Installment #3: On the move

Glenn and his family moved from state to state in search of work. They spent a short period of time in Baytown, Texas. Glenn's brother, Gates, was a "big shot" with Eagle-Picher Mining Company in the Galena area. The mining company owned two machine shops in Baytown that had been closed down. Someone was needed to live in the empty barracks and guard the facility so Glenn and Lucille signed up for the job. The picture above is of Lucille, Claudell, and Jerry.

The property was spacious and the two machine shops were located a distance apart, with one being next to a golf course. One day, Claudell came out of the one located next to the golf course. As she was coming down the steps, she heard a voice say very firmly, "Don't step down. Don't make another move." She did as she was told. On the steps below her was a snake. She didn't remember what kind of snake, but she does remember it was very poisonous. The voice was that of a golfer. He beat the snake with his golf club and possibly saved Claudell's life.

The property was located on a part of the bay where no swimming was allowed. The sand was oily. It was only safe to walk out a short distance on the sand before there was a drop-off. Even though it wasn't safe to be there, Claudell would take her fishing pole and stand on the ledge to fish.

Because the water was so close to the barracks, snakes were plentiful. Every night before Claudell would go to bed, Lucille had to strip the cot down and check the room over closely to make sure no snakes were around. Only then would Claudell allow herself to sleep. The door and window had to be shut so no snakes could come into her room.

This was during the 1936 Texas Centennial which was a statewide, year-long celebration. Lucille's father John (Jack) Fielding Hinote lived with them for part of that time. He acted inappropriately towards Claudell. She never liked or trusted him after that. Their stay in Galveston was short. Jack rode back to Galena with the family.

Claudell in Ocean Park, Calif.

Next Glenn and his family moved to Ocean Park, Calif. One of the states people flocked to back then was California. Jobs were good, and so were the commodities (free stuff). It seems strange to me that people who had no money would move from one state to another as freely as they did. Mom said that gas stations were far apart from each other, so it was important to carry extra gas in cans. If they ran out of gas, it could be days before anyone came by.

The four of them lived on the second floor of a "rat trap" apartment building located on the beach. There was only one bathroom for the whole second floor. Their room was furnished and had an area for a bed, which was separated off from the rest of the room by a curtain and had a tiny kitchen and a living room. Claudell slept on a cot that doubled as a divan and Jerry slept on another cot.

They had little money, so they qualified to receive the commodities. Once a week Claudell, Jerry and a group of other kids in the area would each take a jug for milk and a gunny sack and walk about a mile up the beach in the sand to the Santa Monica Pier. There was a big stand where those in need could get commodities consisting of a gallon of skim milk (poured into the jug), one large can of tuna, flour, sugar and all kinds of fruits and vegetables which filled the gunny sack. Claudell would carry the jug of milk and pull the gunny sack behind her. Jerry would carry the can of tuna. That was food was to last them the whole week.

For bread, Lucille would make fried water biscuits, which consisted of flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and water. She would stir the ingredients together and fry the biscuits instead of baking them. There was no oven to bake the biscuits.

Glenn had a Series D camera and would take pictures of people in the area. Back then, people didn't have money to pay to have their picture taken, but he did "receive a dab here and there." Glenn developed his own photos, carrying around his developing equipment anywhere he lived.

Glenn's pension would run out around the middle of the month, so he would have to pawn the camera to get money for the rest of the month. When he got his pension money at the first of each month, he would get his camera from the pawn shop, purchase any camera supplies he needed for photographs and pay the rent. Once the money ran out, the process would repeat itself.

Claudell attended the fourth grade in Ocean Park. There was a singing contest held on the beach. Claudell sang "Cheerie Beerie Bee." She didn't win, but she had a lot of fun. While living in Ocean Park, she learned to swim and play volleyball, table tennis, and tetherball.

Claudell had a friend named Ethel Englehart. She and her family lived in a house down the street from the apartment building. Ethel's mother was nice and would make tacos topped with black olives. According to Claudell, the tacos were delicious and she ate them a lot.

Glenn had an old friend named Whorpy. One day he came by the apartment. No one was home except Claudell. Whorpy set her on his lap and tried to touch her. She fought him off. For the next few days, she didn't eat or sleep. When she did sleep she had nightmares. Glenn noticed her losing weight and asked her what was wrong. She finally told him. The next time Glenn saw Whorpy, he told him to stay away from his family and his house. That ended Glenn and Whorpy's friendship.

They left Ocean Park and moved to Monrovia where they lived with Lucille's friend Frances and her husband Milton and their four kids. They were having trouble paying the rent, so Lucille and Glenn moved in to help them. The house was a decent size. The kids slept at night on beds made on the floor. The house had a nice tree-lined street in front and an alley in the back. The house across the alley had a large apricot tree. The branches hung out over the alley, so when the apricots were ready, Claudell would sit in the alley and eat apricots. Then she would take her skirt up and fill it with apricots. Lucille and Frances would make desserts out of them.

Side note: Frances' sister, Ava, and brother-in-law, Fred (Milton's brother) lived on the Beverly Hills estate of silent movie actor Harold Lloyd. Fred was Mr. Lloyd's gardener.

The living arrangement didn't last long. Lucille and Frances fought "like cats and dogs." Frances and her family moved away. Lucille and her family moved to Culver City.

Mom has few memories of their stay in Culver City. She was very homesick and wanted to live with Bertha in Galena. She did, however, meet up with Joan Carlisle, a girl she knew in Galena.

Claudell and Joan Carlisle in Culver City, Calif.

Glenn's brother, Lee and his wife, Daisy, had previously moved to California looking for work. They decided to move back to Galena. Claudell rode back with them. Glenn gave her 25 cents and two packs of gum for the trip. She was about 10 years old at the time. Claudell was carsick most of the trip so having little food was fine with her. The car was packed full with Lee and Daisy's things, so there Claudell had little leg room. She didn't mind. She slept most of the way. She just wanted to go home and be with her grandmother.