Thurston's Christmas letter to Mamie 1928

December 18, 1928

Dear Sis,

I am sending you a small Christmas gift.  I hope you will like it.  I know that you do not expect much from me but someday I am going to give you a much larger gift.

I am getting along fine in school work and in other things.

You never mention Cecil's (Mamie's husband) name in your letters.  I would certainly like to see him.  I'll bet he is a good sport.  I would like to take him possum hunting with me sometime, and also I would like to go duck hunting with him.

Sunday I got Uncle Jesse's (Manning's brother) car and went to Cedar Mountain and got us a pretty Christmas tree.

I am 14 years old now and this summer I want to get me a job in the print shop at "The Comanche Chief" (Comanche County newspaper)  I would like to learn the business.  I think you will not find many misspelled words in this letter.  I can spell but can't write so good.

Love

Thurston R. Atwood

Thurston in May 1928 in the Boy Scout uniform Mamie bought for him.

Mama Atwood named her babies herself (she says)

March 20th 1958

Dear Mamie,

….If you think anyone named you but me you are mistaken.  No one named you but me.  No one name any of my babies but me..except poor little Sammie (passed away at age 12) She helped me to name Thurston  She was sick at the time & she  liked the name so that is what it is.

You was named Frances Mamie after my mother (Frances Stovall Smith) and Mamie after Mr. King's sister. (Mr. King was Mamie's father.) as she seemed to be his favorite sister.  He spoke of her more than Hattie.  He was proud & said I would name you Frances Mamie and call you Mamie.

Sawmill near Stryker in east Texas where Mr. King was employed.  Notice the steam train in the center of the picture.

You was borned at Stryker near Corigan in Trinity County.  then we moved to Diball near Lufkin.

Letter from Thurston to his big sister Mamie 1928

Thurston was born in 1914. He was 14 years old when he wrote this.

Dear Sis,

I am going to get promoted this year.  School will be out soon.  My grades were: reading 88 spelling 99 arithmetic 71 language 80 geography 85 history 88.  There are 25 or 26 in the class and I ranked 13.

Arithmetic is hard.  I made 95 in deportment.

This summer I am going on the Scout camp and nothing is going to keep me from it.  I hope to get me a job this summer painting with Uncle Jess.  He will give me 25 cents an hour for painting houses.

Say, I weigh 115 lbs and I can whip Watt all over the house.  I can Ha! Ha! you write him and ask him if I whipped him over at Jack's house.  I did.

It won't be long until I am a 1st class Scout. I am going to get a merit badge for cycling.  I have to ride a bicycle 50 miles ini 10 hours.  I can, too.

Lots of love  "Bill"

Thurston, Manning, Edward and Watt Atwood 1928

Meanwhile, in California....

Mamie King, the eldest daughter of Maggie Atwood, was born in 1892.  She moved to Los Angeles, California in 1926 to work as secretary for a man she had been working for in Fort Worth   He was in the oil and gas business somehow.  About 1929 she married Cecil Bellah, an electrician for a movie studio.

Cecil particularly loved fishing and camping outdoors.  they spent their honeymoon camping at Yosemite National Forest.  

The Atwood's house in Comanche, Texas

Thurston always told me he could see the original split logs under the dining room floor.  The house had 3 front doors for some reason. 

On the front steps about 1920.  In back, Hilburn Arthur, soon to marry Ernestine next to him.  Mamie on the right.  In front are Ruth and Thurston about age 9 and age 6

Bill Atwood about 1949 with Rico, Mama's dog who was named for her favorite singer, Enrico Caruso.

Thurston Atwood, my father, at about age 6

. About 1920. The tall lady in the center is Mamie, In order: Ruth, Maggie, Mamie, with Thurston in front of her, Ernestine and Manning. Thurston told me that the older girls boxed his ears when he was little. He never could hear very well out of his right ear.

Manning and Maggie's children

Manning and Maggie Atwood's first child was named Mable. As far as I know we don't have any pictures of her. When she was two years old Maggie took her to visit Maggie's famiy. While she was there they both became ill; Maggie lived but Mable did not.

Aunt Ernestine told me that Maggie never went to visit to her family again. 

In 1902 Manning and Maggie moved to Comanche, Texas where they lived out the rest of their lives in the same home, at 415 East Grand Avenue. .

Here is a photo of their first 4 children, plus Mamie who is standing at the back. The seated child on the right is Sammie, who lived to age 12. The little infant is Edward, their first boy, whose nickname was "Sonnyman."  Standing at left is Alma Janice Atwood.  At right is Ernestine. Ernestine told me that Maggie made every stitch of the clothing all 5 children wore in this photo. After this picture was made Maggie and Manning had three more children, Watt, Ruth, and Thurston, who was my father.