The Dallas Journal, Volume 42, 1996 Page: 12
130 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Jake, Luther wrote us about having to get glasses and about how good you all had been to
him. It is mighty sweet of you all. I hope he can be one of the crew to hold his job. Mother
appreciates it so much that you paid for his glasses and took the debt on yourself. Son, you
need not send me any money. It was so good of you to help Luther. I will pay for mine some
way. The turkey market opens next week & I think they will bring a good price. You don't
know how I appreciate my glasses. They have helped me so much. You gave me the first
payment on them & I think that is wonderful --- Letter dated November 8, 1935, from Jennie
Rankin Ward to her son, Jake.
Everyone in my family has heard the story many, many times about how Annie Laurie and
T.J. were the first to come to Dallas. T.J. worked for the telephone company. Their home
became a refuge for younger brothers and sisters who later left the farm in Reagan to find a
job in Dallas during the Depression years. First to come was my father, Jake, who found a job
in October of 1933 working for Dallas Power & Light for thirty-five cents an hour. Then,
there were Luther and Ticky. They weren't as fortunate as Jake; they returned to Reagan
without jobs. But Wallace came after the war, finding a job first with the telephone company
and then with the railroad. Neither T.J. nor Jake nor Wallace would ever be without work
again; they retired from their respective companies after more than 40 years of service.
It was in 1990 when I went to see Aunt Annie Laurie to get the family Bible. I had just started
working on family history and was anxious to see the Bible. It seemed a long way from
Duncanville to Allen, driving along Central Expressway through heavy traffic. T.J. had been
dead a few years and Annie Laurie was living alone. We had a great time that afternoon.
Annie Laurie served me lunch, sandwiches, and iced tea. The tea was the best I'd ever tasted.
Daddy had told me that his sister had been a wonderful cook when he had stayed with her and
T.J. I mentioned that to Annie Laurie and she laughed, telling me how Jake had loved her
fried chicken. She also told me other family stories, reminiscencing about her parents and
childhood and T.J. I can still hear her voice from that day; it had a magical quality every time
she mentioned her late husband. After I left I realized something else. Annie Laurie wasn't
alone at all. She still had T.J. with her.DGS Journal 12 1996
DGS Journal
12
1996
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Dallas Genealogical Society. The Dallas Journal, Volume 42, 1996, periodical, December 1996; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth186855/m1/18/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Genealogical Society.