Jefferson Co. OK -- Pearl Freeman biography ------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by: Phyllis Jean Moore Murphy e-mail: jm21539@aol.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with the USGenWeb policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The fall of 1899 had been a sad one for little Pearl Freeman. Her beloved grandmother, Lurinda Flowers Freeman, had suddenly died. It was such a loss because Lurinda had been living with her son Alfred's family ever since Alfred had married Nancy Ann Thompson in 1880. Then more sadness--three of Pearl's brothers died within a month of each other. They died from what the family called "flux," a common ailment at that time (we now know it as dissentery). Pearl was so sad to see her brothers' suffering that she gave them her only little toy, hoping it would make them feel better. The grandmother and her three small grandsons were all buried side by side in the Cedar Creek Cemetery near Jerusalem, Pope County, Arkansas. After the funerals, things were not the same at home for Pearl; she heard the adults talking about moving! Moving to the Indian Territory of Oklahoma! How could they? She would not be able to walk across the field to see her grandparents, Abner and Jeanette Tackett! Thompson. She would not be able to go to school with her friends. Her friends were fun and they often placed jokes on their teacher Mr. Kenerman. She just could not imagine living anywhere else. It soon became apparent to her that plans had been made. As soon as the 1900 presidential elections were over and her dad could cast his vote to elect McKinley to his second term, they would leave. Three other families joined the Alfred H. Freeman family for the long, arduous trip: Alfred's cousin Dwight Freeman and family, Jeff and Elizabeth Freeman Jones (she was a daughter of Alfred's half-brother Richard), and John Freeman (Dwight's son) and his family. With a bank roll of $11.00, their meager possessions all packed in a covered wagon, Alfred and Nancy Thompson Freeman and children Bertie, 19, Tillman, 16, Commodore, 16, Pearl, 12, Leora, 9, Bishop Gaylor, 6 and Ruth 5, left their home in Arkansas, headed for the Territory of Oklahoma. In the same year that Pearl Freeman was born and not too many miles away in Conway County, Arkansas, a young five year old boy, Alonzo Cratin Reid, and his big brother Elmer who was nine years old, were going through a big change in their lives. Their dad, William C., was gone and their mother, Martha Jane Brock Reid, had a new husband, John Gage. The new family moved to Texas from Arkansas, but it was not a happy time for the boys. Mr. Gage was a cold, domineering man. Many times concerned outsiders had to intervene in his treatment of Lon and Elmer. After years of this discord in the family, Martha Jane surreptitiously arranged for her beloved sons to go to the home of her aunt, America Prince Cowan. America had married Steve Cowan and was living in what is now Carter County, Oklahoma (it was Pickens County, Indian Territory then) near Berwyn (now Gene Autry). America and Steve had no children, so it seemed to be the best solution. One morning, unknown to their stepfather, the mother sent her two sons on their way, telling them to "follow the railroad tracks." She had packed them some food, kissed them with tears in her eyes and with a heavy heart watched them leave, hoping and praying she had done the right thing. It was not long before Lon had proven himself as an energetic, honest and hard working young man. He had a talent for forming a trustworthy relation with his employer and it served him well the rest of his life. As Lon was growing up and establishing himself as a self-supporting adult, Pearl and her family were leading a somewhat nomadic life. At one time her father had traded a gun or horse or something for a farm--but the dream of a house and a permanent, real home was destroyed the very first night when, as the story goes, "they heard whooping and hollering of Indians." By morning Alfred had gathered up his family and hastily abandoned the farm to be on the move again. The Freeman family often stayed in wagon yards. Pearl remarked it was not a pleasant experience, except for one delightful time when her dad bought one piece of pie for 10 cents and everyone had a bite--her first taste of Lemon Pie! When Pearl was about 20 years old, the family moved to the Berwyn, Oklahoma area where Bertie, Pearl's older sister, was living with her husband Miles Prince. There was little time or opportunity for Pearl to meet other young people, as she was not allowed to attend the dances or "play parties" in the area. However, one time she was spending the night with Bertie and went to a dance that was to change her life forever. There she met the shy, blonde, blue eyed handsome Lon Reid. It must have been love at first sight! They were married August 11, 1908 by J.P. Moran, Justice of the Peace for Berwyn Township, Carter County, Oklahoma. (To be continued. . . .) (Note: Lon and Pearl raised 9 children in Jefferson County, Oklahoma)