My sister Betty had been researching our family history for years, and by the time I moved to Oklahoma she had a lot of material to give me to carry on the research. I had a big advantage because I was on the Internet and she had been using the "Snail Mail". I have been searching off and on for the last 15 years, and have made some interesting discoveries. I will start with the basics, My Dad. His name was Willie Edward Dickey, but he was better known as Flip.

He was the first of his Family born in California, and he was typical of the folks of his time. His family was  hard working Farmers migrated from Texas to the desert of the Imperial Valley of California. After the All-American Canal was built, and water was brought to the fertile lands, many from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and other southern states migrated west to find good land and a place to raise their families. Dad spent his time working the land behind mules and horses before tractors were developed, and spent many hours on various tractors as well. He was not afraid of hard work. My earliest recollections were of him with a Studebaker flatbed, Hauling hay for the local farmers, getting paid by the bale. Much of the time Mom and the other wives would drive the trucks while the men loaded the hay. When they got a load they would go to stack in a large stack, sometime  ½ to ¾ mile long  by the roadside. He and 2 others worked out of our yard, we were living in the house my grandparents had built, and it had been moved at least once across the fields. They would leave early in the morning and work hard all day, when the heat got too bad they would head in and work on their equipment in the shade of the Eucalyptus trees planted along the canal bank.  I loved to watch and play on the equipment. They had what we called Desert Water Bags hanging on the rearview mirrors, canvas bags with a cork stopper that used the air to cool the water for drinking.   When there was no hay to Haul Dad would work for the Holtville Alfalfa Mills, cutting what hay they could find to make dehydrated cubes and pellets. Ours was typical of the local homes, we had gardens, and chickens and our laundry was washed in an old wringer washer, and hung on the lines to dry.

 

  My Mom was from Oklahoma, Sally Alice Rutledge.  I do not know how she got to California but she was a typical country lady. She could cook a great meal, and usually did, loved her Sunday meals, Fried chicken, Mashed Taters, Biscuits’ and much more it was almost like Thanksgiving.  Her Dad was born in Indian Country before it became Oklahoma. And she was a true Okie. She could make many things, sewed our clothes and made us new ones. She knew many Crafts, ans could make a snowman out of tumble weeds and spray on snow. In fact she made one for my classroom one year I believe it was second grade.  She made many things to sell to friends and make money for the family. She would make plaster Logs out of old coffee cans and toilet paper rolls, and decorate them with glass animals and they were very popular.  I remember her humming the Old Rugged Cross as she cleaned the house or sewed our clothes.  So although we were in California we were a typical southern family, with Traditional Southern Values.  Nothing special except we were a family, my four sisters and me. But I wanted to know where we had came from, who were ur aancester, what bvlood ran in our Hearts. As a redhead with 5 redheaded aunts and a couple of reheaded Grandpas, I knew we had Irish but what else????