. We thank the American National Bank and the Creek Farmers Federal Credit Union for counseling and for financial assistance. We thank the donors for the many contributions to the church. Dedication services were held on April 26th through the 28th, 1974. Reverend David Shibley was guest speaker on April 26th at 7:00 PM and Reverend Eric Arthur Mayes was guest speaker at 3:00 PM on April 28th."

WN: Yes, I just, I wanna ask you we'll back up to the community, our black 00:20:00community here. Tell me as much as you can about any businesses that were here on this street. And also I'd like to know a little bit about Lincoln School over there. What you remember. And if you can name me, any of the teachers, or The Reverend Mayes has just handed me a reunion catalog that they worked out, and it was August the 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st and September the 1st in 1985. Gosh, it looks fantastic. Who put this thing together?

PM: Group of alumni.

WN: The group of alumni. Wow. You all did beautifully. Is there a copy of this down at the library that you know of?

PM: If you don't have, you're welcome to.

WN: Do you have a spare copy? Could we have, if I could find a spare copy, one for the museum and one for the library at some point in time? I don't want to take this, but if we--did you sell 'em?

PM: You might have that if you like, because I have others.

WN: Oh, do you?

PM: Yes.

WN: Alright. I'm gonna take this and put it in the public library then. Would that be all right with you?

PM: You're quite welcome to.

WN: Okay, now, if anybody ever wants to look at one of these and you hear 'em, just tell 'em to go back to the desk and ask for the key to the genealogy section. They keep it in a, we keep it in a little cabinet there, and we're trying to make a genealogy library. This would be wonderful and this will answer questions of a lot of people.

PM: Lot of names. You would,

WN: Oh yes, you have all these wonderful names

PM: And if you can use that.

WN: Oh yes. Oh, this would be

PM: Just feel free.

WN: Great. And this might give us some other people to contact also when we get to do and on the black community. And then you have a summary of the past reunions there and some wonderful pictures. Oh, I think that's great. That is really good. I will. We surely will. Alright, now then, let me ask you, let's go 00:22:00back to the town then. Can you think of any businesses that were here on the street? I know some of 'em are gone 'cause I can remember there used to be a funeral home there, I know. Wasn't there? At one point in time.

PM: The Fields Funeral Home (ph) was located in this block on the south side of the street and on the corner of the 10th and Chestnut Street, there was a hotel, a two-story building.

WN: Do you remember the name of the hotel?

PM: I don't remember the name of it.

WN: Yeah.

PM: It was there when we moved here, and I'm quite sorry, but I don't remember the name of it.

WN: Yeah.

PM: But I don't.

WN: Was there a grocery store there?

PM: There was two grocery stores here on this block. One was the Oliver's 00:23:00Grocery Store to the west of the church on the adjoining lot. There was a Fields Grocery Store (ph) that was, at one time, the Peevy Grocery store.

WN: Oh, yes.

PM: I remember on the other side of the street. After the Peevy's left, then Willie Fields took the store. There was a Masonic Lodge right over here on this corner. There was the lodge. That's the way I was raised in that lodge, right on this corner.

WN: On that corner.

PM: Those are the only businesses that we had in this particular area.

WN: Yeah.

PM: Later on I established and operated a barbershop on 10th Street, just across 00:24:00Chestnut, there by where C.D. Ashley lived.

WN: Oh, yes.

PM: In the building that he once operated his office with the extension, so to say.

WN: Then when did they build our, when did they do the community center here? The building down there on the corner. Has that, how many years has that been? See, it's escaped me. I have,

PM: I don't know just exactly what year.

WN: But it's been in operation for some time.

PM: It was. But in 1930, I'm trying to get it together, in 1940, I believe long 00:25:00there, that's when they built the building, but I don't know whether it's 41, 42.

WN: Yeah.

PM: Must been in the forties.

WN: Okay. Then in my mind, and I haven't been down there in a long time, didn't there used to be a park down there in connection with the school, a playground area for kids. Seemed like I used to come over there once in a while and play ball with somebody, but I don't remember.

PM: There was a playground to the north of the school.

WN: Yeah, down in that low area down there

PM: From the school down to 12th Street.

WN: Yeah.

PM: There was a playground there at the school.

WN: You know what I really would like to know, too, is I'd like to know some of 00:26:00the feelings that some of the early people had about living in, in the Bristow area. What kind of relationships did we, I mean, to me it's always been really good. But then, see I was over there and somebody was over here, so I've never known of any friction but I'm sure there has been. But I know that horrible thing they had in Tulsa spilled over into Bristow at that one point in time when they were doing things to the Black. But I, I've always felt like that's the black people in our community have been so wonderful about so many things, some so cooperative and so, you know, they just have been, I don't know whether it, I just have wondered about their real feelings sometimes and it maybe it's not worth expressing, you know.

PM: I would like to express my personal feelings about, I would, I'd like to begin by saying I was raised in an all colored town, and that was Boley. When I 00:27:00came to Bristow, this mixed town, that is, we had white and black people here, but I found a wonderful relationship existing between all people in the city. It was first of all, it's peaceful. Then I found that in the trade section, people were so nice to, to their customers. And especially your father (Earl Walter Ford), you know?

WN: Yeah. I'm gonna tell you, my father,

PM: You may not want me to mention this.

WN: No, that's, no.

PM: He was so nice to our family and other families I talked to, your father was nice to them.

WN: I just grew up and he's, he just loved some of the people. They were,

PM: I think he loved, just loved people and was concerned about people and was 00:28:00willing to help people. And he will always be remembered by people that are here.

WN: I just,

PM: And I didn't find any, I didn't find a lot of prejudice here in our community. Its friendly. And yet on the other hand, it was a town that was people were businesslike. They were not clownish.

WN: Yeah.

PM: At all full of business. And I admire them for their Christian relationship existing between the people of all races here for the Indians or blacks or whites.

WN: Are they Syrians or anybody else?

PM: Yes. Oh,

WN: Great. Yes.

PM: I just give Bristow a good rating, not because I'm speaking to you on this, but because I found it that way.

WN: I remember when I'd come over to Lincoln School, my, the discipline, the children were just so wonderful and everybody was so happy. And I just, it, it really has changed these last few years, hasn't it?

PM: Yes, it has.

WN: So, and I'm sorry to say that, but it

PM: One time we could sleep over here without our doors locked, maybe out on the porch if we got too hot in the house.

WN: Yeah.

PM: That has changed now.

WN: Yeah.

PM: We're a little afraid to do any of those things.

WN: That's not only here. It's

PM: Yes

WN: In my place and everything else. It's just, it's a change of the time.

PM: I'm sad to say that something in the larger cities has filtered down to.

WN: Yes, it's too bad. But you know what? When people like you all and everybody keep working in the church and everything, something good's gonna happen one of these days, it's gonna swing back around. I just have great faith in that.