Junella Derrick 1925 -

Autobiography of Junella Derrick Estes

God chose for me to be born May 10 1925 to Lula Lee Barker and Cuthbert Jackson (Jack) Derrick who lived on a farm ten miles north east of Danville, Arkansas, in Yell County. I was the third child. My older sister, Jacquetta Wynonia, was born September 12, 1919, and my older brother, Francis Clark, was born June 18, 1921. I believe God has chosen times for our births and different situations for us to live through. My paternal grandparent, Francis Marion Derrick and Florence Diana Kirkpatrick Derrick, came from Alabama to Arkansas and homesteaded the farm where I was born.

My earliest memories were Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Derrick's, and my younger sister and I got little red chairs. Another is the birth of my second brother. I remember coming home from Grandma's, and we had a new baby brother. Another outstanding memory is my first day at school. We rode a bus to school in Danville. I remember my Daddy helping me put on high-top shoes and him tying them. The bus seemed so big, but I had my older sister and brother with me although the terrifying time came when I was left in a room with no one I knew. The tears flowed until my sister came to assure me it would be OK. However, I decided I didn't want to go to school, but after a while I really liked it.

It was a hard life on the farm, and my parents worked hard. My second sister, Freeda Jacqueline, was born September 7, 1926. Only 16 months between us. My oldest sister took care of me while Mama cared for the baby. She has often told me she fixed many a "sugar teat" to get me to sleep. Since bottles and nipples were not available and I was weaned at eight months, I took comfort in my thumb and sucked my thumb for many years at stressful or tiring times. My sister bonded with me which was a problem in later years as she always wanted to mother me, and I rebelled because I didn't need two moms.

My early memories is the depression which to me was just hard times. I remember hearing about WWI in 1917, but this was something I didn't comprehend, and the crashing of the stock market in 1929. I only knew something really bad had happened. There was no money, and the depression hit hard, but we did have cows, horses, pigs, chickens and land for gardens. We sold the milk and eggs and butchered the hogs for meat. We raised cotton, corn, peas, and sorghum. Mama canned everything she could get her hands on to carry us through the harsh winters. We canned beans, corn, tomatoes, peaches, wild berries, stored potatoes under the house, sometimes sweet potatoes, and made kraut from our cabbage. We had a milk separator which was lots of work. After milking cows the cream was separated from the milk and sold so we could buy flour, corn meal, and sugar. We got our lard from rendering hog skins. We drank the "old blue milk", and ate cracklings from the hog skins. It was hard gathering wild black berries, huckleberries, (blue berries) but cobblers sure tasted good on cold winter days.

My second brother, Harvey Parnell, was born November 25, 1928, so my mom had three little ones under four years. I remember a "red wagon" we got on Christmas that we had to share, and our dolls. Jackie got a cute baby girl and I got a ugly baby sucking a pacifier. They said Santa gave me that cause I sucked my thumb. I'd go to bed and lay on my hand so I wouldn't suck it, but they would find it in my mouth after I went to sleep. I suffered continuously over my inability to stop by being reminded "what a terrible habit it was".

My youngest brother was born September 16, 1931. We were picking cotton and had to quit early, and then we were all sent to a neighbors house. My sister was twelve and knew what was going on and kept asking about Mama. I didn't understand that, as she looked OK to me, but was glad to go home and again welcome a new baby. He completed our family. We always had pets, dogs and cats, but they stayed outside and at the barn.

My Grandpa Derrick died June 30 1931, and that was the first time I experienced death, and it is still clear in my memory. They laid him out on what was called "a cooling board". I remember his hands crossed and a cloth over his face. At his funeral they sang, "Shall We Gather at the River, and I thought they meant the Arkansas River as that was the only river I had seen. He was taken to the cemetery in a wagon pulled by mules. I must have rode in a wagon behind him as it so impressed my mind that he was in the homemade box. Later I heard my grandma talking about a man walking on the south corner of the farm, and, in my mind, I thought Grandpa was coming back.

My brother trapped rabbits, and sold their fur. He got up really early to check his rabbit traps before he went to school. The best trapping time was when it snowed, and he'd put tow-sacks (gunny) around his shoes to get through the snow and keep his feet dry.

I lacked one credit for graduating from High School and I had not had the money to pay for typing lessons and shorthand. We had to buy all our books and school supplies throughout all my education. I was invited to come to California to work for the summer, and live with my sister. This was an opportunity to earn money, and my last year I could devote all my time to business classes and it would not be a hardship paying for my class. We were in WW2 and it was heart breaking seeing all our male friends being inducted into service. Many who never returned. I came to California, and had to return one month later as my daddy had an accident on the farm and was not expected to survive. My sister, niece and I took the train home, but he died before we got there. We could hardly get a seat on the train as there were service men everywhere. My oldest brother was in service. The Red Cross got him out as the crops were all planted and laid by for harvest, but with daddy gone there was no one to harvest them. Farm products were essential to America's survival so he was able to be discharged and since the farm had a lean against it for unpaid taxes, it was decided that I would return to California and work. My sister would do her part by only charging me for my food, and I would send money home to help out. My mother only spent what she had to, but three children younger than me were still in school, but she managed to save $1,900.00 and gave that back to me after I married. I spent many nights crying myself to sleep because I was so homesick. I took a correspondence course, "Business English" through the University of California for the one credit I needed to graduate from High School. I struggled to pull a C out of it, studying at night and working eight to ten hours a day in a vegetable packing shed. I went home in the spring of forty-four and graduated with my class.

President Roosevelt was inaugurated in 1933, and died in 1945. He was the only President I had remembered. Japan surrendered September 2, 1945, but some boys were already released on the point system. Lawrence Estes was one of them. I met him in Guadalupe in July of 1945. He came to visit his brother and family and stayed after getting a job. We saw each other almost every night after we met. My sister, Jackie, was in California now, but returned home to finish school. I might note that we grew up like twins. She was a few pounds heaver and I was a couple inches taller, and we were dressed alike all the time. I sent her money for a winter coat and I also got a new coat. When we saw each other we had coats of the same material, only the styles were a little different, and to this day we still dress a lot alike, although we don't see each other except about every two years.

I was engaged to Fleming Roberts, Jr., however I wasn't in love. I think we got engaged because of the war. When Lawrence and I met we fell in love immediately. My oldest sister saw it was getting serious and threatened to send me home if I didn't break it off. Well she waited too long. He gave me an engagement ring, and she wanted it given back. We would have waited to be married, but her attitude changed our plans, and after knowing each other three months, we fled to Reno and married. Life was not easy. Jackie was sent home, and my family was in an uproar. Jackie and Jacquetta saw my marriage differently. Jackie explained it all to Mom, and Mom sent the money she'd saved to me and all the food stamps she could get because Jacquetta sent my food stamps home and during WW2 we had stamps for everything. The day Mama's stamps got here, everything went off rationing. Lawrence and I had survived on his stamps. Lawrence became my lover, my best friend, my comforter, my protector, and my supporter.

We had very little to set up house keeping. Nothing was available to buy. If towels, sheets or anything came in, we had to stand in line to buy it. We made it though, and welcomed a baby girl into our home September 17, 1946, and a baby son March 23, 1950. God gave us two beautiful children and we tried our best to raise them according to the Bible. We started Peggy in church at six weeks, and Larry at two weeks. We were blessed in seeing both of them accept Christ as their personal savior. We did not have a lot of money, but was well provided for in Lawrence's salary, and I was at home with the children. To stretch his salary, I sewed the clothes for myself and the children. Sometime we had to say no the some of the children's wants, but they were never denied their needs. Lawrence went to school for eight years at night to get all of his college education, so I was both mom and dad during this time. I even found time to write term papers for him since he did not have time to research the material. I need to mention he got A- on one report.

We made many trips to Arkansas to visit my family. Lawrence promised my mom we would come often to see her, and he kept that promise. However, it was the only vacation we had. The children grew up knowing family, and both are family oriented. Growing up, both Lawrence and I were taught that relationships were to last and we worked hard to see our's lasted. We both grew up with kerosene lights, and walking most everywhere we went. We didn't have to jog as we got plenty exercise doing chores and walking to things like singing convention. For entertainment we had play parties, but no square dancing as dancing was frowned upon. At the Community Building we had pie suppers, cake walks, box suppers, and hay rides. The girls made the pies or box supper and they were auctioned off and the boy who bought her's was the one she ate with that evening.

Our social activities were centered around the church. There was not a divorce of any of our brothers or sisters. Again we were taught when you make your bed you stay in it. God gave us a valuable coin, "Life". It is ours to spend in the way we see fit and we have not allowed anyone to spend it for us. We look back at what we thought was hard times and count them as blessing for each step of the way had prepared us for a new step. Proverbs. 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord will all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all way acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths." This and many other scriptures have seen us through many trials. Life has been good. We are prepared for the time when we exit this world through the door of death to a new life. We have been blessed with precious children, grandchildren and our son-in-law and daughter-in-law. Our daughter went away to California Baptist College and met a Christian boy, Stephen Brown who later became her husband. Peggy has always been a family person so our relationship continued to be the best. Stephen became a second son for us. They gave us our first grandchild, Matthew, and no one could have been more delighted to be grandparents. Our second grandson, Nathen, was welcomed 2 ½ years later. Now both grandma and grandpa could cuddle a grandchild at the same time. Larry, our son, married Suzanna Pope. If we had the opportunity to choose his wife, we couldn't have made a better choice. She became a second daughter and Peggy now had a sister. They gave us our third grandchild, David, whom we adored. He lived near us and we were able to care for him often. Our one and only granddaughter was slow getting here. She arrived six years after David. Our joy was complete as we two truly wanted a granddaughter. Life was good.

Retirement came and we were prepared for it. The children were doing well and now we decided to enjoy life, and had fifteen years of retirement then it seemed like the end for Lawrence had a sever stroke. In my weak moments I wondered how God could have allowed this to happen. Our faith endured and we understand that God allows suffering and through suffering we become stronger. We were strengthened by our circle of Christian friends and family with prayer support. We accept the good from God so why not accept the bad? We have learned to sympathize and encourage others. Our roots have been tested for strength and through faith we know God is with us every step of the way. We try not to ask, "why me", "if only", "what if"? There is a reason for all things. Isaiah 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint." Seems like every time we conquer one hurdle, another one appears. As I reflect back on life, I see there have been more blessings than heartaches. God has supplied spiritual strength for each crisis even though frustration is present. He leads us through the dark and troublesome days. Yes, he does lead us beside the still calming waters. God did not promise an easy life, but he is there to direct and lead us through the rough and shaky times.

[Contributed by Leo R. Estes 7 Nov 2000 8:29am; last modified 7 Nov 2000 8:39am]