[basham.ged]
Correspondence from Lynn Mize <lmize!albemarlenet.com> 8/2/2000
WPA Interview, Vol. 86, page 257
HARRIET SELF
BRITTON, OKLAHOMA
Born 9 miles North of Honey Grove, Texas, at Self, Texas
Father: William Carrol Self b. Alabama
Mother: Mary Caroline Baxter Self b. Georgia
Pa and the boys had come over here in the Spring of 1882 to build ho
us es on the ranch where we were to live and to have everything comfortab
le f or Ma and us girls before we came over in the fall. They build our fo
ur-ro om plank house with a hall, almost as big as each from room, all t
he way b etween the four rooms. The back rooms were just what we called sh
ed room s. One was used for a kitchen, too, all the time. There were Pa a
nd Ma a nd eight of us children then. It took a big table to accommodate a
ll of u s. Other children were born there.
Our house was out of the prairie one mile north of Longview Post Offic
e, w hich was in the home of George Oakes; that house is still standing th
ree m iles east of the present town of Hugo. It was made of planks, to
o, a nd I just can't think where they got planks to build houses with he
re in 1 882. I guess there must have been some sawmills somewhere in t
he country.
A lot of the fencing was of rocks that were picked up on the ban
ks of t he Salt Creek which was only a little ways from our ranch hom
e. We h ad a lot of rail fencing, too. The rails were made down on the c
reek.
Willie Spring had got acquainted with Pa and the boys when they ca
me ov er in the Spring. He used to come over and spend nights with them. T
hen wh en we came here in the fall we had a big "house warming" and danc
e; everyb ody in the country was there including him. But he was so bashf
ul that he
pretended not to notice me. He would come on Sundays and prete
nd to be vi siting the boys. Then once when we went to Spring Chapel to c
hurch, he g ot one of the boys to ask me if he could have my company hom
e. I said "Ye s" and waited for him to come around me. Finally the cro
wd came in and as ked why I didn't come on. They had been out there on th
eir horses. I to ld them I was waiting for Willie to come for me. Th
en I found out th at he had gone home to saddle his horse and would jo
in us as we went pa st their place about a half-mile east of the churc
h; he had been too tim id to tell me that. Well, he rode with me but w
as such a "Tubby" that I h ad to do all the talking.
Soon after that he sat around our house a half day before he got the cou
ra ge to ask me to go to a dance with him. Then when we wanted to get mar
ri ed he got his uncle, Jim Spring, to ask Pa for me. Uncle Jim was She
ri ff of the county and when he rode up to our house Ma, Sister Nann
ie a nd I were quilting.
Ma just wondered and puzzled over why the Sheriff came and asked f
or P a. He was down on the creek making rails and Ma blew the horn for h
im to c ome to the house but she didn't ask Uncle Jim what he wanted. Wom
en tho se days didn't ask anything about their husbands business. Ma nev
er kn ew where
their bunch of cowhands were going when they rode off in the morning un
le ss they were going so far that they would need lunch or a chuck wago
n. B ut I knew what Uncle Jim wanted and right away I asked Nann
ie to go to t he spring with me after some water. Ma told us to try and g
et the quilt o ut before
sundown, that there was plenty of water up for the night. I insist
ed th at I wanted a fresh drink, and I sure did because I was so excit
ed my mou th and throat were dry. We went to the spring and tried to st
ay until Unc le Jim would be gone but we couldn't, he stayed so long.
We went back to the house and found Ma crying. Nannie asked her wh
at w as the matter and she said "I told Bill when he wanted to move over h
ere t hat some of our children would marry Indians". And sure enough we d
id. S ix out of the ten of us married Choctaw Indians. I married Willie S