WANDERING THE OZARKS : Bethlehem Church, Courtney family continues
Posted on Thursday, September 4, 2008
A gathering at Old Bethlehem Church, date unknown.
When I met with Earl and Charles Courtney at Earl's home, his wife Shirley and daughter Carmen joined us along with lifelong friend Dobe Martin. It was difficult to keep up with the "do you remember ? "stories bouncing among the three men, but hopefully I managed to keep the tales straight.
To begin this week's column, I decided to check back on another story I'd written about Old Bethlehem church and school. Nels Johnson's family settled there after arriving from Sweden in the late 1880 s. The Courtneys came along in 1892. As I pointed out last week, the Courtney farm is one of the oldest continuous familyowned farm in Washington County. The acreage remains in the family today.
Not too far from the site of Bethlehem Church are located many bluffs and caves. Once Civil War guerrillas hid there and stalked law abiding mountain men because they refused to take part in the conflict between the North and South. U. S. Bluff is located on the old York Price place nearby. Union soldiers once wintered there.
Down on Lee Creek, all that is left of the original location of Bethlehem Church are some moss covered stones that served as the foundation of the building. Grave markers are scattered nearby. Once people stood or sat on huge boulders along the edge of the creek and sang hymns before the baptizing began. People would waded into the cold, clear waters to revitalize their faith.
Partway up the hill are large flat boulders, then called resting rocks, where young lovers sat and their elders often paused to rest on the long steep climb from the church to their homes. At one time houses perched all along the ridge.
With the coming of the automobile the church building was dismantled board by board and moved up the mountain to a location within easier reach of the road. Dobe's Dad, Warren Martin donated the land where the building stands today. In that location it was never used as a school. These are things I learned about old Bethlehem. During my meeting with the three men who grew up there I learned more about the people who lived in this beautiful locale along the banks of Lee Creek.
Dobe Martin told how hard it was on the family sometimes. He recalled once when his family's well went dry and they had to take the wash down to Gum Springs, heat water in a big washpot, do the wash and hang the clothes on a fence or bushes. "We couldn't afford clothesline," he added.
His Mom, Hazel Martin, acted as a mid-wife for all the women in the area. In her lifetime she delivered 105 kids and had 12 of her own. She delivered all but the last two of the Courtney kids because by then the Martins had moved to California. I wondered about doctors in the area. Earl told me about a one-legged doctor by the name of Hugh Houston. When he got around to it he signed the birth certificates.
"You could always call him out and he'd come, though," Earl said.
Dobe and Charles discussed how there was never any money. Sometimes there were sheep to shear, Frank Moody, who was their maternal grandfather, and Warren Martin often did the shearing. Sometimes some of us followed the wheat harvest in Kansas, Charles offered. They'd bring a bus into the area to carry workers to Wisconsin to pick beans and Dobe said he did that. Earl told how he picked fruit in Washington one year from May to November, came home with $ 400 and two months later joined the Army.
While he was in Washington Earl bought a guitar, paid $ 12 for it. "It was something I'd vowed to learn to do was play the guitar. My sister and her husband taught me out there in Washington. "He plays today with a band called the Country Express along with Butch Bartholomew, Curt Doss and Danny Graham. He still has that first guitar, though, and he brought it out for me to see. Its age was apparent, and I could tell by looking that it had been played many a tune and had been the recipient of much tender loving care.
"I don't play it anymore," Earl said. "it just hangs on the wall. "Dobe bought his first guitar in the 40 s for $ 5.
Earl was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, and he still flies fixed-wing planes enough to keep his hand in. He's also an instructor at Wedington Woods.
Dobe told how he was picking fruit in Yakima, Washington one time and there was a fire on Mt.. Rainier," They pulled us out of a beer joint and said we had to go fight the fires. If you said you wasn't going, they'd take you like you was, suit and all. Otherwise you could change clothes if you agreed to go. "This was in 1944 during the war. "I went and we stayed 17 weeks."
In 1976 the entire family of Courtney's gathered, and again on Lillian's 90 th birthday, all that were left were there. Eight members have returned to live in the area.
The twelve children are: Randolyn 5 / 7 / 24; Conrad (Sonny ) 1 / 3 / 26; Leona 5 / 5 / 27; Shirley 10 / 17 / 28; Charles 6 / 23 / 30; Norma 7 / 2 / 32; Marilyn 4 / 20 / 35; twins Carlton Dean and Carlma Jean 12 / 17 / 36; Carman Earl 11 / 18 / 38; Charlene 8 / 5 / 42; John 7 / 2 / 45.
Earl gave me a grin. "My name is Carman but I go by Earl. "He gestured toward his daughter. "Her name is Carmen, but we spelled it right. The reason for my name is, Dad wanted all the boys to have names beginning with a C. "He laughed. "By the time the last boy came along they'd run out, and Mom just got tired of it and named him John."
I certainly enjoyed the time I spent with these folks. If you have family stories and photos to share call me at 634-3151 or write my email address.
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