Kirby Honeycutt was born in that time before all the discoveries and inventions started. In those times the main occupations were sawmill workers, cotton mill workers, farmers, blacksmiths and coal miners. Kirby’s father raised cotton to sell and other crops to take care of the family. His mother made her own soap out of hog fat and lye, and their own butter. She most likely made most of the family’s clothes, also.

Such was the family into which Kirby was born in Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma, near present day Stigler in Lafayette. A photo taken about 1909 shows him with his family, looking like the typical little farm boy that he was, probably a bit bored. He was a handsome lad, with white hair. His sons would also inherit this hair color. In fact, some of his sons at the same age resembled him very closely.

It is not known for sure how far he went in school, but the best guess would be 6th to 8th grade because he could read and write well and was good at math. It is certain that as soon as he was old enough, he helped his dad with the farm, learning everything that went along with raising cotton, such as plowing, fertilizing and planting; there would also be cows to milk, pigs and chickens to take care of, and tending the crops that would be the family’s food for the winter. There would sometimes be hogs to butcher and chickens to kill. Water had to be carried from wells or ponds. When there was time they went fishing, also Kirby was good at shooting squirrels for food.

As he grew older he rode a horse or hitched the horse to a wagon to go places. One of the most popular activities of that time was house dances, and it was at one of these he met his future wife, Lettie, and began to court her. This was not hard because they discovered they lived in the same area. They were married at the home of Kirby’s brother, Alex and his wife, Dovie on November 20, 1929 at Lafayette.

They moved into their first home November 30, 1929. It was a small house in the San Bois area; however they were not able to stay long. They moved to Havana and here they stayed quite a while. They are shown in the 1940 census there, Kirby is head of house with a wife and six children. Like his father, Kirby raised cotton and crops and he and Lettie settled down to make a good life. Workdays were long but there was always plenty of good food; Lettie was an excellent cook and good mother. Kirby had learned to build and could build trailers, buildings and many other things.

About 1941 they moved back to Lafayette. They obtained water from Kirby’s brother’s pond by hitching 2 mules to a wagon and bringing water back in containers. They got their first car sometime in the 1940’s. It was a model T which his brother-in-law traded to him for a horse. It was during this time Kirby began working for the WPA, doing lots of different jobs such as helping build the high school in Stigler and helped build a road. He even worked in a coal mine, and drove a taxi cab in Stigler. His family also remembers him driving a school bus during this time.

About 1952 they moved to Perry, stayed about 5 years and then moved to a place 5 miles south of Keota, a big two-story house with lots of land. One thing everyone remembers is the year that they had to fight a huge grass fire which threatened to get out of control- it was a close call! There were plenty of people to help-by this time Kirby and Lettie had 17 children!

The last place Kirby lived was west of Stigler, moving there in 1964. By this time they were enjoying grandchildren. The picture above shows a typical photo of how those of us who knew him best remember him, helping Lettie prepare for supper and the many family members who would most likely be visiting. Life was by then a comfortable routine but Kirby would not live to enjoy it long. In September 1973 he had stopped at one end of an old one-lane bridge to let a diesel truck come across from the opposite direction. A diesel truck coming up behind plowed right into the rear of his car and ran up onto the car, coming off right behind the driver’s seat. Fortunately he, his daughter and 2 granddaughters came out of the accident alive. Then in May 1974 an artery ruptured causing him to have a heart attack and die.

Kirby was a wonderful story teller, he could almost make you see what he was talking about. With a little imagination, we can picture all the little children gathered around Kirby, listening to the stories he can tell.