EFFIE VALERIA TOLAND
Across the Fence
By Arvord Abernethy
Last year I need some information on C. E. Hortons, so I called Miss Effie Toland as I knew that her brother, Gid, had married the Horton’s daughter, Pearl. We had an interesting conversation and I could tell that her memory was very bright on the events of yesteryear.
I was talking to Mamie Craig the other day and she was talking about Miss Effie and she suggested that I interview her. I did, and it proved to be a very interesting visit.
Effie was born to Mr. and Mrs. John F. Toland at Jonesboro; one of the five daughters and two sons the Tolands had. In 1905 the Tolands decided to move to Hamilton, so Effie, a young lady of some 17 years of age (anyway she is 94 years old now) made the memorable move. It was a memorable trip because it was such a blizzardy, icy day. Hamilton has always had a warm spot in their hearts, but it gave them a very cold welcome that day.
The Tolands moved to their property which was at the end of West Henry about where the Harry Lees live now. Mr. Toland had been a Methodist minister and had taught school some, but due to a throat ailment, had given up those professions.
The thriving new location for the Tolands gave new opportunities for the children. Those large, elaborately decorated hats for ladies were very popular then, so Effie’s mother suggested that she learn the millinery trade. She applied as an apprentice at Maxwell’s store where Mrs. Ida Perry was in charge. Such a person was called the trimmer, so called, I suppose, because the more feathers, plumes and flowers one could trim a hat with, the prettier it was considered. Marge Sikes also worked in that department. Effie said that they didn’t pay her anything while she worked as an apprentice, but they did give her two new hats.
The Maxwell Company was a large establishment located where Winns and Wilson Electric are now. They carried nearly everything the people needed; groceries, hardware, dry goods, men’s wear and of course, millinery. This store had earlier been known as the Wm. Connolly Store, a branch of the Wm. Connolly Co. of Hico which began in the 1880’s. Effie recalls that M. E. Witty was the manager; Bernard Miller was the bookkeeper and Mr. Roddy was one of the clerks.
Electricity came to Hamilton along about this time and the light people mounted the light meter on one of the large post that supported the ceiling. A fellow came in one day and seeing those hands on the dial thought that it was a new type of clock, so got out his watch and tried to set it by the meter.
There were some other first during these early days, like the first cars to come to town. Dr. Winn and Dr. Bolding were probably the first to own cars in Hamilton, but Effie never did get to ride in one. In 1908, her niece and husband, John Pool, drove all the way over from Valley Mills to show the Tolands their new car. Effie was visiting in Denton at that time, so missed the thrill of the car ride.
This turned out to be one of the great first-events in the lives of both Mr. and Mrs. Toland. The very next year Mr. Toland died of the throat ailment and nine days later Mrs. Toland passed away after a very short illness.
Effie's first ride did not have to wait very long. The store where she had been working called her one afternoon to see if she could come down and help them get ready for a special sale. They promised her a ride home after work, so instead of the usual buggy ride, they brought her in a car, and that was the great experience she had looked forward to.
The first airplane came to Hamilton just a few years later and proved to be a great attraction for the May Day Picnic. People came from all around to make it the largest attendance the picnic ever had. Effie was impressed with how low it seemed to fly.
The special sale mentioned above was probably a First Monday sale. This was the big day for merchants every month and they would put on some specials. To the youngsters,
First Monday of every month was the traditional day for farmers to bring their horses or mules that they wanted to trade
off. It was the day that all the hitching post were taken up.
Effie worked at the W. T. Little store for a number of years. She worked there until Mr. Little sold out and moved to San Saba. It was located where Bill’s Dollar Store is now. She never worked at the John L. Spurlin
store any, but her brother Gid did manage it some.
Probably most of you have heard of the reputation of the north side of the square when the saloons were along there. As a young lady, Effie took music lessons from her sister-in-law, Pearl. Since Pearl lived at the end of West Henry, her route to music lessons took her across the north side of the square. Her mother cautioned her to never walk across that side, so she would have to detour around the square both coming and going.
The shock of both parents passing away in 1909 just a few days apart was very great on the children. Effie and her brother Mack did not feel that they could live at ease there, so they moved to the present home on East Henry. It is where the neat rock well is in the front yard, and it is a real well, not just a decoration.
To have known Mack at his best, you would have to be with him at the First Methodist Church, as the church was a great joy in his life. You would have found him singing with the choir. The church has also meant much to Miss Effie, although she doesn’t get to attend regularly now.
As to the other Toland children, Clara married Sul Durham and lived out her abbreviated life here. Ella married Chester Atkinson and they established a hotel and boarding room business here that was widely known for its excellent food. Bessie married Mr. Brown. As mentioned earlier, Gil married Pearl Horton and they spent their last years in Waco.
To visit with someone like Miss Effie is a heart-warming experience. To sit in the home which was so neatly kept and to hear her so clearly and minutely describe the events of the long ago, makes one forget the few gray hairs he might have.
