Summary and Diary Excerpts

MARY EVELYN GLAZIER MYERS

6/29/1902 -1/28/1972

Summary:

  Mary Evelyn was born and raised in Gainesville, Texas by an upper middle income family.  Her father was a railroad engineer, and as a child she traveled with her parents, brother and sister  frequently by rail.  Her artistic talents showed early in her violin and piano playing.  She kept a diary all her life. She graduated from Texas State College for Women in Denton, Texas and taught school for a couple of years before her marriage. 

    Every summer she would drive her children to different areas of the Untied States as part of their education.  She kept a journal on each of their lives. She had a love of dolls all her life, and she was a doll collector. She also was known for being an avid reader.

She was an Eastern Star and belonged to several art guilds.  Most of her spare time was spent painting.  She was very talented in oil and china painting.  She is still remembered for her artist talents

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Excerpts from some of her hand written diary:

  I came into this world on June 29, 1902.  I was born at home 517 N. Moran St., Gainesville, Texas. I was given the name Mary Evelyn after my grandmother Mary Elizabeth Croorn Fridell and Mary Ann Hoyt Glazier on my father's side. At the time of my birth I had one brother (Clarence Melvin Glazier) born September 4, 1900. Later my parents bought a house two doors from where we were living -521 N. Moran. When I was nine years old, my parents had the house torn down, and built a story and half house. How pleasant are my memories of the hack-berry trees in the front yard that cast shadowy darkness, the huge fig bushes in the back yard, the apples, plum, cherry, and pear tree. The old barn with the buggy in it, and old horse named "Ole'Joe".  At that time there was a cellar in the back yard that served as a place of refuge in case of a storm...
 

  At the age of seven I entered North school several blocks from where I lived. I can remember my first day at school with my white starched dress on, and the little girl across the aisle (who was playing with the ink well suddenly it spilled on her nice clean frock). Later in the first grade there was a little girl who fascinated me so much with her ability to draw and cut out. My closest friend was Irma Spence (who lived on the adjoining corner). We spent many hours making mud dolls, furniture, cutting out paper dolls, making hats of leaves (etc.), skating, and bicycle riding. Many quarrels issued between us over the Railroads. Her father worked for the Santa Fe, and my father was an engineer on the M.K. & T.. The summer I was nine years old my parents took us to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. On June 29, 1911 my mother awakened me on the Pullman & told me to draw the shades. I did so, and saw the Mississippi River running parallel with the R.R. track...

  Before I was ten years old I started taking music lessons on the piano from the Catholic sisters.  I was becoming too involved with Catholicism, so I was put under other music teachers. One in particular that stands out was a trim Spaniard who came to my house and gave lessons, but by that time was in my teens, he was kidding me about my boyfriends. In fact, he was my last piano teacher. I later took lessons on the violin and guitar, but wasn't accomplished enough to go on with my practicing. Every few days or week "Ole' Joe" was hitched to the buggy, and we drove across town to see my beloved grandmother. If there was ever a Saint, she was one. Her maiden name was Mary Elizabeth Croom. Her grandfather's last name was "English", a wealthy man, who at that time owned most of Bonham, Texas. He donated land for a cemetery and it is still called The English Cemetery. My grandmother (who we "dubbed" Mammy); her mother, father, sister are buried there. Her Aunt Seanie reared her to 15 years when she married J.W. Fridell of Georgia. They had 11 children, my mother being the third one. But, I never knew my grandfather as he left and went back to Georgia. My grandmother remarried a man by the name of Heath, and so he took the place of my grandfather...

  Before I entered high school I was always involved with Clarences' fights. He was a frail, sickly boy, and since I was husky I was always helping him with his fights. Once I remember two neighbor boys jumping on him, and I in turn jumped on them. Then there was the time I broke my good umbrella over William Preddy's back because he was annoying me...

  My sister, Allyne Gertrude was born January 25, 1908.  I was a great lover of dolls, and every cent, I could get was spent on them. The last large doll I received was broken by Allyne (then a small child), but my memory still goes back to the jointed doll with the lavender Taffeta dress. We were always getting in rock fights with someone getting hurt. How my mother endured this I will never know...

  My grandmother was an artist with her hand-work. She drew her own patterns for embroidery work, crotched beautifully, and then there was always the quilts that she was working on...

  When I finished the seventh grade I went into a high school (only one block from my house). I can remember many times having my long braided hair tied down to the seat by the big fat boy who sat in back of me...

  My high school years passed entirely too fast. When I was in the 11th grade (my last year) I was chosen Secretary of my class. I shall always remember class day. I stood before my class dressed in a crisp, new yellow organdy dress. My hair pulled back & done in a bun, and called the roll call. That was May,1920. In the summer of 1920 I started taking private lessons in oil and water-color painting from Mrs. Thomas. I continued with my lessons until the fall of 1921, then I entered N.T.S.T.C. at Denton. Every weekend I went home (and home seemed so far away; even though it was only 32 miles). In the summer of 1922 I took State exams, passed, and by fall had obtained a teacher's job at Whaley Chapel located a few miles east of Gainesville. At that time I had my hair cut off much to Dad's dismay. You can imagine his surprise when he came home from work to find my tresses gone. By that time we had our first car (a Buick). The first time my mother let me drive it alone I came back almost sick from nervousness. I had driven it in second around several blocks. I drove back and forth to the little country school where I taught the 1st through 7th grades. How I did it, I'll never know. (Later in years three brilliant students came from that group.)...

  Summer 1923 I returned to Denton & by fall I obtained a job teaching 3d grade in the North school where I had gone as a child. I was taking art as a major in N.T.S.T.C., and during the year while I taught I painted with my close friend (Jo Gilbert) who was an artist and who taught the 1st grade in the North school...

  On September 8, 1927 at 5pm Mary Evelyn Glazier married Charles Calvin Myers. She wrote "My wedding dress was a beautiful black silk velvet dress trimmed in green with a bunch of green feathers to adorn the shoulder. My slippers and hose were of gun-metal color. My traveling dress was a new blue, and a black crushable felt hat with a blue ornament...
 

Miscellaneous Information:

Forty Years (1928 through 1968) she finished daily accounts of her four children’s' lives, along with pictures. Three diaries were found with her artist accomplishments, daily routine, trips, and always comments about the loves of her life: her children and grandchildren.

Where the heck is Gainesville, Texas?  It is close to the middle lower border of Oklahoma.

Take some time to look around. 
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