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B03C, MABT i l l .

BITlKniW
w

1041?

- B Form A-(S-UO) DIOGRAPIfi KCHJu WORKS JR0C21ESS ADMINISTRATION Indian-Pioneer H i s t o r y Project for Oklahoma

f>2

BOX, MART AHH

7/orker*s name 'lis report made on (date)

Z a l & * B. Bland* April 3>, 1956*

193

1.
fV"

Mary Ann Box* Post Office Address Altai, Oklahoma*

3.

Residence address (or location) South Kannidy

Day

4. .DATE OF BIRTH: 'Month 5. Place of birth

18

Year

1872,

6. Namo of Father

William Leabtrth,

Place of b i r t h

Other information about father 7. Nans of Mother ***?

E#

Place of birth

Alabama*

Otner information about mother

Notes or complete narrative by the field worker dealing with the l i f e and story of the person interviewed* Refer to Manual f o r suggested subjects and questions. Continue on blank sheets if nocessary and attach firmly to this form* Number of sheets attached -

BOX, UAHT Am.

ClNTXRVIBS,

1049?.

i p r U a , W38,

Interview With Mary Ann Box, South Kennedy Street, Altus* Qklahona I s nade so aany trips to Indian ooantry and book to Texas I hardly knaw which state waa hoae until we bought out a olaia fire a l i a s south and ons a i l e oast ot I^awton. I t bought out a m n ' i iaproTsasnts tor two bandrsd dollars. Ths claim vas supposad to hsTt a two room We

house on it^a good wtll of water and tome fencing.

sored from the eastern part of the state In two wagon* and a Spanlding hack; eaohiehiole had two horses hitched to i t and we had Wo young f i l l i e s following* When we so t to our purchased property the f i r s t thing we noticed was that there were a lot of wagon tracks around the well end we asked why* The nen told us that he had been letting the neighbors haul water* On drawing ths water frcsi the well we found that the water in the well was Tory mddy and shallow and i t dereloped that the well

64
BOX,

mar ANN.

INTSRTIBW.

10497*

was really a -'dry hold and they had hauled water and thrown into tpe well to f i l l the oontraot for we had bought a well of water with the land. The land looked Tery poor and rough but nj husband aid not to odnd that he had Intended to sore the house . farther up on a h i l l and build i t and then he would dig w a good well t which he did*. He also said! Ton just wait and tee, I will nake this place look eo nioe by the tiae we are ready to sell that aozae one will give ne a apod priee for i f * And after staying on that place for

fire years we did t e l l for 13,600.00. *e acred that two room house upon the h i l l and built three rooms on to it* He put out a nice orchard of plums,

peaches, apples, apricots, most any fruit you could mention and they a l l did well} but the ones named did best of e l l . W e set. out a vineyard which also did well* W e planted

peanuts'every year and sold a lot* W e did not plant nach eotton or wheat but raised enough corr^to fatten a lot of hogs for we sold hogs* fe always had a lot of cured meat then we sold out

and I just loved to sake ay own soap*

\
BOIf M A R Y AHZf. XHRRVIEW. -3there t cant south of Altos and bought 160 acres which I s t i l l ovxu We bad to l i r e i n a dugout hart for sersral \ywars spfr s t i l l hate a half-dugout on the place* W a , ... 10497.

65

always pick ua sandy mixed s o i l for wa think that grows everything battar* t e lirad hera twanty yeora; plantad

anothsr orchard, faaed, crosa^fanced and zoada ua a bsautlful oountry homo* Some of ottr children had married

aod sons sasdad t o ba i n high school, so ay an came to town and bought tip A l o t of l o t s i n t h i s part and bagan
i

to build ssall housas to rant*

Ha also built this oaasnt

block one ftor us to l i r e inj wa ranted the farm* M y haabaal died about a year ago; the children are all through school and asking their own living* IJ hare raised ten children and hate forty-one grandohildnin* I hare lirad hare nearly twenty ytars, I do not
f*

feel like I had a rary hard tlae tor there was alwnya plenty to eat and wear and a nice fire to keep warm, but, of oourse, we lired in the wooded part of the state until one oould hare ooal ahipped in for fuel* W e had hoga, chickens, oalraa, colts to aall a l l the UJM{ not aaif, but enough for cash when needed* ffe also

BOX, MAST ANN.

IOTHTOT.

20407*

bad awaat potatoaa, paanuta, oorn and oats to (tall, so va arrar wantad ft>r anythlog* Uy cMldrac waira always baalffy and Una io U f a baa bean good. Th# ohildran

got what adueatlon the conmnity offared and w aat tboaa away who wantad aoxa education*
v