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Since this is my golden wedding anniversary year, I am trying to remember some of the most unusual things that I have experienced through the years.
I was born near the small town of Anson, Texas in Jones county in the year of 1902. My parents were Will and Belle Martin. I was called Georgia Ruth. I had three brothers and one sister. Our family moved to Dickens county that same year. The west was young and conveniences were scarce. We lived in a half dug-out until such time as my daddy was able to get a house built.
My father passed away in January of 1908. I was afflicted in March of the same year with an incurable blood infection known now as osteomylitis. I was confined to my bed the most of the time over a period of five years. There were seven large boils over my hips that drained continuously the entire time. The bones were exposed in these places.
I attended a small country school for a few months. My teacher was the first to notice me limping and sent word to my mother to investigate my limp. That was the times before the antibiotics came into existence so there was no known cure. The physicians who were available gave me no hope of survival. I took to my bed in March of 1908, and spent the most of the time there until March of 1913, at which time I contacted a very severe case of scarlet fever. My temperature ran as high as 105 degrees for more than a week. The medicine used was strictnine for a heart stimulant.
After I survived the fever, which had counteracted the blood poisoning condition I had, I began to ry to catch up on the five years I had lost. I was left a cripple and forced to walk on tow crutches the rest of my life. I learned to use them very efficiently. I can do most anything anyone else can. I started back to school in the fourth grade, having studied lessons brought to me by my sister.
I would like to mention a little incident that happened. I had a little friend who would pull me around in my little wagon. One day we decided to go to school. It was three quarters of a mile, but we made it. When we were missed from our backyard my mother started to the school house looking for us. Since I wanted to go to school so badly she reasoned that this would be our destination.
In the year of 1921 in April my sister, Willie, died and left an infant son, Joe D. Williams. I left school to help my mother care for him and Carroll, his brother three years old, while their father, Tom Williams, made a crop.
October 26, 1922, I was married to Donnie Pace. To this union one daughter, Velton Winona, was born September 18, 1925, Spur, Texas. I was extremely happy over this as I had never even hoped to marry, have a home of my own or have a family. I now have three grandchildren and four great granddaughters and three great grandsons.
In the year of 1936, I had a very serious kidney operation. The kidney, a large puss tumor, and a stone as large as a marble were removed. In 1964,k I had to have another major surgery. in 1962, I fell on the concrete and crushed my left wrist, but I never have given up on anything.
As a girl I rode horseback to go to church, parties, old fashioned dances or picnics. It was the day before cars, a wagon, or a buggy were the only conveniences other than riding horses. I always enjoyed handling the stock. I geared up and and plowed all day many times. I could go to the lot and milk the cows as well as anyone. If you had no father and lived on the you learn to do most anything.
I taught myself music and learned to play the organ. I was encouraged to do so by my mother. She bought me an old organ of which I was very proud. She thought it would help me to use my legs pumping the organ, as they were very helpless.
I attended singing schools during the summer held at the different school houses and learned to sing. I am a contro alto. I even taught school as an assistant during the teacher shortage.
I learned to sew a fine seam from my mother. I did practicing on doll clothes, then made my own clothes as no one could make a dress to fit me with the crutches. It is still a problem but I can do it. I do any kind of work, crochet, knitting, tatting, embroidery of all kinds. I have just recently been making the new crochet beads. I sewed for the public for years. During the depression I did things without pay but as things picked up I charged for my work and made my spending money and even accumulated a savings account. I finally had to quit in 1970. I am now making heirloom quilts for my grandchildren, and hope to live long enough to make one each for my great grandchildren.
I became a member of the Texas Extension Service Home Demonstration Club in August of 1926, and have continued to work with it for the past 46 years. It has been very beneficial to me in my sewing career throughout the years.
I obeyed the gospel in the year of 1917, at Tap, Texas, and have been a member of the Lord's church, known as "The Church of Christ" since that time.
From 1908 to 1913, the time of my illness, my mother had the constant care of me. She was unable to do outside work of any consequence. As soon as I was better she bought a farm and moved our house eight miles from Tap community to West End community and began to improve a piece of what is referred to as raw land. Mother and I worked very hard. The boys, Edd, Brooker, Forrest Westlie and my sister were married by 1917 so we were left alone. In her reclining years my mother offered my husband and me the place to take care of her for as long as she lived. The original house burned in 1936. A three room house was built in 1940 for mother, so Winona could stay with her and attend Spur school. January of 1943, we built onto the house and moved in with her. Mother lived eighty years less one month. The date of her death was December 22, 1950. We were still living on this same place, ten miles west and one mile north of Spur, Texas.
I have been writing a news column for a local newspaper off and one for the past twenty years. My friends tell me they enjoy it very much, especially the ones who live in different states, who like to hear from home. I tell everything I know of interest that isn't gossip or politics.
I have been driving a car since before driving licences came into effect. I drive the tractor and the farm pickup when it is necessary.
I have a wonderful husband who has always been willing to help me do anything I wanted to do. He has helped me with the work, he likes to wash dishes. All through life if I ever voice a desire for something I usually get it. My mother seen to that as long as she lived. After her death my husband took it up and now my daughter and my grandchildren all see after it. My mother always said I was the luckiest unlucky person that ever lived.
My husband and I have always had a lot of illness through the years. The first year we were married he had a very severe case of typhoid fever and was irrational for 28 days and was down six weeks. In the year of 1952 he had a coronary thrombosis, which blocked off his right side. We were afraid he was going to lose his right arm, but the Lord was with us and after about six months he regained his health and has lived a very useful life. He has done different kind of work. At one time he operated a barber shop in Brownfield, Teas. He drove a school bus to Kalgary for seven years and farmed. We milked a bunch of cows and sold cream and butter. He is a pretty good carpenter and one of these fix-it guys. He has always been real good to assist me with my work. I mention all of this to say that it surely would have been unlikely for me to have done all of the things that I have done without the assistance of a good husband.
My family has lived in and around the same community where we settled in 1902. My father, Will H. Martin, gave one acre in 1905 to the cemetery that is located twelve miles southwest of Spur, Texas. It was known as Tap, Texas, at one time. It is now known as the Red Mud Cemetery. All of my family are buried there with the exception of one brother, Edd, and two babies.
I have written the history of this cemetery, which was started in 1886. I have also made a map and log of it. I continue to add graves with time, as the old timers and their families pass away. I only have about twelve graves unnamed. I have gotten my information from the old timers and what I can remember.
I have worked in the Cancer Research Program for years. I received my ten year certificate long ago, then my gold pin, and my twenty year certificate. I have served as area chairman for several years.
I am president of the Home Demonstration Club at the present and have served in different capacities of the club and enjoy it very much and appreciate the things I have learned through the years.
I have taught bible classes all through the years and helped out anyway possible in the work of the Lord. I try to miss as little as possible. In the year of 1962, I fell on the concrete and crushed my left wrist. On the next Lord's day when I appeared at services the preacher commented: "I knew she would be here if at all possible."
During the time I was desperately ill when anyone asked me, "How are you?" I always answered, "I am fine," even though I was at the point of death. During the time of my illness someone gave me a book entitled "Polly Anna, the Glad Girl". I think it was my mother, I read it over and over until I almost had it memorized. Through the powers of suggestion I decided to pattern my life after Polly Anna in the book. If you have ever read it, she could always find something to be glad about no matter what happened. I have schooled myself to do the same thing. All my life I have looked for the bright side of life. No one has had more fun than I have. Of course, I was never able to do a lot of things the other children were doing, but usually I found something to enjoy while I waited for them.
There were a few things that I desperately wanted to do that I was unable to do but I always tried. I wanted to dance more than anything. I even did a little of that. I also wanted to go on the stage and I did a little of that, too. I even played baseball at school. I could run fast enough to get on base then someone would run for me. I could bat and throw the ball. My motto has always been: "Where there is a will, there is a way".
My friends do not consider me a cripple, even to this good day. Even though I have walked on two crutches ever since March 1908, what walking I have done, and I have been many a mile in the last 78 years. When it is mentioned, I have been told many time, "You are not crippled." I usually answer them this way, "No one is crippled unless it is in his head."
Our children have always been very considerate of us, as well as friends. Our son-in-law has been so nice to help any way possible ever since my husband had the heart attack in 1952. They have never lived less than 165 miles away, but they manage to get here if we need them. Our grandchildren and the grandsons-in-law and granddaughters-in-law are the same way. Also, the great grandchildren. Don't understand me to say we have to have assistance in everything we do, because we are very efficient in anything we start but the years are beginning to catch up with us. As I mentioned at the beginning, we are celebrating our golden wedding anniversary and when you are doing that you certainly are not what you once were. We are dry land farmers and ranchers. We live about thirteen miles from town and our nearest neighbor is five miles away, but distance doesn't mean a thing.
We play table games with friends for recreation, mostly "84" played with dominoes. It takes three or four couples to play so we gather in our homes first one home then another, about once or twice a week for about three hours.
For our gold wedding anniversary gift to each other this year, we took advance of a nice warm spring, while it was too dry to anything, I wrote the history of Tap, Texas.
Written by Mrs. Donnie Pace.
Funeral services for Georgia Ruth Pace, 82, were held Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the Highway 70 Church of Christ with Carl Robertson, Crosbyton, officiating, assisted by Gifford Phillips, Spur.Mrs. Pace died about 11 p.m. July 24 in the Crosbyton Hospital following a lengthy illness. Born in Anson on April 6, 1902, she had been a resident of Dickens County since 1902. She married Donnie Pace on October 26, 1922. Mrs. Pace was a member of the Church of Christ.
She was a member of the County Home Demonstration Club for 45 years and a member of the American Cancer Society for 25 years. She wrote a weekly news column for The Texas Spur for many years. She was an active member of the Red Mud Cemetery Association and was the first person to draw a map showing grave locations for that cemteery.
Survivors include her husband of Spur; one daughter, Winona Rinehart, Spur; three grandchildren, LaDonna Kirkes, Hobbs, NM; Lorita Baldrige Spur; Loyd Rinehart, Jr., Lubbock and seven great grandchildren.
Burial was in Red Mud Cemetery with Campbell Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
©The Texas Spur, August, 1984
Funeral services for Donnie Pace, 80, were held Monday, June 30, at 10 a.m. in the Highway 70 Church of Christ with Carroll Robertson, Crosbyton, officiating, assisted by Richard Trull, Spur minister.Pace died suddeny of natural causes at Lake Stamford on June 27, 1986. He was born in Johnson County on July 19, 1905. He had been a resident of Dickens County since 1914. He married the former Georgia Martin on October 26, 1922 in Dickens County. She died in 1984.
He was a farmer and was a member of the Church of Christ.
Survivors include one daughter, Winona Rinehart, Spur; one sister, Glennie Ellis, Hendersonville, TN; three grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Burial was in Red Mud Cemetery under the direction of Campbell Funeral Home.
©The Texas Spur, June 1986
From the scrapbook of Thelma Kimmel Scott
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