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Life was hard in Mena, Arkansas in the late 20´s. My parents farmed a small plot of land and my daddy cut crossties to help make "ends meet".I am Virgil Monroe Cornelius and my parents were John William and Lou Ella Baker Cornelius. Mamma and Daddy married on June 8, 1918 there in Mena. A year later their first little girl was born and died; then on June 21, 1920 I was born. Three more children were born in Arkansas: Martha La Verne, John Clifton (Tan) and James Carol (Pooge).
My grandparents, Marvin and Martha Cornelius, had moved to Texas in 1924 and Daddy decided that just might be the place for us. My uncle loaded our family and all of our possessions in a Model T truck and we said "good-bye" to the tall trees and the beautiful lakes of Mena and headed for Texas.
We arrived at McAdoo in the fall of ´28 just in time to help with the cotton harvest. The next year we moved to the Earl and Roxana Van Meter farm and there, Kenneth Dale (Jackrabbit) and Francis Glen (Cottontail) were born. On this farm the Cornelius kids and the Van Meter kids "grew up"; we worked, played, fought, laughed and cried together.
In 1952 my parents and I moved to T.J. and Frances Taylor´s farm where Daddy farmed until his retirement in 1969.
We bought a house in McAdoo and I worked for the Morris family as long as my health permitted. My daddy died on March 20, 1981 and Mamma died November 18, 1983. I live alone in the family home, surrounded by wonderful friends and neighbors.
By Virgil Cornelius..Source: Dickens County History...its Land and People © Dickens Historical Commission; Printer: Craftsman Inc. Lubbock, Texas 1986
John W. Cornelius, a longtime well-known McAdoo resident, was claimed by death about 2 a.m. Monday in Crosbyton Cinic Hospital following a lengthy illness. Mr. Cornelius was 83.Memorial services were at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the McAdoo Methodist Church with the Rev. Loyd Hearn officiating.
Interment followed in McAdoo Cemetery, under direction of Adams Funeral Home of Crosbyton.
Born Sept. 21, 1897 in Crawford County, Ark., John W. Cornelius was married to the former Louella Baker on June 8, 1918 in Polk County, Ark.
A farmer, Mr. Cornelius moved to Dickens County in 1928 from Polk County, Ark. He was a member of the Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Louella; five sons, Virgil Cornelius and John C. (Tan) Cornelius, McAdoo; J.C. Cornelius, Marble Falls; Kenneth Cornelius, Houston; Glen Cornelius, Tacoma, Wa., one daughter, Mrs. R.A. Klatt of Lubbock; three brothers, Leslie Cornelius, McAdoo; Raymond Cornelius, Arkansas; Marvin Cornelius Jr., Houston; three sisters, Mrs. Rena Baker, Spur; Mrs. Mary Howell, Woodville; Mrs. Odessa Tullos, San Angelo; 11 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
©Crosbyton Review, March 26, 1981
Lou Ella Cornelius, a Dickens County resident since 1928, was claimed by death at 8:20 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, in Crosbyton Clinic Hospital. She was 87.Memorial services for Mrs. Cornelius were at 2 p.m. Saturday in the McAdoo United Methodist Church. The Rev. Ruth Cooper, pastor, officiated.
Interment was made in McAdoo Cemetery, under direction of Adams Funeral Home of Crosbyton.
Serving as pallbearers were Mike Klatt, T.J. Taylor, Donald Harris, Lilburn Harvey, C.K. Simmons and Raymon Haris.
Born July 19, 1895 in Mena, Ark., she was married to John William Cornelius on June 8, 1918, in Polk County, Ark. The family moved to Dickens County from Polk County.
Mr. Cornelius preceded his wife in death on March 23, 1981.
Mrs. Cornelius was a member of the United Methodist Church.
She is survived by five sons, Virgil Cornelius and John C. Cornelius, both of McAdoo, J.C. Cornelius of Marble Falls, Kenneth Cornelius of Houston and Glen Cornelius of Tacoma, Wash.; one daughter, Laverne Klatt of Lubbock; four half-sisters, Annie of Mena, Elizabeth Millam and Otis Griffin, both of Wickes, Ark., andGracie Millam of DeQueen, Ark.; 11 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
©Crosbyton Review, Dec. 2, 1982
© Dickens County Historical Commission 1997-2022
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