Do a Little Dance......

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"Every morning before breakfast Tuck made himself a hot toddy in a big goblet, whiskey, hot water, and sugar. Some sugar always settled to the bottom, with a wee bit of the juice. Sally liked to get the last sip. Uncle Tuck would stand her up in a chair and make her dance for that last sip."

The Circus Comes to Town

"...When the circus came to town Ed took daughters Sally and Anne, even if it was just a little pony show or just a tent show,he always took them to see it.
Not only did they see the shows but they also got everything that went along with it. They got the big colored balloons and the big boxes of buttered popcorn, everything that makes a perfect day at the circus.
When they got older they got to go to the picture show every Saturday night maybe both shows; afterwards going to the chocolate shop to be treated to a Sundae."
sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

At Uncle Tom and Aunt Bess' House

..."Once when my sister, Annie and I were at Uncle Tom and Bess' house, her old cow had twin heifer calves and she..." named them Sally and Annie. I ate a lot of watermelon and when sleeping on a made down feather bed pallet I wet the bed. I was so ashamed that I rolled Strauther, who was sleeping with me, over in the wet place. Aunt Bess said not a word but long afterward we laughed about it for she knew at the time."

My First Bathing Suit

..."Later as I grew older, I lived in Jonesboro, either with Dad and they boys or with Aunt Mattie Anderson. I could only visit there during the summers. That end of Craighead County was low, swampy land with farming acres on a gentle rise. It was being dredged and reclaimed with dredge ditches running clear streams with sandy bottoms. I learned to swim in one when Joe rocked the old dugout we were poling. Rather than fall out I had the brilliant idea of jumping out - not knowing that clear water was so deep. I started paddleing like a dog and got to shore... my first bathing suit was a pair of Joe's overalls."

Grandpa Tuck and the Pony....

...."Grandpa, it was said, mostly by Grandma, could buy or sell just about anything, a horse or cow, maybe a steer and have it butchered. Once it was a horse. It was small and they teased him that he had bought a colt. I wanted to go out to Aunt Lula's and decided I would ride it. He laughed at me, said I would have to tie knots in my legs for I had grown up and my legs were getting long. But he helped saddle it up and away I went, I had to go through the little town and right there on the main street was a little cafe where they had a graphaphone going full blast and the pony started dancing. It was decided that he had been a circus pony."

How I Got My Name...

...."Grandpa told me once that he could still see clearly the face of Uncle Clarence, his first child, but none of the others. His first wife, my real grandmother, was said to be part Indian and as mean as the Devil. When she died Grandpa married Sally Baker, already mentioned with her 5 kids. They had the two boys, Joe and Henry, and right about then my sister, Annie, and I came along. Mother liked her Stepmother real well, even naming me for her--and Grandpa. We four kids all near the same age really had fun. My mother having died we too seemed to be at Grandpa's a lot. As I may have already said Joe and I even slept at the foot of the bed of Grandpa."

Ella Mae Wallace's Husband, Pierre Maxey

...."My Mother was Ella May Wallace, she married a man who worked for Grandpa as a wage hand or hired hand as some called it. Aunt Lula was a younger sister who told me most of it. In the fall when crops were in and the hands paid off her husband, Pierre Maxey took a wagon and team to Paragould for funiture for they would move out to their own house after the baby comes. On the way back he was robbed and killed and from all evidence thrown in the river. The baby, my sister Blanch, was deliveded by a midwife, Mrs. Holinshead, we called her Granny Holinshead. Mother lived on at home with her child who was about the same age as Little Tuck. The mother must have died about along then for Mother stayed and kept house for them until she maried my Dad."

Aunt Sally and the Itch

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

..."Grandpa showed his goodness and understanding as few people can.

I was teaching at Black Oak and came to Monette one Friday. Every kid in school had the itch and I got it too. I told Grandpa and he said to get Sack to make up some sulphur and lard, etc. I set up a protest! I hated the idea of the greasy mess. So Grandpa went to town and got a bottle of liquid sulfur and I soaked myself in it. Grandma put old sheets on a ged and gave me a ragged old night-gown and to bed I went. I smelled for three nights, got up Monday morning and bathed in the big old wash tub by the stove in the kitchen, then I went back to school."

Up, Up, and Away!

sketch: balloon; Sherryl Guthrie Miller, steeple & Jackson; Sandy Guthrie Moore

Sally recalls being told about one of her relatives by the name of Jim Jackson. Between 1890 and 1895 he had sewn about 50 flour sacks together and put tar all over the outside of the sacks, Jim took it behind Blakeman's Blacksmith Shop filled it up with gas and climbed into the basket of the "balloon" and cut the rope. The balloon, with Jim in it, shot up like a rocket and flew off toward the North. In a little bit it caught on the courthouse steeple. It took a long time, but friends got him a ladder and he was able to get back down to the earth.

also mentioned in William's "History of Craighead Co."

Derned Turd

..."The first set of children said Little Tuck was never really given a name, and while growing up, took up the initials "D. T." for Daniel Tucker, Grandpa's nickname. But when I asked him what the initials stood for he said "Derned Turd, I guess."....

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

Uncle Tuck and the Wallace Family....

"John Daniel "Uncle Tuck" Wallace, and all but one of his siblings, & some other family members came from Union County, Kentucky, decided to live in Northeast Arkansas. The area they settled in became known as the Kentucky Settlement, which is a part of Craighead County. If you would like to see some interesting material of my ancestors, maybe even your ancestors, you might want to visit my other blog." by Sandy Guthrie Moore

http://sandraguthriewallaces.blogspot.com/

Arkansas or Bust.....

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"Tucks' family decided to move to Arkansas to homestead land. He went to tell his girlfriend, Lou, good-bye, to quote the story told by him, "Lou started crying, and... I told her not to cry but to come on... let's get married and then you can come with me!" And that is what happened. So, Lou Bracken became his wife.

After getting a yoke of oxen and a cart, they loaded up their possessions. They were given quilts, meat, pillows, a feather bed, and cookware. Off they went, for the land of opportunity.

This was their wedding trip. He was 17, she was 14. The Kuykendall family also came to Arkansas at this time."

Uncle Tuck & Lou's Children...

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"This is a list of Tucks and Lou's children:

Clarence, John Bob, Lula, Ella Mae, Little Tuck, Tom Ray, Coedilia, Alice, Ruth, Drewcella, & Ben.

After Lou died, Tuck married Emily Baker, a widow who had five children.

Their names were: Daisy, Houston, Ellen, Minnie, and Hector. [This did not enclude children's husbands and wives, and the grand-kids.]

Now Tuck and Emily had two sons from their marriage.

Their names were: Joe Wright and Henry."

[To see more on Uncle Tuck, see my genealogy blog titled "My Wallaces". Uncle Tuck's given name was John Daniel Wallace]

The Urge....

"Uncle Sam had a very deaf wife. His farm joined Grandpa's. Her garden next to his hay field. One day our haying he got the urge to **** and called out to Matty to go to the house. He couldn't get her to hear him so he dropped his pants right there and then, well... she got the message."

No Pickn' Chickn'.....

"Aunt Betty (Elizabeth) and Franklin. I like her. She never made us pick chickens, she skinned them."

Selling Fruit Trees....

"When Uncle Bob retired from farming he sold fruit trees. He would take orders, and come and plant them himself, guaranteeing them to grow. He was a little biddy man."

Bear in Town...

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"Bob and Tuck Wallace were famous bear and deer hunters from the Buffalo Island section of Craighead County. Once they ran a bear through the town of Monette. This happened on Thanksgiving Day 1900, after Monette was a well populated town."

The Arkansas State Line....

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"On coming into Arkansas Lou saw a line stretched across the gound. She yelled, "Tuck, I found the state line!" Well, she was just 14.

On they went, over the state line and into Arkansas, where they did homestead and raise a large family. The Kuykendalls and Wallaces had adjoining tracts of land. This section of land became known as the Kentucky settlement, and was located 8 miles south of Monette in Craighead County."

Attacked by a Bear....

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"John Dodge was a successful hunter. He often went off to hunt bear alone. On one occasion he and James Wallace along with several other men started in pursuit of a bear, a Mr. Bruin had finally brought to bay and crippled. The dogs rushed upon him, and the bear seized one and was proceeding to squeeze him, when Mr. Dodge rushed up to save his dog. The bear then loosened his hold upon the dog, attacked Dodge with fury, biting him severely on the ghigh, wrist, and arm. James Wallace had no gun, and asked the other men for one in order that he might shoot at the bear. They ran away in fright. Mr. Wallace in desperation, threw himself ulpon the savage beast. He drew Mr. Dodge's knife and ripped the bears' abdomen from breast bone around to the backbone. The exhausted Dodge with Wallace's help was all the night going the ten miles home. Neeless to say that the heroes of this affair were not very cordial toward the hunters who had so ingloriously fled." From "History of Union Co., KY."

Quilting Parties....

"Sack would put a quilt there (out on the porch) too, and neighbor ladies would come and help with the quilting. Sally learned from her, and one day when she was helping her Grandma she saw someone coming and ducked under the frame to go to the front, in her haste Sally hit her head and swore, "God derned it". She got a good slapping for it."

At the Summer Kitchen...

"In town Uncle Tuck had this old house with a long porch in front and one in back going clear back to the summer kitchen. Grandma kept a barrel of sorghum molasses, flour, and lard with smoked meat hanging from up on the rafters."

Supper Is At Night Time.....

"Tuck moved to town when he got older and rented out his land or had sharecroppers. The Finleys who rented the house came to town often and to the house for dinner. (The noon meal, and supper was at night, and in the summer time it was what was left over from dinner.) If too little or if there was extra mouths to feed, she (Sack) would open a can of peaches or scramble some eggs to make enough. The Finleys would bring something she had grown in her garden or he might have butchered a beef and bring some fresh meat. Otherwise they ate ham, sidemeat, sausage, or whatever."

Spent Matches ....

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"Tuck's brother, Bill Wright Wallace, stayed in Kentucky where he grew tobacco. He sent Tuck big bundles of it. he would use most of it for crumbling up fro his pipe, he rolled cigars and he used some just to chew. He loved tobacco and whiskey. The grand-children would hang around to jump for his spent matches to shoot in their air guns. Sally said "They make real good bullets.""

Our Whiskey Runs......

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"Grandpa loved good whisky, and when Monette (Arkansas) went dry, he would order it by mail. When he got the notice that there was apackage in at the post office at Cardwell, MO., we would go get it. We loved to go on that trip. Joe would derive the car. At one time he had a Vellie and once a Maxwell. Joe was so little, and the roads ran right angle turns around the farms. Joe could hardly turn the steering wheel and I had to help him. We had cheese and crackers, oh what fun!" ...

"Once we were about to go on this very trip when Leonard Braden, the Sheriff, came by. He and Grandpa Tuck talked and talked until in my impatience to get on the way I said not too diplomatically... "We were about to start for Cardwell before you came up." And my how they laughed. He, no doubt, had many a drink of that whiskey himself."

Feelings for Children....

"Tuck had feelings for children and for family. He took on share-croppers who needed a place, often with large families, even tho they might not be a good hand.
Sally answered the old crank phone one day when it rang. Tuck would not talk over it, he wouldn't have a thing to do with it.

The conversation went like this -

Central: "Collect call for Uncle Tuck Wallace."
Sally: "It's a collect call."
Uncle Tuck: "Ask who's calling."
Sally: "Who is it?"
Central: "(some name)"
Sally: "It's ole so & so."
Uncle Tuck: "Oh, that old sorry man. Tell him alright, take it."
Sally: "Alright, put him on."
Man: "This is so & so, ask Uncle Tuck if you got a place for me."
Sally: "Wants to know if you got a place for him."
Uncle Tuck: "Oh, I'll have to take him, the sorry soul. He's got a good woman and a passel of little ones."
Sally: "He said yes, he'd give you a place."
Man: "Can he send for me?"
Sally: "Can you send for him Grandpa?"
Uncle Tuck: "Naturally he's got no way to get here, tell him yes, I'll send for him Saturday. Tell him to be ready!"
Sally: "Be there Saturday, and be ready!"
Man: "We'll be ready. Tell Uncle Tuck much oblilged.""

At the Depot.....

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"The J. L. C. & E. Railroad ran two trains daily from Jonesboro to Blytheville, and would meet in Monette morning and afternoon. Tuck was right there to get his Memphis Commercial Appeal from the news-butch.

Lots of older men would gather here to exchange news, talk about crops and gossip. Then Tuck like the other men would go to the post office to get their mail. There was always a Wallace working as postmaster or running the T. F. D. or mail car to Missouri. Once Tuck came home and told his wife that Mrs. Watson got her corset in from Sears, Roebuck & Company. "Now how do you know such a fact as that?" said Sack, "Well, I saw it, there is nothing in the world that looks like a corset in a box - but a corset in a box!" And they were long and had whalebone staves, I'd seen hers."

The Privy...

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"The lot was at least 200 X 300 feet. Room for a garden, orchard, barn with cows, and a vinyard. Grandma loved grapes. The garage was in the far corner on past the pump. There was a dugout log kept pumped full of cold water for the crocks of mild and butter. Then out in the little orchard was the privy (or out-house), a cape jasmine grew right by the door.

Once I hid out in the privy when Grandma's grandson, Webb Varner, was over for a visit. He had an eye on me and I did not care for him. Grandma sent for me, and even came for me, but I stuck it out till he left..

I thought of that cape Jasmine bush when I was a student nurse. I was going to a dance with a poor old medical student that I had met in Forrest Park. He sent me a corsage of gardenias. I was crushed. My Word! We had this old bush I remembered so well. I had wished for carnations."

Uncle Tuck's Barber Shop trip.....

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"Once when Tuck went to the barber shop for his hair cut, after the cut the barber asked him if he wanted a little hair tonic. He said yes, but instead of tonic by put on more shampoo. Well, he rinsed it out and started all over again. But like before he again put on more shampoo. You can bet by this time Tuck was pretty mad at the barber. He got up out of the seat and walked right out of the door, with shampoo bubbles and all!
He walked all the way home, then he had "Sack" (his wife's nickname) rinse it all out."

In Mid Air ......

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller

"Uncle John Bob loved the woods, loved to fish and hunt; he didn't care for neighbors too close by. He would move farther out ever so often. Once they were so far out someone would have to ride horseback to the mail box on the main road. He had a lot of hunting dogs, hungry hounds they were... after a meal Aunt Bell would let Sally take the biscuits and cornbread left over and go out on the high porch and toss it out to them. Never did a piece even touch the ground, they would catch it in mid-air. Their house was built way up high off the ground on accound of the floods."

Grandpa Tuck and Sally's fishing trips....

sketch by Sherryl Guthrie Miller
"Tuck would take me fishing in either to the 'Big Ditch' or 'Little Ditch'. These ditches were full of fish, perch and catfish. I was a big girl before I ever tasted anything but catfish. Few bones in them and too many kids for the older folk to help watch for bones. He took four or five poles along and he would stick them up in the mud. The he would find a nice log to sit on and have me watch the poles. He would keep an eye on them too, and when he would see one that was getting a bite he would say to me "Go daughter, you got one on that fer pole", and I would pull it in.
Tuck always wore a vest, summer or winter. In one pocket he carried his tabacco (sic) and a pipe. I can see him reach in another pocket and pull out a bit of paper and he would say "Listen, daughter" and he would read me a piece of poetry he had cut out of a newspapers or farm journal. He was a poet at heart and could make it fairly sing. It truly had a swing, rhythm, and it rhymed**--no free verse for him.