00:00:00Interviewer: Tammy Levin
Interviewee: JoNell Jones
Other Persons:
Date of Interview: April 6th, 2021
Location: Bristow, Creek County Oklahoma
Transcriber: Abby Thompson
Organization: Bristow Historical Society, Inc.
Original Cassette Tape Location: OHP-2021-20 00:00 -- 60:27
Abstract:
Preface: The following oral history testimony is the result of a cassette tape
interview and is part of the Bristow Historical Society, Inc.'s collection of
oral histories. The interview was transcribed and processed by the Bristow
Historical Society, Inc., with financial assistance from the Montfort Jones &
Allie Brown Jones Foundation. Rights to the material are held exclusively by the
Bristow Historical Society, Inc.
The reader should bear in mind that he or she is reading a verbatim transcript
of spoken, rather than written prose. Insofar as possible, this transcript tries
to represent the spoken word. Thus, it should be read as a personal memoir and
not as either a researched monograph or edited account.
To the extent possible, the spelling of place names, foreign words, and personal
names have been verified, either by reference resources or directly by the
interviewee. In some cases, a footnote has been added to the transcript in order
to provide more information and/or to clarify a statement. Some uncertainties
will inevitably remain regarding some words and their spellings. In these
scenarios, a (ph) follows a word or name that is spelled phonetically. The
notation [indecipherable] is used when the transcriber has not been able to
comprehend the word or phrase being spoken. The notation [inaudible] is used
where there is more mumbling than words, or when interference on the tape has
made transcription impossible.
TL: Okay, are you ready?
JJ: I guess so
TL: Okay. This is Tammy Levin with the Bristow Historical Society in Bristow,
and this interview is part of the historical societies ongoing historical oral
history project. The date is April 6th, 2021, I'm sitting here with--
JJ: JoNell Jones
TL: At Bristows train depot, who's going to tell me a little bit about their
history in the Bristow area. Now give me your full name.
JJ: JoNell Sears was my maiden name
TL: Okay
JJ: Jones
TL: Alright let's begin. Okay, what was your full name at birth?
JJ: JoNell Jones
TL: Okay, and where was you born?
00:01:00
JJ: I was born in Tulsa but I was brought right back here
TL: Okay
JJ: I've been here all my life
TL: Okay, okay. And was you born--were you born in, at the home or in a hospital?
JJ: In the hospital
TL: In the hospital, do you remember which hospital?
JJ: Well it was Morningside then but it's Hillcrest now
TL: Okay great. And your parents' names?
JJ: James and Eileen Lee Sears (ph)
TL: Okay, so your maiden name was Sears?
JJ: Mhm
TL: And how do you spell that?
JJ: S. E. A. R. S.
TL: Okay great. And when were your parents married?
JJ: Let's see here, about 27' I think
TL: 27', 1927?
JJ: 1927
TL: Okay, do you remember where they were married?
JJ: Here in Bristow
TL: Oh here in Bristow, okay. How many children did they have?
JJ: Me
TL: How many children did your parents have?
JJ: Me
TL: Just you? Oh goodness
JJ: Just me, I was enough
TL: Man, they stopped with perfection, right?
00:02:00
JJ: yeah, yeah.
TL: Yes. What did your father do?
JJ: He worked in the post office
TL: In the post office?
JJ: He was a mail carrier
TL: Okay
JJ: But he had hurt his back when he was an [Indecipherable] for years from the
time I was 11
TL: Okay
JJ: And he died when I was 22 so he was, it was pretty much bed fast that whole
period of time
TL: When he worked in the post office, did he work just in the post office or
was he a mail carrier?
JJ: Well he started out as a mail carrier
TL: Okay
JJ: But that's where he hurt this back, and then he moved into the window
TL: Okay, okay. And what about your mother, what did she do?
JJ: She was a homemaker
TL: Okay
JJ: A then after daddy died, she had to go to work and she worked at the
Community bank as a secretary.
TL: Okay, okay good deal. Okay, and what's your spouse's name?
JJ: William Edgar
TL: Okay, and what was the date of your marriage?
00:03:00
JJ: July the 27th, 1961
TL: 1961 okay, and how many children did you have?
JJ: Okay, both of us together had four
TL: Okay
JJ: He had a little girl and I had a little girl, it was a match
TL: Ooh!
JJ: And then we had two
TL: Okay, okay. And their names?
JJ: Julia
TL: Julia?
JJ: Becky
TL: Becky
JJ: Laura
TL: Laura
JJ: And Bill
TL: And Bill, okay. Okay so what was--he had two you say?
JJ: He had one
TL: No he had one and you had one
JJ: Uh-huh
TL: Okay, okay. Okay can you--we're going to go now to your early childhood.
JJ: Okay
TL: Okay? Tell me about your life and what it was like at home when you was
younger. Okay, can you tell me about some of your early memories of being
younger here in Bristow?
JJ: In this office
TL: We're gonna really work your memory today
JJ: One of my big memories is we lived out on Jefferson
TL: On Jefferson?
JJ: And it was still a dirt street
TL: Okay
JJ: And I was playing out in front of my house in the dirt and mother was not
very happy about it because she just knew that some car was gonna come by and
00:04:00run me over
TL: Oh, uh-huh. She was worried about that, yeah yeah.
JJ: And we just lived alone in a two-bedroom house and at that time it was right
on the edge of town
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: Daddy had built it for her when they got married
TL: Okay, is the house still there?
JJ: Yes
TL: Is it?
JJ: Yes
TL: Okay do you drive by it to look at it?
JJ: Occasionally
TL: Do ya?
JJ: Occasionally, yeah
TL: Uh-huh, does it still look the same?
JJ: No
TL: No, okay.
JJ: They've changed it
TL: Okay, what was the address of that house, do you--
JJ: 512
TL: 512 Jefferson?
JJ: 512 east Jefferson
TL: East Jefferson, okay. 512 East Jefferson.
JJ: Isn't that funny?
TL: That you still remember it, yeah. What about some of the neighborhood kids?
Do you remember any of the neighborhood kids?
JJ: There was one little boy that lived next door but he was really old, her
00:05:00name was Ward (ph)
TL: Okay
JJ: There weren't any kids out there
TL: Okay, okay. What about--this is kind of an odd question, but what kind of
bed did you sleep in?
JJ: I had a regular full size bed
TL: Oh okay, what about your favorite toy as a child?
JJ: Oh I had a little doll that was named Sabra (ph). But I think I still have her.
TL: Do you?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Wow, what kind of doll was she? Was she a porcelain?
JJ: Just a baby doll
TL: Was it a porcelain type doll, porcelain head, china head?
JJ: I'm sure it had a China or Porcelain head because it was way before plastic.
TL: Right, uh-huh. Was it a blond or a brunette?
JJ: It didn't have--it didn't have hair, it had just--
TL: It had the painted head?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Painted hair?
JJ: She was kind of blonde
TL: Blonde? Okay
JJ: Yeah
TL: Okay, okay what kind of role did your mother play in the home?
JJ: She was the homemaker
TL: Until she had to go to work
JJ: Yeah
TL: Okay
00:06:00
JJ: She didn't go to work until my daddy couldn't work anymore.
TL: How was the laundry done?
JJ: We had a black woman that came and did it
TL: Okay, mhm. Okay, what about the cooking? Did she do the cooking as well?
JJ: Mother did all the cooking
TL: Did she do the cooking?
JJ: She was a fantastic cook
TL: Was she? What was your favorite meal that she fixed?
JJ: Oh dear, fried chicken.
TL: Fried chicken, oh that sounds good! Did you have mashed potatoes and gravy
with that fried chicken?
JJ: Oh of course.
TL: That sounds wonderful, what kind of stove?
JJ: She had a [Indecipherable] which was a really big stove for that little house
TL: Uh-huh
00:07:00
JJ: She won it at a drawing at the movies
TL: Oh wow
JJ: Isn't that fun?
TL: At the theater downtown?
JJ: At the Princes (ph)
TL: At the Princes
JJ: Yeah
TL: Did you hear that we just got some movie theater seats from the Princes
movie theater?
JJ: No
TL: Yup, I just--they were put out on the street curb and so I went and grabbed
them really quick, so how about that? So this lady that did your laundry, is
that all she did was for you? She just did the laundry for you or did she help
out some?
JJ: As far as I remember, I don't think--mother was an immaculate housekeeper, I
doubt if she let anybody come in.
TL: Okay, and what were some of the normal daily meals that you had?
JJ: We had three meals a day, we had breakfast and lunch and dinner.
TL: Okay, okay.
JJ: Supper, not dinner.
TL: Yeah, that's what I grew up with supper too. Are there any family recipes
from your childhood that you still make?
00:08:00
JJ: Oh yes
TL: Yeah? And what--can you tell me about some of them?
JJ: Well let's see, I still make mothers chocolate pie
TL: Do you?
JJ: And she made a coconut cake that I still make occasionally
TL: Do ya? Do your kids still make some of those recipes?
JJ: No
TL: No?
JJ: They don't cook, my children.
TL: Uh-huh, do they still ask for those two recipes?
JJ: No because they usually have them when they come
TL: Okay. Where did you shop for groceries?
JJ: What was her name? Shopped at Bishops, and we shopped at Roberts
TL: Okay, and were those neighborhood grocery stores?
JJ: They were on main street
TL: On main street, okay. Were there other neighborhood grocery stores though?
JJ: Yes, there was one or about two that was out on chestnut, I can't even think
of the name of it.
TL: Okay
JJ: [Inaudible]
TL: And did you have any daily chores that you had to do when you were little?
00:09:00
JJ: Had to make my bed
TL: You had to make your bed, uh-huh.
JJ: And help with the dishes
TL: Okay, okay. And I'm guessing you probably didn't have any livestock if you
lived in town
JJ: No we did
TL: Oh you did, did you?
JJ: My grandfather had a little farm just about four or five blocks from us east
over where Glen Acres (ph), or not Glen Acres. Anyway, we always had a cow and
chickens down there.
TL: Okay
JJ: A big garden
TL: Okay, and what did you grow in your garden?
JJ: Everything
TL: Did you have a favorite?
JJ: Green beans
TL: Green beans?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Did you help snap them?
JJ: Oh of course!
TL: Yeah? Did you eat more than you--?
JJ: No, I was not a very good eater
TL: Okay, okay uh-huh. Okay did you do your own butchering if you had cattle or did--?
JJ: They butchered hogs
TL: Okay
JJ: We never butchered cattle, but they butchered hogs.
TL: Okay, now did you use the cattle, the cow for the milk then?
JJ: Milk
TL: Milk? Okay. And how did you store your food?
00:10:00
JJ: How did we store?
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: We had a--I think we had an icebox when I was a real little girl and as soon
as we got a refrigerator, daddy bought one.
TL: Okay, so you had the old fashion icebox?
JJ: Yeah with the ice in the top of it
TL: So where did you get your ice from?
JJ: They delivered it, the ice company down on 1st street, or--down where
[Indecipherable] is now, about that area, there was a big ice plant.
TL: Okay. Okay this question is did your family employ household help? So yes
JJ: Some
TL: And did you have anyone else besides the lady that helped you with the laundry?
JJ: No
TL: No, just her okay. And it's asking how much were they paid? I'm sure you
00:11:00probably don't--
JJ: I have no idea
TL: Yeah
JJ: I want to say a dollar a day
TL: Okay
JJ: But that's strictly a guess
TL: That's an--right, right. Okay and what kind of clothes did you wear?
JJ: Whatever mother made.
TL: Oh did she make your clothes?
JJ: Yeah
TJ: Okay
JJ: She was a really good seamstress
TJ: Yeah
JJ: She was a really good homemaker, I mean she--she did all that, yeah.
TL: Right, the sewing machine, I'm guessing a treadle sewing machine?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Uh-huh? Do you still have that or is that long gone?
JJ: No it's long gone.
TL: Uh-huh, did you like to sew?
JJ: Not really
TL: No, that wasn't your thing?
JJ: I did a lot of sewing when my girls were growing up
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: But I didn't really like it
TL: Okay, did you have shoes to wear all year round
JJ: Yes
00:12:00
TL: Did you? Okay. And it's asking who did you play with most of the time?
JJ: Oh I had, I had two or three real good friends that we played. They were not
neighbors but they were close, close enough to get to.
TL: Did you have cousins to play with?
JJ: I had cousins to play with but they didn't live here
TL: Okay, okay. What were some of the common childhood games that you played?
JJ: Red rover, I'm sure we played Ring around the rosy when I was little bitty
TL: Right
JJ: Jacks
TL: Right, uh-uh. How about some of your favorite songs that you sang as a child?
JJ: I don't even remember them
TL: Okay. It's asking about your fathers' work and that was we already discussed
that. What was his role in the house? Did he help in the garden?
00:13:00
JJ: He--I'm sure he did anything that needed to be done but he was a
[Indecipherable] for years.
TL: Okay
JJ: So--my memories of him are in bed pretty much
TL: So how did he get hurt on his job?
JJ: Slipped on the ice
TL: Oh, okay.
JJ: Went down to crippling arthritis.
TL: Oh okay, you said he died when he was 22?
JJ: I was 22
TL: 22
JJ: Daddy was 44
TL: Aw so he died very young
JJ: But when he died, he could use his right elbow and his right hand.
TL: [Indecipherable]. Okay how about do you remember the first time you heard a radio?
JJ: We always had a radio
TL: Did you?
JJ: Yup
TL: Okay, saw television?
JJ: I was in college. The people of Bristow bought my dad a television when they
00:14:00first came out
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: Because he was bed fast and they put it in his room
TL: Aww
JJ: And we had a--it was one of the first televisions in town
TL: Wow, do you remember what show was playing the first time?
JJ: No, I was in college so I really didn't pay much attention to it
TL: Okay, I bet he was very appreciative of that
JJ: Yeah he was, he was.
TL: That's neat, how neat. Okay now we're gonna go to your grandparents
JJ: Okay
TL: Okay? Do you remember hearing your grandparents describe their lives?
JJ: Not really, my daddies parents lived in Bristow, they came before statehood.
TL: Oh wow
JJ: And they came out on a covered wagon, of course that's the only way they can
get here
TL: Right
JJ: They had five boys
TL: Okay
JJ: I think, and then they lost two little girls at a young age
TL: Okay
00:15:00
JJ: But they lived over on the corner of second chestnut their whole life
TL: Second and chestnut, okay. Okay and their names?
JJ: Sears, Ira and Eula (ph)
TL: Okay, okay. So they would've came here before statehood, or they wanted
to--probably one of the first settlers here then.
JJ: Yes, my oldest, my dads oldest brother was the first white child born in Bristow
TL: Oh okay, that's interesting
JJ: Grandma talks about the Indians, they had a--they called them stomp grounds
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: It's where they did their dances
TL: Right
JJ: And they walked down chestnut right by the house to the stomp grounds and
she said they just would go in in streams down there to their dances
TL: So did she say where the stomp dances were located?
JJ: Well south of town, I'm not sure where
TL: South of town, okay. That had to be a very interesting--
00:16:00
JJ: Yup, yup.
TL: Do you have memories of your grandparents, the Sears, then?
JJ: Oh yeah
TL: Okay
JJ: I was a big girl when they died
TL: Okay
JJ: Was in high school
TL: Oh okay, so you got to spend a lot of time with them then
JJ: Yeah I did
TL: Okay good, grandparents are pretty special
JJ: Yes
TL: Yes, very special.
JJ: My mother's parents lived here too
TL: Okay and their names?
JJ: Lee (ph)
TL: Lee
JJ: Joe and Tana
TL: Okay
JJ: And they had moved at that time, but they lived in Tulsa
TL: Okay
JJ: So
TL: When did they move out of Bristow?
JJ: I guess after mother got out of high school in 27'
TL: Okay
JJ: Her older sister and her husband opened a big feed store in Tulsa
TL: Okay
JJ: And grandad went up, he had a little ice stock right there on the corner
from it
TL: Okay
JJ: But he was in the feed store with uncle Frank, so.
TL: Okay, okay [Inaudible]. Who was the oldest person in your family you can
00:17:00remember from when you were a child? The oldest person that you can remember
from childhood.
JJ: My great grandmother Roberts was 92
TL: 92, okay. And who--from what side of the family?
JJ: My mother's side
TL: Your mother's side, okay.
JJ: My grandmother Foster was--I had two great grandparents--I had four
grandparents and two great grandparents alive while I was growing up and they
were all real well liked. I mean, nobody died young.
TL: That's great, yeah!
JJ: Yeah
TL: And how old are you?
JJ: 91
TL: 91, and happy belated birthday! Happy birthday!
JJ: Thank you
TL: Yes! So what do you remember about them? They were pretty active?
JJ: Yes, granddad was the first fire chief in Bristow, granddad Sear
00:18:00
TL: Oh okay
JJ: And, yeah.
TL: You have a lot of history here in Bristow
JJ: Yeah, they came and settled and we stayed so--
TL: They must've liked it
JJ: Who didn't?
TL: That's wonderful. Okay now we're gonna go to your school memories
JJ: Okay
TL: Okay, where did you first attend school?
JJ: Washington school
TL: Washington school
JJ: First grade, we didn't have kindergarten then.
TL: Oh really? Okay. Who was the first teacher that you had?
JJ: Her name was Christian
TL: Christian, okay.
JJ: Hazel, Hazel Christian
TL: Hazel Christian, okay.
JJ: Actually, she and my mother went to college together
TL: Really? That's neat. What hours were the school held?
JJ: I think 9 to 4
TL: 9 to 4, okay. So what age did you start school then if you didn't go to kindergarten?
00:19:00
JJ: Six, which was first grade.
TL: Okay. Did you walk?
JJ: Yes
TL: Yeah, how long?
JJ: It was about five blocks
TL: Okay
JJ: I had two neighbor girls that were older than I was, and I walked with them.
TL: Okay, do you remember how many children attended your class? Was it a large class?
JJ: I think they were pretty large classes, I'd say 25, 30.
TL: And what year was this?
JJ: 1936
TL: 1936, okay. Do you remember what year you graduated? I'm sure you do.
JJ: 48'
TL: 1948, okay. Who was your best friend? Let's start--okay, who was your best
friend in first grade, do you remember that?
JJ: Catherine Cane (ph)
TL: Catherine Cane, okay. And how about when you--
00:20:00
JJ: And Donna Doke (ph), [Indecipherable]
TL: Oh okay, okay.
JJ: Yeah, they were my best friends
TL: Okay, and did they remain your best friends throughout school?
JJ: Pretty much
TL: Aw that's pretty special
JJ: They're all gone now, but--
TL: Oh, right. And I'm assuming, you said you went to college so you completed?
JJ: No I didn't complete it, I went two and a half years
TL: Okay, okay. What kind of building was the school in? Grade school
JJ: Actually they just tore it--
TL: Washington
JJ: Washington? Yeah, it was that very first build that they had, it was--it was
new, they had [Indecipherable]
TL: Yeah, I got to walk through it before they tore it down so--and then you
went to the high school here?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Yeah, and that was Bristow High School?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay, were you a member of any of the clubs or organizations in high school?
JJ: I was a member of everything
TL: Yeah? Like what?
JJ: Well I was in the band, I was a cheerleader, and I was president or vice
00:21:00president of the senior class.
TL: Of the senior?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay, like choir? Was it the same as choir or was it--
JJ: I didn't sing in choir, I don't sing
TL: Okay, so what was that? What's the singer class then?
JJ: Senior [Indecipherable], senior class
TL: Senior class, okay okay. Uh-huh, good.
JJ: I did everything, I liked it.
TL: Well good. Was the school building used for any other community purposes?
JJ: Not that I know of.
TL: What types of food did your mother pack in your lunch if she packed your lunch?
JJ: She didn't pack my lunch, I went home for lunch
TL: Oh did you, okay. Was she home for lunch with you or--?
JJ: Most of the time
TL: Okay
JJ: My daddy was always there
TL: Okay, so did she have lunch ready for you or did you fix lunch together or
00:22:00how did you spend your lunch?
JJ: She probably had gotten it ready before she went to work.
TL: Okay, and then did you eat lunch with your dad since he was home there?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Did you? Okay, so that's nice. Okay what do you remember about your classroom?
JJ: Well blackboards and the musty smell that it had
TL: Okay, okay.
JJ: All the books that were in there
TL: Do you have any favorite teacher from grade school?
JJ: Not really
TL: No, how about high school?
JJ: Jean Sampson (ph) was my--he was the science teacher and he was my favorite teacher
TL: And why was he your favorite teacher? What about him?
JJ: I don't know, he was just funny and he was--it was good, yeah.
[Background noise]
00:23:00
TL: Did you--
[Background noise]
TL: Did you have a favorite subject in high school?
JJ: Yeah, biology
TL: Did you, so you're a science person?
JJ: No
TL: Oh no
JJ: I just like biology
TL: Okay, okay. Okay now we're gonna go to church life. Did your family attend
church when you were a child?
JJ: Yes
TL: Okay, and which church?
JJ: First Christian
TL: First Christian
JJ: Disciples of Christ
TL: Okay, and do you still attend that church?
JJ: Yes
TL: Okay. Can you describe the Sunday services when you were a child?
JJ: Pretty much like they are now, we had Sunday school early and I always went
00:24:00and then we had church service, you know had a choir.
TL: Okay, do you remember any songs? Anything special? Any favourite songs
during that time?
JJ: Not really
TL: Can you describe the holiday events at church?
JJ: Oh, it's been--not really. We always had a church for the--when I was
growing up, we had a big youth group, we had a lot of kids. And we had church,
we did church Sunday once or twice a year, us youth group and, oh we had parties
and did all the things that you'd probably do
TL: Did your friends attend the same church?
JJ: No
TL: No
JJ: Well Donna did
TL: Donna, okay. Sometimes that makes it a little bit--what were your Christmas'
like as a child?
JJ: We always went to my grandmothers
TL: Which grandmother?
JJ: Grandmother Lee
TL: Okay, okay
JJ: And, oh they were big deals.
00:25:00
TL: Cousins there?
JJ: Cousins and aunts and uncles and--
TL: Uh-huh, did you usually go for Christmas eve or Christmas day?
JJ: Oh we went Christmas eve and spent the night and had a big Christmas breakfast
TL: Aw, special meals?
JJ: Yup
TL: Yup, all of that?
JJ: All of that
TL: Did Santa--
JJ: Santa came
TL: Yeah, good. Was there a special food that brought back memories or that was
always served?
JJ: We always had turkey, I think. It could've been chicken and I didn't know it
TL: Right
JJ: We always had ham. For Christmas breakfast we always had ham
TL: Oh, okay mhm. And what about the Christmas tree? Was there anything special
00:26:00about the Christmas tree or just--
JJ: No it just was loaded with stuff I'd made and stuff my cousins have made
TL: It was just spending time with family, right?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Yeah, good deal. Did your mother sing in the choir? Did you sing in the choir?
JJ: No
TL: No, what was your parents' involvement in the church?
JJ: Let's see, daddy taught a Sunday school class, mother taught a Sunday school
class. Daddy was an elder
TL: Okay
JJ: Back before women could be elders
TL: Right
JJ: I'm an elder now, I was the first woman elder in our church
TL: Really?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Congratulations, and when did that happen?
JJ: Oh let's see; it was probably--it's been a long time. Let's see, probably in
00:27:00the 60's
TL: Oh okay
JJ: When they first started letting women be active in--and our church, our
disciples church was one of the first that did I think
TL: That's neat. Okay what were weddings like in your church? Anything special?
Nothing? Okay. Okay now we're going to medical care.
JJ: Okay
TL: What was medical care like when you were a child?
JJ: Doctor King made house calls
TL: Doctor King, I've heard that name a time or two
JJ: Yeah
TL: Okay, uh-huh.
JJ: They took care of me, he didn't deliver me because mother went to Tulsa, but
he took care of me all my life, and my mother and my dad and my grandparents.
TL: So why did your mom go to Tulsa? Was there a--?
00:28:00
JJ: I think her family had had hard deliveries
TL: Okay
JJ: So she just went in
TL: Just to be safe?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay. It's asking here, did women generally give birth here or at home and
most likely they did but your mom just wanted to be--
JJ: My aunty had lost a baby at home birth, so.
TL: Yeah, yeah. What were some of your mother's home remedies?
JJ: She'd just called Doctor King
TL: Okay, were you ever hospitalized?
JJ: When I had my tonsils out
TL: Okay, and here in Bristow?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Yeah? Which hospital?
JJ: Well it was up on 8th street, the old one they tore down
TL: Okay, I'm not from Bristow so was that--?
JJ: Okay, it was the Sisler
TL: Sisler, that's what I was thinking, okay. Do you have any special memories
of that time? Did you get lots of ice cream?
00:29:00
JJ: Yes, I remember a sore throat
TL: Sore throat
JJ: Yeah
TL: Nothing- okay now we're going to town life.
JJ: Okay
TL: Okay, what are your recollections of Bristow in your early childhood? How
about main street? Any special stores that you really enjoyed?
JJ: I loved Anthonys and I loved Pennys
TL: Okay
JJ: And then Miss Stanford had a shop that--for children
TL: Okay
JJ: That was fun
TL: Okay, okay. So about those stores, was it just because you went shopping
there a lot or was there--?
JJ: Oh we didn't shop very much, but when we shopped that's where we went
TL: That's where you went, okay. How did you travel when you went to Tulsa? Did
you travel by car; did you travel by train?
JJ: We travelled by car, but I travelled by train a lot. When I was having my
00:30:00teeth straightened, I had to go to Tulsa every three weeks and I rode the train
up there and back every three weeks.
TL: And did you go by yourself or did you go with your mom?
JJ: No I went by myself, I was in high school
TL: Oh okay, so you were older, okay.
JJ: Actually there were about four of us going, so
TL: Oh, okay
JJ: We all went to the same orthodontist
TL: Okay, who were some of the biggest businesses in town?
JJ: Hm, Wade Hardware, there were a lot of businesses. Of course Anthonys and
Pennys, and Miss Stanford, [Indecipherable] I can't remember.
TL: What kind of shops did your mother frequent a lot? The ones that you
mentioned earlier?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay. What about restaurants, did you eat out very often?
JJ: Not very often
TL: Okay
JJ: If we did, we ate--when I was in high school we ate at Lions Café
00:31:00
TL: Okay, okay.
JJ: I'm sure you've heard of that one
TL: I have, and I hear about an ice cream shop a lot too, but I'm not for sure
about the time period though, so. How did people dress? Like during, how about
high school days? Was there a particular--
JJ: Dress code?
TL: Yeah
JJ: We wore dresses
TL: Dresses, okay
JJ: And they had to be a certain length
TL: Okay, and what length was that?
JJ: They had to come at least below your knee
TL: Below your knee, okay. Did you have a favourite dress, or a skirt? Did you
like to wear skirts or dresses?
JJ: I wore both
TL: Both, okay. It's asking did you mostly buy your clothes or did you make them?
00:32:00
JJ: Mother made most of my clothes
TL: Okay, what were the main holiday events held in town?
JJ: Halloween, Christmas, I don't remember any others.
TL: How did they celebrate Halloween?
JJ: Well they just opened up main street and let everybody run up and down it
TL: Okay, did you dress up as a child to go trick-or-treating?
JJ: Oh yeah
TL: Yeah? What was your favourite costume?
JJ: Well I think I was a witch
TL: Yeah, yeah. And what about July 4th, did they celebrate July 4th?
JJ: Yes
TL: Yeah?
JJ: They did, had fireworks and--
TL: Did they do that out on at the lake or--?
JJ: They did it at the lake and then of course the country club they always had
a golf--as I got older, they always had a golf tournament that we played in.
TL: Okay
JJ: And usually a lunch
TL: Okay, what's your favourite holiday to celebrate?
JJ: Christmas
TL: Christmas? Yeah.
JJ: That's the day we all get together
TL: Uh-huh, good. Okay, early adulthood. As a child, what did you want to be
00:33:00when you grew up?
JJ: I wanted to be a teacher but I never did that
TL: Yeah, why not?
JJ: I just did not like college and quit
TL: Where did you go to college at?
JJ: OSU
TL: OSU?
JJ: [Indecipherable]
TL: Okay, what was your first job?
JJ: Oh, I worked at a bakery
TL: At a bakery, oh that could be very dangerous
JJ: It was, but I was thin then
TL: Right, and which bakery?
JJ: I don't even remember the name of it, these people came in and put a bakery in
TL: And that--was that here in Bristow?
JJ: Yeah, it was between 7th and 8th down in that area
TL: Oh goodness
JJ: And it was really nice bakery, they were here for several years
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: And I worked it a lot through high school
TL: Did you sample a lot?
JJ: Oh of course
TL: Oh what was your favourite?
JJ: They made the best donuts you ever ate, make you hungry
TL: Yeah, I love bakeries.
JJ: I do too
TL: Pastries are my downfall
00:34:00
JJ: You don't look like you had a downfall
TL: Oh yes, what kind of jobs have you held in the past?
JJ: Well let's see, I've worked in the bank, I worked at the gas company,
[Indecipherable] Natural
TL: Okay
JJ: I never worked much. As soon as I got married, I never worked after that.
TL: Yes, you worked very hard
JJ: I worked, I raised four kids.
TL: You worked very hard, yes.
JJ: I didn't get paid for it. Well I did, ultimately.
TL: You did, yeah. Okay, you didn't work in the military. When did you meet your
spouse? So Ed is your spouse
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay, when did you meet him?
JJ: Met him in 1960
TL: Okay, and where?
JJ: I was working for Bill [Indecipherable], and he worked--he had an office
across the street.
TL: Okay, and where was that at?
JJ: By the post office
00:35:00
TL: Okay
JJ: On 6th street
TL: Okay, okay.
JJ: And we just happened to meet. Actually I went to him, he was--I had a really
bad back and I went over there to see if he could fix it.
TL: So he was a doctor here in town then?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Okay, so that's where his practice was at?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay, okay. And what was your first impression?
JJ: How shy he was
TL: Aw, really?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: He was extremely shy until you knew him
TL: Okay, how long had he been practicing here in town then?
JJ: Not too long, maybe a year
TL: Okay, and where did he come from?
JJ: Oh he came from basically Seminole (ph)
TL: Okay
JJ: Well he first came from Arkansas, did we run out your tape?
TL: Nope, I just heard a squeaky noise. Seminole?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay, can you tell me about your engagement?
JJ: We weren't really engaged very long, we just started dating then got married
TL: Okay, how long did you date then? Just a short time?
00:36:00
JJ: Probably three or four months
TL: Okay, okay. Can you tell me about your wedding?
JJ: Yes, it was in my mother's living room that was just mother and my
step-father and me. And Bunny Baker.
TL: Bunny Baker, really?
JJ: I had worked with her downtown
TL: Okay, okay. How about that. So after you got married, did you live here in
Bristow then?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay, and did you work after you got married? Stayed home?
JJ: No, this doesn't get head shakes, does it?
TL: Huh?
JJ: I said that doesn't pick up headshakes, does it?
TL: No it doesn't pick up headshakes, no. Where did you live after you got
married then?
00:37:00
JJ: Oh, we lived out on Meta Hill (ph) when we first got married, and then we
moved; we bought our house on sixth street.
TL: Okay
JJ: The corner of sixth and pecan, yeah.
TL: Okay
JJ: We outgrew our first house
TL: Did you?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Okay, now it's asking about travel. How did you travel to Oklahoma City or
Tulsa in the early?
JJ: Well usually by car, we always had a car
TL: Okay
JJ: During the war we used to trade a lot
TL: Did you, and when did you get married? What was the date?
JJ: July the 27th, 1961.
TL: 1961. Okay, when you took the train, what are your memories of this depot here?
JJ: It looks pretty much--I was trying to think, what was the ticket office in here?
TL: I'm assuming where it's at now, but I don't know.
JJ: But I do know it had two waiting rooms
00:38:00
TL: Okay two waiting rooms, okay.
JJ: And there were lots of trains through town, there were about six a day
TL: Six a day, okay.
JJ: Maybe more. It looks pretty much like it does now.
TL: Okay, and now you were talking about the waiting rooms, can you tell me a
little bit about the waiting rooms?
JJ: They just had lots of chairs, they had a black--one for the blacks and one
for the whites.
TL: Okay now where was the black waiting room and the white waiting room?
JJ: The black one was over at the side
TL: Okay, back there?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Okay
JJ: I may be wrong on that, but that's what I can recall
00:39:00
TL: Okay. And okay, looks like we're going back. Okay we're going to route 66
now, you remember route 66?
JJ: Oh yes
TL: Okay, do you remember route 66 being built? This would've been, this
would've been before--this would've been 1920 so, yeah.
JJ: No I don't remember
TL: No, you wouldn't remember, yeah. 1926, yeah so. But do you remember it,
people traveling it a lot?
JJ: Oh yeah
TL: I'm guessing so, yeah. Do you remember it being a big to do? Probably not
because that was just the way people travelled, yeah
JJ: That just normal, yeah.
TL: Yeah.
JJ: And we really didn't travel an awful lot here, you know. People didn't
00:40:00travel like they do now
TL: Right. Okay we're gonna be talking about racism about the blacks and Indians
here in town, okay? Was the town segregated?
JJ: Yes
TL: Yes, what are your memories of it? The segregation?
JJ: Segregation. I remember the Indians really more than the blacks
TL: Okay
JJ: And they would just sit on the sidewalks
TL: Okay, on main street?
JJ: On main street
TL: Okay
JJ: And the blacks had their own town, they didn't really come into the main
part of Bristow very much that I recall
TL: And when you say they had their own town, where was that located at?
JJ: It was over on the east 9th and 10th
TL: Okay, over on east 9th and 10th which would be over--okay.
00:41:00
JJ: Yup
TL: And I think I know where that's at, okay
JJ: It's up east of us north
TL: Okay, okay.
JJ: We can go over there now, there's a big media hall of some kind over where
that used to be
TL: Okay, so that's kind of where they stayed in their own part of the town,
okay. And when you say that, that's kind of like when you were a child or during
that time period, or what time period are you?
JJ: When I was a child
TL: Child, okay.
JJ: Segregation came in--see my brother's 18 years younger than I am, and he was
in one of the first segregated classes in school. They segregated the third
grade I think
TL: Okay
JJ: But I was not--schools were segregated when I was in school
TL: So they just kind of kept--the black's kind of kept to their own part
JJ: Yeah they had their own high school and they had their own grade school
00:42:00
TL: And then so the Indians just kind of, you say just kind of sit on the
sidewalks and stuff? And what did they do then?
JJ: That's all I ever saw them do
TL: Okay, okay. Was there any kind of problems or anything?
JJ: Not that I was aware of. Of course mother made sure I wasn't aware of a lot
of stuff
TL: Okay. Okay, do you remember the names of any black families in town during
your childhood?
JJ: No
TL: Okay, were you allowed to socialize with any of the black children?
JJ: Wasn't done
TL: Okay, and I'm guessing none of them attended your school
00:43:00
JJ: No
TL: They had their own schools, okay. Did you ever swim at the Bristow pool?
JJ: Oh yeah
TL: Did ya?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Were there any black children allowed at the pool? No, okay. How were black
people employed?
JJ: I think mostly as maids and--
TL: Okay
JJ: Neighbour, and see I don't really know because I do know that they
had--their school teachers were all educated like they had to be to teach
TL: Right, so did they have their own teachers then at their school? Okay. Do
you remember any freedmen in Bristow?
JJ: Any what?
TL: Freedmen?
JJ: No
TL: Okay. What are your memories of any racism in early Oklahoma?
JJ: You know when you grow up with them like that you don't even know it's
racism. I'm sure there was a lot of it, but my parents were very kind and very
gentle and they never, never said bad things.
00:44:00
TL: Right
JJ: I'm sure there were bad things said, but they didn't say them.
TL: Right. Okay, how were the Indians treated in town?
JJ: I don't know; I really don't know. I know we had a lot.
TL: Right
JJ: As far as how they were treated, I don't have any idea.
TL: Do you remember any of the Indian families in town?
JJ: No
TL: Do you remember how they were employed? Any of the jobs that they held in
town? Do you remember any of the Indian allotment holders?
00:45:00
JJ: No, I'm sure there were--I'm sure I did but I don't remember them.
TL: Okay now we're gonna go to the oil drilling here in town.
JJ: Oh okay.
TL: Okay, was your family involved in any of the early oil drilling here?
JJ: No
TL: Okay, the great depression. Do you have any memories of the great depression?
JJ: Just that there wasn't any money
TL: No money, yeah. Hard times. How did it affect your home life?
JJ: It really didn't because my daddy worked in the post office and always had a job
TL: Okay, yeah.
JJ: But I had friends that were very, very poor. There just was nothing. They
would love to have something to eat.
TL: Right. And so your dad didn't lose his job during that time?
00:46:00
JJ: No
TL: Yeah. What did it do to your grocery supply? Did you guys have to cut back
at all?
JJ: Not that I know of. My little mother was miss frugality so you wouldn't have
known it.
TL: Aw, yup. Okay, do you remember the work being done to construct the lake or
the park?
JJ: I remember work in the park when they were building the amphitheatre.
TL: Do you? Okay, what do you remember of that?
JJ: I was trying to think who was president then. She came, the president's wife came.
TL: Eleanor Roosevelt?
JJ: Was it Eleanor? It could've been
TL: She came and she dedicated that
JJ: Okay, she came and dedicated the amphitheatre
TL: Uh-huh, did you guys go out there?
JJ: Oh yeah
TL: Was it pretty exciting?
JJ: Yup
00:47:00
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: Pretty crowded
TL: I bet, that had to be a pretty big--
JJ: It was a big deal
TL: --event for Bristow
JJ: Yeah it was a big deal
TL: How old would've you been?
JJ: Probably about 6 or 7
TL: Oh
JJ: I was in, well it was in 30', I think it was 36' [Indecipherable]
TL: Did she get a pretty--did she give a speech? Is that right?
JJ: I'm sure she did but at that age I didn't--
TL: Right
JJ: I thought, probably just thought it was boring
TL: Right, that's pretty neat
JJ: More exciting
TL: Uh-huh. You probably just--you knew there was excitement, you know? Not for
sure what was going on but there was an excitement. So when they was building
the park and the amphitheatre, did your family go out there to kind of watch the
progress of it? Or not?
JJ: Not that I know of
TL: Okay. Did you attend events at the amphitheatre? Where they held the
00:48:00different events out there? Did you, besides going to the dedication of it, what
events did you go to?
JJ: Well over the years I've gone to a lot. They've had band things and--
TL: They used to hold graduation?
JJ: Graduation
TL: For high school?
JJ: We've had graduations out there
TL: Okay
JJ: In fact, I was trying to think. I can't even remember where ours was, it may
have been out there
TL: Really? Okay, that's neat. What was the lake used for, besides people going
out there for picnics, picnics and--
JJ: Fishing and--
TL: Fishing, okay. Anything else, or no? Did they ever allow boats or--
JJ: You can put little boats out there
TL: Okay
JJ: With little trolley (ph) motors or--
TL: Okay
00:49:00
JJ: Actually, they had a boat house and they had boats you could rent
TL: Oh
JJ: But you had to paddle, we used that a lot in high school
TL: Okay
JJ: We'd go out and spend the afternoon with--on the lake just paddling around
TL: And what about swimming? Did they allow or have they ever allowed? I've
never seen--
JJ: Not on the lake, they've never, never allowed swimming in the lake
TL: Okay I was gonna say I don't think I've ever--we've been here about 20 years
and I don't think I've ever seen someone--
JJ: But they've always had a nice pool here so we didn't need to swim in the lake
TL: Okay, okay. How about ice skating?
JJ: Yes, I can remember times they ice skated out there
TL: Oh
JJ: But I was little
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: I didn't have any ice skates but I did skate around with my slick shoes, yeah
TL: Right, yeah. Has it ever been a very, like, a lot of people going out there or--?
JJ: Yeah there used to be a lot of people go out, I don't know what they do
anymore but--
TL: Yeah, I see a lot of walkers out there
00:50:00
JJ: Lots of walkers
TL: Yeah, I love it out there
JJ: Yeah it's so pretty and it's peaceful
TL: That's what I like about it
JJ: Well maintained and--
TL: It's very peaceful and just, I love it out there. Okay politics
JJ: Okay
TL: Was your family politically involved?
JJ: Not really
TL: No, okay. Did any of your family members ever run for office?
JJ: Well I had a great uncle that did
TL: Yeah, here in Bristow?
JJ: Mhm
TL: Okay, and who was that?
JJ: Cal Foster
TL: Okay, and do you remember what office?
JJ: Probably county commissioner, I don't really know
TL: Okay, okay. Did he win?
JJ: I think he did?
TL: Did he?
JJ: Yeah
TL: Okay, that's good. Did women commonly vote during your childhood?
JJ: I don't know
TL: Do you remember your--
JJ: I think mother voted, yeah I'm sure she did
TL: Good for her, good for her. How was voting done during your childhood?
JJ: I think pretty much like it is right now
00:51:00
TL: Okay
JJ: Here in Bristow. No, we didn't have any machines, we just marked ballets
TL: Right, right. Have you always voted?
JJ: Yes
TL: Good for you. Okay, World War II. What are your memories of WWII?
JJ: Well, I had bunches of uncles in the army and the navy and the marines
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: I had one uncle killed in Italy
TL: Okay, and who was that?
JJ: Daddies youngest brother
TL: And his name?
JJ: Milton
TL: Milton?
JJ: Sears
TL: Milton Sears (ph), okay.
JJ: And actually I think he has a [Indecipherable] out at the cemetery
TL: Okay, that would be very hard for the family
JJ: I remember ration cards
TL: Right
JJ: And we had three gallons of gas a week, and that's why we rode the train a lot
00:52:00
TL: Right, yes.
JJ: They were hard times
TL: Hard times, yeah. Yeah.
JJ: I remember reading the obituaries and holding your breath that nobody that
you knew was gonna be on the list
TL: Right, now did Milton have a family, I mean a wife?
JJ: He had a wife, he was--he was only I think 19 when he died so, he was real young
TL: But still hard for the family
JJ: Oh yeah, Carmen never got over that.
TL: I can't even imagine
JJ: Oh I can't either, I can't either.
TL: So what branch was he in? You said the navy?
JJ: No he was in the army
TL: In the army, okay.
JJ: He was a first lieutenant; he was--he was killed on [Indecipherable]
TL: For 19, he--oh, so how did they get the, how did the family get the news
00:53:00that he had--
JJ: With a telegram
TL: Telegram
JJ: They finally brought his body home
TL: Did they? Okay, okay.
JJ: He's buried out at Magnolia
TL: Oh okay. What newspapers did you read here in Bristow during that time?
JJ: Oh, Bristow had two papers. They had the Record and the Citizen (ph)
TL: Okay
JJ: Tulsa had two papers, Tribune and the World
TL: Okay
JJ: We would get our Oklahoma City papers part of the time
TL: Oh okay. Yeah, looking at those papers during that time, just that's all
front page every day, every day reading about the news.
JJ: I really miss the newspapers
00:54:00
TL: So what would you consider to be the most important invention during your lifetime?
JJ: Oh dear. I suppose one that affected most people is the television
TL: Okay, and why do you say that?
JJ: It's just a better way to get the news. [Indecipherable]
TL: Right
JJ: I remember sitting in front of the little radio listening to it
TL: Right, while everyone gathered around it. How is the world different now
than when you were a child?
JJ: So many ways. Travel, it's so much easier now than it was then. But I miss,
00:55:00I really miss the slow pace of my childhood
TL: Yes
JJ: Seems like we stopped longer and enjoyed it
TL: Took time to enjoy things
JJ: Yup
TL: As you see it, what are the biggest problems that face our nation and how do
you think they could be solved?
JJ: I'm not smart enough to solve them, but I think the race problem is the
biggest one we have. I don't know why people can't accept you for who you are.
And then there's so many more, there's drugs and there's all this stuff, but I
really think race is the big one.
TL: And then I was just gonna ask you, how are your feelings about COVID? How do
00:56:00you think it's changed how we are doing things?
JJ: I think they have overplayed it; I've always thought it was a political thing.
TL: Okay.
JJ: I don't pay attention to it
TL: Yeah. Okay, your--Linda said that you kind of have some information about
that grand piano back there, you kind of knew a little bit about the history
about it?
JJ: Oh, I don't really. I'll tell you who probably could give you some is George Foster
TL: George Foster, okay.
JJ: Because that looks exactly like the piano that his grandmother had
TL: Okay, good deal
JJ: She had it in her house
TL: Okay. I think we're good. Is there anything else that you would like to tell
00:57:00us about? About your life or?
JJ: I don't really think
TL: Are you sure?
JJ: I know the elections day is for a new hospital and I remember why they built
this one
TL: Yeah? Do you?
JJ: Oh yeah
TL: What can you tell us about it?
JJ: Oh well I remember how excited Ed was
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: Because he had a new hospital to work at
TL: Yeah, where did he have his practice? You say it was across from the post office?
JJ: Oh
TL: The first, his first, okay
JJ: His--out where the health department is now.
TL: Oh
JJ: On first street, that was his office
TL: Oh, okay.
JJ: He and doctor McAlester shared a building
TL: Okay, okay. And how long did he practice?
JJ: Probably 40 years out there. He retired the day he turned forty--65 he retired
TL: Good for him
JJ: Yeah
TL: Good for him
JJ: And we had 20 years before he died
TL: Uh-huh, right. Good.
00:58:00
JJ: And we made the most of it
TL: Good. Did he do surgeries or--
JJ: Mhm
TL: Did he? What kind of surgeries? Just everything?
JJ: He did almost anything. He actually was a trade surgeon; he was train out in
colleges but he didn't wanna do a gynaecology practice
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: Because he would have had to go to the city and he didn't want to go to the city
TL: Uh-huh, did he have a special, a favourite surgery that he liked to do or?
JJ: He just liked surgery, he liked to do surgery
TL: Uh-huh, did--
JJ: The nurses all said he was the best surgeon out there
TL: Wow, did he like doing--making house calls?
JJ: Oh he made house calls
TL: Uh-huh
JJ: He didn't like them in the middle of the night
TL: Of course not, yeah
JJ: And he delivered babies, he delivered babies--one of the nurses out there
called him in and said "I'm having a baby and you're gonna deliver it"
00:59:00
TL: Did he keep tabs of how many babies he delivered? No?
JJ: Said he wished he had
TL: Uh-huh, yeah.
JJ: He liked delivering babies, but he didn't want to do it all the time
TL: Right, would he walk down the street or "I delivered that one" or "I
remember--"? Did he recall memories to you of patients? No?
JJ: We didn't discuss patients much. Well I didn't work out there unless I--he
was absolutely desperate. He didn't think I needed to be involved in his
practice and I didn't want to be
TL: Smart man
JJ: Yeah, well anyway. We had a good life and we raised four kids and they're
all successful so.
TL: Good deal.
JJ: Yeah, when you look at your kids and you think "they turned out good! And we
01:00:00thought in high school you were [Indecipherable].TL: Exactly, and you wonder
many days and many nights
JJ: Are you gonna survive this? Am I gonna survive this?
TL: That's right, that's right. Yes, yeah.
JJ: Anyway
TL: Well this has been very pleasurable, thank you for doing this with us
JJ: Okay
TL: So yeah, okay well this concludes this interview
JJ: Good
TL: Thank you
JJ: Thank you
TL: Uh-huh. Can I--let's see
