Aunt Ponnie And Me; Altus Okla Made Three

When I was a kid I used to listen to the poem starting with T'was The Night Before Christmas And All Through The House

Well let me tell you this was not the night before Christmas!!!!!

It was March and the night before the big Western dance at the Wm H Patterson Elks Lodge and I just got stood up!


Thinking fast, should I pick up the telephone and call or should I forget it.

I wanted to clear out my mind. No need in saying any bad words because that would make me more angry. I had never ever been stood up before.

The worse thing that I could remember happening to me was when that little boy who lived three doors down from us at the Lackland Air Force Base asked me to be his girlfriend. The next day after I said ok, he took my umbrella and broke it. I think he also quit me but I was so busy crying about my broken umbrella that I did not hear him.



The first thing would be is to stop looking at the clock. It seemed like all I heard was tic, tic tic, tic tic tic. Then, I need to get away from that dog-gone window. No reason to keep looking, Its not going to change anything one bit.Tic, tic, tic,tic, tic tic tic.



(I don't know what sound is worse the constant ticking or the buzzing of a fly that circles and circles all around your ear.)


My Aunt Ponnie used to say all the time,''Honey, haven't you heard that a watch pot never boils" I could hear her saying that now as I backed away from the window. I suddenly realized that my date was no longer important. That the realization should be on a person who had more of an impact on my life and that was Aunt Ponnie.

Although our time together was short, it was very meaningful to me. She kept me from being lonely when I missed my family back home, and she loved me as if I were her own.



Pauline was born November 30th 1899 to Joe and Nancy Cryor Mitchell in Hempstead County Arkansas. She grew up with two brothers Floyd and Wardell.

Here are two census records that reflect her and her family.

The first is a 1900 Census in Saline County Arkansas


The View:


Here is the 1910 census that depicts the brothers Floyd and Wardell Mitchell



The View:



Somewhere along the way Wardell ended up in Kansas City Kansas/Missouri area and Pauline and Floyd ended up in Altus Oklahoma. That's where I met her.



We spent hours and hours talking and laughing. Everyone called her Aunt Ponnie.
One thing about Aunt Ponnie was that she sure spoke her mind and 99.9 percent of the time it was the truth. She had her hands full with her grandson's Lawrence and Melvin who were just coming into their teens. Melvin was the outgoing one and Lawrence was more reserved.

I had driven down from Phoenix one year and stayed with them for about a month. I was on my way to Dallas but took a different route so that I could see them and also my Uncle Wright Cuney "Prof" Davis.

Every morning for about two weeks after getting up, I would go outside. The first thing that I saw was my car. It had been egged!


I was so upset. Number one because my car was egged and number two the paint on my car was being ruined. The boys Melvin and Lawrence and I tried to be look-outs for the culprits but to no avail.

Leave it to Aunt Ponnie, she found a way.

One night when everyone went to bed Aunt Ponnie got up, went to the refrigerator, took out all the eggs and carefully numbered them. She placed them back in the container upside down.


Well lo and behold the next morning, my car was egged. She called me and the boys in the living-room and told Melvin to get the eggs out of the refrigerator, and one by one read off the numbers. One number was missing.

Melvin confessed, saying that he was just playing pranks on me. All I could say was he had better be glad that he was not my child at that moment.

I think Melvin could not go out and play for about two days because he was put on punishment.
I asked Aunt Ponnie how she knew that it was Melvin. Well she said, " When it was lawrence's time to be the look-out, the next morning, no eggs!! When it was Melvin's turn, eggs !! That told me that one plus one equals two, so I got out the crayon."

Aunt Ponnie had a house with about four bedrooms. She rented out two of the rooms. One was to a soldier who was stationed at Altus Air Force base. His job on the base was a cook. So when he bought different things home from the base it was a welcome relief to Aunt Ponnie. There were big bags of flour and sugar, all kinds of fruits and veggies, spices and sweets.

One day I went over to her house and Aunt Ponnie was not really feeling that good. She was sitting on the couch and was a little out of breath. That did not stop her from puffing on those Pall Malls though. She asked me if I could finish cooking for her because her roomers would be home soon and that meals was a part of her contract with them.

Aunt Ponnie told me to look up under the cabinet and take out that big can of parsley that her roomer had bought home from the base and sprinkle some on the meat she was going to prepare.

I did so and opened the lid. Man oh man was I in for a shock. All I could smell was weed. That can was filled to the rim.

I was not a smoker of weed but being from the city I came from, I knew the smell.

I did not say a word to Aunt Ponnie. If I would have told her what she was unknowingly harboring I am sure her 65 years at that time would have been cut short by a heart attack.

Instead when the roomer soldier came home, I told him what I had found. He moved the next day. I think he may have told Aunt Ponnie that he was getting shipped out and had to leave for another assignment.

I learned several years later that he had been booted out of the service.

I moved back to Phoenix and called or wrote to Aunt Ponnie every chance I got.

One time she called me crying up a storm. She told me that someone was coming to take her refrigerator away and that she had to go to court. She begged me to come and go to the courthouse with her. Distraught, she said that she had no one else to go with her. Hating to hear that, I took time off my job, caught the bus and went back to Altus.

That following Monday we went down to the courthouse where we met with this lawyer who was in charge of her case. When he told me how much money her court case was over, I was too through. She was threatened with not only the loss of her refrigerator, but the threat that she could have her house taken away if she did not pay up.

They gave her a week or else.

She was in to them for a lousy eleven dollars. They had intimidated her with calls and threats that to her the eleven dollars seemed like eleven hundred dollars. I asked the lawyer what the total pay off was. With a smirk on his face, he told me thirty dollars which I promptly paid.

I asked him for a paid in full receipt and we left.

I know that Aunt Ponnie was relieved but she sure did try hard to get me to move back to Altus. God I loved that woman, but to live back there again, I just couldn't. Aunt Ponnie left this earth in 1979.......I drove down again for her home going celebration.

Rest In Peace Aunt Ponnie, Rest In Peace.

Memories And A Cup of Coffee

For the past 21 days my family and I have been on a fast. We were on a spiritual mission through our church ministry for those who wanted to participate along with our Pastor. We could pick something that we had or did daily that would be hard to do without.

My daughter and I picked sweet tea, bread and coffee. My grand daughter Taylor picked bread, sweet tea and vowed to be nice. (smile). My grandson Tyler chose to not play with his wrestlers, not watch wrestling on TV and refrain for the rest of his life to not tell a fib or be a bad boy.

When the day finally came to end the fast, my granddaughter and I headed for the local Quick Trip at 12:10 A.M. in the morning.

Sweet tea was the only thing on our mind. We each took a big gulp, put the lid back on and headed back home to get in the sack. We vowed to finish the next day, even if it was watered down tea.

That one gulp sure tasted good to me. LOL

The next thing I did when I got up this morning was to get my electric percolator, put it back together and brew me a good pot of coffee.

As that coffee aroma filled the room and the percolator made those sounds so typical of the brewing coffee hitting the top of the lid of the little glass fitting, you could see the coffee changing colors to a deep rich brown.

I suddenly started to smile because my thoughts went to two of my very favorite people who had graced my life at one time or another.

My Uncle John Morton and my ex - father in law Floyd Mitchell.

Now my Uncle John was my first exposure to how good breakfast was to a human being. He lived in Marshall Texas and worked for the Texas and Pacific Railroad.

When I was younger I went to visit for the summer. I would get up early in the morning just to eat breakfast with my Uncle John.

My Aunt Carmena would cook him rice, sausage and eggs with those good old home made biscuits.

Then there was his coffee. My oh My!! It was as if his eyes lit up when he took his sips. First he gently blew to cool and then he would sip.
I was intrigued because Uncle John would pour him a cup of coffee

He would then take that which he had just poured into the cup, transfer the liquid to the saucer and drink it like it was something special.

I asked him once why he did it that way. Was it to hot to drink,or what? Heck I figured if that was the case he could wait until it cooled down and then drink from the cup. His answer was short and sweet, "taste better this way" and as he smiled he then went back to his breakfast ritual, blow and sip, blow and sip.
My Uncle John was a man that was short with his words but those few words sure meant a lot to me.

Uncle John was born in Camp County, Pittsburgh,Texas on April 25th 1899 to the parents of Robert and Mollie Huff Morton. He passed away on June 15th 1975 in Harrison County, Marshall Texas.


Now my ex father in law Floyd Mitchell lived in Altus Oklahoma and he too loved his coffee.
In fact he could drink coffee all day long no matter if it was winter, summer, spring or fall.

The back burner on his stove at 720 West Wright stayed nice and hot as the old coffee pot slowly cooked to his perfection.


I called my father in law Dad. Now dad would pour him a cup of coffee into one of those old white thick cups which seemed to have an endless supply of strong black coffee.

I don't remember him pouring his into a saucer just from pot to cup to mouth. Hmmmm hmmmm,hmmmm.
I can see him now drinking that steaming hot cup of coffee as he was frying those delicious fried peach and apple pies he made to sell at the Cotton Compress.

Floyd Mitchell born 1901 in Saline County, Hempstead, Arkansas to the parents of Joe and Nancy Cryor Mitchell. He passed away in Jackson County, Altus Oklahoma in 1965.
I don't know when he arrived in Altus Oklahoma but thank God he did or I would not have met him.

I sure miss those two men and I am so glad that they were in my life.

Memories live on in our lives that cause us to smile and reflect. Especially the good Memories that tug at your heart.

Not So Wordless Wed: Still in Altus

In Altus Oklahoma during the 1st week of May,Lincoln School has their annual May Day Festivities. My uncle Prof, W. C. Daviss was the school Principal. I was spending the summer there and my Uncle had invited me to watch the activities. They had sack races,rally around the flag pole,and of course the crowning of the King and Queen.

This particular year as everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, I heard a loud noise that sounded similar to that of a railroad train. A loud whistle sounded out in the distance. Since I was watching the sack races and people were running anyway, I really didn't notice that the entire field was empty.
Empty except for me. Not being from there how did I know what was going on.
We were staying not that far from the railroad tracks so I am sure the train sound did not phase me

Suddenly it got still and real cold. I looked towards the north and noticed a large black cloud headed in my direction. It seemed like it covered the entire northern sky. It was then that I realized that this was stranger danger dressed in a black gloomy cloud. I was the only one left on the field. I froze dead in my tracks. The huge black cloud was getting closer and closer, picking up speed and whatever was in its path.
Finally I heard my name. Vicky, Vicky. Then louder, with more force Vicky Vicky Vicky, over here Vicky.
I turned around and there stood my uncle Prof frantically flailing his arms and screaming for me to come in his direction. Needless to say, I ran like Heck to that open shop door. As soon as the door was closed the school building shook a little and then calm settled in. When the door was opened, we looked around but could see no damage.

I had witnessed my first of many tornado's and have never been so afraid in my life, nor have I been so thankful that the LORD spared our lives and gave my uncle the insight to call out my name.

Tombstone Tuesday: Floyd Mitchell-Altus Oklahoma

Floyd Mitchell is laid to rest in Altus,Jackson County, Oklahoma at the Altus City Cemetery. He was born in Hempstead County Arkansas to the parents of Joe and Nancy Cryor Mitchell. Floyd (My favorite one and only father in law) and his wife Mary Lomax Mitchell are both buried at the same cemetery but I have been unable to find a photo of her headstone. R.I.P. Floyd and Mary Mitchell!

Mad Monday: Flipping Switches to Altus Oklahoma

Devine records Altus black history

ALTUS—Did you know that at one time Altus had five black deputy sheriffs or that Ray Charles and B.B. King once played here?

One Altus woman, Monetta Devine, took it upon herself to record the black history of Altus in three volumes of books called “From the Black Side of Altus.”

“I wanted to do this because there was a book written about the history of Altus and not one black person was in the book,” she said. “Not one, so I said this is the time that something needs to be said about some blacks.”

Devine went to the newspaper and radio stations and asked for people to send pictures and stories of their families. She received hundreds of family portraits and told the stories that people sent stories that people who have lived here all their lives may not have known. She began the book in 1987 and completed it six years later. It was published and sold in 1994.

“People sent me photos from all over,” Devine said. “I just wish I would have had the money to have it published the way it should have been. I took the information that they gave me and I added to this information and made it something that was delightful to read. It’s some of the most hilarious stories that you ever want to read. It’s just so interesting that it will just keep you reading and reading and reading.”

In Volume One, Devine has a special section devoted to her experiences of growing up on Crain Street and how every adult looked out for each other’s children.

“You could sleep hot summer nights with your windows and doors open and you weren’t bothered at all. Some people slept on a bed at night under a tree. Crain Street persons were concerned about each other and showed that concern at all times,” she wrote.

Volume One also tells the history of early settlements of blacks in Altus starting in the 1900s. Stories were told of the first businesses in Altus that were operated by blacks and black doctors. Family stories include those about Mary Wright, the Oliver family, the Dagget family, the Crowley family and others that resided in the community.

“We had five black deputy sheriffs in 32,” Devine said. “Mr. Savage was the sheriff and Altus was a ‘Boomtown’ then. Boomtown meaning big, running, gambling, hustling. Ray Charles used to play out of Altus. B.B. King, Big Joe Turner, Mr. Melvin, who had lots of places. He had the Coconut Club. He had the Hideaway ... I at one time had a beauty shop down on Crain Street, hustling people were there. I did hair sometimes until 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning.”

Volume Two of the book tells the history of black churches, which include St. John Baptist Church, Macedonia Baptist Church, New Hope Baptist Church and the Church of God and Christ. Also in the second volume, it tells the history of Lincoln School.

Volume Three ends the collection with stories of local families and monthly calendars with historical facts about blacks. Hundreds of pictures are displayed in the books. Collages of family portraits are also on some of the pages.

Devine’s family history is told in the books. She was born in 1933 to Purthy and Beatrice Devine. She is the youngest of two siblings, a brother, Lonnie Allen and a sister, Jeanie Jackson. She graduated from Lincoln High School as salutatorian in 1950. She attended Langston University after she received a scholarship from the VFW Post Ladies Auxiliary with the help of O.B. Grimmit. She also attended Texas Southern University, Western Oklahoma State College and Eastern Oklahoma State College. She was married to Master Sgt. Herman Roberts. They had one child, Dr. Robbie Steward. She later married Climon Quarles. The couple had three children, Tina Quarles-McKinnis, Lonnie Quarles and Whitney Quarles. She and Quarles were married for 23 years.

Devine says that the books could not have been done without the efforts of Jodean McGuffin Martin, Phyllis Paul Williams and Jean Wilson. She would also like to thank the people that sent pictures and stories. The books are available to read at the Altus Public Library in the genealogy section, but cannot be checked out. Not all of the histories of black families in Altus are told because information was not sent in. She says that she feels it is very important for families to read about the history of Altus.

“People will find stories that they have never heard of before,” Devine said. “The stories are comical and sad. There are stories of white and black families. It will benefit them to take the time to read them.”


This article was found in the Altus Times about four years ago. The book can be found in the Altus Library. My interest stems from in Altus Oklahoma because of Floyd and Mary Lomax Mitchell and their son Alford Mitchell. Also Pauline Mitchell Martin. These are my daughter's line.

http://altustimes.com/view/full_story/1323161/article-Devine-records-Altus--black-history