Bearden, W H 1998-11-30
W.H. Bearden talks about growing up in Eastland County, Texas, his career as a rancher and his involvement in the Korean War.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: W. H. Bearden
Additional Parties Recorded:
Date: November 30, 1998
Location: Oledo, Texas
Interviewer: David Marshall
Length: 45 minutes
Abstract
Tape 1:
Bearden, W.H.,
Born on July 14, 1929 in Stevens County, Texas,
Moved to Eastland County, Texas at the age of,
Parents,
Origins,
Father,
Ranching,
Farming,
Paternal Grandparents,
Ranching (again),
Father (again),
Born March 11, 1881 in Palo Pinto County, Texas,
Farming (again),
Childhood house,
Description,
Ranger, Texas Oil Boom,
Description,
Lonestar Gas Co.,
Bearden, W.H. (again),
Childhood,
Farming (again),
Plowing,
Machinery,
Grain thrasher,
Livestock,
Hogs,
Slaughtering,
Cattle,
Siblings,
One brother, Four sisters,
Older sister died at 18 from appendicitis,
Depression,
Food,
Self sufficient,
Siblings (again),
School,
Early release for peanut harvest,
Old Rip Horny Toad,
olen from Eastland County Courthouse,
1936,
Eastland County, Texas (again),
Weather in the 1920s and 1930s,
Bearden, W.H. (again),
Father (again),
Died in 1968,
Farming (again),
Tractors,
School (again),
Grades combined,
Teachers,
Graduated, May 1946,
Oklahoma, 1946,
Pipeline construction,
Odessa, Texas, 1947,
Pipeline construction (again), 3 years, W.H. (continued),
Oledo, Texas, 1950,
Begs Cattle Co.,
Drove cattle truck,
Korean War,
Drafted into the military, January 24, 1951,
Combat engineer,
Building bridges,
Returned to Begs Cattle Co. after the war,
Took a course in diesel mechanics on the GI bill,
Jobs,
Worked as a mechanic at Mobile in Oledo, Texas, 9 years,
Mary’s Creek Ranch, 1964,
Stayed 25 years,
Description,
History,
Stop on the Fort Worth – Weatherford Stage Coach,
Begs Cattle Co. (again),
Begs, George,
Ranches,
Family,
Wildlife,
Mary’s Creek Ranch (again),
Ranger, Texas,
This side ends after 15 minutes.
Range Dates: 1929-1989
Bulk Dates: 1929-1989
Access Information
Original Recording Format:
Recording Format Notes:
Transcript:
Thank you for your interest in this oral history interview. Our oral history collection is available to patrons in the Southwest Collection's Reading Room, located on the campus of Texas Tech University. For reading room hours, visit our website. Please contact Reference Staff at least one week prior to your visit to ensure the oral history you are interested in will be available. Due to copyright issues, duplications of our oral histories can only be made for family members. If an oral history transcript has been made available online, the link will be provided on this page. More information on accessing our oral histories is located here. Preferred citation style can be found here.
