| Notes |
- July 18th, 1925, my father (age 9 years old) was taken and placed into Whitaker State Home, in Pryor Oklahoma. This was ordered by a Judge by the name of W.A. Barnett, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His mother Lela Cruce-Warren (as the records show) and his father being Paul Cruce. His birthdate is shown as April 10, 1916, and birthplace is shown as Haskell, Oklahoma. This document was sent to me upon my request, and is notarized. A note added to the document states:
" A brother Lloyd Cruse was placed in the home at the same time as your father. Apparently he was a twin to your father as they have the same birthdate. Our records show they were restored to their mother Lela Warren , Muskogee, Oklahoma 9-16-30. We have no further information or records in our file."( My father and his brother Lloyd was 14 years old at the time the mother came to get them out.)
His stepfather, Charley Warren, is very ill and is not able to provide for the family. (Charley dies
Febuary 10, 1933, in Hyde Park, Oklahoma, and is buried in a Pauper's (unmarked) grave at Greenhill cemetery, in Musogee, Oklahoma. My fathers sister Dorothy, was in Muskogee visiting, and wanted to go to her fathers gravesite. We could not find it, (even with the help of caretakers and record keepers of this cemetery). It is said that the factory of" Acme Engineering", is built over the old part of the pauper's graves in the cemetery.
My dad always said that his mother came to get him and his brother out of the Whitaker State home
to help make a living and feed the younger children in the family. I can remember daddy telling how hard it was in the "Depression Days" with no work, and he was responsible for this family, being the oldest child, and with his stepfather being on his death bed. He loved and respected Charley Warren.
I have heard two versions of the story as to why my father was accused of a crime you will read about in the next paragraph. The first was that he had stolen a chicken from someone for a meal for the family and was caught and arrested. And another version, my uncle Harvey told me. My father was sent to pawn a gold watch, that belonged to his step father, for money to buy groceries with. The person he pawned it to promised to give it back upon the time the money was paid back. At the time he went back to get the watch out of pawn, the person would not let him have it back. My father shot him and took his watch back, therfore was arrested for burglary.
Either story sounds like something my father would do. He had a deep love for his mother and his younger brothers and sisters, and knew he was responsible for ther well being. His twin, Lloyd had gone to California and stayed with there mothers' sister untill he was grown. And was not in Oklahoma with the rest of the family very much.
On October 13, 1934, my father (age 18) under the name of Floyd Cruse, was received at Oklahoma State Penetenary in McAlester, Oklahoma for the crime of Burglary. From Muskogee, County. He was released from prison on July 11, 1936. (Age 20 years old.)
The family moved to California shortly after this, driving an old Model A, and with very little money, my father was once again in charge of this responsibility. I remeber him telling of there trip. When the automobile would be very close to empty on fuel, he would pull up to a gas pump and tell the person they could go no further unless he would help him out with the gasoline. Some kind hearted person would fill the gas tank up and put them on the way once again.
They lived and made their home in an old train box car, in Hyde Park. They lived in a tent quite a lot, his father was still alive at this time, and daddy said he can remember watching his father read his Bible by the dim light of the old coal oil lamp. In the summer time they had to move granny's wood cook stove out in the yard, because it was to hot to build a fire for cooking inside.
Febuary 14, 1942 he married a woman named Mildred Burke, shortly afterwards he was inducted into the army. He left for Sacramento, California for his training, January 18, 1943. A week or so later
he was shipped over to the front lines in Burma & India. With 1 weeks training ( if you can call it that)
he was in a strange foriegn county fighting for his life. He did not return to the states untill January 17, 1946. His bride that he left with much regret I am sure, had died from complications of childbirth May 2, 1945 (when her baby son was only 9 days old).
On Febuary 7th, 1946 he married my mother, Juanita Havens.
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1916 - 1978 (62 years)
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