STORY of LANDO PRINCES DANIEL

 

 

Daddy was born in Kemp, Indian Territory (Oklahoma) on January 10,1894, to George Daniel and Louisa Jane Haddock Daniel. By the way Louisa was pronounced “LU-IZA”.

 

Daddy never talked much about his childhood except that if his mama was taking them somewhere to visit neighbors across the prairie and she saw a herd of longhorn cattle coming towards them she would run, to get them in-

To a growth of mesquite bushes, because the cattle couldn’t get through there because of their horns.

 

Another time he said they were at a store when an Indian rode up on his horse and tried to ride up onto the store porch and some other man shot the Indian. He said he was very young at the time and he didn’t remember what happened in that situation after that except that his mother went on and bought her supplies and they went back home.

 

When speaking of his family, Daddy just said that his Dad, George was a good, even-tempered, and hard working man. “Easy as an old shoe” was the way he described his father. But his mother was another story, he said she was pretty feisty, and fussy about a lot of things. In all honesty from the way

He described his mom, I got the idea that she was a lot spoiled and a little bit lazy. Daddy said he ate cornbread and syrup for breakfast most of the time. He said he always told her he was gonna marry a woman who could make biscuits, and have biscuits three meals a day. (and, he did) Also he said that Granny Daniel had a rocking chair and if Grandpa came in tired from the field and sat in her chair, she would say, “George, you get up out of my chair right now!”  He told me that he kinda felt sorry for his daddy.

 

The Daniel Family moved to Arkansas in the early 1900’s and settled in the Lockesburg area and made their living farming. At sometime Princes went to work for Benjamen Franklin Young, ( Bertha’s stepfather) on his farm. At

the time he was working for fifty cents a day and his room and board. Daddy said that Bertha was a very pretty girl, with beautiful long dark hair, and well endowed from the waist up. But most of all Bertha was a good, decent girl and a hard worker, besides she could sew and cook and clean and made the best biscuits he had ever eaten. Daddy said the longer he stayed there the more he fell in love with her. When Mama was fifteen years old Daddy asked grandpa for “her hand” but Grandpa said, “No, Princes, she is just too young”. Daddy said he told Grandpa that he would work hard to provide for her and that he loved her. But Grandpa told him that he thought he was a good man and would be well pleased with the union later but at the time he thought Bertha was much too young. Daddy said he told Grandpa that if he couldn’t marry her he sure couldn’t stay there and look at her every day so he left and moved on to parts unknown. He worked at various jobs in Texas and Oklahoma, in other words he just kind of rambled around “biding his time”, and trying to get a little nest egg. In the meantime he courted other

women  and seen a lot of sights. Daddy waited for over four years and went back to Arkansas. He said he found Bertha, and I think she was dating a man

named Ollie Roberts at the time, and there was talk of her marrying this Mr. Roberts. But Princes put a stop to that pretty pronto, he found out that time and distance had not changed her feelings either so he said he went to Grandpa Young again, and said, “Well, Mr. Young, I still want to Marry Bertha, do you still think she is too young?” He said that Grandpa said, “No,

she may be old enough by the time y’all get a housekeeping rig together, and we plan a wedding. My Mama was twenty years old when Daddy married her, Daddy was almost twenty-five, They married on December 8, 1918, somewhere in the Horatio, Lockesburg, area, The wedding was performed by Rev. W.C. Meyers. Daddy said he had a nearly brand new “buggy and a fine little mare” when they married. Mama had her “hope chest” filled with sheets, pillow cases and dish towels, etc that she had made plus a few dishes

etc. They “set up housekeeping and farmed land near Lockesburg not far off

what is now Hi-way 24.

 

Daddy always had to share crop or work for “the other feller” until about 1945 when he finally was able to buy his own place near Horatio, Where

I was raised. They paid $1,400. For 75 acres of land with a house, barn, some stables a large chicken house, smoke house, and ofcourse an outdoor

toilet  (it was a 2 seater). Daddy took his family to West Texas in the fall to

pick cotton and pull bolls to pay for it.

 

Once a man said to my dad, “Princes, I don’t know how ‘in hell’ you make a living out there with just that one boy.” Daddy said, “I can take my girls and out-work anybody’s boys!!” Daddy was sure proud of his girls, and I know he loved our Mama. He used to sit on the porch swing and talk to me, and he never said you do this or that, but in a round about way he made it clear that he expected me to grow up to be the kind of woman my Mama was.

 

Daddy never had a whole lot of earthly comforts in his life but the most valuable thing he had was his NAME. He could go to the bank and borrow money on his NAME, no collateral, just sign his name. My daddy and mom

taught me to be honest, work hard, be decent and clean. “If you tell someone you will do something, do it, or go to him and explain why you can’t”

“If you make a promise keep it”, “Earn you pay”, “When you have a job to do, do it to the best of your ability”, “Take pride in your work” and most important of all, “Treat everybody else the way you would like to be treated.” And ofcourse , ‘feed the preacher once in a while.’

 

I was always very proud to say that Princes and Bertha Daniel were my parents, I only hope that my children can be as proud of theirs.

 

 

                                                        Written By: Virginia Daniel Cooper

                                                         September 8, 2000

                                                            

Click here to return to photo page.