George Wesley Powers
|
George Wesley Powers was the fifth child born to William Houston Powers and Sophronia Elizabeth Cagle on March 26, 1895, in Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama.
|
Name: George Wesley Powers
|
Spouse: Nita Viola Bates
|
Children: Georgia Lee Powers (1921 – 2013); Clinton Keith Powers (1923 – 1977); Viola Mildred Powers (1925 –1994); Effie Jean Powers (1927 – 2020); Virginia Lucile Powers (1931 – 2020); Wesley Houston Powers (1934 –2014); Tommy Leon Powers (1937 – 1990); Connie Ruth Powers (1939 – 2007)
GEORGE WESLEY POWERS
Written by Georgia Lee Powers Jennings
George never talked much of his childhood to his family. Occasionally a story would come out. He expressed a great affection for all of his family members and had a great sense of humor. He worked hard and did well at taking care of his family even during the depression. His wife, Nita Bates Powers, often went home to her parents for a month or so, but George stayed on the job of farming and taking care of the family. He also supported several related families during the depression and some who were not family.
He had a problem with guns. This got him into trouble a few times because he was too willing to brandish them. It had been said that when he was younger, he would go after his siters when they were on dates and bring them home at gunpoint. He told a story of his childhood which might explain his notion that he had to protect his family members. He told of a time when the young family was living in Texas. William Houston Powers had gone off somewhere, probably looking for work, and James Obadiah Powers, oldest had gone to Oklahoma looking for work, leaving George (about 10) as the oldest male there. He told that because they couldn’t pay the rent on the house, they were living in that the Sheriff came, put the family and all their belongings in a wagon and “dumped them out down on the riverbank.” Possibly being the oldest male, he felt the responsibility rested on him and he got confused about responsibilities ever after. As wild as this tale sounds, I never knew him to tell anything that was not true.
George was born in Birmingham, Alabama on March 26, 1895. The family moved to Texas shortly after. They lived several places. He mentioned Sweetwater, Comanche County, and Palo Pinot County. The whole family finally moved to Oklahoma. I believe they moved to Broken Arrow first. Then to Sand Springs. Sometime in there Sophronia Elizabeth Cagle Powers got tired of being moved around by William Houston Powers and they divorced. I never heard George comment on this.
Apparently, he was traveling through Oklahoma, picking cotton for people along the way. He finally came to Davison, Oklahoma where he hired on to pick cotton for Eugene Tullis Bates and met his future wife, Nita Viola Bates. The story has been told many times about George’s hiring on to pick cotton for a man where he was the only person picking. The man promised him room and board for a week or until he finished. He finished the fields the first day and continued on to Davidson.
George and Nita were married in Frederick, Oklahoma, November 27, 1920. They lived in Davidson until their first child, Georgia Lee Powers Jennings, was born, then moved to Sand Springs for a short while. Back in Davidson, they farmed about 4 years, then rented a farm out of Tipton, Oklahoma, which backed up on the North Fork of the Red River. They lived there until about 1941 when they moved to west Texas.
George and Nita were divorced in 1945 and George moved to Sand Springs. Nita joined him from a short time later and they lived in Prue, Oklahoma for several years. Later they moved to Washington where George lived until he died in 1972. He worked for a nursery for a time. Then Nita and George bought a property near Lake Stevens, Washington where they lived until he died. Nita also lived there until she died. Their son, Wes, build another house on the property and he lives there. George was a creative nature. Once a hybrid grain sorghum was developed and the developer was trying to sell it to the farmers. It grew heads more than twice as big as maize or hygeria. George decided to try it and took a lot of teasing from friends and neighbors. It did well and made magnificent heads. He did manage to sell it, but apparently wasn’t as good as expected and George never planted any more.
George loved to hunt, fish and trap. He used to put the small animals he had trapped in a barrel until he got ready to skin them, stretch and dry the hides which he sold to a fur trader. We were always up early when Daddy had been out to see what was in the barrel. He also fished the North Fork of the Red, often leavening trot lines in place for weeks. We had fresh channel catfish just the way we had chicken. He also hunted in their seasons, squirrel, quail, duck, geese. He raised pointer dogs and it was always fun watching him train them to point, flush and retrieve. He had a wonderful female pointer. All of his friends wanted hunting dogs so he decided to breed her which made necessary his penning her up in the car shed to assure percentage. It didn’t work the first two times. After waiting anxiously the period of gestation he was disappointed to find all the puppies white and definitely gull dogs. Finally “sport” spent a long time in the ar shed and gave birth to 12 pedigreed pointers. The disappointment this time was that there were 11 females and 1 male. Naturally, everyone wanted male dogs.
George had a wonderful sense of commitment to a wonderful sense of humor. His favorite scripture was in the New Testament, something to the effect that a man who will not support his family is worse than in infidel. He also had a funny story about a young boy who ran away from home and was gone over night. His family found him and brought him home early the next morning. He strolled around, looking everything over and finally said, “Well what do you know, we still have the same old cat.” He enjoyed that so much, I joined in with him and even today when I am gone a little longer than I expected to be I come in and ask my husband if we still have the same old cat.
In spite of George’s problems, I consider him a tender spirit. I never knew any man to enjoy his babies and play with them more than he did. He didn’t express himself much, but he loved his children and wanted them to do well and be happy. He also loved and was concerned for his extended family.
He died February 17, 1972 at Everett, Washington. He is buried in the Arlington, Washington cemetery.
(From Powers Family Book compiled by Georgia Powers Jennings)
Written by Georgia Lee Powers Jennings
George never talked much of his childhood to his family. Occasionally a story would come out. He expressed a great affection for all of his family members and had a great sense of humor. He worked hard and did well at taking care of his family even during the depression. His wife, Nita Bates Powers, often went home to her parents for a month or so, but George stayed on the job of farming and taking care of the family. He also supported several related families during the depression and some who were not family.
He had a problem with guns. This got him into trouble a few times because he was too willing to brandish them. It had been said that when he was younger, he would go after his siters when they were on dates and bring them home at gunpoint. He told a story of his childhood which might explain his notion that he had to protect his family members. He told of a time when the young family was living in Texas. William Houston Powers had gone off somewhere, probably looking for work, and James Obadiah Powers, oldest had gone to Oklahoma looking for work, leaving George (about 10) as the oldest male there. He told that because they couldn’t pay the rent on the house, they were living in that the Sheriff came, put the family and all their belongings in a wagon and “dumped them out down on the riverbank.” Possibly being the oldest male, he felt the responsibility rested on him and he got confused about responsibilities ever after. As wild as this tale sounds, I never knew him to tell anything that was not true.
George was born in Birmingham, Alabama on March 26, 1895. The family moved to Texas shortly after. They lived several places. He mentioned Sweetwater, Comanche County, and Palo Pinot County. The whole family finally moved to Oklahoma. I believe they moved to Broken Arrow first. Then to Sand Springs. Sometime in there Sophronia Elizabeth Cagle Powers got tired of being moved around by William Houston Powers and they divorced. I never heard George comment on this.
Apparently, he was traveling through Oklahoma, picking cotton for people along the way. He finally came to Davison, Oklahoma where he hired on to pick cotton for Eugene Tullis Bates and met his future wife, Nita Viola Bates. The story has been told many times about George’s hiring on to pick cotton for a man where he was the only person picking. The man promised him room and board for a week or until he finished. He finished the fields the first day and continued on to Davidson.
George and Nita were married in Frederick, Oklahoma, November 27, 1920. They lived in Davidson until their first child, Georgia Lee Powers Jennings, was born, then moved to Sand Springs for a short while. Back in Davidson, they farmed about 4 years, then rented a farm out of Tipton, Oklahoma, which backed up on the North Fork of the Red River. They lived there until about 1941 when they moved to west Texas.
George and Nita were divorced in 1945 and George moved to Sand Springs. Nita joined him from a short time later and they lived in Prue, Oklahoma for several years. Later they moved to Washington where George lived until he died in 1972. He worked for a nursery for a time. Then Nita and George bought a property near Lake Stevens, Washington where they lived until he died. Nita also lived there until she died. Their son, Wes, build another house on the property and he lives there. George was a creative nature. Once a hybrid grain sorghum was developed and the developer was trying to sell it to the farmers. It grew heads more than twice as big as maize or hygeria. George decided to try it and took a lot of teasing from friends and neighbors. It did well and made magnificent heads. He did manage to sell it, but apparently wasn’t as good as expected and George never planted any more.
George loved to hunt, fish and trap. He used to put the small animals he had trapped in a barrel until he got ready to skin them, stretch and dry the hides which he sold to a fur trader. We were always up early when Daddy had been out to see what was in the barrel. He also fished the North Fork of the Red, often leavening trot lines in place for weeks. We had fresh channel catfish just the way we had chicken. He also hunted in their seasons, squirrel, quail, duck, geese. He raised pointer dogs and it was always fun watching him train them to point, flush and retrieve. He had a wonderful female pointer. All of his friends wanted hunting dogs so he decided to breed her which made necessary his penning her up in the car shed to assure percentage. It didn’t work the first two times. After waiting anxiously the period of gestation he was disappointed to find all the puppies white and definitely gull dogs. Finally “sport” spent a long time in the ar shed and gave birth to 12 pedigreed pointers. The disappointment this time was that there were 11 females and 1 male. Naturally, everyone wanted male dogs.
George had a wonderful sense of commitment to a wonderful sense of humor. His favorite scripture was in the New Testament, something to the effect that a man who will not support his family is worse than in infidel. He also had a funny story about a young boy who ran away from home and was gone over night. His family found him and brought him home early the next morning. He strolled around, looking everything over and finally said, “Well what do you know, we still have the same old cat.” He enjoyed that so much, I joined in with him and even today when I am gone a little longer than I expected to be I come in and ask my husband if we still have the same old cat.
In spite of George’s problems, I consider him a tender spirit. I never knew any man to enjoy his babies and play with them more than he did. He didn’t express himself much, but he loved his children and wanted them to do well and be happy. He also loved and was concerned for his extended family.
He died February 17, 1972 at Everett, Washington. He is buried in the Arlington, Washington cemetery.
(From Powers Family Book compiled by Georgia Powers Jennings)