Notes for Tennie Winona Muncrief: Rev. William Taylor & Mary Sue (Durham) Muncrief BY Winona (Muncrief) Turner
Rev. W. T. Muncrief and his Wife, the former Sue Durham moved their family of four, (Lee, Dave, Sallie, and Tennie) from Arkansas to Loco, I. T. (Indian Territory), in 1890. W. T. Muncrief was an ordained Baptist minister. He Preached in several locations and many times his only pay was food.
In 1882 Lee met and married Susan (Sudie) Fitzgerald. In 1896 Rev. Muncrief moved his family to a community called "Who'd a Thought it", now known as Coatsworth. On an Indian lease the family built one large room with a half dugout, with dirt floors. Fruit trees were set out and became one of the first orchards of the area.
The fall of 1897 Lee, Sudie with baby Alvin left Loco. They lived with Rev. Muncrief until another log cabin could be built. While living here Sudie gave birth to the first Muncrief granddaughter Winona February 22, 1898. The new home was one log room with a side room for a kitchen. The Muncrief men made the shingles or boards that were used on the roof. I've seen them make a lot of them.
By the late 1890's Dave and Sallie were both married and Tennie in 1901.
The men cleared all of the land that they farmed. The families carried water from a spring on a mountain side. They dug it out and walled it up with four big flat rocks.
Sudie sold butter. Stone jars of milk were kept cool by wrapping with wet cloth. Sudie used old well washed cotton sacks for this. Water had to be carried for the family wash, which was done on a rub board, with lye soap made from cracklins and fat scraps and lye.
When the fruit trees began to bear, they dried most of the fruit by spreading it on the porch roof to dry in the sun. If a shower came up, they had to pick the fruit up, then spread it again. Some of the fruit was preserved and sealed with sealing wax in tin cans.
Sorghum was also made from home grown cane. Tennie often spoke of how tired she got of eating sorghum.
Lee was Justice of Peace in 1906-07. He worked with a Mr. Bennett of Tishomingo. He was constable of that area.
Cotton was also one of the crops. The last of the crop was gathered, ginned and saved. Sudie then combed the cotton with cards into bats. These were used in quilts which they quilted in frames hanging from the ceiling.
The oldest children, Alvin, Winona, and Bertha helped their parents and grandparents with all of the work.
In 1907 William and Sue moved from the Indian Lease. Lee and Sudie then moved to the bigger house where Annie and Luther were born.
In 1913 Lee moved his family into the Plainview community where he farmed until 1935. The family home here consisted of three rooms. It was in this house Floy was born in September 1917. In November 1917 Winona became the bride of Asa Turner; just three weeks later, Asa had to leave his wife and serve his country during World War I for 15 months (12 overseas).
Grandpa (Rev. W. T. Muncrief) and Grandma as they were called both died in 1923, just a few days apart at age 75. Lee died in 1937 and Sudie in 1941. Dave, Sallie, and Tennie and their spouses are deceased.
Sudie and Lee were parents of six, two now living. Alvin (1895 - 1959) married Pearl Carlton. Their children are Inez, Francis, Gladys, and Wyllene. Winona and Asa's children are Georgia Lee, Ruby, and Margia Fay. Bertha (1900 - 1952) married Elmer Allison. Their Children are Lucy, Faye, and Fern. Annie (1907 - 1937) married Wilburn Coffey and had Wanda, Junior, Willie Lee, and Wayne. Luther (1910 - 1972) married Ruby Whitmire. Their children are Johnny, Sylvia, J. E., Doyle, and Rusty. Floy, born 1917, married Ben Thurmond and had Ben and Tom.
I (Winona) have a quilt (appliqué wild rose design) that was made by my grandmother and her sisters. They also spun the thread and wove the cloth used in the quilt. Also a hand carved solid woo masher, that my grandmother used to mash cooked dried fruit. The buffet I have was made by my husband
with the lumber from the family dinner table that my papa had made with wooden pegs.
Two of the youngest descendants of W. T. and Sue are Brandi Kirkpatrick, great-great-granddaughter of Tennie, and James Elledge, great-great-grandson of Lee and Sudie and great-grandson of Winona.
Asa Turner came home from the war in March of 1919. Asa and Winona rented a farm and farmed until May, 1944; when they moved to Oklahoma City and Asa worked at Douglas Aircraft and as a carpenter.
While on the farm from 1925 until 1944, with the three girls, we milked cows and ran a separator. We also raised turkeys and walked lots of miles hunting them and getting them home away from the wolves, which were very bad at this time. We lost 40 at one time to the wolves.
Grandma Muncrief used to cook a hoecake on coals of fire from the fireplace hearth. It was a biscuit dough cooked in an iron skillet, after it had been patted out as big as the skillet. It sure was good and is still used by the younger families. Winona still cooks it only she has to cook it on the gas stove now. Winona and Asa's two oldest daughters, Georgia Lee and Ruby made school teachers and still teach. Their oldest granddaughter, Debbie, also teaches as well as Georgia Lee's youngest daughter. Georgia Lee began teaching in 1942 and Ruby in 1945 and have continued except when the quit to have their kids.
We as kids grew up to know to go to Sunday School and church as our grandpa was a Baptist minister. We were taught to love the Lord and our friends and neighbors. Most of the family members are Baptist.
More About Tennie Winona Muncrief and Asa Steve Turner: Marriage: 24 Nov 1917, At home of bride's parents.
Children of Tennie Winona Muncrief and Asa Steve Turner are:
Tennie Winona Muncrief (b. 22 Feb 1898, d. 12 Dec 1986)
Notes for Tennie Winona Muncrief: