20 September 1998

--On Oct.4, 1990 ninety year old Connie Bell Walker Odom's home was again the subject of devastation by strong winds. During a storm with strong winds, the sheet metal roof was torn from her kitchen. When she got up to investigate, there was an inch of water on her kitchen floor. Almost blind, Mrs. Odom called her daughter, Karlene Cobb, who lives a mile away. Karlene and her husband, Charlie were fortunate to find a carpenter, who lived near-by to come the next morning to repair the damage. He had just recently moved to the neighborhood.

About eight years earlier Mrs Odom was in her kitchen when a storm struck. A l2" in diameter limb was torn from the maple tree at the back of the house. It crashed through the kitchen window and hit her in the head. When she came to herself, she was sitting in the midst of glass and blood was running down her face. She thought, "I can think,so I must be alive." She found a cloth to staunch the blood flow and made her way through the broken glass to the telephone to call Karlene. Charlie & Karlene took her to the doctor who stitched up the gash in her forehead. All the while she chatted gayly with the doctor. Needless to say the maple tree was removed from her back yard. It was planted there when they bought the farm about 30 years before. Mrs. Odom declined to leave her home for the more secure residence of her daughter.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CONNIE BELL ODOM AS TOLD TO Harriet A. Odom in 1982

About 1895 Connie's father, John Walker and mother, Rosa Thomas, were keeping company when they lived at Mt. Lebanon, KY. Rd. 132 . They double dated with Idella Burton (later Odom) and Jackson Walker, John's brother. Idella found a baby shoe in Jackson's coat pocket (as she told it later) and thought he was stepping out on her. So she would just go with the new guy in the country, Jack (Jepp) Newton Odom. He had recently arrived from TN.

Connie Bell Walker was born in 1900 to Rosa Thomas Walker and John D. Walker near Sebree, KY. Her father was a farmer (named for his father, John D. Walker, Sr.) When his wife, Rosa was in poor health,he hired a maiden lady, Arah Beal, to help with the work and small children. When Rosa was five months pregnant with her 4th child, she was making candy when a neighbor lady, Verdie Day, was visiting. (Mrs. Day years later told Connie what she knew of Rosa.) She was picking up kindling with 3 yr. old Connie close beside her helping, when she crumpled over in a heap without warning just as she leaned over to pick up a stick. Her husband's teenage brother, Rube, very slight of stature, rushed to carry her to the house. He seemed to have extra strength in the crisis to be able to do that. The doctor said she died of a burst gall bladder. Little Connie always remembered her mother as she crumpled that day.

Connie's Aunt Nora often cared for her in the year and a half following her mother's death and before her father remarried. He married the woman he had hired to help around the house, Arah Beal. Arah was not a kindly woman and the three girls felt even more the loss of their mother.

When Arah combed the hair of tender headed Connie, she pulled it unmercifully. They didn't have much money for toys, but found ways to make their own. Connie had a stuffed hen someone had made for her. She was out in the yard throwing it up in the air for a ball when her parents returned from church in a buggy. She had a tree house out in an old apple tree. A teenage boy passed by on his way to his father's farm down by the river. He enjoyed teasing her as he went by with a rhyme about a girl up in a tree just for me. She didn't like it and threw things at him.

In the summer time Connie often followed behind her father as he plowed. As he cut bushes to clear new land, she and her sisters helped pile up the branches that would later be burned. Mr. Walker was handy at building furniture and made several pieces for their house.

One day step mother, Arah, was walking down the alley in Sebree and found 3 dolls (big, med. and small) that the heads had been broken on so they were thrown out. Arah picked up the dolls because they had good bodies. She bought new heads for them and fixed them for the girls to play with. When Connie was 7 or 8 years old, she began to make dresses for those dolls. She became an apt seamstress. It was good experience for her as later she was able to make clothes for her own children. Aunt Lou Edwards kept the girls in at least one good dress for S.S. Connie was in every program they had because she was active and did well in them.

When Uncle Frank Majors died, her father bought the farm that belonged to Mr. Majors down by Steamport Lane. At that time steam boats plied the Green River and stopped at that point to pick up and discharge coal. At school in that area the big girls carried Connie around when they were playing house, pretending she was their baby--because she was small for her age.

Mr. Walker rented a farm near Onton and then moved his family to Onton. They lived there a year before they moved to a house on a hill near Steamport Lane. Connie attended school at Onton and later transferred to Grape Ridge School, not far from Steamport Lane. Her father farmed the Steamport farm for 3 years. The oil boom hit (about 1908) in the area. Oil was found in the "bottoms" (low lands) near the Green River. Her father was offered a good price for his land. So he sold it. But he continued to farm it for another 2 years. After that he moved his family to town in Sebree. They had a nice big house on the road going into Sebree on the hill. Then a block from the main road through town.

Connie was quite a tomboy and loved to play ball with the boys. She was small for her age, but was pretty able to take care of herself. When she was at school, she and her girlfriend (also a tomboy) would wait until the boys were off playing ball and then have a great time climbing the bars and swing on the trapese with their pettycoats flying. (not a girls' sport in those days). When Connie was 14, she was playing ball (near her home?) with the boys (Ansel & Bill Puckett and Willie Stewart) as usual. She had the stick (used for a bat) in her hand ready to hit the ball when it was pitched. Willie, the boy who was supposed to catch the ball, instead threw his arms around her neck. Defending herself, she came down on his head with the bat. Needless to say, he let go in a hurry and took off for home. Her sister, Ethel, told her she needn't be so wild with the stick. But he shouldn't have had his hands on her. When he came over the next day, she just giggled at him and asked him how his head was. He had to come by every day to go to the mailbox. She also knew how to get her dog to help her when the boys got too mean. All she had to do was call "Rattler" to get them and the boys knew they better get moving.

On winter evenings the boys would come to play "Old Maid" cards with Bessie and Connie. Ethel didn't play much with them. She was too bossy. One Sunday afternoon their father and step mother went out and left Ethel and Will (her boy friend) to look after Bessie and Connie. Ethel and Will decided to "take a walk". Unfortunately their parents got back before Ethel did. And were they angry!

Her father didn't let the girls go out with the boys--so they did it on the sly. They probably married sooner than they might have if he hadn't made it so difficult.

Bert and Pearl Majors lived behind the Walkers about a block. When Pearl was sick, Ethel worked for her--helping in the house and caring for baby Berry Franklin. Ethel left to work for Mrs. Pearl's sister so Connie ran over to help with Baby Berry just because she loved playing with the baby. Mr. Bert Majors parents died before he could remember, but they were cousins to the Walker brothers.

After Ethel and Bessie married, Connie met Cosby Odom at the Baptist Church. The next week Connie was taking part in a children's program at the Methodist Church. As she was walking home with a friend, Cosby "caught up" with her and walked her home. They had their first date at the 4th of July picnic. He took her riding in his horse and buggy on the sly from his father. Her friend,Erphene Nance, (sister to Pete Nance) accompanied them.

Since her father wouldn't let them see one another (Connie thought he wanted to keep his last daughter to help on the farm), Cosby and Connie eloped. They rode in the buggy in deep snow, pulled by 2 horses to Henderson. They borrowed an extra blanket to wrap up well. (Probably had their love to keep them warm).They spent the night with Cosby's Uncle George Burton. Connie slept with Cosby's cousin, Florence the night before they married.

On their return, they had rooms in Granny Burton's house as she lived by herself. Then Cosby got a house near Margie Jones and Margie loaned them some furniture. She was a real friend to Connie. Connie didn't even know any of Cosby's family that lived in the area. So Margie introduced her to people of the neighborhood and made her feel at home.

When James Edward was born prematurely (at 7 mos.), Cosby's mother, Idella, was there to attend to her. Baby Edward was so tiny that he fit in a 2 pound cheese box. His nails and eyebrows were not formed. Grandfather "Jack" was outside watching through the window (in August) as his first grandchild was born. They held up the baby for him to see. He just shook his head and walked away. His and Idella's first child, a girl, Hettie, was born prematurely (8 mos.) and did not live. So evidently he didn't believe this little one would live either. But he did and flourished, though Ed never grew to be a big man like his father.

Harriet Zimmer Odom died March 4, 2004 at Roswell, New Mexico.
Her detailed biography can be read online.