Audio family history by Odell Garrett Cook
(C. Avis Catalog entry #3)
(Document ID #611)
This is a recording of Odell Cook being interviewed by Charles Avis. It was made at Betsy and Charles' apartment in South Pasadena, California in August 1977.
Interview with Odell Cook regarding his parents and grandparents recorded in 1977 by Charles Avis in South Pasadena, California. (Audio file in mp3 format)
Background: Odell refers to his father: Pedro (or Franklin or Doc) Cook, "Mama": Ruby (Garrett) Cook, "Grandpa": Presley Garrett and "Grandma": Lucinda (Gilton) Garrett. He never knew his Cook grandparents.
>Where were they married? Do you know? Where were your parents married? Is that still in Kaufman County where all the kids were born?
They must have been, they must have been right there in Scurry.
I have an idea that - see Grandpa owned a big house on the hill up there. Just overlooking Scurry. And he was a, he was a mail carrier.
>What, Grandpa who?
Garrett.
>Oh.
And he, uh, Mama no doubt was raised there.
They lived there, I don't know how long they lived there. I don't know when they moved in.
>Yeah.
But they - no doubt Mama spent some of her childhood there. It seemed like they had just been living there forever - to me. It didn't have to be that long.
>You don't know if she was born there or not?
No, no, that's what I'm saying. I know they lived there a long time, but I wouldn't say she was born there. But I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she wasn't - if she was born there.
>So they were married in Scurry, you think?
I think so.
>That's a place to start looking.
Yeah, that'd be Kaufman County.
>Yeah. Was he a farmer or a merchant or what, your father?
Yeah, I think he was a merchant and a farmer, both, I guess you would say. He was a - he dealt in cattle. And, you know, buying and selling. Farming, too, at the same time.
And, see in those days, you didn't have a refrigerator. People then would get together and butcher yearlings and pass them out amongst themselves. And the next time someone else would. And, had no way of keeping them. That was the only way they could get fresh meat.
You know, he did a lot of buying and selling and farming all the time. And, clearing land. They had lots of timberland that had to be cleared - digging stumps out.
That was back when the land never had had anything planted on it. Now, then, it's wore out. You know, they don't put back what they take out of it. You know, fertilize it. And then the land gets dead, this was virgin land. And it was... It had never been farmed before, and it really did grow.
>What about, what about your mother?
>I've got somewhere it says that she was born on June 28th.
>There were two years written down, 1882 and 1891.
>Do you know how old she was when she died?
We had we had some differences on that. But, it was never resolved as to who was right. I think she was 78.
>Well, I would have put it in 1896.
>She died in '74, I guess.
Yeah. But, I thought she was 78. But, her brother's wife said that she was, you know, she was 81.
>81, what would have put it? 1893. I don't know where this 82 came in.
Well, I think that was a date that I had. And, I was afraid it was wrong.
I mean, after ...
>Well, there's the 91?
That's probably the date that I gave it.
You probably got this information from...
>Yeah, from you all.
This would make her what age?
>She'd be 83.
Yeah.
I might be able to find out more about the dates.
>This says 82 when she died. Yeah, that would have been 82. She hadn't quite reached her birthday.
I kind of feel like that's right.
>Well, this other date, gosh, she would have been too old.
I think that was the one they had on the burial records.
That was the one that my sister-in-law gave, you know when the funeral was held.
She died in Monahans. And, my sister-in-law made an arrangement when we brought her back here. Of course, she had to give them those facts that she gave them her birth date. Yeah, these things, she thought that was right. But I don't believe it is. I don't know where to tell her she doesn't need it.
>So, um, she gave the information on the stone?
Mm-hmm.
>And you're not sure if that's right?
Oh, no, no, she didn't. I put stone on it.
>Oh. Did you know at the time the right date?
No, I don't remember exactly what date I put on there. But it's probably this one right here. In fact, I didn't put the date. I just put the year. The two years. Because the one next to it, I think, is... It might be my father's. Then one of my uncles is buried there. Anyhow. Just had the year on it. Well, I'll just make them all look alike.
>Her father's name was Presley Monroe Garrett?
Mm-hmm.
>What was her mother's maiden name? Do you know? Lucinda Jane something?
Yeah, I bet old Monroe could give that.
>Let's get to some more easier stuff. Your brother Paul Monroe Cook?
Yeah, he's the one that died the other day.
>Do you know when he was born?
Yeah, July 4th, 1914.
>That's an easy one, isn't it? How about your brother Louis? How do you spell Louis?
L-O-U-I-S.
>Do you know his birth date?
Yeah, his was June 15th, 1916.
>Yours was 1918?
Yeah, that's the reason it's is easy to remember - they were two years apart. The reason I can remember, of course, this brother, July 4th. This one here was Juneteenth. We always called it that his birthday was on Juneteenth. And mine was on New Year's Day. You know, just almost.
>How long ago did Louis Abner die?
Ah, off-hand I don't know?
To Nina>When did Louis die? You remember?
Nina:>No, but I've got written down in my Bible at home.
Yeah, I know it.
Nina:>We can mail it to you.
>His wife's name was Mildred?
Yeah.
>Mildred who?
Murphy. M-U-R-P-H-Y
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[Break in recording … Resumes while discussing Odell's uncle, Henry Cook]
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His wife's name was Belle.
>Henry's wife. Henry Cook's wife's name.
>Well, if Henry was older than Franklin, he might show up in the 1880 census.
Yeah, that's right. I'm not sure that he'd be older. I doubt if he is. My father was - he was pretty young when he died. You know, he was probably still in his 30's.
>Well, if he died in '25. He would have been just less than 45.
Yeah, if that's correct.
>He'd still be around 40.
Well, Henry was probably younger than him.
>Do you have any idea when he might have left Arkansas?
>Would he have been just a young kid?
>Or did he leave with his parents?
>Or did he get grown and came by himself or what?
I would think, I don't know, but I would think that he came as a young man. I was trying to recall what Mama was saying. He came to Scurry. Yeah, I think he came from Arkansas to Scurry when he was grown.
>What?
After he was grown.
>Oh, after he was grown?
Yeah, because I vaguely recall my Mama saying something about it. My grandmother didn't approve of it. [= the marriage of Odell's parents] Mother-in-laws don't approve anyhow. There's nothing different there. He was the same story. She didn't want no part of it. My mother wanted it. So, they got married. And no doubt under protest from Grandma. Grandma never did become reconciled to him.
Well, my mother told me she left a space there in Mount Olive cemetery for her "between your Daddy (talking to me) and Mama". They couldn't get along, so I'm going in between 'em." That's where we put her.
>They couldn't get along.
Not at all. Not at all.
That makes me - I recall my Mama saying something about him coming there. No, he was a grown man.
>Was he already married? He didn't bring his wife with him. He met her in Texas. I guess he met her here.
No. He met her here. That's what I say - she was born here, yeah. He came, no doubt, from El Dorado. And met her at Scurry and evidently, I mean - they got married there.
She was living there. She was a young girl.
>You could probably find their marriage record there in the courthouse. 'Cause they are all indexed usually and certain years are in certain books.
Yeah, the Kaufman County courthouse. It might be that there would be a record to look at.
>I'm sure there was. Unless they had a fire.
No doubt, yeah. No doubt. There in Kaufman County.
>Still doesn't tell us …
No, don't tell us anything about it.
>His parents. We'll have to go back and look at El Dorado. Deeds and wills and things like that. See if he's mentioned. Then he'd have to be mentioned along with his parents.
See, we've got 1881 and 1882 on Mama. Or 1882. The one I had put on the stone down there, the marker - was the one I was satisfied with. I'm not sure now. I'll try to get all of that. Next time I go down there.
>If I get some time, I might try to...
I don't know her maiden name. My grandmother's maiden name. I should know that. I mean, I know it - I'll …
When I hear it, I'll - it'll come back to me. It's not too well known to me. But I've heard it. You know, I was pretty young - a young boy when she passed away.
>And that was in...
That's what's on the marker down there. It was put there by Mama. So she'd probably be correct. Birth and the death date.
>Did she die before or after your father? ['she' = Odell's maternal grandmother]
Oh, oh way after.
>So that's after 1925.
Yeah. Yeah. I might have been... Oh, I might have been 15 years old.
>Before you went in the army?
Oh yeah.