Payne Gap Cemetery Directory

Frank Wendell Adams (1927-2016)

Names Detail

First Name

Middle Name

Last Name

Birth and Death

Birth Date

Death Date

Age at Death

Cemetery Location and Disposition

Cemetery Location

Disposition Type

Relationships to Others at the Cemetery

• Son of Lena Laura Cook Adams (1895-1977)
• Son of John Clemons Adams (1886-1973)
• Husband of Johnnie Lee [Comer] Adams (1926-2018)
• Father of Jay Frank Adams (1957-2010)
• Brother of John Clements “J.C.” Adams (1918-1998)
• Brother of James Otis “Otis” Adams (1925-2014)
• Brother of Mildred Lucille [Adams] Butts (1920-2015)
• Brother of William Alton Adams (1923-1979)

Notes

From The Four F’s of Moline, Texas:

ADAMS, FRANK. My grandparents Jack and Mattie Cook came by wagon and were the third family to settle in the little community which is now Moline. His land included the Dave Phillips place, presently owned by Alvis Lee. Also the J. C. Adams, Sr., place and part of the land on which Moline was built. He paid a premium price, at that time, of five dollars per acre. Jack Cook donated the land for the Moline Baptist Church and the Moline town site. In a short time it became a thriving little town and growing community. It boasted of a cotton gin, a mill for grinding, barber shop, three grocery stores, a post office and an Odd Fellow Lodge, a service station and garage, and a doctor’s office and his drug store. Besides the Moline Baptist Church, there were two Church of Christ brush arbours which stood just a few yards from Moline on the southwest line inside the Jack Cook place, and another arbour south of Moline.

I remember the brush arbours and church meetings and the dinners. The kids playfully called it preaching on the grounds and dinner all day. The first norther of the year was hog-killing day. Cracklings were made and the lard was used to make the lye soap for the family wash. The old iron kettle, which was brought with the family from Georgia, used to boil water, is still in our family. Cotton ginning was a busy time of the year. Some time we would see a wagon full of cotton on the Payne Gap road and one coming on the Moline road. When they saw each other the race would begin. Each one wanted to get ginned first. After the gin was abandoned, we sometime played in it even though this was forbidden. A neighbor boy happened to be playing with us when we saw someone coming to the gin. One of us jumped out the top. I ran and jumped over the trough below the machiner to go out the back door. The trough was full of water and cotton seed floated on top. This made it appear like the rest of the floor. The neighbor lad did not know this and fell into it. He got out all right, but can you imagine the bad odor of decayed cotton seed in stagnant water? For the rest of the day it was hard to be close to him and our lunch was eaten outside.

Relatives and friends, or a visiting preacher would come to our house and stay several days at a time. We always enjoyed listening to the accounts of the early days of Moline. There was talk of Indians and how they hung a man at Snipes Cove. Also about a family traveling through this area. While camped for the night, their small child fell into their campfire and was burned so badly it died. It was buried in the Payne Gap Cemetery near our family burial plot. Once a Mr. W. W. McQueen came to visit in the Jack Cook Home. His team of horses became frightened and ran with the wagon they were pulling. It struck a wire fence and overturned a hive of bees. They became entangled in the fence. The men took limbs from the trees and tried to wipe the bees from the horses backs. They were scared so badly the men could not get the horses to move, and they were stung so badly the horses died.

I enjoyed baseball games, horseshow pitching, washer and coin pitching, checker and dominoes. Dr. Hicks would invite me over for a game of Chinese checkers. The old medicine show would arrive with their linaments and “cure all” tonics. They would entertain us with music and singing. Once a cyclone came from the east and blew some of the show’s things over in our field. A friendly game of cards was going on in an old barn surrounded by a tall cow lot fence. The storm hit the barn and men scattered in every direction. One jumped the tall fence. On another occasion, a mischievous lad tossed a package of large fire crackers into a cellar where they were playing cards. They left in a hurry. Home brew could be found in the Moline hills. When the brew was ready the young man would ask his friends to taste it. One could hear them when they had sampled too much. Several times they would need help to get home and a few times someone became very ill. There were a few horse races. After a man had won a couple of races, the next race included three horses. For two horses the race was very close. When the third race was finally crossed the finish line–he just kept going.

I was born September 12, 1927 near Moline. Two weeks 12, ST later my family moved to the Jack Cook place. I attended Moline school. Lucy Ledbetter was my first teacher. Other teachers were Laura Benningfield, June Nettleship, Cleo Black, Mrs. Ashton, and Helen Hawkins. We played softball, basketball, Red Rover, Marbles, and, of course, there were the school picnics. Early one morning I was on my way to class and stopped by to chat with my friend, the lunchroom cook. To my surprise I saw knives, spoons, forks, and pots and pans strewn in front of the lunchroom door. I learned there had been a soup supper the night before and they had failed to clean up the equipment they used. Some children had to walk a long way to school. Many times I have seen the teacher build the fire a little higher to help thaw them out. They did their best to better and inspire our lives.

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