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Julia Ann Hale Ritchie "My Grandma" by Barbara Ritchie Young 1992My first memory of Grandma Ritchie is of her "helping" me to sew a dress for a baby doll. It seemed like magic to me. It still does. I was 5 years old.
Grandma was small in size, close to 5 feet tall and trim. She told me once the way she kept her weight down was to never eat more than three biscuits at a meal. I was impressed. She was fair, with bright smiling blue eyes. Her hair was short and permanented with a hair net over it. She was neat as a pin. Always wore pretty dresses, hose and dressy shoes and loved jewelry, especially earrings for her pierced ears. She wore pretty hats to church.
She was a hard worker, liked to keep busy. Living on a farm kept her very busy cleaning, cooking, sewing, tending to chickens, etc.
She was famous for having a beautiful flower garden in the harsh West Texas climate. Between the white picket fence and the big covered front porch were masses of many colored phlox. Somtimes, when we were ready to go home after a visit with her she would say, "Barbara, would you like a bouquet?" and I always did. She would walk among the little paths in the flower garden and pick a generous bouquet and hand it to me. This made me happy and was the start of a lifelong love affair with flowers, bouquets and sharing them, too.
In 1942 we moved to Spur again, down the road from Grandma Ritchie and Uncle Jim's big farm. She was a widow. We visited often and saw each other at church too, along with many other relatives. I looked forward to visits at Grandma's big farm house. We kids would help with any chores (sometimes I swept the living room and hall) but after that I would head for the big stack of Saturday Evening Post's behind the front door in the wide hallway. What a treasure trove. I read them all, and usually kept up with the serials. I might read all day and nobody bothered me. I was off in a world of my own. One day, when it was time to go home, Aunt Susie said to me, "Barbara, aren't you going to stack them back?" I hadn't even realized I'd made such a mess, but I did put them back in order.
I remember speding a day with Grandma by myself. We did the laundry together. First we changed sheets on all the beds. Her way was to take off the bottom sheet, and put the top sheet there, then put a clean sheet on top. I did not like this method, preferring two clean sheets at once. She had a gasoline powered washer and rinsed the clothes in two tubs of water. We carried all the used water to her big flower garden in the front yard. After we finished I was a tired girl that night.
My first real date was at Grandma's house. A boy named Norman Wright walked from Dickens to see me. We were to visit in Grandma's front bedroom. He and I were a little nervous. We tried to light the little stove in there and when we did "POUF" it made a small explosion and everyone came running. It had not been connected. It caused quite a bit of excitement. And that is all I remember of that date. Grandma was a good samaritan. She shared the bounty of her farm with any who were in need. She taught her daughter-in-law, Lois, (my Mother) to sew, and did a good job of it. They were good seamstresses and it was a favorite pasttime for them both.
The last good visit I had with Grandma was in Little Tujunga, California. I was married to Wilmor Young and we had two children. Mike was a baby in diapers and Lorida was three years old. Grandma wanted to sew something. So we planned up a dress for Lorida. I had material and she made a darling dress. The trim was bias ruffling on a round yoke, and around the top of the hem. I loved it, and so we came full circle. Grandma was losing her memory for names then. Grandma once told me "I was just right." Her love and approval and interest in me were a wonderful gift.
E.A. Ritchie, 61 year old farmer of a few miles northwest of Spur and for several years a resident of this county, cropped in death while at his work in his field Tuesday, July 25, an heart attack presumably causing his passing. Time of death was stated as about 9:30 in the morning.
Ritchie was born February 4, 1878.
Funeral arrangements were held at the family home on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 o'clock, the 28th with Rev. C.H. Richards, Santa Anna pastor, assisted by Rev. C.L. Jarrett, of south Plains officiating.
Survivors are the widow and his 96 year old mother, living at El Campo, Texas; five sons: D.F., A.B. and A.E. Ritchie, all of Mineral Wells; K.B. Ritchie of Vera, Texas and J.E. Ritchie of Spur. Three daughters are Mrs. L. L. Richards, Mrs. L.H. Richards, and Mrs. Grady Norman, all of Vera.
Interment was made in Spur Cemetery under the direction of Ward Funeral Home staff.
©The Texas Spur, August 3, 1939
from the records of Lillian Grace Nay, transcribed by Linda Hughes
SPUR (Special) - Rites are scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Vera Baptist Church for Mrs. Julia Ann Ritchie, 81, a former resident here who died at 9 a.m. Friday in a Wichita Falls hospital.
The Rev. Douglas Crow, pastor, and Elder C.L. Garrett of Floydada will officiate. Burial will be in Spur Cemetery under direction of Elliston Funeral Home of Seymour.
A native of Roby, Mrs. Ritchie moved to Vera in 1914 and then to Spur in 1929 where she lived until recently.
Survivors include four sons: Dave and Arnold both of Los Angeles, CA; Kyle, Vera and Aubra, Weatherford; three daughters, Mrs. Ethel Richards, Goree; Mrs. Jannie Richards, Dickens; and Mrs. Susie Ann Norman, Dallas; three brothers, George Hale, Matador; John and Joe Hale, both of Mineral Wells; three sisters, Mrs. Millie Short, Littlefield; Mrs. Ret Edgar, Crosbyton; and Mrs. Mattie Allen, Wichita Falls; 32 grandchildren; 77 great grandchildren; and 7 great great grandchildren.
©Lubbock Avalanche Journal, April 26, 1963
Submitted by Waynell Harris
© Dickens County Historical Commission 1997-2022
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