Allie Mae Thompson Smith

Allie Mae Thompson Smith

August 22, 1901 - August 11, 1994

     Allie Mae Thompson was born August 22, 1901 in Henderson, Texas to Louis Cemore Thompson and Lillian Josie Odom. She married Sam Houston Smith, also born in Henderson, January 2, 1921, in Mangum, Oklahoma.

     The following biographical information was provided by Charles H. Smith:

      Sam Houston (Pat) Smith was born December 26, 1901 in Henderson, Texas and moved to Oklahoma with his parents when he was about 7. His father, a farmer, died when Houston was about 10. He dropped out of school in the 4th grade to assist his family on the farm. The Smiths rented a farm near Brinkman, Oklahoma. The family moved to Mangum when Houston was about 18 years old and bought two homes on N. Dakota Street in Mangum. They were about a block and a half apart. Patsy Virginia Smith Cox was born in the one that was South of the final home place. This house has since been demolished. The original home was torn down and a new home was built which they occupied during Addie Smith's lifetime.

      When Houston was a baby, he was called "Fatty" by his family. (All of the Smith kids had nicknames.) He used to say that a tongue-tied person he knew tried to call him Fatty and ended up calling him Pat. Most of his associates called him, Pat, while his family continued to call him Fatty.

      At some point in time, he acquired a team of matched mules and became a freight hauler. He did some work in the oil fields at Burkburnet, Texas, then came back to Mangum to do local work. He worked on a grader for Greer County for awhile and then became employed by the Mangum Light Plant, an electric generating plant, owned and operated by the City of Mangum.

      He was a shift operator when Charles was born in a house located on the light plant property. They lived there until about 1937 when they moved to a house near the railroad on the East side of town. Later they moved to a rented home on North Carolina street.

      Houston was made Superintendent for the Light Plant in the 1940's and continued in this position until he retired. He was highly regarded by his peers and his employees.

      His personal hobbies were fishing and gardening and he excelled in both endeavors.

      He died of a stroke at the age of 79.

      Allie Mae Thompson was born August 22, 1901, to Louis Cemore Thompson and Lillian Josie Odom. She grew up on farms and worked both in the fields and in the barn and the house. She dropped out of school in the eight grade to work full-time on the farm. She always felt a little embarrassed that she was not able to finish high school. Her younger sisters, Minnie and Nettie were able to graduate along with her brother Douglas.

      Allie Mae and Houston went to the same school at Brinkman, Oklahoma and walked to and from school together. She used to eat from his dinner bucket because the Smith's food was better than the Thompsons - the Smith's had more money. At the time, the Smiths lived on a farm West of Brinkman, Oklahoma on a farm they rented from Roy Doyle's father. The Smiths moved to Mangum when Allie Mae was 18. The Thompson family later moved to the North Side of Mangum.

      Allie Mae was a good home keeper. Up until the 1940's, we always had a cow, and she had to milk the cow morning and evening. We had chickens for eggs and each year bought a new batch of chicks to raise as fryers. When I was in high school, she used to fry a chicken every day for lunch.

      Alllie Mae was the best cook I have ever known. She had a special talent for seasoning food, and she was never afraid to try something new.

      Numerous times in her life, she would go to the cotton fields to pull cotton to earn extra money. She continued this into her 60's.

      Allie Mae was a consistent church member and always attended every service when she was physically able to do so. She was a member of the Church of Christ.

      After Houston died, she continued to live at 408 N. Louis Tittle until she was almost 90, when she sold the house and moved to a Senior Citizen development adjacent to the railroad terminal where she first came to Mangum via the train. During the last few years of her life, she lived in El Paso, Texas near her daughter, Patsy Cox. She died of a massive stroke at the age of 92.

     Houston and Allie Mae had two children:

  1. Patsy Virginia Smith (Born: Jan 26, 1927 - Mangum, Oklahoma)
  2. Charles Houston Smith (Born: Jun 10, 1930 - Mangum, Oklahoma)

     See the next page for information on Allie Mae's family.