Recollections of My Life Collections

Walter Alexander Neel

Trading Horses

The first day we made it to Flint OK. We stayed all night with Bob BENNETT. A man that used to be our neighbor when we lived at Flint. The next morning we started on east we got into Gentry Arkansas late that evening. We run onto a man that had a farm close by to Gentry. He hired us and we went home with him. We fed all the stock, milked 8 cows and got to bed about 10:00 PM. We got up at 4 o’clock AM and fed all the stock, curried the work teams and harnessed them. … Read more

Swimming at the Lower Falls

When I went to Shady Grove I went to school with Herb BYNUM and his brother [probably Leonard who later married his sister Eva] also Bill and John TIGUE and their sisters. There was a big hole of water down on 14 mile creek. It is what they call the lower falls. It has a rock fall of about 8 feet. [Water drops off of rocks?] It forms a big round hole of water below and is very deep. People used it for a swimming hole. They swam in it and swam horses in it too. One day all of … Read more

Recollections of My Life

Part of an exclusive collection of material on the Bee, Neel, and Proctor families. This specific collection comes from a hand written 90 page auto-biography by Walter Alexander Neel. Walter spent most of his adult life in Oklahoma, much of it in the small community of Peggs Oklahoma in Cherokee County, where he “served” as the unofficial mayor. From his upbringing to his later life Walter shares his humble experiences, and in the process, gives us insight to the lives of at least some of the area occupants who may have crossed his path.

Peggs Cyclone of May 2, 1920

On May the 2nd in 1920 there came a cyclone and blowed Peggs away. It killed about 100 people. It come on a Sunday night about 8:00. Peggs was a little country town with about 6 good stores, 2 drug stores, 2 cotton gins, a hotel, 3 churches, a good school. There was a lot of people there on Saturday shopping and doing business. It was an incorporated town. Joe YARBOROUGH was the town Marshall. Jennings CAGLE was the Justice of the Peace. They had a little jail house. I went to church that Sunday Morning. We lived about 2 … Read more

Move to the Davis Nursing Home

I went to the Davis nursing home and stayed 4 months while they were building onto the house. I was about ready to go home when I took sick on Saturday night. I was visited by about 10 angels. They come in my room about 8 o’clock at night and stayed until 3 o’clock in the morning. That night they had on white robes and white hoods. I talked to some of them. Some of them I knew. The next day on Sunday I looked on the ceiling and I saw Christ and his Disciples. I seen him when he … Read more

Move to Neosho Missouri

The next year we moved to NEOSHO [Not sure about the name of this place.] Missouri. Me and Dad and my older brothers worked on a fruit farm called the SOEAKMAN farm. We stayed up there until the fruit harvest was over then we moved back to FLINT. Dad rented a place from Rich BECK the man who ran the BECK store and Post Office. We were just across the creek from the water mill. Tony BECK ran the mill. He was a brother of Rich BECK. I was big enough to go to the mill several times a day … Read more

Move from California to Texas

Claud and I was up at Yucaipa one day in a barber shop getting a hair cut. Claud was in the chair and I was a waiting. A man came in hunting firefighters. I got up and left. I went through the orchards to the house. I was afraid to go by the way of the road. I was afraid I would meet some more men hunting fire-fighters. In a little while Claud come home. That night about dusk there was some boys who lived close to us and I saw a truck stop and pick them up. There was … Read more

Marriage to Velma Yarborough

I had went with several girls but had not given much thought about marriage. Doubt I would ever have married as long as my mother lived. I was going with Velma YARBOROUGH. We got married in September [1920]. Dad and I made a good crop. We thrashed 1300 bushels of oats. Our corn and cotton was good. But we just got one load packed while the price was good then it got so low it would not pay for the picking. We left it in the field. I had 25 head of cattle, yearlings in pasture. They were outside on … Read more

Brush Harbor Revival Meeting

There was a Brush Harbor revival meeting going on 3 miles east of us. Henry WATKINS was holding it [in charge of it and the preacher too]. We were going and we were going to ride with my wife’s brother, Jim YARBOROUGH, and his wife. We was ready to go and were waiting on them to come pick us up. My little grand daughter was crying. I had her in the bed room trying to get her quite. My wife and daughter was in the front room. My wife hollered at me and told me to come there. I went … Read more

A Little Family Genealogy

My dad was Alex NEEL. He passed away in 1927 [Feb 1st]. My mothers maiden name was HANEY. She was born in Missouri and she passed away in 1920 [25th of July]. Dad had three brothers, Tom NEEL, Calvin NEEL and Oscor NEEL. Grandpa NEEL [William Calvin NEEL Sr.] was born in Illinois [Marion County.] he passed away in 1901. Grandma Neel’s maiden name was SHELTON [Lettie/Letty/Leticia]. She was born in Missouri [not so, she was born in Tennessee]. She passed away in 1918 [June 8th]. I had 7 brothers and sisters 3 boys and 4 girls. Charlie Neel married … Read more