Joseph Nathan Gregory

Joseph Nathan Gregory was born 20th of April 1911 in Hollis, Harmon County, Oklahoma to Mercer and Ida May Cardin Gregory. He was the first son and the 3rd in line of 13 children born to Mercer and Ida May Cardin Gregory. Four of the children died shortly after being born. Margaret was the oldest and she died in the dust bowl. Albert, Catherine and Pearl died as infants.
  In 1920 United States Census the family lived in Milnesand, Roosevelt County, New Mexico. Listed on this census is

Now here is another 1920 Census Record for Emzy, Roosevelt County, New Mexico for the same family.

In 1930 Census they are found in Cedar, Custer County, Oklahoma

 

On January 2 1937 Joseph married Zella Arkana Mary Emiline Campbell the daughter of George T Campbell and Ada Alaska Kirkland Campbell in Weatherford, Custer County, Oklahoma. A.J. Bradshaw minister of the Weatherford Church of Christ performed the marriage.
They had four children

Ronald Mackey Gregory married Laveda Ann Kluver 25 November 1960
Phyllis Jo Dean Gregory married Derrel Don Orrell
Leatha Lou Gregory born 16 November 1944 never married. Was killed in a car wreck in Oklahoma City on 5 of August 1970
Marshall Earl Gregory the father of the author of this blog was born 19 September 1945 married Diana June Dudley 24 May 1964 at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Weatherford Oklahoma. He died 7 Aug 1999

Joseph Nathan Gregory had many different jobs over the years he work in the CCC camps at Sentinel Oklahoma, Cooking and cleaning dishes. He sent 40 dollars a month home to help pay for his brother and sister Anna Belle and Mercers way through college and kept $3.75 cents for himself.He stayed at this job long enough to help pay for their first year of college. He also worked for the WPA pouring concrete for streets, curbs and sidewalks making 35 dollars a month. Later he built forms the curbs and other items making $46 dollars a month.
Around 1934 he and a friend named Waldo Peters went to California to find work. In Laguna Beach they worked for Plumbers and Contractors. They moved south to work in the gold mines, but coundnt find work there. From there they went to Sacramento where they worked on a ranch. After that they headed to Amarillo Texas on top of a box car.
For years as I was growing up he worked as a plumber in Weatherford, Oklahoma.
He died 9 May 2009 in Weatherford, Oklahoma and is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery there. He was 94 years old.