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Note: Recollections of Ralph Teague 2003: When I was a boy, I recall we had cows and hogs on the property in Wills Point on E. North St. plus we rented some land on the other side of the house next door (The Ezell house). We raised cotton and corn. We also farmed several other tracts around town including east of town near the Dean homestead. We used to go up to the Dean house for water. I started smoking at 13 or 14. When plowing we would sneak a smoke when Dad (Richard Skelton Teague) was at the far end of a row. This didn't fool him though and one day he asked me if I wanted to share a rolled cigarette. I told him "Here have one of my ready mades". We often lived "On the cuff" and paid off the bank, grocery store, etc. only in the fall when the crops came in. We often took ears of corn or chickens to town to "Barter" for goods. Olin, or Jackie as we called him, had run away to Louisiana or Mississippi and worked at a mental hospital. He came home sick with a kidney infection. He was treated at home, but died shortly after coming home ( On 1-17-1931). He died of double pnemonia. He had a suit on layaway and still owed $4.25 on it. They took it out of layaway and buried him in it. The Teague's had a $1500 life insurance policy on him. They tore down their house, used what materials they could, and used the $1500 for materials and built the house that still stands as of 2004. It took 6 weeks to build the new house. In the meantime, they lived in a shack across the street with no floor and only water from a well. This shack was directly across the street from where Merle built her house. I was born in a house they lived in south of Hwy 80. Merle was the only one born in the house on E. North St. My first real job was working for food only during lunch-time for Aunt Malvina and Uncle Ernest who had set up a cafe in a spare room in their home near the school. They were only open during lunch and sold school supplies also. I asked if he recalled how Richard and Lillie met, and he said Richard's mother, Cordelia got sick and they hired Lillie to watch over her. She would also read poetry to her. Richard told his friends how ugly Lillie was and Lillie said "I'll show him!". They ended up getting married. Lillie's sister, Ila Mae or "Aunt Mae", and her husband lived on the Hughes Farm. Lillie's mother, Eudora lived with them. Richard's mother, Cordelia lived with Richard and Lillie in Wills Point for awhile. She then moved to Seymore, Tx to live with her daughter, Telitha Ann (Aunt Annie), where she died on Nov.13, 1944. After getting married, Ralph and Molly lived for awhile at 1210 N. Washington with Molly's parent's, Chester and Bessie Clarkson. They then rented an apartment back in Wills Point on James St. Later, while visiting in Dallas, Ralph applied for and got a job with Safeway driving a truck. They moved back to Dallas and lived on Elehue Street. Ralph got drafted and Molly was pregnant (With David). Ralph went to Camp Kilmer in California for training, then to Alabama's Camp Rucker, then to maneuvers in Tennessee, then to Camp Butner in NC. He had met Sparky Sparks in the army and they became best friends. David was born 1-15-1943 and shortly thereafter after being assigned to NC, Ralph, Molly and David got on a bus headed to Durham, NC. Sparky was on the same bus. There wasn't enough seats so everyone took turns sitting down. Spent the night in Nashville. When they arrived in NC, Molly and David stayed at the bus station while Ralph and Sparky went to look for a place to live. They found a one room apt with a shared kitchen in a house that had 23 steps you had to climb to get to. A month later, Sparky's wife, Margaret and newborn daughter, Janie joined them. All in the same room. Later, Ralph was shipped overseas and Molly and David returned to the Clarkson's in Dallas. Also lived awhile with Molly's sister (Mildred) and her husband (Charleston Harvey) on McKeel St. near the Telephone Building off of Haskell St. in Dallas. Ralph went to Beiraustin, England, then landed on Omaha Beach one month after D Day. By then, the allied forces had only advanced 1-2 miles off the beach. Ralph served in Holland, France, The Bulge, and Bastone Germany as part of the occupation forces. He was in communications, mostly repairing telegraph lines. When the war ended, he returned to the States on the Queen Mary (Took 3-4 days), and rejoined Safeway where he worked until he retired after nearly 44 years.
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