A Boy Named Bobby: Adventures of Growing up in the 40'S and 50'S

By Robert L. Sims

My book is about the history of my family and the first twenty years of my life. I come from a large family and had many wonderful experiences and adventures growing up as a boy in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and California. I also told of my spiritual journey and my calling as an adult later in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Jun 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466933866

Robert L. Sims

I am now seventy years old and have been working on my memoirs for the last ten years when I was a boy growing up in the country. I have been married for thirty-four years and have two daughters and one granddaughter. I have done many different things as work. I am now a missionary pastor and have been for the last sixteen years. I have a very fulfilling and productive, active life which I enjoy. I have many hobbies and interests, which I enjoy, such as camping and RVing in the outdoors, running, shooting pool, reading, and sports to name a few.

Book preview

A Boy named Bobby

Adventures of Growing up

in the 40’s and 50’s

Robert L. Sims

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© Copyright 2012 Robert L. Sims.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-1-4669-3387-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-3386-6 (e)

Trafford rev. 10/02/2012

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Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Story Begins

A Hankins Family Story

Ninety Years of My Life

Scattered

The Start

Sim’s Side

My Dad

My Mother

My Sister and Brother

What Was Going On In The World

Albuquerque, New Mexico

School Days

Down On Arno Street

Roaming Around

Marbles, Tops, Yo-Yos and Kites

Games

Vacations

Getting together

California Vacation

Out at Uncle Pierce and

Aunt Nedra’s Ranch

The Stock Yards

Back Home in Albuquerque

Family Games

Saturdays

Easter Time

Up in the Heights

My Ambitions and Hobbies

Work and Jobs

Coming of age (I thought)

On To California

My Cars

DANCING

My Favorite Things I Liked to Do

Knicks and Cuts

Reunions

Quilt History

My Spiritual Journey

Dedication

I want to dedicate this book to my two daughters, Robin (Hotshot) Christine Randol and Joy (Baby) Elizabeth Varrelman. I am passing on my legacy to you. I will always be thankful to God for giving me a couple of Arrows for my quiver. It is a honor to be your father. You both have been instrumental in my life; You have caused me to become more mature, and given me much joy. I and your mother are in your corner for life, cheering you on, to be all that God wants you to be.

Children are a gift from God,

Daddy

Acknowledgments

I am probably one of the least qualified persons to write a book because of my poor mastery of the English language. But thank God for Spell-Check and my good, long-time friend, Barbara Allen. She was born and raised in Oklahoma so she understands my background and she came to my rescue. She agreed to edit my book around her busy schedule. She was truly a God-send and has spent many hours straightening out my errors, grammar and spelling. Thank you Barb for your special help to me.

I also want to thank Lorraine Keeffe for helping me a lot when I first got started trying to put it all together.

I want to thank my wife, Carol Lee, and my daughter, Joy Varrelman for reviewing and making final corrections as I was coming down to the final few days.

Last, but not least, I want to thank Shannon Gregoire , my neighbor, for coming over and helping me on the last day of my dead line.

I could not have done it without all your help. I am such a needy person in which you all ministered to me. You are now part of the Sims Team.

Introduction

I have been working on this book on and off for a long time, a least 10 years. The reason I got the notion was, I wanted to capture the heart and soul of this amazing, and wonderful family clan. I felt like it was good and others would enjoy reading about it. I just turned 70 and thought I better get this completed and published before I get to where I can’t remember much which is starting to happen more and more.

They say that there is at least one good book inside every person. So, this is mine. I hope you like it, that you get much enjoyment from it and that it touches your heart.

bob.jpg

The Story Begins

She was sitting in one of the seats about half way back on the isle in the Old Greyhound Bus which was one of the popular ways of travel back in the 40’s. She was a pretty country girl with a cute little pug nose and shiny brunette hair, traveling by herself. She was on her way back home to be with her parents who lived out on the homestead outside of Atoka in southeastern Oklahoma where she was raised up.

If you looked a little closer you could see the reason why she was going back home. She was almost 9 months pregnant and this was her first baby. She needed her mama in the worst way. She would go between crying and sighing for the bus to hurry up and get there. She had been traveling for two days and was very uncomfortable after riding over 1,000 miles with many stops in many towns. She was the last one out of eleven kids to leave home and the last one to get married. Now she was coming back to where she wanted to have her baby, out on the home place, the Hankins’ Ranch.

Finally, the bus pulled into the Atoka bus station down on Main Street. She was hugged and greeted warmly by her mom and dad when she got down off the bus. After her dad got her suit cases loaded in the old car, they headed out. It was good to be riding with her parents again, seeing all the familiar surroundings and landscape. Then she starts crying again when she sees the ranch, back home again!

After a few days of settling back into her old room, enjoying the home place and her mama’s good home cooking from the old wood-burning stove, it was now time to ring up the phone and call Doctor Cotton. They wanted him to come out to do the delivering. I was getting ready to make my entrance into this big old wide world.

So, at 5:30 in the morning on June 6th, 1941 mom delivered her first child at the home place. I don’t know who all was around, but there were a lot of family and excitement. Everyone was happy for mom’s great job of giving birth to a healthy strapping baby boy. There was lots of joy and gladness to have another member of the Hankins clan. They named me Robert Louis Sims Jr. after my dad, and nick-named me Bobby. I was the last grandchild born out on Chicken Fight Road on the old homestead in those Oklahoma Hills. My dad wasn’t able to be there. He came out a few days later because he was a bus driver and had to haul a load of soldiers across-country to a base somewhere. He was thrilled as most dads were back then when their first child is a boy, and many named them after themselves.

I had no idea what a great family, the Hankins Clan, I was entering into. There is such a rich history, that I wanted to interject what a couple of my aunts have researched and written so you can get the full, colorful and grand history of this wonderful family. I wanted to capture the HEART of the Hankins Clan.

I am going to take you way, way back to how this Hankins family had its beginning. My mom’s baby sister, Alice Claudine, was the first to research and go back as far as she was able and then write it all down. She did a super job and all the family members are eternally grateful for what she did. Heritage starts a lot farther back than when one was born. The stock that I come from, especially from my mom’s side, is pure, 100%, pioneer-cowboy-homesteader, Okie blood. This is how it all got started. So Aunt Alice take it from here-

Hi everyone, I was the baby of the Hankins family.

Here is my contribution to Bobby’s book.

A Hankins Family Story

Many, many, many years ago a little girl was born. The date is not known nor the place. This little girl’s name was Mary Hank. About the same time, again the place is not known, a little boy by the name of Fancis Wisener was growing up. Somewhere this girl and boy met and were married and had a little boy of their own, and called him Joshaw Fancis Wisener. This little Boy was born in May of 1852. While all of this was taking place, another branch of the Family was being formed.

A girl by the name of Susan Carpenter met a boy by the name of Elijia Kelly, who was born in Arkansas. Susan and Elijia were married on January1, 1850, in Pike County, Arkansas. They had a little girl and named her Susan Josephine Kelly.

Joshaw Fancis Wisener and Susan Josephine Kelly were married in Pike County, Arkansas on May 1, 1881. They had a little girl and named her Lurena.

Now we have to back up a lot of years and return to Ireland, in Camerron County, where a little boy by the name of Archie Gilmore was growing up. Archie met a girl whose last name was Steward. When, where and how they came to America is not known, but in 1840 they were living in Necan, Georgia. They gave birth to a little girl whom they named Frances Gilmore. In the meantime somewhere in Tennessee, a little boy was born in 1790 his name was Richard Hankins. Richard met a girl who was born in 1795 and her last name was Sizemore.

They were married and had a little boy in Vernan, Alabama, in 1847. They named this little boy Jonathon Green Hankins. Jonathon Hankins met Frances Gilmore and they married while living in Vernan, Alabama. On November 18, 1874, a little boy was born and they named him Alonzo Hankins. Alonzo’s father, Jonathon was a soldier in the civil war, while serving as a soldier he was wounded in battle. Alonzo was the second child, his older brother, Oscar and then, he soon had two sisters, Blannie and Alice, along with another brother, Melligan. The Family moved from Alabama to Glenwood, Arkansas, the exact year is not known.

In the meantime in Amaity, Arkansas, little Lurena Wisener was growing up. Lurena’s mother Susan Josephine had been married before she married Lurena’s father. She married her cousin Claud Kelly, and they had three children before he died. Then she met and married Joseph Wisener and they had eight children.

When Alonzo Hankins was very young he took over the responsibility of the family, as his father was never well after being wounded in the war. Just when he died is not known. When Alonza was in his twenties, he got a job driving a four-up team freight wagon hauling supplies from Hot Springs to Glenwood, Arkansas. His employer was Joseph Wisener, who owned and operated a general store, tanning plant and blacksmith shop.

Just how Alonza met and started courting Lurena Wisener, I never heard. But, I do remember Lurena telling about his proposal of marriage. They went to a party together one night where they danced to Skip to My Lou My Darling, while they all sang the song. Alonzo maneuvered Lurena behind the door and said, Rena, will you have me?" Eventually she was willing. Soon after this, they went to the preacher’s house on horses to be married. He was down in the field gathering corn. They went to the field on the horses, found the preacher, and he performed the ceremony out in the cornfield, while they were still on their horses. This was in the fall of 1898. This was truly a nature wedding that the hippies searched for in the 60’s.

In 1900, their first born was a boy, and they named him David Herbert. In 1902, a little girl was born, and was named Edna Clettus. In 1903, another boy was born and they named him Gilmer Lee. In 1905 another little boy was born and they named him Pierce Franklin. Pierce was born on January 14 and in June of the same year Alonza and Lurena decided to take their little family west to the new country (Indian Territory), which was not yet statehood. So they loaded their one wagon with all their worldly goods, leading their milk cows and horses, they started west to the big new country of Oklahoma. They crossed into Oklahoma at the southeast corner and went northwest until they came to a little town called Atoka. Here they were forced to camp for several days as a creek called Boggy was over flowing from the spring rain. I remember Herbert telling of how he helped mama wash the children’s clothing and hang them on the bushes to dry and how he would scout the creek edges to find grazing grass for the stock to feed. He probably made the first Hankins playpen by taking pieces of furniture from the wagon and placing them to form a place for the children to play and be safe so that mama could rest. They also had the original infant seat, which was a horse collar placed on the floor for the baby to sit in. They cooked all their meals on the campfire.

After Boggy banked, they continued on northwest to Hickory, Oklahoma. Alonzo bought part interest in a general