Learning to Ride a Bicycle in Rural West Carroll

written by Esther Eley Jones

There are many kinds of bikes – girls, boys, racer, road, mountain, cruiser, cargo, folding and electric bikes. When I was growing up in rural Oak Grove in West Carroll Parish there was only one kind that I was aware of and that was a two wheel, plain, with no brakes, and a 24” which was large enough for me to ride when I was a teen. 

Learning to ride a bike is something that all young boys and girls dream to do. Living on the farm in West Carroll Parish in the 1950 s when I was about 10 or 11 years old, I really wanted to learn to ride a bike. There were eight of us children and one bike to be shared between us. I had plenty of help in learning to ride a bike; however, when would I get to learn to ride? I would learn but I’ll have to wait my turn and for someone to teach me.

It was autumn and the fields were plowed, the rows were straight, ready for the next crop and work was slowly coming to a standstill on the farm. During this down time was when my sister Mary who is five years older than me decided it was time for me to learn to ride a bike and she would teach me. She asked my sister Jean who is two years older than me to help her to teach me. Learning to ride a bike on the road in front of the house was not a good idea. Therefore, they decided that we needed to go to the field back behind our house where we lived on Mr. Lee Landrum’s place. There was a one lane dirt road that we could ride on.  Which meant that no one could see us. Little did we know that we would regret that decision.

Once we found a good place to start practicing, the lessons would begin. The advantage for choosing the one lane dirt road was that there would not be any obstacles in the way in case I had a run-a-way bike. The weather was pleasant with a cool breeze blowing that stirred up the dust in the field. On this straight one lane road I could go in a straight line and I wouldn’t have to make any turns. Learning the turns would come at a later date, but for the time being I would learn to ride in a straight path.

We found the right place and the lesson begin. I was sitting up straight, with my pretty dress on, my black and white loafer shoes on, I was holding on to the handle bars, my feet on the peddles and ready to go. So Marry and Jean gave me a push and off I went then down on the ground with the bike on top of me. What was I to do? What did I do wrong? What just happened? I realized my leg was hurting really badly and I couldn’t get up. My left leg was broken. The lesson was over. Mary and Jean tried to get me up and couldn’t. My leg was hurting too badly for me to be moved. Someone had to go to get Mother and Daddy to come help.

Well, help came and I was taken to the hospital in Oak Grove. I was laying on the bed and Dr. Biggs, Daddy and Mother were standing outside my room in the hall. Dr. Biggs was telling them what was going on, and my leg was broken in two places. He would set the bones and put a cast on it. I will have to wear the cast from the foot to the hip until the bone is mended back together. I heard this would be painful and a long healing process. My leg would itch inside the cast, but not to scratch it. The cast would make my leg sweat and it would be uncomfortable. All those things did take place, in addition, I scooted around on the floor, because the crutches made my arms sore. In spite of all the uncomfortable obstacles I made progress.

My leg healed after several months of wearing that white heavy leg cast. Learning to ride the bicycle was a feat that I would wait for another day another time period. I eventually learned to ride the bike; however, that was several years later in my teen years. 

Recently I mentioned the two places on my left leg that had an indentation and mentioned that must of been the two places where I broke my leg when I was a child. My daughter-in-law said, "You broke your leg? I didn't know that. I have never heard that story before." Therefore, I shared with them the story of breaking my leg and how uncomfortable it was. Then, there was the peanut pattie that an elderly black man brought to me that he somehow had put a quarter inside the wrapper. That amazed me how he did it. 

I never figured out how he did that neat little trick; however, I kept busy a while and my mind off my discomfort. And I was forever grateful for this elderly black man who brought me my favorite candy, peanut pattie,  in the world. That made all the suffering so much easier to bare. 

Photo from the Library of Congress

 

The Hazelwood Family from Virginia

My interest was piqued about the Hazelwood family recently when I came across a DNA match to a Hazelwood on Family Tree DNA. When I did a search for all the Hazelwood matches in the database there was only one match that  was in the search results, and that was a fifth cousin. That is match, even though it is a distance cousin that I will gladly look at. I will contact the fifth cousin match, share information, and try to identify our most recent common ancestor. I would like to identify the parents of Benjamin Hazelwood, and their births and places of birth and the DNA match might help to do that.  

Benjamin Hazelwood is a fourth great grandfather on my maternal line. Mother’s mother was a Ramsey, John Scott Ramsey married Nancy Hazelwood, daughter of Benjamin Hazelwood. I have researched Benjamin Hazelwood, and found censuses that were of value in placing him at a certain location at a certain time. However, Now, it is time to get out the Hazelwood research binder and look over the information to determine if there is any relevant information for this family.  There was little information of value that would help move this line back another generation. I need to come up with a plan for researching the Hazelwood family.

The information that I have for Benjamin Hazelwood is that he was born 15 Aug 1756 in Henrico County, Virginia, died 11 Feb 1832 in Knox County, Tennessee. Benjamin Hazelwood married his second wife 20 Sep 1790 in Campbell County, Virginia. Benjamin’s first wife was Catherine Harroway and they married 7 Aug 1780 - Charlotte County, Virginia.

The first thing was to make a list of what I know about the Hazelwood family. My Hazelwood maternal line is one that I haven’t researched for very long, and the reason is there are other family lines easier to research. What do I know about Benjamin Hazelwood? Benjamin Hazelwood’s daughter Nancy married John Ramsey. How do I know this? I found their marriage in the Early American Marriages: Virginia to 1740 – 1850. Very few records for Benjamin Hazelwood from Charlotte County, Virginia. I found censuses for 1810-1830 with Benjamin as head of house. However, as you know pre 1850 censuses only have the head of house and age categories on them. There isn’t a probate record for Benjamin on Ancestry, so what a dilemma! What am I to do? I know that Benjamin married Sara Cox because I found a marriage record for them where they married in Campbell County, Virginia 20 Sep 1790.

The records I have searched are: Compiled trees on Ancestry (I won’t use the information from them, there were no sources); census records for the years 1810-1830. a marriage record for Benjamin and Sara; a DNA Hazelwood History from the YDNA Hazelwood Project; a FTDNA YDNA Project list that was on Hazelwood Familial Lineage. What records do I need to look at next?  I have had success in the past when researching on the DAR database so I tried it again. Bingo!

William Hazelwood provided goods for the war that is called patriotic service. On the application for William his son Benjamin was mentioned, another son William and a daughter Catherine Hazelwood. Catherine Hazlewood married Ezekiel Ramsey according to the DAR application.  This information was on separate applications for William Hazelwood born in Virginia and died in Charlotte County, Virginia, 3 May 1824.   Now, I have names of children and birth dates, place of birth, and death dates I can research each of them. Armed with this information I will be researching the Hazelwood maternal line for a while.

Using Google Search to Fill in the Gap

Recently a question came up about Mother’s brother, George Doyle Coon. Uncle George served in the United States Army during WWII; however, where was he after he served four years in the Army?  There was discussion about where he was living 1951-1955.  I decided to go back, look through my records, and determine where he was during the years 1951-1955.

Here is what I found. In 1940, Uncle George was living in Oak Grove, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana. He is on the 1940 census listed as a boarder. The family he is living with are Granddaddy Clifton Coon’s nephew and his family. On May 30, 1941, Uncle George enlisted in the Army in Jacksonville, Florida. After the service, where did he go? In 1958 Jean, my sister lived in Silsbee, Texas and Uncle George and his wife lived near Jean and her family. Uncle George was living there when Jean moved to Silsbee, Texas.

After going back through records for Uncle George, I then did a Google search for the 1950 Federal Census. Even though the 1950 Federal Census hasn’t been released and won’t be released until April 1, 2022, I thought possibly there is a hint for substitute records. One of the search results was for Ancestry.com, a 1950 census substitute.

This “substitute” for the yet-to-be-released 1950 census is made up of about 2500 city directories. This morning, I spent two hours or so searching, as well as browsing through the collection, with some success. George D. Coon was in the U. S. City Directories, 1821-1989.

I found him in Texas, and living in Beaumont, 1953 – 1954. According to Uncle George’s daughter, he was married in Port Arthur, Texas. In 1953, his daughter was born and August 1954 his son was born. I am working on verifying the birth information from Uncle George’s daughter, Brenda. There should be a marriage license at the courthouse in Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas for George D. Coon and his bride if indeed this is the place of their marriage. There also should be a record of birth for the two children if they were born in the local St. Mary’s Hospital.

More work to do on this collateral line. ■

Note: George D. Coon headstone

George D. Coon burial is in Unionville Cemetery, Dubach, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana.