Part 1: J. D.

I was born in October of 1920—the days of the Model T automobile, horse and buggy, and mule and wagon. I was the second of 16 children born to my parents, Zoner and Ada Short. We lived on a farm in Alabama, about six miles from Opp, which was the nearest town. Occasionally, we had the privilege of riding to Opp, sitting on a bale of cotton, and were allowed to go to the drug store to get a nickel cone of ice cream. In those days a soda pop was a nickel and many candy bars were a penny each, when we could afford them. Although we sometimes rode on the wagon, we usually walked when we wanted to go somewhere. We walked two miles and sometimes farther to school.

We did not go to school if there was work to do on the farm, so my education was very limited. But through the goodness of God, I grew up—looking back, it seems a wonder! We had very little, but we did not expect much. Daddy farmed land on and near Grandpa’s place, where he planted corn, cotton, peanuts, beans, potatoes, and always a large vegetable garden. We hoed cotton for our neighbors, from sun-up until sun-down, for fifty cents a day.

One day, when I was about 15, I started to walk back home from church alone. A young man named J. D. Wallace came and asked if he might walk with me. How clearly I remember that day; when we got to my house, he asked me for a date to take me to church a few nights later. I consented. After that, he continued coming around. There were several young couples in the community and we all got together, mostly to sit around and talk. We didn’t have much to do for entertainment in those days—about all we knew was to go to church and work in the field.

J. D. Wallace asked me to marry him. As far as I knew then, that pleased me, not knowing there was more, so much more to consider. I wrote Mother, telling her of our plans. She wrote back trying to persuade me not to get married. At the bottom of her letter she wrote, “I do want you to come home, but if nothing else will do, you go ahead.” Well, my mind was made up—foolish child, as I see it now! I took her letter with me to the court house at Andalusia, Alabama, the following Saturday, September 5, 1936. The last line of Mother’s letter gave me permission, so J. D. Wallace and I were married that day.

I remember J. D. took me to his mother’s, where we were to make our home. Mrs. Wallace and my mother had grown up together. She looked at me and said, “I just can’t believe this! It looks like J. D. has married one of Ada’s babies!” I thought, “I am far from a baby!” But, as I realize now, I wasn’t that far.

Our honeymoon trip was to the cotton field to help J. D.’s daddy pick cotton. Mr. Wallace gave us five dollars a month and room and board to help on the farm.

J. D.’s mother and father were both saved. They were very sweet to me. I loved them dearly and they showed me much interest. Mrs. Wallace always read a chapter in the Bible and led in prayer before we retired at night. I loved the Lord and enjoyed being in any assembly with God’s people. I always waited for prayer before going to bed.

However, my husband was very young and very worldly. He would curse us and abuse us for serving God. Two weeks after we were married, he got drunk. From then on he drank often. He loved dancing and would go places while making me stay at home. He continued this way for a long time. The boys in the neighborhood would go to the places my husband did and then tell me he was untrue to me. They knew I had been a true wife. I went on trying to pay little attention to it, even though he would come home late at night and tell me of his good time with other girls and say he was glad I stayed at home. I didn’t want to believe it. I really thought that a lot of what he said was tease.

Finally, on May 15, 1937, we moved into a small tenant house on Frazier’s farm where we were paid 15 dollars a month. After that, my husband never left me again at night. I don’t believe he went to another party of any kind. He was often good to me, but sometimes he wasn’t. The worst thing he did was to try to whip me, but God never did allow him to do so. God was ever my protection and was always near me, talking to my heart. I sincerely desired to please the Lord, but my understanding was shallow.

One morning we started over to Short Town to visit. As we walked the mile road leading to Grandpa Short’s old place, J. D. and I got in a big fuss. There in the road, we separated. He went back to his mother’s and I went on to my Uncle Daniel’s. I found Marie and Otha, Uncle Bert, and others of the family there. Marie had left their clothes at the little house on Frazier’s place and J. D. had said he would not allow her to get them. When I told Uncle Bert, he had my cousin, Dempsey, and me get on the truck. We went to the house and got my things and Marie’s trunk before J. D. got there. My personal belongings were very small so it took only a matter of minutes to gather them.

It was August 2, 1937. Here I was, practically a divorced person at the tender age of sixteen. I would turn seventeen on October 31.