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Narrative Summary

Interview with Bama Berry by JeffMcVey

Just short of a century ago, Everett and DellaCurtis welcomed their first of four children to the world at Bluff Springs, Arkansas. They named her Alabama Jean. Her home was located about a mile north of the Bluff Springs community building which served as the center of social activity in the area. It was the school house, church house, meeting house, and the Masonic Lodge met upstairs.

The church was the Church of Christ, which was non-denominational with a literal and in-errant belief in scripture. Musical instruments were not used, all music was voice only. Transportation to this meeting place was on foot, horseback, wagon, or buggy. She usually rode to church behind her mother, who rode sidesaddle.

Saturdays were spent preparing for church services on Sunday and the family meal which followed. After church services on Sunday, the family (aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and cousins) all went to her grandparents’ home about three quarters of a mile to the south of the church house, beside Bear Creek. The children spent Sunday afternoon playing and the men and women visited. Bama shared that the person who influenced her the most was her grandfather, GeorgeAndrews.

When Bama was about ten years old, her parents moved to Omaha, Arkansas, about ten miles away. The reason for this move was to enable the children to receive high school education and for the family to join a larger church congregation. They lived in town while her father built them a home/business building where they opened a dry goods store. Her religious training and study resulted in baptism at the age of thirteen at Bear Creek Springs in early October. Her comments on that: “Boy, it was cold!” After high school graduation she lived in Harrison, Arkansas with a cousin so she could attend what was called Normal School. This was to prepare her for a teaching license which would allow her to teach school while she was getting her teaching degree.

The dirt road running through Omaha was called the Springfield/Harrison road, and later became Highway 65. A road contractor was upgrading it from the state line to Harrison, Arkansas. One of his heavy equipment operators, JimBerry, was from Texas. He met Bama at the café in Omaha, and that was the beginning of a relationship which resulted in a forty seven year marriage starting in 1937. They lived with her parents until purchasing a mobile home (fifteen foot travel trailer) in which they followed road construction projects all over Arkansas and Missouri.

World War II broke out in 1941, Mr. Berry was draft exempt due to his work on military projects. He was sent to Leesville, Louisiana to prepare a rifle range in a training facility called CampPolk. They became friends with another family in the trailer court named Ty and MaryMargaretCobb, who were from Memphis, Tennessee. Ty was the camp drill instructor and named after his famous baseball player uncle, TyCobb.

Both the Cobb and Berry families were members of Church of Christ, but had no place to worship. Bama and MaryMargaret searched for a congregation near Leesville, but they couldn’t find one. They finally went door to door asking for information and by chance found a man who said he would preach for them if they found a place. They found an empty church building and inquired about using it for services. They were initially turned down, but then told they could use the storage room if they cleaned it out. After cleaning, they had an empty room and nothing else.

By word of mouth they had six people present for their first service, in which everyone was to bring their own chair. Only five chairs were brought for that first service but the person leading the service would be standing so it all worked out. The attendance increased to twelve very quickly and they were soon allowed to use the entire building for services. The Church is still active in Leesville and now has three congregations listed online.

Other construction projects required the Berry family to move away from Leesville. They lived all over Louisiana and Mississippi, always attending church when possible. They were blessed with three children. They returned and settled here in Springfield, Missouri where Bama still lives. Bama, who will be 97 years young next week, continues to serve by attending services when possible and watching her religious programs on television. Radio programs, bible study, and church bulletins keep her busy. Her greatest work is encouraging others, both by word and example.

  1. INTERESTING – The most interesting thing about her to me is the events and change that took place in her lifetime.
  2. Great depression
  3. The change from an isolated, agricultural, rural to urban country
  4. Transportation
  5. Trains – steam to electric
  6. Planes – air travel
  7. Automobile – papa’s first car
  8. Medical improvements
  9. Buster died
  10. Appendicitis
  11. Remained constant and committed to her faith – colored in the lines
  12. Women kept silent
  13. Women didn’t preach
  14. Women taught at home
  15. Male – predominant times
  16. INTRIGUING – The most intriguing thing was her involvement in planting a congregation so she could practice her religion
  17. Time and Place
  18. War time (ration stamps to buy gas, stamps for bacon, etc.)
  19. Southern location was predominantly Catholic
  20. Women did not lead, male-dominated, women kept silent
  21. INSPIRING – the most inspiring is her attitude and the encouragement given
  22. Lost child with physical disability
  23. Lost husband
  24. Loss of vision
  25. CONCLUSION – Through trial, she has stayed strong and remained faithful to her religion.
  26. She continues to do what she can to keep practicing her faith
  27. When asked how she is doing, her typical response is: “Not bad for a teenager!”
  28. When you get lemons, make lemonade.

MissouriStateUniversity Spring 2015 Religious Lives of Ozarks Women