-Rebecca Shulmire
Ms. Bec. I hope that it come out better on your end than what I got here. The family is that of William Franklin Endicott and Rosa Craven Endicott. The group up on the left are of the children of ma and pa. My father Alva Eugene is at the top left. He was the youngest kid born of MA and PA Endicott. Oh that is the 2nd group down. Dad, Bryan, Charlie, Percy, Samuel, Aunt Lola, MA, Aunt Grace one son Walter missing. That goes top left to right down. The top right photo is WILLIAM FRANKLIN ENDICOTT AND ROSA ANN CRAVEN ENDICOTT, MY BELOVED GRANDMA. I’m the little guy down at the bottom with the overalls on.
Ms. Bec, those are my Endicott family Aunts, Uncles, cousins, MA and Pa. mom and dad and sister. Considering that I am amongst the Endicott family that trekked and survived the hell of the pioneering trail and then an off shoot of the family tells me that he is more an Endicott than I am, it disturbs me.
Ms Bec. I was born Sept. 20, 1933 in Fleetwood, Okla. My mothers name was Lucille Smith a daughter of a half breed Choctaw Indian mother. I can assure you that there was a real problem with that marriage for quite sometime. That’s why I was born in Fleetwood rather than Golden. However it seems that after I was born my Endicott family welcomed mom back to Golden and the marriage continued on an even keel. Indians of course at that time were still on a test bases and just hope that you didn’t meet one in the dark. Moms, Mom was of the Choctaw tribe which was one of the 5 civilized tribes of that time. I don’t recall ever seeing my maternal grandma but my dad told me she was one beautiful woman. She died of TB. I only recall seeing my Grandfather Smith a couple of times before he passed about 1943. That is about all I know of my mothers family as I was raised on the farm with my Endicott side of the family.
The farm was located at one time on a section of land and some of it was sold and the part that I know of was 70 acres. It produced corn, potatoes, peanuts, cotton. There was a rather large home with 3 bed rooms, a kitchen, dinning room and the old familiar parlor which we now call, living room. Of course there were other homes on the property but, as it is here on my homestead no other place like home it seems. So we all gathered to do the chores. The fields were plowed with our horse, Bird, being the main charm of the family. I love the memory of that horse even to this day; I recall the first time I got to handle the reins with her pulling the wagon. The chores of milking cows twice a day and churning milk and making butter and gathering eggs and slopping the hogs were rather routine. There was no end to what had to be done next for there were no stores locally to supply our family’s needs. The garden was in itself a store of our food. It was a garden of rather large size which required us all to pitch in and bring the supplies to Ma and Aunt Lola and others to can for the winter. I can recall it being so hot around the kitchen while the canning was going on that it puzzles me today wondering how MA and the others could have stood the heat.
While that was going on the men folks were doing their chores , shucking corn, making syrup, slaughtering hogs, getting the smoke house set up to handle all the meat.
Then when the chores of the week might be caught up we had our Sunday gathering at church, Gramps the deacon was the gatherer of our souls to worship God at our Baptist church while Ma stayed home and got our dinner meal ready for us to return home, with the preacher of course. I can tell you now that kids never set at the table first in those days. Yet, it was a beautifully prepared meal and enough for all servings. The preacher always went home happy to have been served in our family’s home.
I can tell you that we lived a life so worthy of the love of God in those days. Even I was worthy of Gods love as I was saved when I didn’t know what to make of it all. However, after I was saved I sure had the feeling that I could do no wrong and I put it to the test for a while. Well, I ain’t so sure anymore that I can’t do no wrong but, I do know right from wrong and I think that I am worthy to carry my family’s name forth in their behalf.
You know what Ms. Bec.?I am so proud of my Endicott family that I know one thing for sure in regards to all my past families contribution to my being here. A cousin can’t in reality tell me he is more Endicott than I am. IT’S just not possible.
I could go on and tell you about what it was like not having an inside toilet or water and the times that I got locked in the hay loft for messing around my working cousins in the field. Then the hours I sat on the front porch with my grandma just watching the fire flies flit while she told me about her family. Then the walks I had with Ma and my little stick with the tobacco can at the end that kept my little wheel going upright at any speed. Then the times we all went to our Indian neighbors for our family haircuts on Sunday afternoons. No scalping done there. Yet there were some Indians that didn’t join into the mixture yet.
Then all of this changed after the war began. Uncle Bryan bought a service station in Idabel about 1943. I worked there with the other uncles for 6 years. I still recall our first day there when Uncle Bryan says we stay here until we make our first 100.00 dollars. At 9-or 11 cents a gallon of gas and pennies for everything else. I laugh to this day about staying there until 9.00 o’clock that night for that 100.00 dollars.
Yep, after the war started we did move away from the farm and it was sold. We went into the service station business and family became a part of Idabel . There were a lot of us that resided there for many years. I left for the military in 1950 and did my tour of duty in Japan and then moved to Calif. with my mom and dad. I reenlisted and did another tour in Germany in 1954-55. Got out in 1955 and met Karlene and married July 17-1955 served 35 years with United Parcel Service and now sit on my own homestead in the foothills with a little time on my hands to recall my past of almost 69 years. The best part is that I lack nothing at all for I have lived a good God fearing life with all my children under foot and every possible thing I ever dreamed of having but a 4 wheel quad cycle. Why I don’t have that yet is a mystery to me. I have had a 42 ft yacht, along with about 33ft and a 25 ft cruiser at the same time. Motor home and backhoes, dozers, dump truck, motor cycles, tractors.
I sit here admiring my success Ms. Bec. Then looking back at where I started from. It is a full time Job trying to remember why I am who I am and where I came from. Most of all I am an Endicott,. That makes me a part of your and all those other poor souls families that pioneered this new worlds wilderness. My pride in their accomplishment stands forth in my soul with great humility. Your family resides amongst those souls and I cherish the knowledge that we all have become familiar with during our recent miracle in technology. You have my blessings Ms. Bec. And Mom, Gail.
Cousin Edward L. Endicott
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