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| Leonard and Elizabeth Nolen abt. 1963 |
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Week 14 March 31, 2025
Prompt: Language
Language is more than the words we speak—it’s the voice of memory, culture, and connection. While my ancestors all spoke English, the way they spoke—their rhythm, phrasing, and turns of speech—carried the language of their generation. This week’s post honors that idea by returning to a rare and treasured moment when my grandparents, Leonard and Elizabeth Nolen, told their story in their own words.
In 1963, the Sand Springs Pioneer Historical Society began an oral history project to preserve the memories of the town’s earliest residents. On December 21st of that year, they recorded an interview with my grandparents, both of whom had grown up in the Sand Springs Home. Their voices—captured on tape and later transcribed by the Sand Springs Museum in 1995—offer a window into the past that no third-person narrative could match. Their words are direct, heartfelt, and grounded in the language of the world they knew.
Below is the full transcription of that 1963 interview, ending with Leonard’s final reflection. Their story speaks for itself.
NOLEN
(From a tape made by Leonard and Elizabeth Nolen on 12/21/63)
Leonard:
I was born on March 9, 1893. I met Mr. Page when I was a newspaper boy in Tulsa in 1907, when my mother was sick. When Mr. Page started the Home, he moved my mother and my brother Luther and me out to his property. He put Mother in the first tent that started the Home. Mother died on December 8, 1908, and she was buried in the cemetery which was later a part of the Sand Springs Park. In 1928 we moved her grave to Woodlawn Cemetery.
Mr. Breeding was already on the land when we came, and he had about 20 men and he had about 20 men who were clearing the land and building shelters for the cattle and building tents for the people who were beginning to come. We had a family of eight that came from the Anchor Home; they were the Davis children.
The different families were settled into the first Home, which was a large two-story building with a basement, housing about 32 children and matrons.
We had a zoo. I remember monkeys, bears, birds, peacocks, burros, and parrots. Mr. Page taught us how to love and protect these animals and birds.
My job as a child was to care for the cattle and horses, and for doing this Mr. Page bought me a spotted pony which was my very own.
We had our own milk, butter, and fresh fruits. We did all the canning of the fruit for the winter.
My first job for the Home was checking railroad ties that the natives brought in when he started the railroad in 1911. Then I went to work as a water boy. Then, when Sand Springs was finished, I was agent at the old greenhouse station in 1912.
I went to school half a day and worked the other half. From agent I went to the Katy Depot; ticket sales. Then, I was jack of all trades. I went to business college - Mr. Page told me if I wanted to work I HAD to go to school. I went to college for 18 months. After finishing, I went to work for Mr. Steffens who had come from the Frisco in St. Louis to the general office in Tulsa.
From there I went to the train service as engine as engine foreman, and on Saturday and holidays I took care of the park. I operated the merry-go-round and circle swings and helped Mr. Morrison.
In the neighborhood of 1920 the Shell Creek Dam was started, and I had charge of the train from Sand Springs to Wekiwa. Running on the Katy right of way, we ran our own train from Wekiwa to the dam site. We had our own rock crusher for rock for the dam just north of the Home.
I was married to Elizabeth Moore in November, 1924.
Elizabeth:
When I was about three years old, Mr. Breeding came to my home and brought me and my brother and sister to the Home to live.
In 1914 I had double pneumonia. The only doctor here was Dr. Calhoun, a wonderful person. So they sent me to Tulsa in a railroad baggage car specially fixed for me. We couldn’t go in an automobile or wagon at that time.
In 1920 I started back to school, and I finished high school at SSHS. I went to work at the Sand Springs State Bank for three years, then I married Leonard. We lived at 5800 Sand Springs Road for 20 years, and we have three girls and one boy.
Leonard:
In 1926 I was made general superintendent of the overhead and track department. I had this job until 1957, though I lost my eyesight in 1954. I have seen Sand Springs grow from no town at all to the big beautiful city that it is.
Reflection
Hearing my grandparents tell their own story is a rare and priceless gift. The words they spoke in 1963 carry the rhythm of their lives—the way they talked, the things they remembered, what mattered most to them. “In Their Own Words” is more than just a theme for this week—it’s a reminder of how language connects us across generations. Through this recording, Leonard and Elizabeth live on, sharing their memories with all of us lucky enough to listen.
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