da Ester Cain Barker was the seventh oldest child of Mary Lou Belle and Alan Cain. She was born 10 Aug 1907 in Dublin AR, and married Carl Haggie Barker 17 Jul 1932 at Magnolia AR.

They were the best, loving parents anyone could ever have. I know that my mother had a hard time delivering babies, suffering several miscarriages. The baby named Carl Wayne or “Waynie Boy” lived only six-months; the doctor at Carlisle gave him too much medicine and he died on the way to the Shreveport Hospital. I can remember playing with him and I was so happy to have a little brother. Mother and Daddy really did suffer from all the losses. When it got close to deliver Jon, we went to Shreveport until time to deliver. I remember mother and I walking around the block numerous times. We were staying with someone in Shreveport, but I can't remember their name, but I know Jon was born at the Highland Hospital. He was 10 years younger than me, and I remember that Mother & Dad were so happy to have a baby after so many miscarriages.

Mother believed in the Highland Hospital in Shreveport. I had to have my tonsils out at the age of 4, and, of course, at the Highland. I can remember waking up with the bed covered with toys. Also, I got lots of ice cream.

As I was 10 years older than Jon, I babysat him and my cousin, Danny Barker, lots of times. (See Jon's picture with Mother's bathing suit on.) Ramon and I took Jon a lot on our dates. We always tried to see that he had a good time by taking him to the Dallas and Shreveport fairs.

The next thing I remember is the tornado in Cotton Valley in 1947. I was 13, and Jon 3 years old. We were visiting Aunt Jess and Auntie Geek (Bessie). I was at the theater and it wasn't hit but - SCARED! - I don't think I've ever been so scared before in all my life! Mother and Jon were at Auntie Geek's house and it was flattened. Mother held Jon tight and came out with broken ribs and lots of bruises. They were very blessed. We visited our aunts a lot in Cotton Valley after Dad was transferred from the Cotton Valley field to Carlisle, Texas. I remember that Mother and I lost our luggage twice, one was in the tornado and the other was on the bus to see Aunt Jess.

I can't remember all the good times we had, but one was especially nice - around 1942 or 43 - Mother and I visited Aunt Jess and Uncle Meredith in San Antonio. We went to Brackenridge Park and the Alamo. I remember Uncle Meredith gave me a book titled, "How to Win Friends and Influence People".

We went to Black Lake for as long as I can remember and always had a good time there. I fondly remember eating white perch, "well worth having to do the dishes after". We looked forward to spending the summers there. After we had been going to the lake for several years, Mother and Dad bought some land from Aunt May and Uncle Elmer. They had a Jim Walter cabin built on a hill just down the road from Aunt May's cabin. Daddy and Ramon finished the inside of the cabin. Later they all went together to have a canal dug so the boats could go directly to the lake and all of the "hot" fishing spots. It was great!

Our firstborn, Larry, was born 16 Jul 1956. He was Mother and Dad's pride and joy. They spoiled him rotten. He enjoyed going to Black Lake with them a lot. He also went with them several times after he was older. Our daughter, Shelly, was born on 12 Feb 1963. When she was around 8, she developed a love for horses and could ride like the wind. We were told that she got this love and ability for horses from Mother. After we had our children, we called Mother and Dad, Nanny and Pop. They got so much pleasure coming to the horse shows that Shelly rode in.

Larry passed away at the age of 34 in May 1990. He gave us our only grandchild, Cassie, so Larry lives on in her.

I can't remember how long Dad worked for Ohio Oil before retirement, but I remember he came in for lunch everyday and had to have a short nap in the floor with a roll of toilet paper under his neck. Dad did lots of work for Aunt Jess and Uncle Meredith after retirement and he was always helping others.

Mom was a great cook, known for her fresh coconut cake, chocolate pie and fried pies.

There is so much to say about Mother and Dad there is no way I can get it all in. I loved my parents so much that no words can even explain. I have to say that my parents were the most loving, caring and giving parents. I feel so fortunate and lucky to have had them. They were wonderful parents and wonderful people. I miss them so much but I know they are in a better place and I will see them again.

By: Joyce Barker McCauley–Daughter

My earliest memory of my mother, was of the time that a tornado hit Cotton Valley LA. We were visiting my mother’s sister Bessie in Dec 1947. I was only three years old at the time but I have read that an event like that might be imprinted in one’s memory even at that early age. I remember the sound of the tornado was very loud like a freight train coming closer and closer. My mother was holding me at one end of a sofa and Aunt Bessie was braced at the other end. The house must have started to lift up on one side because I remember the dishes started falling out of the cabinet onto the floor and breaking. I remember a collie dog flying by the window. Aunt Bessie went into the kitchen to close the cabinet doors so the dishes wouldn’t break. The next thing that I can remember, we were under a lot of debris that I believe were the walls of the house. Although by some miracle we were all alive, we all had some injuries. I think Aunt Bessie was hurt the worst, with something stuck into her knee, which I believe was part of a broomstick. My mother had three broken ribs, but that didn’t stop her from crawling under that wall to help Aunt Bessie pull that stick out of her knee. Then she got us out from under that house and carried me to a house some distance away, which was still standing where we could get some medical help. I think this account illustrates the kind of person my mother was. She was courageous, kind and loving, and she always thought of others before herself.

My dad, Carl Haggie Barker, was a kind and generous person with a big sense of humor. One of the earliest memories of my dad involved building a house. I remember when I was very young, my mother really wanted a new house since our first house was a small oil field house and would not be easy to remodel. We didn’t have very much money so my dad decided to build a new house himself with the help of my brother-in-law, Ramon (Poog) McCauley, and his dad Frank. My dad was very patient with me and would let me “help”, but I’m sure that I was just in the way. We had to live in the garage for about a year because we had to tear the old house down first in order to use the materials in the new house. We were a little stressed, at times, but my dad stayed calm throughout the whole ordeal. I know that my mother was very happy to get out of that garage and into the new house. I still don’t know how my dad could build that house and still work his full time job with the Marathon Oil Company. He was a very hard worker and he loved to tell jokes and play tricks on people. He was a very good man and I never remember him getting angry or raising his voice to anyone. I have often wished that the good Lord would give me his temperament.

By: Jon Allen Barker—Son

Nanny and Pop were the best Grand Parents anyone could ever ask for. They spoiled me rotten, and I loved it. I remember going to visit them a lot. There was a store down the road named Barron’s, and we could go there and get all the candy you could ever want for. Every time I was at their house, they let me do what ever I wanted to do, as long as they knew what I was doing. There was a place called Big Ditch down the road, and I remember going down there a lot. I don't think Nanny really liked me going down there. I also remember building a tent out of their dining room table.

Nanny and Pop bought me my first horse and saddle. One time they came to visit us and they brought me a brand new halter. I was so proud of that halter that I rode my horse down the road in it. Well needless to say I had no brakes and I ran through a barbed wire fence. My horse got a little cut up. They were the most wonderful people you could ever meet.

Pop was always fixing things. He even fixed my dog Snoopy. I always said Pop could fix anything. At that time I had no idea!

To sum it all up, Nanny and Pop were the most giving and caring people, and if this world was filled with more people like them, it would be a much better place to live. I wish I could have known them when I got older, so they could see that I'm not that same spoiled brat that I was. But I know they look down on me and smile, and still love to see me ride. And when time comes they will welcome me with open arms and give me a big hug. They were the best you could ever ask for!!

By: Shelly McCauley Gish—Granddaughter

I am the son in-law of Carl and Ada Barker. Carl and Ada were the best in-laws anyone could have. I am thankful that their blood and genes flow in my daughter and granddaughter.

I worked for Carl in a summer job with Ohio Oil. I was dating Joyce at that time. It seems Carl would always find the hardest and most dirty job for me to do. I think he was afraid the rest of the gang would think he was playing favorites if he gave me the easy work.

Carl and Ada were wonderful people. They were very loving and caring to everyone. I feel very lucky to have had them in my life.

By: Ramon McCauley—Son-in-law

Of course the best memories were those of while we were visiting at Black Lake. Mom loved being there because she could visit with her sisters and all the other relatives that lived near and of course eat white perch, fried potatoes and if Aunt Jessie would be able to come and bring her “butter rolls”, that would be even better!

Pop loved being down there too. He and Uncle Olon were a pair of jokesters—What they couldn’t come up with to enjoy each other’s company! They were always trying to out fish each other by hiding where their “tops” were sunk! I remember one particular afternoon, Jon and Pop had gone fishing and Mom decided that she and I needed to go to Campti to get an ice cream cone—Mom loved the “soft serve” ice cream. So she said I could drive Pop’s truck. Well, I didn’t know that he had the emergency brake set and I drove all the way to Campti and back with the brake on! It was a wonder that I hadn’t burned up the brakes on Pop’s truck.

Mom and Pop always took pride in their grandchildren and would help out any way they could with their wants and needs. Mom especially loved to watch Shelly ride her horses.

Pop was a great cook. His favorite thing to make for us was his pot roast with potatoes and carrots. He also kept our freezer stocked with cream style corn, peas of all kinds and Jon’s favorite, shelled pinto beans. Mom, while her health permitted, was an excellent baker. I am including her recipe for her pound cake, which she told to me as I made it.

By: Sylvia Barker—Daughter-in-law

Ada and Carl Barker, better known to us as Mom and Pop, are my grandparents. My father is Jon Barker. I don't have many distinct memories of Mom and Pop because I was very young when they passed away. However, the memories I do have are very dear to me. Mom is very special to me because she gave me my first official nickname as a baby. My parents have told me many times that Mom would call me her "bald headed baby" because I had such fine blonde hair that it appeared I was bald! That story always warms my heart! I have a few more memories of Pop. I remember going to visit him in East Texas when I was a child. He would make his famous roast with potatoes and carrots! I also remember playing in the piles of raked leaves in the front yard. Now that I am older I love to hear stories about Pop from my Dad. Most of the stories are about the practical jokes that Pop loved to play on people. He had such a fun loving nature. When I think of these memories it brings a smile to my face and makes me feel a little closer to my Mom and Pop.

Mom and Pop (that's what we always called our grandparents) were really special people. I was six years old when mom died and I can't say I remember a whole lot about her. But I do remember she loved me and my sister very much and she always called my little sister her "bald headed baby." And I do remember going to her funeral (before I even knew what death or a funeral was) and seeing my dad cry for the first time. That made me very sad and realize that she was a very, very special person and would be greatly missed.

Pop was a very good natured, fun loving and always joking granddad. I remember going to Black Lake and fishing with him sitting on his lap, in the pink and white sparkly boat. What fun! And once falling into the little creek by the cabin when pouting because my dad wouldn't let me have a little kitten of Uncle Olon and Aunt Ruth's.

I always loved going to see Pop in Price because he made the best pot roast and purple hulled or black eyed peas ever. Also, we had fun trips to the neighborhood junk yard to see what we could find. Or we would gather pecans from the big pecan trees next to the house. It always amazed me when my dad told me that Pop built that house with his own two hands. I especially liked the storm cellar because it seemed so creepy and they would always tell me that snakes lived down there. We would throw sweet gum balls down there at them! Pop also was always helping widow ladies from his church and they all just loved him. He was a very giving person.

The sad part was when Pop got leukemia. I don't remember much about that time, but I do remember that he never complained or talked about pain. We hardly knew he was sick, except he was more tired and had less energy to play with us. I also remember the day he died I was sitting in band class at school (I was in seventh grade) and I stopped playing my clarinet in the middle of a song and looked at the clock (it was 10:19 AM) and I felt that Pop's spirit had left us. I was sad but also thankful that he didn't have to suffer any longer. Later my parents told me that that was exactly when he had passed on. They were both wonderful grandparents and I miss them both dearly!

By: Beverly Barker Van Geffen—Granddaughter

My Aunt Ada and Uncle Carl - how nice it is to recall some of my memories of them. To me- they were Ada and Carl. Ada was thirteen years older than I and since she lived in our home a large part of my early life she was more like an older sister. Her father, my grandfather, had passed away when she was 11 years old. When my grandmother could, she had her own residence with her three youngest daughters, who were still at home when my grandfather died. But if times got too tough, she would live with us. I'm sure I was "flies in Ada's soup" at times. She would get the house all cleaned up when I would come in from the yard where I had been playing. She said I was always looking for the "suzzers" (scissors) - probably to cut out paper dolls - and mess the clean house up. I was just a kid and most likely I never told her I was sorry.

When she and Carl began to date it was a fascination for me. Carl had a good job, a car of his own, and more money to spend for little treats than I was accustomed to. They took me to Shreveport (about 50 miles away) with them one time. Carl bought a bag of shelled, salted peanuts for me at Kress Five and Ten Cent Store. I had never had a bag that large all of my own. I recall eating and eating and eating peanuts - they were so good.

I recall another occasion that happened after we moved to town (Cotton Valley). We were only a short distance from the stores and always walked if we needed anything. I must have been about 10 at this time. Ada sent me to the store to get sliced bologna, a small jar of mayonnaise and a loaf of bread. When I returned we took a quilt out under the trees to have a picnic - just the two of us. It was wonderful. I probably enjoyed that picnic as much as any I ever went on.

Not long after this, Ada and Carl were married. His work had transferred him from Cotton Valley to Price, Texas. Of course this meant Ada would no longer be living with us. When we were out of school for the summer she always wanted one of us, Babe or me, to come spend the summer with her. I spent several summers with her. Carl always had a large garden, so there were lots of vegetables to eat. Carl also had his beehives. That meant there was always fresh honey to eat. I suppose we were rich and didn't know it!

Carl was a very special person; he was so industrious. I think he could do almost anything. He worked on so many family members homes. He remodeled, did electrical work, put in bathrooms, built new homes and on and on the list goes. He was a blessing to the entire family.

As yet, I haven't mentioned the family vacations on Black Lake, near Campti LA. All my mother's sisters and their husbands enjoyed fishing. They always planned their vacations at the same time, so it was like a reunion except it lasted a week and sometimes two. There was my mother and daddy (May and Elmer) and then Aunt Ruth and Uncle Olon, Ada and Carl, Jess and Meredith and Bessie and Dallas - plus all the children. They all (the adults) got up and went fishing - in their boats—before daylight every morning, leaving the children on the bank until they came home in the afternoon with a large string of fish. Older children took care of the younger ones and I can't recall there ever being any kind of problem.

When they came in, the women got busy preparing lunch while the men cleaned the fish and prepared them for frying over the campfire. Oh, the food was so good. After I moved to Beaumont TX in 1942 and went to work, I didn't get to enjoy the family gatherings very often. I couldn't get off from my job. Later, after Dutch and I were married, we visited with Ada and Carl in their home a few times.

On thing I would like to add, Ada loved to read western stories—Zane Grey was her favorite author. She could sit for hours reading his books. Prior to my birth they had lived on farms in Arkansas. She loved horses and had lots of expertise in handling them. I am sure she missed the horses a lot after everyone came to the oil field.

By: Melba Ruth Ward Dupree—Niece

Ada and Carl were a special part of my growing up years. Ada lived with us most of my younger years - until she and Carl married, I guess. After she and Carl married, they always came back for vacations and holidays. They were living in Carlisle TX where Carl had been transferred to and he worked for Ohio Oil Co. It wouldn't have been the same if they hadn't come back for all of our special times together. She could make the best fresh coconut cake I ever tasted and usually brought one.

I don't know if my earliest memories of Aunt Ada and Uncle Carl were at our house in Cotton Valley or at Black Lake, but probably Black Lake. Much has been written already about those wonderful memories.

Many years ago, Aunt Ada sold heavy, stainless steel pots and pans that were made for "waterless cooking". They were reputed to leave your food with more nutritive value in it when it was done. Mom and Dad bought a set and Aunt Ada gave them stainless steel flatware as a gift. We are still enjoying these enduring pots and pans today.

When Aunt Ada visited us, a lot of times she would bring cakes. She made the best fresh coconut cake that I think I've ever eaten—the kind that you grate the coconut manually and the 7 minute icing that is so difficult to make. She also brought a delicious pound cake which we have made over and over again down through the years by the recipe she used.

Aunt Ada liked to give gifts. If she found out that you liked something she had, you would usually wind up with it. We have a rectangular stainless steel pan that was an example of this. Evidently she brought a cake in it and found out that Mom liked it.

Aunt Ada brought Jon to visit Donny many times because they were approximately the same age. Dick Jones was about the same age and you could usually find all three together on trips to the lake.

The lake brings back many memories but one especially of a trek across the lake to rob a "bee tree". Uncle Carl raised bees at their home Texas, and he was not afraid of them. He and Uncle Olon were going to rob the bee tree and the rest of us kids went along for the "show". I guess it took 2-3 boat loads for all of us to get over there. I don't remember for certain who all went but think it was Donny, Jon, Dick, Becky, Margaret Ruth, maybe Nathan, and me. Uncle Carl and Uncle Olon cut the tree down and bees started flying everywhere to attack whoever was the closest. Uncle Olon hid behind a log and us kids started running—everybody outran the bees except Margaret Ruth who got one in her hair and was the star of the show for a while. After the bees settled down some, Uncle Carl started to gather the bounty. It was amazing to see him stick his hands in amongst all the bees and not get stung except for a few he accidentally mashed. He did "strike" honey but a scant amount, so I don't know if it was worth going clear over the lake for, but the excitement was well worth it for the kids.

Mom and Dad resided in the old "Morton" residence (that was Dad's grandmother's house) after WW II ended, upon their return from San Antonio where Dad worked repairing gyroscopes for the war planes. It was a plain old farm house built in the 1800s of pine lumber with a fireplace and high ceilings. It served the family well for many years, but in 1970-1971, when they could afford it, Mom and Dad got Uncle Carl to remodel it. He sort of did a major "overhaul", lowering ceilings, insulation, flooring, building cabinets, walk-in closets, etc. This was such a blessing to our family as it made our home much nicer and much more comfortable. Uncle Carl did this while "retired" although, I don't guess he ever really retired as he was a workaholic. He worked hard, stopping for a 15-20 minute nap on the hard floor right after lunch and then was up and "at 'em again".

When Dad moved his "dime store" across the tracks in downtown Cotton Valley, Uncle Carl so willingly came and helped move the heavy counters and store merchandise. Also in his "retired years" he enjoyed helping many widow women who needed repairs done on their homes in the Carlisle area.

Uncle Carl was a quiet person who loved to tease and then gave cute chuckles, sometimes long, drawn out ones—I can just hear him now. Since horses were Aunt Ada's first love, she was especially pleased to have one of her granddaughters, Shelly, love horses equally as well and exhibit excellent horsemanship. I loved Aunt Ada and Uncle Carl and miss them.

By: Linda Hilburn—Niece

I always felt very close to Ada and Carl for a couple of reasons I guess. Firstly, my mother Jessie, and her sisters Bessie, Ada, Ruth, and May, comprised the “younger family group” of Mary Lou Belle and Alan Cain (all of which were significantly younger than Fred, Minnie et al), and so we were always closer to them and their children because we spent a lot of holidays and summer vacations together. Secondly, Ada and Carl’s son Jon, our second-cousin Richard Jones and I were all born within four-months of 1944, and so we enjoyed a close bond because of our age and the time we got to spend with each other. I was lucky to be invited to spend time at Black Lake with Jon at their cabin which was always very enjoyable. Ada and Carl always spoiled us with plenty to eat and treats on the side (often times the result of a summer afternoon trek to Chandler’s Camp for an ice cream sandwich, a fudge-cicle, or grapette, which was a change from the never ending supply of Pepsi Cola at the Barker cabin). Carl was such a character, especially when Olon Manning was around. They always tried to get one up on the other and if you could get close to them when they were fishing together, it was entertainment worth paying admission! I also remember at their cabin that we always had good fried fish and ‘taters, and usually there was a pot of pinto beans to fall back on if the fish had not cooperated. Another very pleasant eating experience was Ada’s coconut cake, which was made with fresh ground coconut, and was a lot of work to make but worth the effort back in the day when we were younger and spunkier!

My mother, Jessie, has tons of stories about Ada from their childhood. What sticks out most to me was her love of horses, and how she always wanted Mom to love them too so that she’d have a riding companion I suppose. But Jessie was always a bit afraid of horses particularly after she was bucked off by a horse was named “Joe”. After taking care of Jessie, Ada next took care of Joe. Mom said Ada tied him up so that he could not run away, or cause her injury—then gave him a good whipping from the hay loft using a buggy whip. Mom believes Ada was about twelve years old at that point so you can see she was a spunky girl! Side note: Mom found out from an x-ray at age 42, that the fall off of Joe (which landed her on her back across a wagon tongue), had actually broken her back!

Another memory of Ada—she always dipped snuff as long as I remember. She gave Mom numerous small glass snuff containers and to this day they are used daily. We have always jokingly called them “snuff crystal” and they serve as good reminders of Ada!

Carl was one incredible man—it seemed there was nothing he couldn’t do. I suppose men of his time and generation were more capable than we younger folks because they grew up “doing without” and so much of what they had was hard won and often times self-built. I remember he was a full-time employee of Marathon Oil when they lived in Price TX, but in his spare time built them a new house as Jon recounted in his article. After he retired from Marathon Oil, he remodeled Jessie’s entire house, turning it into a comfortable home from an old un-insulated farmhouse of the early 1900’s. But one of the things about Carl that I have never gotten over was his bee handling! Linda wrote about the great bee tree caper and how he robbed it without wearing any protective gear. And his sticking his bare arm and hand up into that tree to retrieve the honeycomb still leaves me with wonder! I also remember Jon, Carl and I having to go to Price from Black Lake one summer. We traveled in their old Chevy pickup truck and because it was in the summer and hot as blazes, we had all the windows open including the vent windows to suck in maximum air. Somewhere “down the road” the passenger side vent window deposited a wasp or bee in my lap, which freaked me out! Carl just calmly reached over, picked it up and tossed it out the window! His explanation was that insects can smell fear and will attack if they detect fear. So if you are not afraid they will not sting! From on I tried to be brave, but my body always let my mind down or maybe it was vice versa, but it simply didn’t work for me!

Jon and I loved our time together that Black Lake and trips to Price or Cotton Valley afforded us. It seemed we always stayed occupied fishing, hunting anything that moved or failing that visiting the swimming hole. And when we got bored we could always find some younger relatives to pick on, or dream up some other way to get into trouble. From BB gun wars to making a cherry bomb powered “howitzer” out of a piece of pipe we pounded into the ground – we always stayed active and in and out of trouble with our Mom’s. But I have to say that Ada and Carl were very tolerant of our bad behavior and that enhanced enjoyment of my care free days of youth. On at least one occasion though Ada’s patience with our misbehavior ran out. I don’t remember what we had done, but I remember her giving Jon a good whipping in the front yard at Cotton Valley with either a belt or a switch. She had a good hold on Jon’s left hand and was swinging the belt or switch with her right hand, while Jon was running in a circle around her! Maybe she had a “Joe” flashback that day! Those times idly spent have left some wonderful memories that I love to look back on!

By: Donald Hilburn—Nephew