Week 10 - Siblings

I was the youngest of four siblings with ages ranging twenty years. My mother told the story that I asked if Jackie (my oldest brother) was a relative or just a friend of the family. My first playmates were my nieces and nephews. There were ten year between me and my next sibling, so I basically grew up as an only child. My father's side of the family is scant. That's the best way to describe them. For the past three or so generations, there were no more than four children born in each family group and several of those groups had no children at all. My dad had one first cousin on his maternal side, and just a small handful on the paternal side. My Powers cousins are few and far between. My mother's side of our family, on the other hand, is quite prolific. While her mother is only one of eight, her father is one of twelve children.

In 1907, John Henry Ditmore (known as Henry) and his wife, Malora (nee Ayers) migrated from North Carolina to the small western Oklahoma town of Hydro, in Caddo County. Their eight oldest children traveled with them, including Ora, who was less than one year old, as they came by train halfway across the continent. I can't imagine a trip of that distance with so many young children, even if they did come by train. Their daughter, Minnie, was born in 1891; her youngest sibling, Lola, was born twenty-three years later. In between then were ten more siblings. 

Henry, Malora and ten of their children, 1920

From the 1920 through the 1930 census, other than Frankie Joe and Troy who both died young, all the children except the two youngest were married and living in close proximity to Henry and Malora. Henry had come from a family of fourteen children, and his father was one of ten. Several of his siblings and cousins either settled in or passed through this tiny town around this same time which tells me they were a close-knit family. 

The Ditmore Family, 1934

Over the next twenty years, several of the children moved away. Oda went to El Paso, Texas, where he owned a jewelry store (just as a side note - Oda was an avid golfer and one of his caddie's was none other than Lee Trevino); Ora and her husband moved to San Antonio, Texas; Myrtle, and for a time Glen, moved to Oklahoma City; but the remainder of the children, and now their families, remained in western Oklahoma, some moving to nearby Weatherford, in Custer County. Henry died in 1934 and Malora in 1951, but the sibings remained close.

Some of the siblings and their children, c 1950s

By the time I was born, family get-togethers were simply a fact of life. I lived with my parents in Oklahoma City, but most every weekend we headed to Weatherford (where my grandparents now lived) for a visit. Depending on the week, everyone might gather at my grandparents' house, or we might go to Sunday dinner at Great-uncle Carl's or out to Great-aunt Lola's farm. There was no telling how many other great-uncle or great-aunt's families would be there. It didn't really matter because there was always enough food for a small army (which we certainly had the numbers for). It was not uncommon for one of the siblings who had moved away to return with their children, and sometimes grandchildren in tow, for a weekend trip, regardless of the distance. The women could usually be found in the whatever kitchen we were visiting, and the "menfolk" were either hanging out in the living room, sitting around in the screened-in porch, or standing out in the yard smoking. The children, and there were a lot of us, were running around like chickens with our heads cut off, all through the house and the yard. When we were acting wilder than normal, a few brave adults would load us up in cars and take us toe Means Park to run off some energy. Almost every weekend was a family reunion.

When the weather was nice, plans might take us for a picnic at nearby Red Rock Canyon State Park in Hinton, or a trip to Fort Cobb Reservoir (I remember someone having a boat, but as my mother was terrified of the water, I was never permitted anywhere near it). Siblings and their families taking vacations together was commonplace. Although my immediate family didn't go, my grandparents with one or more of my grandfather's siblings as away as California to the west and North Carolina to the east.

Remaining Siblings, 1966

Growing up, I knew all these people were family, but I didn't really grasp the realization they were brothers and sisters. I've been around large families with many siblings, but I've never see the closeness portrayed in any others that I saw with my great-aunt and uncles. The caring and tenderness of this tight-knit group continued throughout their entire lives. The love and devotion they shared was evident. I don't ever recall hearing a cross word amongst any of them. They truly enjoyed spending time together; they simply liked each other's company. As the siblings aged, and their children, and eventually their grandchildren, began to lead their own lives, those weekly get togethers faded, but the memories of these wonderful family times will live on in all of us that had the privilege of experiencing them. As I write this, I can hear the laughter, I can see the smiles, and I can feel the love that surrounded all of us.