Myrtle (Stevens) Pate

 

May 17, 2005, Buffalo Express "The Flo News"
written by Norma Moore

    Myrtle (Stevens) Pate was the youngest child of Anderson and Columbia (Graham) Stevens.  Her father was a confederate soldier and was proud to fight for the southern cause.  He was a first farmer, rancher, homesteader, and land developer of our Sand Lake.  He helped to populate this settlement and Myrtle's mother, Columbia, came to our Sand Lake community when she was a baby.
     William and Sarah Graham traveled by wagon train along with other families.  They were the first to clean and clear paths from Clarke Co., MS to our Sand Lake settlement.  They as first settlers owned the first farms, being first to build cabins, sheds, churches, schools, businesses, and post offices.  This is a Sand Lake, Leon Co. heritage that Myrtle cherished all of her life and she has left a great legacy of her own that is a precious heritage of our Flo, Buffalo communities.
     Myrtle was born and raised in our Sand Lake Community.  She was the youngest of ten children and had many responsibilities.  By the time she was six years old, she was in the fields with her parents, brothers, and sisters picking cotton and peas.  She helped her mother with the cooking and keeping house and as she grew older, she was at work doing all the country chores.
     Myrtle was a daddy's girl and she loved it when she was beside her daddy, busy tending to the livestock, being at the field work, and growing crops.  One of the best times was of the sugar cane gathering and making syrup.  She loved being in the wagon when they gathered the cane, then taking it to the syrup mill and watching the mule go round and round in making the syrup.  Then it would be hauled to be stored in the kitchen area.  Later, she would go with her daddy delivering syrup to relatives, neighbors, and friends.
     Some more of the good times were when Myrtle helped her mama make syrup cookies and cakes.
     The Stevens, Graham, and Gore families of Sand Lake have always been known for their fine sugar cane crops.  Their syrup mills and syrup was a family tradition, being started at their beginnings in Sand Lake and through many more years of history here.  It is still a topic of conversation today.
     Myrtle went to Sand Lake schools.  She first went to the little cabin school and then on to the larger school.  She learned the basic reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic.  She was proud to go to school and learn from books.  he only went to the 10th grade and learned as fast as she could, because there were times when she had to stay home and help with crops and other chores.
     Myrtle was taught the Bible and taken to church all of her life.  She was actively involved in church missions and had become a Christian at a young age.  She was a happy servant of God's ministry and delighted in helping someone.  She loved cooking for her family, church family, and neighbors.  She would pack baskets of food and make deliveries to all her loved ones.  She also had a talent  with hand crafts and made gifts for all her loved ones.
     Myrtle faced a lot of sadness in her life, along with her family, with the loss of her little sister.  This was the first loss of her immediate family.  Her dad built the coffin and buried her on the Stevens land.  This was the first established Stevens Cemetery of the Sand Lake Settlement, of which Myrtle had the deed for, the most part of her life.  Also the Anderson/Columbia family lost Tilley, Wait, and Kimbell at early ages.  They are also buried at the Stevens Cemetery.  This Stevens Cemetery is a heritage of the Stevens and Gore families of today.  Myrtle witnessed several relatives being buried at the family cemetery.  She always had interest in taking care of the property and graves of her loved ones.  She attended the annual memorial services as long as she could.
     Myrtle married Tom Pate if Flo.  He was the son of Tom and Mattie (Lummus) Pate.  Tom and his family were favorites of Flo, Sand Lake.  They were farmers and ranchers.
     To and Myrtle lived in the Flo, Sand Lake communities the first years of their marriage.  They farmed, had livestock, chickens and raised large gardens.   With the wild game and fish and the wild berries and fruits, they had a good life.  They also lived near their parents and relatives.  They all were a very close family and shared the work, helping each other whenever needed.  All their produce and other food supplies were equally distributed.
     When the 1930's depression hit, Myrtle and Tom moved to Oakwood, TX, where Tom worked for J. O. Rambo at his general store.  He also worked for C. A. Jones as a grocery clerk.  They like everyone else, faced some tough times during the depression.  Yet, they with faith in God, and working any jobs that became available, and everyone helping each other, survived.  The only place they went was to church, or wherever they could walk or go by horseback.  They didn't get to visit with their Flo, Sand Lake families except on rare occasions.
     Myrtle said it was some hard times during the depression, yet she and Tom learned some valuable lessons.  They depended on God, they worked together and appreciated what they had.  All the neighbors were nice and all tried to help each other.  Myrtle says it really was good times because families were closer to each other then.

May 24, 2005, Buffalo Express "The Flo News"
written by Norma Moore

     Myrtle (Stevens) Pate was born in Sand Lake Settlement, the daughter of Anderson and Columbia Stevens, first time settlers.  Myrtle was a true Leon county pioneer who tolerated many trials, tribulations and sacrificed whatever was needed to survive through the frontier years and all through her life.
     Myrtle toiled alongside her parents, brothers and sisters as first time settlers, cleared the first pathways of the Sand Lake property, and cleared the land for farming.  They first lived in a wagon for a home until a cabin could be built.  Their livelihood was planting the crops, gathering their cotton and corn for market, and their vegetables to eat and preserve before the winter months set in.  There was no idle time due to the many tasks, except to sleep.  There was no time to worry about how they dressed, just as long as they were clean; and no time to socialize.  Relatives and neighbors were all in the same category; they were there for each other if needed otherwise each family tended to their own business and daily work.  This included the children.
     Myrtle was introduced to the work force by the time she was six years old, and by the time she was a teenager, she was given full responsibility for many of the chores. She was proud to help her mother for she knew they all had to help each other for survival.  Myrtle often told how the family had to raise whatever was to be eaten, whether it was meat, vegetables or fruit.  Cows and goats provided the milk.  Chickens provided the eggs.  There was no store to run to and if there were, they could not have purchased anything, as there was no money in the frontier days.
     The only time the family went to town was harvest time, carrying the cotton and corn to market, and the early springtime when her papa borrowed money to farm the spring and summer crops.  Myrtle told that only staple foods such as flour, sugar, and some corn meal (usually ground at a gristmill and stored throughout the year).  She told that the children would get a penny stick of candy.  This was everyone's lifestyle, so no one knew any difference.
     Myrtle said her mama made all her clothes from flour sacks.  Maybe on very special occasions, she bought material and made dresses she wore as her best to church and to school.  She went barefoot in the summer and got new shoes at the start of each semester.  They rubbed blisters until they were broke in, yet she felt she was rich because she had a papa, mama, brothers and sisters who loved her and she loved them.  They had happy, good times together, playing family games, working on homework, and having their meals around the big dining table--special times sharing conversation and enjoying good food.
     Myrtle told there were times of few choices for what you had to eat, yet she never went hungry and the family social life was attending church, school affairs, and on rare occasions gathering at kinfolks for visits.  Most of the time their home was the place to gather, much cooking would be done and the house was polished, the yard swept clean.  All enjoyed feast with the older children and grownups having heated games of baseball.  The younger children played tag, pick-up sticks, marbles, and skip hop games.  The women visited, the babies were put on quilts for naps, everyone tired and sleepy when it was time to go home.
     Myrtle made it known relatives, neighbors and friends were there for anyone who needed them; if there were more deaths or sickness.  The men and boys worked at the outside tasks and the women and girls cooked, cleaned, washed clothes, whatever needed to be done.  They helped the ones in need.  Myrtle told that the women and girls would also have quilting bees to help families.  They also cooked meals, delivering them to the sick and shut-ins.
     This heritage of the lessons of God's love, taught family and others, were Myrtle's keepsake for all of her life.  She valued these blessings with pride and delight, remembering being involved in church missions, school, and community projects as a respectable life.  She was a popular young lady.  Myrtle married Tom Pate of Flo, a Christian man, who was a hard worker and known as a friendly, helpful gentleman of the community.  They as a couple served God by helping build churches, served on committees for education, community building projects, advancing the development of roads and businesses.
     Myrtle and Tom farmed every available piece of their home land, raised livestock, and helped their families with their crops and livestock.  They later moved to Oakwood during the depression years.  Myrtle and Tom worked at farming, grew the vegetables they ate, and supplied meat from deer, squirrel, fish and other wildlife, they could get.
     Tom worked at two grocery stores and Myrtle carried on with the farming as best she could.  Many evenings when Tom got home, they would be in the fields plowing and hoeing and gathering produce until they were unable to see.  Then supper would be cooked.  Many nights they canned or were busy helping others with their work.
     These were hard times for Myrtle and tom, yet they felt blessed to have survived the hardships and as they looked back, they realized that the lessons learned were what directed them in a path closer to God, to appreciate and have compassion for people--the important things in life.
     In 1930, the Pate family moved to Buffalo.  This included their children Ruth, Aubrey, twins Loyce and Joyce, Robert, and Carmelita.  Tom and Myrtle's greatest happiness was giving love and support to their children.  Tom became an employee with thw U. S. Postal Service at Buffalo as a mail carrier.  This route began in Buffalo and extended to Sand Lake, Flo, Russell, Niveveh, Guys Store, and on to the Trinity River to part of Centerville and New Hope communities.  His day began at 4 a.m. and continued long into the late afternoon each day, traveling 82 miles.
     Tom delivered mail for 45 years.  The last 4 years before he retired, Myrtle accompanied Tom.  Also during this time for 4 years during World War II, Tom paid honor to his country by working in the Houston Ship Yard, Lockhead Air Craft in California and Camarillo State Hospital in the Postal Department at Camarillo.
     Since Tom and Myrtle considered everyone their friends, Tom's mail delivery included many aspects.  He also delivered medicine, block ice, groceries, and baby chickens; and always kept candy treats for the children on his route.  He dearly loved the people and they had the most respect for him as well.  Tom would carry people to town or bring them home or to other places.  Some ladies depended on him to kill their fryer chickens. Tommy Lathrop was one.
Tom would get out of his vehicle to ring the chickens neck, then go on his way to give assistance to someone in a bind who needed help.  In return, he would find fresh parched peanuts, fresh eggs, butter, pork, ham, ribs, sausage, hot steaming baked sweet potatoes, home baked goodies and fresh grown vegetables in the mail boxes or strapped on the boxes.
     Tom and Myrtle cherished the time period of the mail box route as treasured memories for the rest of their lives.  They gave generously of themselves and of funds for all Christian, family community, and County progress, for all ages to have advances to their quality of life.  They often were the ones to instigate a cause if they felt strong for the program.  In 1970, Dr. Robert Pate bought the Randolph Buchanan House, the oldest House in Buffalo for Myrtle and Tom.