Leola Roebuck

Interviewer: Debbie Blansett

Interviewee: Leola Roebuck

Other Persons: Kenneth Roebuck, Michelle Roebuck

Date of Interview: March 31st, 2021

Location: Bristow, Creek County Oklahoma

Transcriber: Abby Thompson

Organization: Bristow Historical Society, Inc.

Original Cassette Tape Location: OHP-2021-22 at 00:00 to 26:26

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.

DB: Alright let's give this a try, I've got to read this. This is Debbie Blansett with the Bristow Historical Society in Bristow, Oklahoma and this interview is part of the historical societies ongoing oral history project. The date is March 31st, 2021 and I am here with Leola Roebuck in her home and, say your name.

KR: Kenneth

DB: Kenneth Roebuck, her son. And--

MR: Michelle Roebuck

DB: Her daughter-in law who is going to tell me a little bit about their history in the Bristow area. Okay, does she remember--do you remember when you came to Bristow?

KR: What year did you come to Bristow mom?

LR: What?

KR: What year did you move to Bristow?

DB: Do you remember?

KR: You know, from Boley. From Arkansas, you moved to Oklahoma from Arkansas, 00:01:00what year did you move to Bristow?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: You don't remember what year?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Okay what year was it?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Huh?

DB: She doesn't know

LR: I don't remember

KR: [Indecipherable]

DB: 1920 maybe?

KR: That's when she was born

DB: No that's when she was born

KR: Uh-huh.

DB: Did you live in the country?

LR: Uh-huh

DB: Uh-huh, did you have a lot of kids?

LR: Lot of kids

KR: A lot of kids

DB: Did you have a lot of babies?

LR: I had a couple

KR: You had--no you ain't had, but you had ten kids, remember?

DB: Ten kids?

KR: Yeah

LR: Uh-huh

KR: Yeah she had ten of them

DB: Ten, what did you--did you, were you just momma all the time? Did you work outside the house?

LR: What?

KR: Did you work outside the house?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: [Indecipherable]

DB: Oh did you have a big garden?

LR: Yeah, I made a big garden

DB: Did you grow tomatoes?

LR: Tomatoes, yeah anything you could plant in a garden

DB: Anything you could plant, you'd put in your garden

LR: Uh-huh

DB: And you just--did you make your own bread?

LR: Did I make my own what?

KR: Your bread, you know you made biscuits every morning.

DB: Biscuits every morning?

KR: Mom made biscuits, yeah.

DB: Did you have chickens? No chickens?

KR: Yeah she had chickens, tell them about the--tell them about where y'all used 00:03:00to do your hogs. Put them in the sweat house and salt them down and all of that. You remember when you had to farm when you stayed on the farm?

LR: Nuh-uh

KR: When you stayed on the farm

LR: Oh yeah

KR: You raised hogs and chickens and stuff

DB: And you have to butcher them? That was pretty hard work

LR: Yeah

DB: Did you--

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: No she isn't talking about [Indecipherable] she's talking about how you raised the animals on the farm

DB: Uh-huh, and you had pigs?

KR: Pigs, you had hogs and stuff

DB: hogs

LR: Yeah I had hogs and chickens

KR: Chickens

DB: Chickens

LR: Guineas

KR: Guineas

LR: Turkeys

KR: Turkeys

DB: Wow, that's a farm

KR: Y'all had a set of mules too, didn't we?

LR: Uh-huh

DB: You had a set of what?

KR: Mules

DB: Oh, some mules.

KR: That's how they done all their farms

LR: Yeah I [Indecipherable]

KR: And then when we moved here, you used to babysit kids while we were in school, other kids.

DB: You took care of other babies when your kids went to school?

LR: Uh-huh

DB: Uh-huh, for a long time?

LR: Mhm

DB: What did they call you?

KR: What did the kids call you?

LR: What?

KR: What did the kids call you? The kids you kept when--

DB: When you were babysitting, what did they call you? Did they call you Miss Leola? Did they call you grandma?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: She's wanting to know what did the kids call you? Did they call you grandma? I bet most of them called you Aunt Leola

DB: Aunt Leola, how many did you keep?

LR: How many did I keep?

KR: Kids at one time, how many kids did you keep at one time? You know you babysat, how many kids did you babysit? That's what she's asking you

LR: About four or five

DB: Four or five, you are brave. What about this guy? Is he a pretty good guy?

LR: Yeah, he's pretty good

KR: What?

MR: She said yes, he's pretty good

DB: Does he take god care of you?

LR: Awful good

DB: Awful good

KR: Yeah, but she's out here--

DB: Michelle takes good care of you too?

LR: Michelle

KR: Michelle, Michelle my wife, your daughter-in-law Michelle

LR: Oh yeah, uh-huh

DB: And Melvin is your grandson? Melvin? He wanted us to come talk to you.

KR: Melvin, Melvin. Melvin.

LR: Who?

KR: Melvin, Melvin wanted her to do this interview. Melvin, Mary Allen's boy the daughter's boy.

LR: Oh

DB: He said "You have to talk to my grandma". You sure have a pretty hair thing on

KR: [Indecipherable]

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Huh?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Yeah your brother do stay with you

MR: She says she favours Buddy

KR: Yeah her brother

DB: You sure are a pretty lady

KR: Thank you, she said you're pretty

LR: Huh?

KR: She said you're a pretty lady. She said you're a pretty lady

LR: Yeah

KR: You act surprised she ain't said that, I know [Indecipherable]

LR: [Indecipherable] My oldest daughter [Indecipherable]

DB: Her oldest daughter maybe?

KR: Yeah she passed, Melvin's mom, she would've been--see we wrote down all her brothers.

DB: Okay, okay, okay. [Indecipherable]

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: No, them are papers she's gotta fill out to put you in the magazine

DB: How old are you?

LR: Huh?

DB: How old are you?

LR: 101

DB: 101, did they give you 101 spankings?

LR: No, I didn't get spankings

DB: No spankings for you

LR: I didn't want spankings

DB: Don't want any

LR: [Inaudible]

KR: Huh?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: No

DB: Did you go to church?

LR: Yeah I go to church

DB: What church do you go to?

LR: I go to Duffys Chapel

KR: Duffy Chapel

DB: I do know Duffys Chapel

LR: My church

DB: That's your church?

LR: Uh-huh

KR: Yeah she was treasurer up there for 38 years

DB: Now isn't that where--

KR: [Indecipherable], we're having Reverend Parker do it now

DB: Okay, and--

KR: New Life, they changed it to New Life

DB: Myrtle, Myrtle Alexander, that was her church, I mean she kept kids at our church but that was always her home church

KR: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

DB: Odell's and Clydals momma

KR: Yeah before they moved to the Methodist, yeah.

DB: Do you remember Myrtle Alexander? Do you remember Myrtle?

KR: She probably don't

DB: No

KR: You remember Mrs. Alexander? You remember--

MR: Mrs. Alexander

KR: You remember Mrs. Cross

LR: Who?

KR: Mrs. Cross

LR: What?

KR: Mrs. Cross, that would've been Myrtles mother. You remember Mrs. Cross, right?

LR: Yeah

KR: Okay now she wants to know, did you know her girl, daughter.

LR: Yeah

KR: Mrs. Myrtle

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: No Mrs. Alexander

LR: [Indecipherable]

DB: Duffys Chapel, I haven't heard that in a long time.

LR: I remember [Indecipherable]

KR: Yeah she knows, she [Indecipherable]

DB: I've got all this stuff

KR: She used to go to church there

LR: No more

DB: Did you sing in the--

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: [Indecipherable]

DB: I know they could make peach cobbler; they were known for their peach cobbler. Can you make peach cobbler? Do you like peach cobbler?

KR: Do you like peach cobbler momma?

LR: Huh?

KR: Do you like peach cobbler?

LR: Yeah

DB: Oh yeah

KR: Her specialty is peach dumplings

DB: Oh, peach dumplings

KR: With the cinnamon in them

DB: mm, It's probably been a while since she's got to make some.

KR: Mhm, tell them about your homemade cake and the homemade ice and that white icing with that sweet milk, sugar, and butter, and vanilla flavouring. You remember that?

LR: Yeah, [Indecipherable]

KR: [Indecipherable]

DB: It best is, sounds like a birthday cake

KR: Yeah she's the best

LR: Yeah

DB: It sounds good

KR: That's good eating

DB: That's good eating right there.

KR: Hey, hey, hey, tell them about how you like the black eyed peas and cornbread

LR: I love black eyed peas and cornbread

DB: That's what we have at our house

KR: [Indecipherable]

LR: Yeah I love black eyed peas and cornbread

DB: And cornbread, black eyed peas, what do you like in your black eyed peas?

LR: Yeah

KR: She said what you like to put in them, what kind of meat you season them with

LR: With bacon

KR: Bacon

DB: Bacon

LR: Uh-huh

KR: And what else we put in that?

LR: Salt meat

KR: Salt meat, and what else? Ham [Indecipherable], remember?

DB: Ooh, I've got some of those in my freezer

KR: We keep ham [Indecipherable]

DB: I need to go pull one out and make some of those, I think my husband would like that

LR: Yeah

DB: He likes cornbread

KR: Yeah she loves cornbread

DB: Hard to cook it in a big skillet

LR: Yeah

KR: She's--

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: What?

LR: At home

DB: At home?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: She likes that, she eats cornbread, pulled pork, buttered milk

DB: Oh. I don't know what else she would feel like telling me about

KR: Hey, tell them about--we moved to Bristow from Boley, right?

LR: What?

KR: From Boley, Boley Oklahoma? You know you stayed--

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Did you stay down Boley and Oklaha

LR: Yeah

KR: Tell them about them towns

LR: [Indecipherable]

DB: Good what?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Yeah but she wants to know about the time when you lived in Oklaha and moved to Boley. Remember?

DB: Well she was saying something straight out of the oven

KR: Yeah about how they used to cook the biscuits

DB: Ohh come straight out in the oven

KR: Yeah

LR: So good

DB: So good

LT: Yeah, really good

DB: I've got her talking about food now

KR: Yeah

LR: The what?

KR: The food, the food you like

DB: My grandma always made angel food cake, she liked to make angel food cake for our birthday.

LR: Yeah

DB: Yeah

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: You gonna tell her about Oklaha, what y'all used to do in Oklaha?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Huh?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Oklaha, the town

LR: Oh yeah, down in Oklaha, we stayed all around that little place

DB: She what?

MR: She stayed all around that little place

DB: Oh alright

KR: Oklaha, Boley City, all of it

DB: Right [Indecipherable]

LR: Muskogee

KR: Muskogee and all them

DB: Just moved from house to house?

LR: Yeah we moved from house to house

DB: Yeah

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Stayed all night [Indecipherable]

DB: Uh-huh, with all those kids?

LR: Huh?

DB: With all your kids? Moved around with all those kids?

LR: Yeah I think I had one or two

MR: She said one or two

DB: Oh

KR: [Indecipherable] which one? Aunt Bea (ph) or Uncle Buddy(ph)?

DB: Maybe both of them

KR: Yeah, but [Indecipherable]

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Yeah he left--

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: You only lost four of your siblings

DB: She still has brothers and sisters living?

KR: No, she's the only one

DB: She's the last one?

KR: She's the only one, she's talking about her kids.

DB: Oh

KR: Let me see that, lick your tongue out, you've got something on--

LR: Oh

DB: It's--

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: I got it, okay

DB: He got it

KR: Okay, just tell them about something what you've done during life. Your life, I mean--

DB: Hundred and one years, that's a long time. Did you have a birthday party?

LR: Oh yeah

KR: A small one

DB: A little [Indecipherable]?

KR: The [Indecipherable]

DB: This COVID thing is bad

LR: Yeah

DB: Did you all get your shots and everything?

KR: Yes

DB: I have too. Well you look nice and snug, you look good and wrapped up, you're not cold.

KR: She stays cold, she don't like cold, that blood thing. Tell them a little more about your life mama.

MR: What'd you used to do

LR: Huh?

MR: What did you used to do?

DB: What did you like to do in Bristow? Did you go to the grocery store in Bristow?

LR: Yeah, [Indecipherable]

DB: Made quilts

LR: Curtains

DB: Curtains

LR: Childrens clothes

KR: Childrens clothes

DB: Childrens clothes. So you had a sewing machine?

KR: She done it by hand

LR: I did it by hand

DB: You did it by hand?

KR: Everything by hand

DB: You didn't have a sewing machine?

MR: How'd you sew it? Did you sew it with your hands?

LR: What?

MR: Your clothes and quilts?

LR: Yeah I did it at home, [Indecipherable]

DB: Uh-huh. Where did you get your material for your quilts? Where did the material come from?

LR: The material

MT: [Indecipherable]. Did you get your material from old clothes and stuff?

DB: Feed sacks? Flower sacks? Did you have a frame for your quilts? Did you have 00:17:00a quilting frame?

LR: Uh-huh

DB: Was it big?

LR: Uh-huh

DB: Yeah, that's what my grandmother used, one of those. And she did hers by hand

LR: Yeah

DB: Oh there's one of your quilts, Kenneth has one of your quilts

KR: Pizza man, look here mom, mom. Mom, ain't this yours?

DB: Did you make that?

LR: Make what?

DB: Did you make this quilt?

LR: Yeah

DB: That's beautiful

LR: Made out of scraps

DB: Made out of scraps

LR: Uh-huh

DB: Where'd you get the scraps?

LR: [Indecipherable]

MR: From where? Where'd you get your scraps from? Old clothes?

LR: Yeah I did

KR: Where did--how did you make your quilts? What'd you make the quilt--what material did you make the quilt out of?

LR: The what?

KR: The quilt, where'd you get the material to make the quilts?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: I said where did you get the material to make the quilts

LR: At the store

KR: At the stores--

DB: At the stores

KR: Some of it at the general store, lot of it was old jeans and she'd cut that into pieces and she done everything by hand. Tell them, hey, tell Mrs. Blansett how you used to make the lye soap

LR: What?

KR: Tell Mrs. Blansett--

DB: How you made soap

KR: Soap

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: The soap, the lye soap. You know the soap

LR: Yeah

KR: Tell her how you used to make that

LR: Well, you put so many cans of lye

DB: So many cans of lye

LR: So much grease

KR: So much grease

LR: Water

KR: Water

DB: Water

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: [Indecipherable], ok. And then you [Indecipherable] right?

DB: And you cook it?

LR: Huh?

DB: You cooked it?

LR: You had to cook it [Indecipherable]

KR: In my storage house, I've got a piece she made

DB: In a big pot?

LR: Yeah

DB: Did it get you clean?

LR: Sometimes

DB: Sometimes. Did you use it for your clothes? Did you use it to wash?

KR: The soap

LR: [Indecipherable] and mop

DB: And mop. So you worked pretty hard

LR: Huh?

DB: You worked pretty hard.

KR: You worked pretty hard when you were growing up. You worked hard, did you work hard?

LR: Uh-huh

DB: Oh yes

KR: I still got a piece of her lye soap

DB: Oh my. Did you--when did you get electricity?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Huh?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: No when did you--when did y'all have lights? How old was you when y'all had electricity in your house?

DB: When you got lights in the house?

KR: You remember how old you were?

DB: Much later

KR: Huh? About how old were you? Tell her about you used to have to walk five miles to school, tell her about your school day.

LR: More than five minutes [Indecipherable]

KR: More than five--I know

DB: More what?

KR: More than five minutes, I know. You told me you used to walk about five miles in the snow and stuff. Tell them about how y'all used to go to school while--

DB: Did you have to walk to school? Did you walk to school?

LR: [Indecipherable]

DB: And no bus?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Huh?

LR: Momma couldn't keep me out of the field

DB: Momma something

KR: Yeah your momma couldn't keep out of the field

DB: Oh, did you have a horse?

LR: Yeah, I had a horse and I had a plow

DB: Horse and a plow, did you have a buggy?

LR: Yeah, I had a buggy

KR: Did you have a buggy to ride in? Did the horse pull a buggy?

LR: Yeah I--

KR: A wagon or a buggy, did you have a wagon or a buggy?

LR: Yeah, a wagon

DB: A wagon

KR: Wagon

LR: And a buggy too

KR: And a buggy too

DB: And a buggy too

LR: Momma gave me a buggy too

KR: Your momma did

DB: Momma used the buggy

LR: Bouncing up and down the road

KR: Bouncing up and down the road

DB: Yes. Was it hard to plow?

LR: I had a plow

DB: You had a plow, was it hard?

LR: No

DB: No? Not with the horse?

LR: Working the peas

KR: Working the peas

DB: Working the peas, you had a lot of peas?

LR: We had a lot of [Indecipherable]

DB: Were they black eyed peas?

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: [Indecipherable]

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Raise and eat [indecipherable] trade and sell off the farm too

DB: Oh, they would sell their things?

KR: They would sell, you know, what they didn't keep they would sell. They raised enough to make money off of. That's what she used to tell us all the time. When I was a kid, [Indecipherable] used to make the whole yard a garden

DB: Make the whole yard a garden

KR: Yeah

LR: Huh?

DB: He said the whole yard was a garden

LR: Who?

KR: The field, you know like the field?

LR: Yeah

KR: The whole field, y'all would plow the whole field up wouldn't you?

LR: Oh yeah [Indecipherable]

KR: She would help her sister

DB: Did you go to school?

LR: I did if could

DB: How long did you go to school?

LR: I did go to school

KR: Yeah she said how long did you go

LR: [Indecipherable] I'd go to school

KR: It would change when you wasn't working you would go, but you went up the the 8th grade, 7th grade

DB: To 8th grade

KR: I think she took the 8th grade

LR: Don't tell that boy about [Indecipherable]

KR: I Won't tell him

DB: What did she said

KR: Don't tell that boy about [Indecipherable]. Hey, what year--you went up to the 8th grade, didn't you? Your 8th grade, [Indecipherable] in 8th grade?

LR: Yeah

KR: Yeah

DB: Did you make good grades?

LR: Yeah

DB: Yes, did you like to read?

LR: I like to read

KR: She loves reading the bible, well used to

LR: Everything I went to do, I got it

KR: Everything she went to do she got it

DB: Alright, well miss Leola I'm so glad you talked to me today, I'm glad Kenneth and Michelle were here to help me understand

KR: She said--

LR: What?

KR: She said thank you

DB: Thank you

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: She said thank you

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: No she isn't talking about [Indecipherable], she's talking about she wants to thank you for letting her have her interview with you, talking with you today

DB: Thank you for letting me talk to you. Will you let me take your picture?

KR: She wants--

LR: [Indecipherable]

KR: Mom she wants to take a picture now, you gonna let her take a picture of you?

DB: Yes

LR: Huh?

KR: You gonna let her take a picture? She wants to take a picture

DB: You're so pretty

KR: Let's fix your little bonnet up here a little bit

LR: [Indecipherable] It's not no bonnet

KR: Okay I know it ain't a bonnet but I just said that, okay.

DB: Oh, she looks so pretty. You want to hand me my purse over there? They keep you looking mighty fine.

KR: Say thank you

MR: She said you look good, you gonna smile?

KR: Smile so she can take a picture. Look at the phone, she's gonna take a picture of you

DB: I get the camera first, alrighty. One, two, wait let me try this one. One, two, three

KR: Cheese

DB: I think that's wonderful, 101 years' old

KR: Yes

DB: Miss Leola

MR: Her mommas gonna go down to the corner, she said

DB: Now she's laughing

MR: She said her mommas gonna go down to the corner and catch a man

DB: I think they're not gonna let you do that. You're gonna go catch a man?

KR: [Indecipherable]

LR: [Indecipherable]