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Note: He was not a large man, as I remember him. About 5 foot 7 inches tall and always a slim build. When young his hair was light brown but thinned and receded early. He had light gray eyes. From the time I can remember him, he chewed Beech-Nut tobacco. He always wore sleeve garters, the only person I ever knew to wear them, and also wore suspenders.
Charlie never learned to drive a car, although he owned some and would drive a tractor only if none of the boys were there to do it.
He was a deacon in the First Baptist Church at Avery from 1912 till they left the county in 1923. He was later at First Baptist in Lamesa and may have been in between these years at some other churches.
Charlie and Ruth also wore nightcaps to bed. I guess they clung to some of the old ways longer than most.
I found in some papers lent to me by a descendant of Ed Lonzo Medford, Charlie's 1/2 brother, some promissory notes and vendor's Lein notes that I missed at courthouse or were never recorded.
A totally handwritten note, dated Lydia, Texas Red River County, $40.00 November 29th, 1895... by 1st day November 1896 pay P.J. Medford
(another 1/2 brother) or bearer, forty dollars with 10% interest...given as part payment on 50 acres of land, part of Jesse Walker survey...more fully described in a deed. signed C.R. Medford
A form deed is there also which gives complete land description and C.R. Medford has already paid $85.00 with the $40. note. Then C.R. and Euka Medford sell this to J.T. Pollard dated 8th day November 1897.
Below are listed some deeds of which I have copies, some are recorded soon after execution date and some years later, they are filed by the recording date.
Year Made Book Page
? 65 157 W.F. Burden to C.R. Medford Rec. 10 Dec. 1909
1897 69 24 K.L.Keen to C.R. Medford 100 acres S.P. Moore Hd.
1899 70 140 K.L.&M.I.Keen and C.R.& R.A.B. Medford to Rehoboth
Missionary Baptist Church
1899 35 607 C.R.&R.A.B. Medford to J.J. Davis 100 acres S.P.
Moore Headright Survey
1900 39 553 J.J.&Alice Davis to K.L.Keen & C.R. Medford same
100 acres,
1901 96 491 C.R. Medford to T.O.McClesky 30 ac. S.P. Moore Hdr.
1904 69 23 C.R.&R.A.B. Medford to C.H. Watson 69 acres, same
from Moore Hdr.
1904 53 114 J.J.&M.A.R.Davis to C.R. Medford 30 1/8 ac. 1/2
mile east of Avery
1908 97 140 C.R.&Mrs. Medford to W.M. Medford 50 acres of
Sewell Hancock Survey(probably Charlie's part of his father's land)
1911 70 220 Release of deed to C.H. Watson
1911 86 156-157 C.R.& Eukie to W.H. Cox, part of land E. of Avery
1914 83 351 C.R. Medford to W.M. Medford rest of land E. of Avery
1919 96 452 Louise Medford to C.R. Medford 93 acres of Sewell
Hancock Survey(Old Medford Place)
1927 C.R.&Eukie Medford to P.J. and Wm.M. Medford deed
to same, made in Dawson County, Texas, filed in Red River County, Texas.
Found also in Ed Lonzo papers was a promissory note #2 for $453.35 dated 25 August 1919 from C.R. Medford to Mrs. Louiser Medford for the above 93 acres. He has paid her $500. to start and 3 yearly payments of $435.35 with last payment being 5 cents less for a total of $1860., this being $20. per acre.
Charlie's family was told a few years back that his name was Robertson, instead of Robert, because of a man whose plantation the families stayed while waiting for the flood waters to recede so they could cross the Mississippi River on their way to Texas. Evidently this was told to Bailey (son of Oscar) by Louise, Charlie's mother. It never came up when he was living, but he never used it as far as anyone knows.
Tradition has it that Charlie was born in the covered wagon as they were crossing the River in December 1869. He did state his birthplace as Helena, Phillips County, Arkansas.
The land deeds listed above with the Keen's are Charlie's in laws, and are marking some land given to the Rehoboth Missionary Baptist Church. From the deeds, a church must have already been there at the time. It is possible K.L.Keen was the minister there at first, but records have long disappeared and it is not known. The one acre of land for the church was given with the stipulation if and when there was no longer a church there, the land would revert back to them or to their heirs. The church evidently disbanded long before it burned but there are people who remember going to church there. A cemetery still remains, off the road, with this land given by the Smith brothers and Val Ryther from the Smith Estate which was their property at one time.
In the fall of 1922, Charlie moved his family to Dawson County, Texas.
They moved by train. The family rode the passenger car, but Charlie rode with the stock in the freight car. Luther Lewis, a friend of the family in East Texas and had moved west earlier, wrote Charlie and wanted him to come out and help farm some land he had rented. Charles and Ruth had moved to Jones County in 1908 and stayed about a year but must not have liked it, as they moved back to Red River County within a year but the land here was worn out for cotton production and so it must have seemed a
good idea at the time in 1922 to move again.
When they moved to Jones County (1908), they were near Charlie's half brother Dr. James A. Arwood, a self educated Dr. who had moved there a couple of years earlier and bought land on the Clear Fork of the Brazos. In fact Dr. Arwood delivered the baby, Joe D., who was born while they were there.
There is another story attached to Joe D.'s birth which his sister Imogene told me. Ruth's sister married Jeff Davis and he had a son named Joe by a previous marriage who was grown by this time. He had told Ruth if she would name the baby after him, he would give them a pig. So this is how Joe D. got his name and Imogene says she believes they did get the pig but have never heard that Joe D.'s name was really Joe Davis.
They made a good cotton crop in 1923 and Charlie decided to buy some land, 160 acres, but 1924 and 1925 was a bad crop year and Charlie had given the older boys check writing privileges and between living expenses and their"needs" and "wants" there was no money for land payment. He did not invest in land again, but only farmed on rented land till he quit farming in 1936.
At this time there were only two children left at home, Joe D. and Jim Ed and they evidently did not see farming as their life work and the four of them moved to Big Spring. Both boys got into oil business related jobs and continued in this till their retirement. Charlie got a part time job in a furniture store in Big Spring for awhile.
They continued to live in Big Spring till the mid 1940's when they moved back to Lamesa, where they lived the rest of their days.
1910 census of Red River Co., TX page 313a ED 131 Pct 8 living on the Lydia to Avery road
Charles R. Medford (didn't get his age but born Ar parents AL & GA, Euka age 33, Mary age 10, Gervaise age_, Perry age 5, Opal age 3 and Joe D. age 1 with Mary E. Kenn age 65 GA, NC, GA
http://www.findagrave.com/ # 22333006
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