Melton Powell Family Letters - 1925

Melton and Gertie Powell and their children [Thelma b. 1912, Thurman b. 1913, Willis b. 1915, Fleta b. 1916, Winnie b. 1919, Floyd b. 1920, Betty b. 1923] lived in Coin township, Carroll County, Arkansas on a farm in 1920. Gertie's sister's family, Oma & Guy Moore and children Pauline & Etta Lee lived next door. [ See 1920 census image] In 1923, shortly after their last child was born, Melton and eirtie sold their farm and auctioned off their cattle, farmstuff and household goods and moved to Oklahoma. Oma and Guy Moore and family went to Oklahoma with the Powell family. In Oklahoma, Grandma and Grandpa Powell both worked on a dairy farm. This would have been the first time Grandma Powell worked for wages since she gave up teaching shortly after she married Melton. From what their children have told me, Grandma liked their life in Oklahoma but Grandpa did not. After only 2 years, the Powells moved back to Carroll County and bought another farm in the Sunny Lane community of Carroll County, not far from where they lived before going to Oklahoma. This farm is where Grandpa Powell lived out his days until his death in 1954. After Grandpa died, Grandma Powell moved to the town of Green Forest, using the proceeds from the sale of the farm to buy an appartment house on North Springfield Street. Grandma lived in this house until her death in 1972.

Sometime in 1925, after the family returned to Arkansas, Grandpa Powell went to California to work in the harvest. The rest of the family remained on the farm. Sister Betty thinks that Grandpa and Grandma were considering a permanent move to California. After Grandma Powell died, Sister Betty got an old steamer trunk that belonged to Grandma. In this trunk were letters that Grandma had written and received, including several between Grandpa Powell and his family in Arkansas. Sister Betty still has many of these letters, but has let a precious few go to other relatives. I only have one actual letter, but have scaned images of 2 others. The letters present a really sad picture of Grandpa's attempt to support his family by going thousands of miles away to work. Although he hoped to make money to support his family, the last letter we have from him to his family talks of having no money and trying to find work just to pay his way back to Arkansas. For Grandpa, the dream of riches in California turned to a desperate search for a way home.

Click on the links below to see the 1925 letters I have scanned.

• 1925 - Grandma Powell to Grandpa These letters are written on small tablet pages. This was on the same sheet as Fleta's letter, but started at the bottom in reverse of Fleta's letter. To make it easier to read, I cropped the two sections and rotated this one so it is not upside down.
• 1925 - Fleta's half of above page
• Above letter, whole page As it was written.
• 1925, Nov 29, Thelma to her father This was written right after Thanksgiving.
• 1925, Willis to his father This letter also talks of Thanksgiving.
• 1925, Truman to his father I think the 'Price' in this letter is probably Price Jones, a neighbor.
• Above letter, whole page With note on bottom from Willis.
• Willis' part of above letter rotated for reading.

Click on the links below to see family photos from this time.

• Powell Family ca. 1920-21 with Aunt Oma Moore's daughters Standing: Pauline Moore, Thelma Powell, Truman Powell, Willis Powell. Sitting: Etta Lee Moore, Fleta Powell, Winnie Powell. Thanks to Fleta's daughter Winnie Jo for sharing this photo that the sisters had never seen before.
• Powell children ca. 1923 This photo was, I believe taken at the time of the auction before the move to Oklahoma. On the back of my copy of this photo I have written in my own hand, Willis, Floyd, Thelma (holding Betty), Winnie, Fleta, Truman. Winnie Jo has the person holding the baby identified as Grandma Powell. I do not know if my father told me these names or if this is a guess on my part.
• Grandma Powell & her mother's pie safe at 1923 auction Someone {Aunt Thelma?, Mama?} told me that the pie safe in this photo was given to Grandma Powell by her mother when Grandma got married and that it was very painful for Grandma to give it up at the sale. I am not absolutely sure of the identy of all these children. Grandma Powell is the adult woman, and Thelma is standing next to her. I think from left to right is, Winnie, Fleta, a Coxsey cousin, Thelma, Gertrude Powell and the little boy on the right in the foreground may be Floyd.
• Gerturde Powell and children with Jersey cows. I think this was probably taken at the time of the 1923 sale also. I think they auctioned off the cows. My guess as to the identy of those in the photo is, left to right, Willis, Thelma, Turman, Fleta, Winnie, Floyd, Grandma Powell.
• 1948 Powell Reunion Jesse and Melton Powell family
• above photo with names some I am sure of, some are guesses, some I do not know

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