Bud’s Life: Smith Donley Littlefield

I was born at home in Lea County New Mexico, near Lovington, in a wood house with adobe insulation on January 29, 1919.  The Doctor was named Smith and the preacher was Rev. Donley so that is the way I got my name.  I was the 10^th child.  Mama (Sarah Jane Garner) had 6 boys, I was the 6^th, and 5 girls.  They were: Exie, Gerald, Tommie, Maude, Myrtle (twin to Maude died at birth), Bernice, Herschel, Clayton, Verdie (Sis), Smith (Buddie) and Docia.  I was told I was a pretty baby with curly hair.  My hair didn’t get cut until I was over 2 years old.  Pretty ringlets.

               It was a dry year so we went to Hagerman to pick cotton.  We lived in a tent.  My youngest sister Docia was born there in November 1921 when I was about two and a half.  When she was born I ran into the field and said “Mama has a little one and it’s black headed”.

My folks homesteaded the place in Prairie View New Mexico.  Papa (William Thomas Littlefield) was a farmer and Rancher.  They raised sugar cane and made their own syrup.  The syrup making was a community project.  We used a mule to turn the press.  I remember chasing around after the mule.  I started to school there.  We walked a mile and quarter to school.  Mama told me to tell them my full name.  I said “Brother Smith Donley Littlefield” my family teased me about that. 

               Then we sold all our cows and moved to Meadow Texas about 1924.  I met Johnnie Martin and his family there.  We worked pulling cotton for them.  We have been good friends ever since.

               In 1926 my father bought out some fields of cotton to pick.  Thanksgiving Day it came a bad sandstorm and ruined the whole crop.  The next year he rented a farm to farm.  The next year he rented a different one.  That crop was pretty good so he rented a better place near Ropesville Texas.  It was the Berry place (no relation).  I walked three and a half miles to school there.  I was 9 then.  I stuck a limb in the ground that made a big tree.  We had used that stick for a stick horse all that day.  It was a wonder that it grew!  We farmed a section of land there (640 acres). We stayed there 4 years and then moved to Tokyo Texas.  I went to school there and played on the basketball team.  I also graduated from grade school there. (8^th grade).  I was the first one in the family to get a diploma.  I was so proud and bragged about it.  But… I went off and left my cap there, the family never let me hear the end of that.  It was a small school.

               Then we moved to the Black place, it was near Happy Texas.  We lived there til I was 17 years old in 1936.  I moved to Pep New Mexico after that and stayed with Exie my oldest sister and her husband Ed Martin.  I worked some for Mr. Asa Lee Williamson and that is where I met Katie his youngest daughter.  While I was there I went to county dances with Katie and her brother Jim.  Maybe Martin brought me to some of the dances.  They were a lot of fun.  One night Katie had to go shut up the chickens.  I decided to “help” her.  While she shut the latch I put my arms around her while she turned the wire, and I kissed her for the first time!  I stayed there on the ranch and worked a while and then went to California with 4 boys. I decided I really wanted to keep in touch with Katie. I was in the Bunk house packing and she came out to bring me some laundry and I kissed her good bye and asked her to write.  I think she liked me and hated to see me go!  When we got to Tucson 2 of them got work in the mines.  I was too young to work in the mines.  We were in their car to Tucson so I got a Freight train to Las Angeles.  I accidentally got on one going to Mexico with about 10 more men.  They stopped us at the border and made us walk back.  (60 miles) Then we did catch the right one to Las Angeles. We went to Hartley Days (?) sister’s house in California.  I got a job working on a dairy. There I bought my first car, it was a 1928 Model A 2 door sedan, black.  I finally had wheels!!

               Clayton came out to see me. He got a job on a ranch driving a 4 horse team hauling dirt.  I decided to quit milking and get a job on the ranch.  At first no luck so I got a job washing dishes in a café.  I opened it up each morning and then did dishes.  After a little while I did get on at the ranch.  They were cleaning out the bar ditches to drain the water off.  I helped the man that ran the dredging machine when I started working there.  Clayton another man and I decided to batch… we got a little house.  I remember cooking rice.  We started out with a little and soon had all our pots full!

               We decided to go to New Mexico on December 15^th for Christmas.  On December 1^st I got laid off so we started for NM then.  Another boy wanted to go with us, he went on to Arkansas.  We planned to just drive daytime and camp out at night.  But it started raining so we drove straight through.  We went on to Brownfield TX, I stayed there a few days with the folks then went to NM to see Katie.  I could hardly wait to see her.  That January I turned 18, Katie was in College in Portales.  She lived in a dorm out on the Elida Highway. I didn’t know where the college was so asked for directions to the Elida highway in a gas station.  I took her to a show then spent the night in a hotel and went to see her again the next day.  The next day I went back to the same station. They said I thought you were going to Elida?  I said no I changed my mind.  She was just as sweet as I thought she would be.  We had a great time.

               When I went to work for Mr. Williamson I knew I had met one of the finest families in the world.

               I sold Ed Martin (Exie’s husband) my car.  Then went to Brownfield and worked for farmers and saved all my money.  Then I bought a Plymouth Coupe for $20.  Then I made a deal with Ed Martin to farm with him in Pep in 1940.  I did the work and got paid part of the crop.  I also worked for Mr. Williamson and other people in my extra time.

               I hadn’t seen Katie for quite a while and on my birthday here she came on a little horse with a card that said Happy Birthday, it wasn’t signed but I knew who it was from. I was so embarrassed I didn’t know what to do.   So I went to see Katie again. The year before she had made me a cake for my birthday as I was working on the ranch.  So I knew she knew when it was.

               That fall I went back to Brownfield.  I wanted to get married but couldn’t afford to.  I bought half of a quarter section with Clayton in Brownfield.  Clayton was to farm it for one year and I would go to the Army, then I hoped to get married to Katie and farm it the next year.  Then Clayton was to go to the Army while I farmed. When I got my draft number it was #13 so I wrote to the draft board and volunteered for 1 year.  They wrote back to report in 2 days!  So Tommy took me over there to NM.  I didn’t get to see Katie as she was teaching in Miami NM.  She gave me a radio for my birthday on January 19^th.  I went in on January 21^st 1941.  So I didn’t get out til after the war and Clayton never went in.  They stamped my papers “for the duration plus 6 months”.  I didn’t want to get married and leave her and she wanted to teach a year so we decided to wait.

               I first went to Ft. Sill Oklahoma, then to Ft. Bliss near El Paso for 4 months then to Abilene.  I had been in almost a year and couldn’t get out so I gave Katie an engagement ring for Christmas and she gave me a Bulova watch.  She came to see me in Abilene in April and we were finally married on April 4, 1942.  I was supposed to be there for a year.  We were married on Saturday night at 9:15.  I was sent to Massachusetts on Monday!

--See Katie’s story for the next years.

LITTLEFIELD, Verdie Morine (Sis) (1916 -)

Red Charles and Verdie

Red and Sis met in 1942 in Lubbock TX on a blind date.

Verdie was working in Lubbock at Dr. Able's Sanatirum. Two of her girlfriends went out walking and found 2 guys. They said next time they would bring a guy back for Verdie. They brought Red back! He was at Reese AFB in Lubbock.

Later she went to work in Ft. Worth building airplanes. Red was transfered to Bryan AFB near College Station. They got married in Ft Worth and moved to Houston when Red was transfered for his job. He was later transfered to Lubbock. He worked in Commercial Heating and Air Conditioning.
 -- as told to Sherry by Aunt Sis.

Red had a tattoo of a naked dancing girl on his fore arm. He wore long sleeves.
( told by Norma)

Mary Jane, Lucy, Tommie and Sis

Sis, Tommie and Docia

William Thomas and Sarah Jane (Jennie) Littlefield moved to Fisher Texas Exie and Gerald were the only children. Aprox 1907 They moved to Terry Co. Texas within the next year Tommie and Maude & Merle were born. Moved in aprox 1910 to Lovington NM Bernice was born in Territory of NM which was Eddie Co. at the time. NM became a state and Lea County. Bernice lived in all these places and never moved. The rest of the children were born in Lovington, Lea Co. NM. We went to Hag__man in 1923 to pick apples and cotton and different jobs. Went back to Lea Co.

We moved to Terry Co. Tx in a covered wagon (10 kids and Mama & Papa). First farm was n the Bradshaw Place, "Cheatie Bolin" lived there before we did. Papa (William Thomas) freighted from Tohaha to Segraves from about 1915-1919. He used 3 wagons trailed together pulled with 10 horses. hauled our cotton to Tohaha to gin about 1916.

Exie, Gerald, Tommie, Maude, Bernice, Herschel, Clayton, Verdie, and Bud all went to school at Prarie View in NM Papa sang and whistled all the time. He tried to teach all of the kids to sing but no luck.
 --Written by Verdie (Sis) Harris

Bad car accident with Verdie, Annez and Gerald in one car. They were caravaning with a couple more cars. It was a small town nearby. The car rolled and all 3 were hurt. Verdie was thrown from the car and in the hospital for a couple days. Gerald stayed longer in the hospital and afterwards one leg was shorter than the other. He wore a platform shoe. Annez was hurt the worst and in the hospital longer. She was the one driving.
 -- told to Sherry by Verdie.

I met a woman named Bea that lived in the same retirement home as Aunt Sis. She said the "Littlefield Boys" were always in trouble in school. Bea's brother brought a rattle snake skin to school one day. One of the Littlefield boys thought of putting a clothespin on the skin and talked the teachers nephew into clipping it to the back of the teacher's dress. She really screamed. Verdie still remembered the event and laughed pretty hard!

She also told of the toys tieing a gunnysack of cow chips to a cat's tail. The sack caught fire as the cat was running around and the cat ran under the school house. Bea found the boys standing at the fence looking at the school. They were afraid it would burn the school down, but fortunately it didn't!
 -- Sherry Snyder.

LITTLEFIELD, Herschel Cullen (1913 - 1997)

Herschel in the Army

Gerald Bud Herschel Clayton

He3rschel on his horse

Herschel liked to make shelves, and did lots of leather working.

He once hemmed his pants with hot glue!

He was buried with his new Stetson hat.

When he was 19 his sister Maude and her new husband Earl Stalcup were at the Littlefield's for dinner. Earl was quite a story teller with lots of "rigamarole" added in. He was telling such a story when suddenly Herschel stood up on his chair and would not get down. His mother asked him to get down several times. Finally she asked him why he would not sit down. He replied "I can stand it when I have to wade through it, but I am not about to let it run down my throat!"
(told to Sherry Snyder by Aunt Sis - Verdie Harris)

MJ said Herschel shot himself in the foot during WWII

LITTLEFIELD, Exie Winfrey (1905 - 1983)

Obit: Hereford: Grave side services for Exie W. Martin 78 of Hereford will be at 4 pm today at the Mount Zion Cemetery in Dora NM with Grover Ross officiating. Bruial will be under the direction of Rix Funeral Directors of Herford. She died at South Hills Nursing Home in Dimmitt TX Thurdsay after an illness. She was born Feb 26 1905 in Coryell county and moved to herford five years ago from Portales NM She married Edward Martin on June 27 1926 at Meadow TX He died on May 13, 1956. She was a cook at the Christian Childrens Home in Portales. She was a member of the Pep Homemakers Club and the Church of Christ. She is survived by a daughter, Janie Victor of Hereford; two sons, Orvel of Portales, and Scott of Albuquerque NM. Two sisters verdie Harris of Lubbock and Docia Bagwell of Weatherford. Four brothers, Tommie Littlefield of Ropesville, Clayton Littlefield of Brownfield, Hershel Littlefield of Lovington, NM and SD "Bud" Littlefield of Belfair Washington. Five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.


Exie a cook at the Christian Children's home in Portales. She was a member of the Pep Homemakers Club.

She made great cinnamon rolls. She used Vicks a lot.

When Bud turned 62 and eligible for Social Security, he didn't have a birth certificate. They told him if he had anyone that was 21 years older than himself, that witnessed his birth, they would sign him up. Looking back now, Exie was not quite that old, but she signed the papers and he collected SS!
- Larry

LITTLEFIELD, William Thomas (1874 - 1959)

William Thomas and Jennie Littlefield holding Janie Bell Martin

William Thomas Littlefield was born January 17, 1873 and he died March 6 1959. He was 3 years old when his Father was killed (Pete Horas) They lived in what is known as the Littlefiled community until after he was married at the age of 31 years. Sara Jane Garner was born August 20 1878 and she died April 19,1964. She was born in a community known as Tennessee Valley not far from Topsy Texas. She was raised in the Littlefield community and was 26 years old when she got married.

They were married in 1904 in Coryell County. They started west in a wagon in the fall of 1906 with Exie and Gerald and all their worldly goods. They had 3 cows and 3 horses. They came to Rotan in Fisher County, they farmed there for one year in 1907. Then they moved to Meadow Texas in Terry county, in the fall of 1907 on land that belonged to the same man, Lee Morrow. (he had one boy)

Tommie J. was born May 9, 1908 in Terry co. and twin girls Maude Edith and Myrl Ethel were born October 31, 1909, Myrl died at birth. (at Meadow) They farmed at Meadow (Meadow was one mile south and six miles east of where it is today. Meadow moved in 1918 when the railroad was put through.) They raised some cotton and had to haul it to Colorado City, Tx to get it ginned.

Then they moved to Plainview, NM which was fourteen miles across the state line. They homsteaded one half section (320 acres). Half way between Plainview and the state line. In the Prairiewiew Community. The Littlefield House was one and a quarter miles from the Prairieview school house. The school was first started in 1908. The kids from Exie down through Sis (Verdie) went to the school all at one time, 8 Littlefield kids. The rest of the children were born here.

W. T. Littlefield freighted from Seagraves, Texas to Lovington NM hauling groceries and cotton seed cake. He had Three wagons trailed together with ten horses, all strung out two to a place. He was out in the 1918 snow storm which froze a lot of cattle and several people to death. He got up that morning and fed his horses and went back to bed and stayed all day. The snow was so bad that it covered up our hogs in the hog pen which was around three feet deep. We had a rock chicken house and it filled with snow with the chickens in it. It was 3 or 4 days before we got the chicken out of it an none of the chicken froze.

He went to Hagerman NM in 1922 to pick apples and cotton and stayed until March of 1923. We had to have two wagons to haul the family and household goods to the camp site. He came to Meadow September 1925 to pick and pull cotton until March 1926. There he rented one section of land that had 80 acres of farm land. Papa and all the kids put in one hundred acres more to farm. That was 7 miles east of Meadow.

In 1927 we moved two and a quarter miles southwest of Meadow to work about 300 acres. Then moved 7 miles northeast of meadow in 1928 We had a little over 500 acres that we worked for 2 years. Then had 640 acres through 1933 He then moved one mile south and one mile west of Tokio and worked 1320 acres for one year 1934. Then in 1935 moved ten miles west and five miles south of Brownfield on 640 acres with 600 acres to farm. He farmed it though 1939. Then we bought 160 acres eleven miles west and one mile south of Brownfield and moved on it in 1942. We moved to Brownfield in 1948 and sold the farm in 1951.

He lived in Brownfield until he (W. T.) passed away april 19, 1959.

Written by Tommie Littlefield (age 81 plus) Lived at 401 North 10th St. Brownfield in 1950.


ANOTHER ACCOUNT 
They lived in Coryell Co until 1906 or 1907, then moved to Terry Co, TX until Dec. 9, 1909. They homesteaded in Territory of New Mexico, lived in Chaves and the Lea County in the Prarieview Community. Moved back to Terry Co. Tx in 1925 Lived on a farm several years and latter moved into Community. Moved back to Terry Co. Tx in 1925 Lived on a farm several years and latter moved into Brownfield. William was a stock farmer in New Mexico. Was a cotton farmer after he moved back to Texas. Aunt Sis said they moved from a farm to Brownfield in 1948 they had 2-3 rent houses and one thay lived in. Will loved to sing and whistle and when they bought land in Lovington NM a neighbor said he had never seen Will, but he heard him everyday, so he knew he was there. Will liked to get all the kids together and sing. He had 8 copies of a song book so they knew the words. He was really good at it.

GARNER, Sarah Jane (1879 - 1963)

Sara - Jennie and dog

Obit: Brownfield: Mrs. W. T. Littlefield, 85 (?) a resident of Terry County for 56 years died at 12:55 pm Sunday at University convalescent Center, Lubbock. services for Mrs. Littlefield, who resided at 1011E. Cardwell St. Brownfield, will be at 2 pm Tuesday in the church of the Nazarene. Officiating will be E. Cardwell St. Brownfield, will be at 2 pm Tuesday in the church of the Nazarene. Officiating will be the Rev. H. D. Stovall, Lubbock, assisted by the Rev. Lewis Clegg, pastor. Burial will be in Terry county Memorial cemetery under direction of Brownfield Funeral Home. Mrs. Littlefield came to this area in 1908 with her husband. The late W. T. Littlefield farmed near Meadow until his retirement in 1945, when the couple moved to Brownfield. He died in 1959. Survivors include five sons. GA Littlefield, Lubbock; TJ Littlefield, Ropesville; Hershel Littlefield, Lovington NM; Clayton Littlefield, Brownfield, and SD Littlefield of Albuquerque NM; three daughters Mrs EH (Exie) Martin, Portales; Mrs. WD (Sis) Harris of Lubbock and Mrs CA (Docia) Bagwell , Weatherford, two sisters Mrs. RS Butts Brownwood; and Mrs WB Bounds Brownwood, 24 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Jennie lived with Aunt Sis for several years. They added a room and bathroom onto the back of her house. She never lived with Clayton and Opal. Never lived with Bud and Katie because she did not want to drive to Albuquerque with him, he was a "bad driver"! She was in the Bender Harris Nursing Home. Probably in Lubbock TX.


Letter from her little sister Allie: Brownwood TX January 28, 1938:

Dear Jennie, After all these long days I'm going to write you a line. Hope you are all well. We are ok, only me of course I still grunt! I am having my teeth pulled and that keeps me so nervous and upset, but only have six more to pull so I'm hoping I'll feel better. Sure is windy today. Just like March, but may be from the north tomorrow haven't had any cold since Xmas. but surley have had lots of rain this winter. Not a bit of news or at least I don't any never see any one only the neighbors and they don't know anything. Sin and Margaret have just been down home and came by. BB went with them. I'll sure miss him for he does nearl all the work when I feel so bad. but he thought he might get work. Walter isn't working steady looks like he never will anymore. Well at least I've got a little check for you, they've only paid $100 and taxes were taken out of that. They promised to pay the rest but if they don't< I'll add it to her account. I've kept back enough to advertise the place in some paper. she tells me she won't sell for 6,000 but Judge Davis told me that she didn't have any say. to the selling. I'd put them off it I could but he (Davis) said it might take a case in court and then might not get rid of them so I don't feel like the rest of us ought to spend all we get out of it. I hate so bad that they haven't paid all but of course I can't help it. she even asked for a part of the $100 when they got all the peace made this yr. and still owe 200 but she sure didn't get it. I wish some times the old place would sink. Then maybe I could lie down at nite and get a good rest with out being a nervous wreck. Say did you know that Hood was dead. he was hurt in a car wreck but lived about 2 weeks he died in sept. I saw Kate the other day the first time since Pa was sick. Well I guess I'll have to close as I want to write Ella's kids. Write sooner than I did and give all the kids my love. Allie. I think Emory is o.k. now they got their ins. money. I think his craziness was mostly of a financial kind and way.


Letter from her little sister Allie: Brownwood Tx March 24, 1938:

Dear Jennie and all will write you a line if I can keep this wild kid quiet long enough. Hope you all are feeling better. Guess I'm improving. Had to go back to the dentist yesterday and have my gum split and the bone pinched off. I hope I never cut an other tooth. Walter is cutting his second since he had his teeth pulled. He got his set in Oct. Think I can get mine in a couple of months. Well today is my 20th wedding anniversity seems like 50. Wonder if I'll see an other 20. We had a fine rain Tue. ever thing looks so fresh and pretty I won't get to have a garden as I'm not able to work one. Have 37 little chicks and 1 hen setting. I'm looking for Mildred and family tomorrow, haven't seen her since Emogene died. Don't ever here from Mamie. I wrote her for the rest of the rent so I guess it made her mad. I've had the place advertised in the Temple Telegram but guess I'm not going to get any results: am going to wirte an agent at Lampassas and see what he can do. Yes you are perfectly welcome to read that letter pa wrote. It didn't am't to a thing but its packed away in his trunk and the health I've been in the last two years I won't even look in. I believe my heart would entirely quit. someone else will have to go in to them for I simply can't. That peice I sent you about Mrs Long was Miss Verde sister or sister-in-law. Don't you remember those children that come to Miss Verdes that summer? Well I'm sending you your money I went to town today and got it so I'll just send it on. When you get a check on the Brownwood bank you'd better cash it for they charge 50 cents per month for less than $50. Well it's bed time for me so I'll quit maybe I'll have time to write more in the morn. If I have such a time this summer as I did last I'm sure coming out there to see you and see if the climate will help me. The Dr. said I needed a higher climate. How are you this morn. I have a bad headache but have to iron and clean house just the same. so must close Love Allie.

Donnie Remenbers Lingo

One of my earliest stories is the one about the electric fence on the Lingo place.

Bud, my daddy, decided to build an electric fence around the pasture across the road from the house. He worked hard to put in all the posts, and install the insulators on the posts. He installed the wire all the way around the pasture. He hooked up the power box to the wire and tried to test it out. It would not work no matter what he did. He walked all the way around the pasture again trying to find out where it was shorted out. It all was in good shape but it still would not work. He was about to give up when he noticed that I was following him around with my hand on the wire. Must have been summer because he said I was barefoot and only wearing a diaper. I was the short. The electricity did not seem to bother me. He got me to stop shorting out the wire and it started to work just fine. The next Sunday they went to church. While there they invited the preacher to have dinner with them. After dinner Daddy wanted  go to the barn for something. The preacher came along. Daddy told him not to touch the fence because it was charged. I ran ahead of them and just ran under the fence and flipped it over my head with my hand and went on like it was not working. The preacher reached down and touched the fence only to get a terrible shock. It was on.

Daddy told this one on me.

Daddy had bought a mean bull and was keeping him in the lot right across the road from the house. The lot just south of the fish tank water trough. The bull was so mean that he could not even go inside the fence of the lot or he would charge. He had climbed the fence quickly a few times already by this time. He says that he came out to the lot and found me standing in front of the bull. I had a switch and was switching the bull on the nose and the bull was just standing there taking it. He said it really scared him because the bull was so mean to him. He was in fear of me loosing my life to that bull. He started yelling at the bull to get him to come away from me and then at me to get away from the bull but neither of us moved much. I finally came over to the fence where he was and he rescued me from the bull.

Memories of the Lingo Place (I think it is called the Billbery place)

I remember swimming in that water trough tank. I mean really swimming in it and some time later in life I went back there and found the tank was only 12" deep on the sides and only a little deeper in the middle so the water would drain out when they needed to clean it out. It always had catfish in it too.

Bud and Katie Lee The Begining

Bud and Katie 1993

It really all started way back, in the olden days, in the mid 1930's. Bud was needing work and applied as a field hand to Mr. Asa Williamson. He was a rancher in Eastern New Mexico. Asa knew cattle, but had decided to plow up some country and try raising some crops. (I don't remember what he planted, but the field was south of the house, behind the horse trap and a little west. And part of the SW pasture north and west of the tank)

Katie Lee was the boss's daughter!

Katie Lee at ENMU 1937

Maybe Bud had more on his mind than plowing fields. Katie was attending ENMU for an elementary school teaching degree.

Bud and Katie about 1938

When things started getting a little more serious, they made plans for their future. Katie would drop out of collage (with only about 9 hours to finish) and take a teaching position in Miami, NM. Bud would join the Army for the required 1 year enlistment. Then they would be free to get married and get on with life.

Then WWII happened. During basic training, Bud was notified that his one year papers were stamped "For the duration."

So, Katie took a short leave from Miami and went to Abilene. They were secretly married, because it was not possible for a schoolmarm to be wed! Shortly after she returned to Miami and Bud on to the East coast and ore training before being shipped to Europe.

Katie and Bud after wedding on April 4, 1942. Abilene,Tx

Schoolmarms were hosted by a local family who provided room and board as part of their pay. Katie talked a lot about Teresa Maga(sp) and staying with an Italian family there. She finished the school year, then followed to the Northeast with Bud until he shipped out.