Family Stories

The Wine and Tree

When I was a little girl about 5 years old my Uncle Gene Petty used to have a cabin up in grandpa's woods. Grandpa had helped him build it so he could have privacy. I knew even back then that he was taking girls to the cabin late at night. I can remember hearing his car motor late at night going through the woods.

Anyway he used to make Wine in the cabin. He would store it there and would keep all his love letters and girly books there as well. One day he was going to the cabin and I begged to go. So he put me on his shoulders and away we went. When he got to the cabin he set me down and I went off to play.

It wasn't long I was thirsty. I asked for a drink of his wine so he poured me a small glass. I liked it and I drank it right down. Then I asked for more. Since he was busy reading rather than paying attention to me, he readily poured me another glass. I do not remember how many I actually drank that day. I do know by the time we headed for the house I was seeing two of everything!

When we got home he put me down in the yard and went on inside. I on the other hand could barely walk! I seen one of my cats going around a tree so I started chasing it. I crashed face first into the tree and knocked myself almost out! I was screaming and Grandma came running.

She knew I was acting strange and after asking me what was wrong I told her I was dizzy and there were two of her!! Well that did it! She yelled at Gene and when he came out she demanded to know why he had given me wine. He told her he gave me a little but he did not realize he had given me that much.

She was yelling at the top of her lungs at him but all I could do was lay on the ground and see two Gene's and two grandma's yelling at one another!

10/18/1999

Anita Seybold

A story about Myself And Uncle Gene Petty

MY DAD

My relationship with my Dad (Paul Verlin Mayberry) was non existent until I was 20 years old. That was the first time I ever met him due to my finally tracking him down. He never married Mom so I never had his last name. I remember when I was 10 years old and he came once to see me. I was playing under the tree with my brother (Ray Jr. Sexton). I didn't know who he was but he asked my Mom(Anna Petty) "how is my girl" She pointed to me and said "See for yourself." So I figured he was my Dad but I guess I was not bothered enough then to ask any more about it.

At 15 I started writing letters to him, only to get them returned with a nasty letter from his wife telling me not to write again as he was not my dad. When I was 20,married and had my son Robert Campbell, I wanted to meet him. I tracked him down and finally was able to talk to him when I finally caught his wife out of the house. He was able to talk to me then and he and I made plans to meet in downtown

Fredericktown. I wondered if I would ever know what he looked like. It was a very nervous moment for me. When I seen him walking up the sidewalk I "knew" that was my Dad. We met and he took me to a local tavern while he had a beer. We talked but he was a stranger to me.

I continued to try and have contact with him only to have his wife threaten me with jail, send me nasty letters and cuss me out if I called him. Finally I wrote one last letter when I was 39 and told him he just was not a man nor a father and I would no longer have any contact with him. All my life all I ever wanted was for him to love me and be my dad.

About a year later the phone rang one night and this woman asked me not to hang up when she revealed her name. I agreed and then she told me she was Dad's wife. She also told me Dad had finally told her I was his child. She claimed she never knew, although common sense tells you that if you have someone writing him and calling him Dad; you can not be that stupid to believe there is not a chance of it being true.

My emotions were like a roller coaster over that. At first I hated him, then I wanted to see him, then I cried, then I was angry it took 40 years for him to finally have the guts to say "yes, she is my daughter!" Finally we met. I got to know my Dad before he died. I am thankful I did as I discovered where a lot of my traits came from. But the hurt and resentment I suffered will never truly go away as long as I live.

If you have a child you are denying or simply not seeing, PLEASE don't do that to them.

Anita Seybold

A story about Paul Verlin Mayberry

Oct. 16,1999

The Sugar Nipple

When I was a little girl around 5 years old or maybe 4, I lived with Grandma and Grandpa Pearl and Laura

(Smith) Petty. We lived out in the country on a farm. My uncle Gene Petty lived still at home. He would

stay up half the night and sleep all day. Well this really aggravated my granny. So one day she told me we

were going to fix him.

She and I went to the kitchen and she cut a square of muslin and filled it with sugar, then tied it all up nice

and tight. She told me this was called a "Sugar Nipple" and some used to use it for babies to suck on.

Anyway, Uncle Gene always slept with his mouth open and snoring like a freight train.

She talked me into taking this sugar tit and after dipping it in water, squeeze this in his mouth, but she told

me as soon as I did to run like the devil was after me. So I tip toed into his bedroom and sure enough he

was snoring and his mouth was wide open.

I carefully held it over his open mouth and I squeezed really hard. His mouth filled with water and I ran as

fast as my legs could carry me back to grandma. He came up coughing and choking and cussing a blue

streak. Grand Ma thought it was funny but he was yelling at her and she was yelling back. I did the smart

thing. I hid behind grannies skirt! :)

Anita Seybold

Story about Laura and Gene Petty

Oct 1999

My Rides with Gene Petty

When I was born my uncle Wilfred Eugene Petty (Gene) lived at home. He and I of course were very close.

He loved to drive fast and reckless and my grandfather Petty would not allow him to drive his cars because

of this. SO Gene had his own cars, several in fact in a few years time. Once he took me for a ride. We

lived on highway 19 toward Alton Missouri, 5 miles from town. It was all deep hills and on those hills a car

would go really fast going down and up the next one. You did not need to press the gas much to keep your

speed up.

The day he took me for a ride we were going really fast. Going up and down the hills had me screaming

and laughing and clapping my hands. On one hill as we went down and came up on the other side the

bottom of the car hit the road and sparks flew. Of course I thought this was grand and when I got back to

the house I was only to anxious to tell grandma and grandpa. Of course Gene got yelled at for his speed

and endangering me.

Anita Seybold

A story about Gene Petty

Oct 1999

Grandma and The Chicken

I well remember life on the farm in Shannon Co. Missouri. Life was quiet and my days revolved around

playing with all my cats ( I had 27 at one time!) and the dogs. The summer days were lazy. I can

remember the trees buzzing with Locusts and the humming birds flitting from one flower to another.

Grandma had a yard full of flowers. We had no grass only pathways with flowers filled in on the rest of the

yard.On sundays we went to church and as soon as we came home we had dinner. There was always a

guest from church almost every sunday afternoon.

On Saturdays she would prepare for Sunday dinner. She did this by deciding what chicken she would kill. I

always hated that time as she would run around until she caught one. Then rather than cutting it's head off

quick.....she preferred to wring it's neck. It never failed every time that damn chicken would always end up

near me! It would be flopping and slinging blood all over the place and no matter where I moved the body of

this creature seemed to follow me.

I would end up running and screaming trying to get away from it. Finally, after what seemed to be forever

the thing would lie still. Then grandma would throw it in a metal tub, pour scalding water over the body and

she and I would start to pluck the feathers. Now I doubt many of you now days have ever done this......let

me tell you.....it's a nasty smelly job. After this she would singe the hair off the body by holding it over an

open flame until the skin was blackened from the smoke. It would be at that time when she would gut it,

wash it and cut it up.

That was Sunday dinner. This was an every week happening. I laugh at it now but back then as a child I

thought a monster was trying to get me. Enjoy! :)

Anita Seybold

Story about Laura Smith, Petty

Oct 1999