My Dad, Eulus Barton, was born in 1905 in Marmaduke, AK. From there, his parents, Fielden Barton (born in 1882 in TN) and Nannie Jenkins (born in Weakley County, TN) moved the family to Coweta, OK. While growing up, Dad didn't have much time for a formal education as he helped his mother make a living on the farm. When he was 16 years old, he went to work full-time in the oil fields; he worked on the casing crews. He drove his own team of horses. He would back the horses up to the boilers and move them from one place to another. Dad farmed and worked in the oil fields of Oklahoma until about 1936. This had provided the family with a good living until the effects of "The Great Depressions" were compounded by the "Oklahoma Dust Bowl." Because of the depression and the severe drought conditions in OK, it was a period of great financial difficulty not just for the Barton family but for most families in America. In an effort to improve conditions for the family, Dad and Mom, moved to California. The family drove to California in a 1931 Buick. They had heard of the "good money" that could be made by following the fruit harvest. They did this for part of one season, but they soon found that this type of life was not for them. They returned to a small town in the center of the California. So many people were moving to California in order to escape the great poverty of the East that there was no housing to be found. The family lived in a tent until they could secure a place to live and Dad worked for anyone and everyone who would give him a days work. He finally found steady work on a farm. After that he leased property and farmed for awhile. Mom and Dad raised five children. After he retired, Dad and Mom bought a house and moved into town. Even though Dad had "retired," he never completely gave up working. He loved what he did for a living. He loved working the land and watching the crops grow. In fact, he worked the day he died. He is remembered by his children as being physically strong (he could pick up the back-end of a car) and though slow to anger, he would go to battle for anyone he felt had been wronged. His presence made his children feel safe no matter what other conditions might exist. He was a family man whose free time was spend with his family rather than in personal pursuits. He was also a very giving man. He would give his last $5.00 to anyone he though needed it more than he did. He was well known and loved by the people in the community as was evidenced by the number of people who attended his funeral. The Chapel was overflowing with people standing inside along the walls and outside in the vestibule. He has been gone for many years (he died in 1971) but he is still greatly missed. It has really been interesting, at least to me, to track my family from the East (South Carolina, to Tennessee, to Oklahoma and all the way to California) as they made their own personal Westward Movement which was began by my great-great grandfather John T. Barton in South Carolina in 1818. P. S. I am so glad that my grandfather, James Barton, slowed down long enough along the way to meet and marry my Weakley County granny. I love having this connection to Weakley County and with all the wonderful people who live there. Out of all the state and county genealogy sites I have visited, this is the bestest with the mostest. Patricia Barton Tatom