The Cummings Move to Floyd County - Back Story for Mother's Story

For this material, I relied on stories my uncles, Clyde and Elma Cummings, had thankfully left for posterity. The genre of this writing is creative nonfiction. The descriptions and dialogues are from my imagination, based on my uncles' narrative accounts. I decided I should start the book with Mother's birthday, but still hope to include this material at some point.

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On July 1, 1912, as Sid Cummings awaited the birth of his seventh child, his mind wandered back over his 39 years of life. He couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t know and love Susie Griffin. Their families had migrated together from Georgia to Cass County, Texas when he and Susie were small children, in the 1870’s.

When he was 19, Sid moved farther west to Collin County, to work for Mr. Shipman on a farm. He saved his money for three years, and in 1895, he returned to Cass County and married Susie Griffin. For a short while they lived with Sid’s brother, Jim.

Mr. Shipman helped Sid get some farm land in Collin County, so the couple returned to live there. Susie missed the piney woods of her childhood, but enjoyed the flowers she grew in the wonderful soil of their new home. It was a very small farm in the community of Climax, boasting a post office, grocery store and school. Their first children, Felicia, Ennis and Clyde were born and started school there. Their third son, A.D. was also born there, but before he started to school, a friend of Sid’s told him of a wonderful opportunity to get a larger farm on the plains.

“My brother got half a section for the price of a wagon and two horses. It’s virgin farming country.”

By train, Sid and his friend went to see for themselves. When Sid arrived home after ten days, Clyde, Ennis and A.D. rushed to grab his legs. The family act like I’ve been gone for ages, he thought. He had fun playing out a little drama, setting down his valise, opening it with a flourish, reaching in and bringing out a plum for each child. To Susie, he offered a large bunch of grapes.

“Look at the size of this head of Kaffir corn, this Milo maize and this sweet corn. I think we should move out there, Susie. I found a home we can buy in Lockney County.”

“I’ve heard it’s very cold in the winter and that there are no trees there. And it’s so far away from Mama. Maybe we should wait until this baby is born.” Suzie touched her swollen belly.

But Sid’s mind was made up, and Susie had little say in the matter. They started planning what to take and what to leave behind and making preparations for the move.

The move was difficult but exciting. They loaded all their belongings on an immigrant car, with livestock in one end, a few pieces of furniture, personal effects and farm implements in the other. Sid and Susie, Felicia, 8, Clyde, 6, Ennis, 4, and A.D., 2, rode in a passenger car toward the front of the train. A seventeen-year-old farmhand named Wes rode with the livestock.

Now Sid wondered whatever happened to Wes. He was like a part of our family in those days, he thought. I’d like to know where he is and what he’s doing.

On Clyde’s seventh birthday, September 3, 1905, the family arrived in Canyon City, Texas. Coming from the muggy east Texas late summer, everyone shivered in the high, dry air as they changed trains in Amarillo.
Sid remembered the shock when Mr. Hartman, whom Sid had hired to transport their goods to Lockney, arrived. They went to the railroad stock yard to get the Cummings’ cattle and found a lock on the gate with a seal stating it was a violation of the law to break. Sid shook his head, remembering how certain he’d been that all his charges had been paid in McKinney at the beginning of their journey. The bill of lading said that the money he’d paid was on the charges, and he’d have to pay the balance in Canyon City. Once that was cleared up, they loaded their goods on four wagons, covered with wagon sheets. The few cattle were herded along with them as they started for their new home, 75 miles to the south.

The next day, ominous clouds arose in the north. It rained so hard they had to stop in the Tulia wagon yard for two days until the rain stopped.

Sid was enchanted with the huge vistas. The grass moved like waves on a large body of water, and they glimpsed deer, antelope, badgers, coyotes and jackrabbits along the way. Susie was less enthusiastic. She was a people person and was missing the home she left behind, besides being close to delivering a baby.

After five days, they arrived at the farm Sid had bought to find that the Bonners, from whom he had purchased the place, had been unable to vacate the house because of the prolonged rain. After two weeks of staying in a boarding house in Lockney, they were finally able to move in. Susie arranged their belongings into four small rooms. There was a half-dugout room in the back used for storage. To their horror, the house was infested with bed bugs. Susie used coal oil to combat them, but it was a continual battle.

Aileene was born in October. Susie and Sid welcomed their second daughter, but the long cold winter that followed was very hard for Susie. She was lonely and cried often. Sid finally promised her that they would return to Collin County as soon as he could find a buyer for their farm.

By the time a buyer was found, Susie had made friends with church people in Lockney. They bought a nicer home on the edge of town, and decided to stay in Floyd County.