Virginia Wilks b. 8 Feb 1907 Bachelor, Callaway, Missouri, USA d. 19 Apr 1993 Springdale, Washington, Arkansas, USA: Albemarle to Callaway, a Herring Family Journey

1907 - 1993

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Birth 8 Feb 1907 Bachelor, Callaway, Missouri, USA

Gender Female

Died 19 Apr 1993 Springdale, Washington, Arkansas, USA

Person ID I378 Herring Family of Callaway County, Missouri

Last Modified 13 Sep 2009

Father James Rufus Wilks, b. 30 May 1871, Taylor's Store, Franklin, Virginia, USA , d. 23 Oct 1951, Grinnell, Poweshiek, Iowa, USA

Mother Oddie Elizabeth Day, b. 19 Mar 1876, Fort Worth, Tarrant, Texas, USA , d. 17 Sep 1952, Grinnell, Poweshiek, Iowa, USA

Married 2 Jan 1894 Auxvasse, Callaway, Missouri, USA

Marriage 50th Wedding Anniversary

Family ID F116 Group Sheet

Family Paul George Sherman, b. 18 Dec 1906, Joplin, Jasper, Missouri, USA , d. 12 Apr 1971, Springdale, Washington, Arkansas, USA

Married 16 Apr 1927 Fulton, Callaway, Missouri, USA

Children

>	1. Billy George Sherman, b. 26 Jan 1928, Fulton, Callaway, Missouri, USA , d. 3 Dec 1982, Hobbs, Lea, New Mexico, USA
>	2. Neva Jean Sherman, b. 24 Oct 1930, East Saint Louis, St. Clair, Illinois, USA , d. 11 Oct 2003, Belton, Cass, Missouri, USA
>	3. Living

Last Modified 13 Sep 2009

Family ID F237 Group Sheet

Photos
Wilks, Virginia
Virginia was my grandAunt on my mother's side. Picture taken about 1921 in Callaway Co., Missouri. She was a daughter of James Rufus Wilks and Oddie Day

Notes	Pat McAllister notes: Her father called her Jim or Jimma. She was born in the log house. Virginia had TIAs and had some high blood pressure. She broke a hip and died a few months later, she was taking oxygen the last month 17 Mar 1917 - Virginia got a perfect attendance award 25 Mar 1921 - Virginia graduated from the 8th grade at Scott School - the one - room school house down the road. She did not get to go to high school. She was the last daughter for a while and her mother needed her at home. .She made notes in a booklet. Says:We bought the green Chevy coupe from H. Ga ------ --(can't read) - had upstairs rooms with Mary and Jack at Ste-- house until they moved to the Bluff Street (409) We started housekeeping in 2 rooms with Mrs. Hills- shared bath -had kitchen and bedroom furniture and old love seat bought from Bessie for 2 or 2.50. Mary gave old day bed with the back off. Mrs. Hills had --- She notes the dates of marriage and birth of Bill, says he was born at the home of R. L. Brown - Grand Street - Fulton, MO then they moved to Bluff Street about June - they moved in with John (Paul's brother) - She said Billy rolled off the bed and had intestinal flu here They moved to (East) St. Louis and lived in the house with (sister) Iris and kept (her son) Tommy. Bill's first Xmas there but they went to mother's (Rufus Wilks') The kids fed Bill orange and he had diarrhea and had Dr. Stine. Paul (husband) worked for Sherman contracting. He left early and came in late. Neva Jean was born in East St. Louis in October, 1930 and then they went back to Fulton. Bill and Jean had the 3 - day measles - They moved to Higginsville - Patty born in March, 1937, they bought the (1937) Plymouth. They built the house on 22nd Street, started it in 1941 and lived in the basement that winter. 1946 - June-left Higginsville and went to Fulton to tell everyone goodbye. We were going to CA with our 1937 Plymouth and pulling a 27 foot silver trailer to live in. Daddy did not like pulling the trailer and no one wanted to go to CA, so we didn't. We parked at Aunt Mary's house 409 Bluff Street. Then Daddy bought the apartment house and went back to work at International Shoe Co. He worked in the cutting room cutting our shoes. We lived there a year and in that year Aunt Frances died in February and Paul & Virginia celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. A lot of the family came. 1947 - went to Hamilton, MO. The company had made Paul a foreman in the cutting room in a brand new factory. We lived in an apartment house till the company got the house built that we were to live in. We lived there 20 months. Then the company moved Paul back to Higginsville. We lived there for a year. Paul built a small house- 611 W 29th Street. He couldn't find a place for us to live. About April 1950, we moved to Russellville, AR transferred again by the company. We lived in the Howell's garage apartment 110 W 8th Street till the company house on Cleveland Street became available a year later. It was built of concrete blocks and in that humid climate, it was not good. Things molded - mold grew on the leather shoes in the closets. In 1955, Paul built a house on Boston Street. 1957 - they were transferred to Jefferson City, MO. they also went that summer on vacation to Hobbs, NM to visit Virginia's sisters and their families and their daughter, Pat and family, who had gone there the year before. 1959 - they were transferred to Eldorado Springs, MO. Paul was tired of that and in the summer of 1960 we all moved to Springdale, AR and started a business - NAPA Jobber. Notes Virginia made in later years about her life: We were married [4/16/1927] just in time to face the depression. I had to quit work for the birth of my first child [1/26/1928] leaving my husband with just $10 salary over and above rent and furniture and car payments. We decided to move to St. Louis to find better pay. Then the depression really hit us He worked two days a week. We lived in a small 4 room tar paper house on the back of a lot owned by my brother [Ira Day Wilks]. There my second child was born [10/24/1930]. We had $10 to pay the doctor for delivering the baby at home. My brother [Ira=Judjie] lived with us to help buy groceries. He often said we ate beans and potatoes and ketchup one day, potatoes, beans and ketchup the next day. Catsup was home-made, potatoes home grown. Our garden was a life saver. I was thin and could not breast feed my first child. By the time the second child , I was afraid to feed it bottle. Feeling so gave her one breast feeding and one bottle feeding. [She was afraid she wouldn't have the money to feed the child so she supplemented with the breast. She didn't have much milk because she was so thin.] We decided to move back to our home town where our families had farms [Callaway County, MO]. Had just been there 3 weeks when the [shoe] factory closed and moved out to Virginia leaving town no work. I left the children in the care of my sister [Mary] and worked in the hatchery grading eggs while my husband started down the road looking for work. [He went with his brother John and another man]. They landed work at Higginsville [MO] near Kansas City. Work was steady but p--[can't read] . We had $2.50 per week for food over and above our garden. We ate beans. hog jowls. Mother had a TIA in 1986. The doctor said she could no longer live alone, to put her name on the list at the nursing home. I did, but they did not call. It was all right, she was staying with us. I had Nathan, Jr, born in January for 3 days a week. Mother was unsteady on her feet and falling, losing her balance. After 10 months I called the nursing home. They had a place. After several years, she got well enough to go to a residential care place and 1992 she went to the Wilks reunion. Also I took her to Mary Stratton's funeral in Russellville. Then in the spring she broke her hip and had to go back to the nursing home. I knew she would never get out of the bed. She didn't. She lived about two months after she broke her hip. She was on oxygen the last month. The night she died, she was having trouble and said to the nurse, "Why don't I just die?" She did, before the sun rose.

Event Map

Event

	Birth - 8 Feb 1907 - Bachelor, Callaway, Missouri, USA
	Married - 16 Apr 1927 - Fulton, Callaway, Missouri, USA
	Died - 19 Apr 1993 - Springdale, Washington, Arkansas, USA

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