The Okie Legacy

Oakie's NW Corner...

As the sun set in the NW Oklahoma skies, Friday, 15 February 2002 and rose again Monday, 18th of February... the Ernest Claude & Mary Barbara (Hurt) Paris' family were gathering to celebrate the Life, Legacy and share memories of the next to the youngest sibling, Geneva Lucille Paris Smith, who passed away last Friday evening, in Fairview, Oklahoma..

I would like to think that Aunt Geneva, Auntie Jim (a.k.a. Aunt Zella) and Vada (my Mom) have found a great fishing pond near a green, grassy hill to stretch out, wall away the hours fishing, joking and reminiscing about the family and the good old days. I would even suppose Grandma & Grandpa Paris are nearby with Grandma Mary baking her Bohemian goodies that filled the air everyday and especially during the holidays with the smell of the fresh, warm aroma of pies, homemade rolls, breads, noodles and kolaches.

Uncle Alvin (the next to the oldest son of Ernest & Mary Paris) came to Chester this last week all the way from Colorado Springs with his youngest son (Phil Paris, and his wife Milcy). When I was visiting with Uncle Alvin during Aunt Geneva's funeral. Alvin mentioned that "Grandma would bake bread everyday of the week -- even though she wouldn't have flour."

The Sunday Enid News & Eagle, dated 17 February 2002, pg-C3 had Geneva's Obit. A "Celebration of Our Mom" was written, read by the her youngest daughter Barbara Paris Walton. A beautiful tribute written with love to celebrate Geneva Paris Smith's life & legacy.

For those of you who did not know... At the crossroads corner of northwest Oklahoma, in a little community sometimes called Cottonwoods Corners, Tailholt and named Chester, Geneva Paris settled with her Husband John Glen Smith and raised three children (Jeanette, Ron and Barbara).

Besides being a wife and super-mom, Geneva was a Justice of the Peace, Tag Agent, Tax Accountant and a Reporter for the Tailholt News. Some of you northwest Oklahomans out there... dig through your basement, attic treasures and find us some of those stories from the "Tailholt News."

As you can tell... My journey this last week took me to the small community of Seiling and Chester, Oklahoma, in Major County, to celebrate the life, legacy and memories of my mother's younger sister, Geneva Lucille Paris Smith. Aunt Geneva may have passed on 15 February 2002, Friday evening, in Fairview, Oklahoma, but her legacy will be remembered by her family, friends whose lives she touched during her 74 years and 10 days.

Geneva Lucille Paris Smith (born February 6, 1928, at Chester, Oklahoma) is the second on the left between Mary Barbara (Hurt) Paris and Ernest Claude Paris. The lady on the right is one of her older sisters (Zella, a.k.a. Auntie Jim).

The bottom picture is a picture of my great-grand parents... Henry Clay & Sarah Frances (Conover) Paris with their five children. My grandfather (Ernest Claude Paris) is standing on the backrow, rightside behind Arthur Henry.

Sarah Frances "Fannie" (Conover) and Henry Clay Paris are seated in front with their son, Arthur Henry. On the backrow, left to right are the rest of the siblings... Dee, Volney Peter, Myrtle Mae and Ernest Claude.

As to Seiling, Oklahoma & Murals of Major County...

I found a couple of great murals painted on the sides of buildings at the corner of 3rd & Main Street. If you ever get in our neck of the woods, STOP in the northwest, Major County, in Seiling, Oklahoma and take a glimpse of the murals on the north walls on the southside of 3rd Street. You can see more of the "Seiling Murals" over at "Oakie's Webshots."

Back to Uncle Alvin for a few moments... When he and his family lived in Alva, he worked out of an Insurance Agency. One of the first Insurance agency was W. G. Clark's Insurance. I think it was somehow connected to the McClure agency, but I'm NOT sure on that. I just know that this W. G. Clark was a relative of my good friend J. L. "Bud" Clark. Anyway, Bud said he remembered Alvin because he worked for his uncle's Insurance company when Uncle Alvin was first starting out in the 1930s. I think that was what he said. I get so much history delivered this way, that I hope I didn't get that bit of information screwed up. ;-) If any of you northwest Oklahomans out there see Bud Clark, tell him you read about him in Linda's Okie Legacy. He's kind of my adopted father, friend and knows all you want to know about horses, farming and ranching.

In the "Mailbag" section there are some inquiries that maybe some of you readers could help us discover more about -- Such as... the "Old Dance Hall" in Lymon, Oklahoma; the Tucker family and Tuckertown, Oklahoma; and the Burbank Oil-fields (Fred Randolph Papers) in Osage County near Denoya and Foraker, Oklahoma located in the north central part of the state. Thanks for any HELP you can find in your attic, basement treasures of accumulated ancestral collections.

I'm off to the Rocky Mountains in the West to celebrate my 54th B-Day. I guess while I am away it sounds like the northwest and the rest of Oklahoma will be experiencing a COLD artic front for a week or so. Saturday & Sunday are suppose to be in the 70s before dropping to the 30s on Monday (Feb. 25th, 2002).

Take care and keep reasonably warm. I'll see you again next weekend. Dig through some of those treasures in your attic this coming week and send me some Okie Legacies to share with everyone in the next few weeks.

~~ Linda "OaKie" Wagner~~

Menu:

• FairValley Eagle
• Ghost Towns - Osage County
• Castle on the Hill
• Oakie's Webshots
• ParisTimes Pioneers
• ParisTimes Cookbook
• WWII POW Camps
• Grandpa's Baseball Legacy
• Gr-Grandmother's Legacy

c/o The PubCo - PO Box 619, Bayfield, CO  81122

Copyrighted © 2009 by WWWPubCo & OkieLegacy.  All Rights Reserved.

Crust (MWags Old Fashioned)
Combine (with fork or food processor) and cut together until you get pea size clumps:
1-1/2 cups of All purpose flour
1 tsp of sea salt (or kosher salt)
1/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) chilled, unsalted butter Slowly combine (with fork or food processor): 1/4 cup iced water (no ice cubes). Roll in a ball and flatten. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let Dough soften to room temperature. Roll on floured surface into a 13-inch round. Carefully place in 9-inch pie pan. Trim and shape dough around the edge. Wrap crust in foil to prevent burning. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Apple Filling (from Great-Aunt Geneva's recipe)...
[I use 4 Granny Smith for tartness and texture and 4 Red Delicious. Peel and core. Slice into 1/4 inch pieces ~ MWags]

Here is a Fruit Filling from my grandmother's younger sister (Geneva PARIS-SMITH, deceased, February 15, 2002), Chester, OK. Geneva tries to find either Winesap or Jonathan apples (sliced thin and stacked into the crust.) What Grandma Paris did for a 10 inch pie... She used

Cup and 1/2 sugar,
heaping Tbsp. of flour and
tsp. cinnamon.

[I also dust the apple slices in the sugar mixture and also include a couple pats of butter on top before I crumble the crumble crust on top. Bake until crumbe is brown (but not more than 25 minutes at 350 unless you like mushy apples)]

Mixing together in a separate Cup. Add about 1/2 of sugar mixture to bottom of crust. Add thinly slices of fresh apples, and dot with about 3 pats of margarine. Add the rest of sugar mixture. Put on top of crust. Geneva liked to roll the crust as thin as she can handle it without poking holes in it. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake 350 degrees.