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| Hattie Cobb in the early 1970s. Photo from my personal collection. |
Hattie was born on 3 June 1899 in Missouri. Her oldest
daughter told me once that her birthplace was Marquad, Madison County,
Missouri, according to an entry in a family bible. Her parents were David Lincoln Nicholas (1874-1961) and
Cordelia “Cordia” Francis Hammond (1877-1970). Hattie was one of four daughters
born to the couple, though one died as an infant. Her sister, Nora Belle
(called Belle), was born in 1897 and younger sister Beulah came in 1903. Both
of those sisters were born in Arkansas.
In the 1910 census, Hattie is living with her family in
Washington, Fulton County, Arkansas. In the home next door was her mother’s
brother John Hammond and his family, with several cousins near Hattie’s age. The
Nicholas and Hammond children, along with a few other neighbors, attended a
small school together. I believe the following photo was taken between 1912 and
1915; Hattie is holding the sign that reads “Grammar School”. I think Beulah is
to her right and Belle to her left, but I’m not certain.
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In 1920, the family is still in the same home, but sister
Beulah and her husband, Walter Wallace, were living in the neighboring home.
Soon Hattie would also marry, walking down the aisle with Henry Clay
“Kay” Cobb on 5 February 1921. By December of that first year of marriage, the
Cobbs were in West Plains, Howell County, Missouri, welcoming daughter Velma Love.
Son John David arrived in 1923, Leroy in 1927, Bobby Clay in 1929, and the baby
Vera in 1933. They lived about 5 miles south of West Plains on the old Cobb
farm that Kay’s parents owned before them.
Several years ago, Velma wrote out some of her early
memories for me in a letter. This is an excerpt about her childhood, “One of
the most scary things I can remember is we had a Tornado when we lived in the 2
room house at West Plains. It blowed our chicken house away, blowed our orchard
up by roots, tree on the house, blowed window lights out, we got under the bed.
None of us got hurt. J.D. was 11 years old he was praying. When I was growing
up my mother would buy enough flour with the same pattern & make me a
dress, tablecloths & sheets & curtains. My brother and I used to take a
basket of eggs, walk to the country store & exchange them for things we
needed. We used to walk three miles to church & three miles back. My dad
never owned a car. He had 2 mules and a wagon. It took them all day to go to town
and buy groceries. We had kerosene lamps. I used orange crates to nail on the
wall to put dishes in. We made curtains [for the crates] out of flour sacks.”
Hattie’s parent's marriage ended in divorce. Her mother remarried by
1923. Cordia’s new husband, Joseph Dye, was a widow. The children all adored
him as a grandfather. The Dyes had a home in Koshkonong (18 miles East of West
Plains) near the railroad tracks. Hattie’s father
remarried in 1932. David and his wife Gainie lived in Fulton County, Arkansas.
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| Left to right; Hattie, her daughter Vera, son J.D., son Bobby, son Leroy and unknown boy. Photo taken about 1939, from my personal collection. |
The 1930 census lists the family in Howell, Howell, Missouri
on West Plains and Lanton Road. This would be the old Cobb Farm. They moved in about 1934 to the Spring Creek community, also in Howell County, into a larger home to accommodate the family. Kay was still farming. Soon after daughter Velma
married Wayman Womack in 1939, she and her husband moved to Kansas City where he
was employed at the Bomber plant before he joined the Army. Kay came to Kansas
City to work at the plant, too, while Hattie stayed back until she sold the farm and then moved up with
the younger kids. Hattie’s two oldest sons, J.D. and LeRoy, were both in the
service during WWII along with her son-in-law Wayman. I’m sure there was a lot
of worry on her mind until all three were home safe. After the war, when Kay’s
job at the plant ended, he worked as a plumber before retiring. Hattie worked
for a time in a Made-Rite sandwich shop. The couple also had a small farm on
the property and sold some produce for extra income. The grandkids were
sometimes recruited to peddle the fruit and vegetables. My mother hated doing
it, but enjoyed the time in the summer with her cousins at Grandma and Grandpa
Cobb’s house.
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| Hattie holding her granddaughter Louise in 1947. Photo from my personal collection. |
Kay died at home in 1968. Hattie remained there until she died in 1977. They are buried in Howell Memorial Park Cemetery near West Plains, Missouri.
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| Five Generations. Unknown what paper this was in. I'm the child on my mother's lap. From my personal collection. |
Every summer when I was a little girl I remember picnics at
Great Grandma Cobb’s house. Big quilts laid out on the ground with watermelons
holding them in place, picnic tables, searing hot metal lawn chairs, and
cousins having a lot of fun. There were peach trees and tomato plants that we
could pick from and eat if we wanted to. Often the women would be in the tiny
kitchen canning peaches, a family favorite. Great Grandma Cobb always wore an
apron when she was cooking and she made some fantastic food in that little
kitchen. When I entertain, it's her example that I follow. Nothing fancy, just bring as much family together as you can, as often as you can, and the good times just naturally happen.
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| Setting up for a picnic in the early 1970s at Hattie's house in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo from my personal collection. |
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