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Florence Morris Rose
FLORENCE MORRIS ROSE, 1891 – 1964, was a prolific correspondent, writing to four sons at war and three daughters at school and work. Her insights hold a cogent view of her times, sharing world-view...view moreFLORENCE MORRIS ROSE, 1891 – 1964, was a prolific correspondent, writing to four sons at war and three daughters at school and work. Her insights hold a cogent view of her times, sharing world-views, maxims, humorous and spiritual reflections. Her early education was in northern Arkansas at Yellville and at Big Flat. She attended Teachers’ Institute at Big Flat and taught school for two years in a country school before marrying a young farmer when they were both only nineteen. In 1915 a flood washed away their farm crop, and they moved with their daughter and son, ages three and one, to Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, becoming tenant farmers.
Living in a crowded small four-room house on the outskirts of town was difficult for the family. After a brief period working in the oil fields, the father worked for whatever he could find, usually for little money. However, there was always music in the home, and everyone took advantage of the books available in the Okmulgee Public Library. The whole family had a part in planting, cultivating and harvesting their large garden. Some of the produce was sold or traded for needed articles and services; even music lessons were paid for with vegetables from the garden.
While the children were young, Florence was ill much of the time. Confined to her bed, she wrote verses to entertain the children. She expressed thoughts about current happenings and civic problems, sending her ideas, sometimes in prose, sometimes in poetry, to the local newspapers. She was a suffragist, writing to support votes for women. All of those ideas she sent were published, but she did not receive any remuneration for them; nor did she expect any. When the Works Progress Administration offered classes in dramatic production and literature during the Depression, Florence and the younger children attended regularly. Her scores on vocabulary tests were very high. After the children were grown, in 1949-50, Florence took a correspondence course from the Bozenkill School of Creative Writing, with Clement Wood (author of many books, including a rhyming dictionary) as instructor in poetry. Mr. Wood gave her a great deal of encouragement and praised some of her work very highly.
She was encouraged to send her poems to the Tulsa and Oklahoma City newspapers and to several magazines. Quite a few of her poems were published, but she was not usually paid unless she entered a contest and was lucky enough to win a prize. The few dollars she won really helped when times were hard. Edith, the middle child, lived to age 16 before succumbing to leukemia after many years’ battle. By 1935, they sold their small house, and then made a down payment on an eight room house a few blocks from the high school. It had four bedrooms upstairs for the children and one downstairs for the parents, so they were all very happy and pleased to have space enough later for grown children and grandchildren to visit. Florence and Willie Rose lived there until 1964, the year both of them died in April.
All seven adult Rose children attended college. Engineering degrees were attained by Ward, Lynn and Lola May; finance claimed Oran, James and Nadine; while Irva majored in Music and Education. Florence and Willie Rose were proud of their brood.view less