Viola Marie Sims Schoonover
Viola's nickname was Babe.
Viola (Babe) Marie Schoonover was born Viola Marie Sims on Nov. 1, 1901 in Ames Oklahoma to Jacob M. Sims and Celia Bowman Sims. She had four brothers, Homer, who died at the age of 16, Guy, Harold, and Lester, and two sisters Nettie and Jessie.
"Mom worked for the Enid General Hospital (Oklahoma) for 39 years as linen and laundry manager. She needed an hysterectomy in about 1932 and medical insurance was unheard of then,but we never had to sit down to a cold unprepared meal. She was also a dressmaker and hemstitcher. Her hobbies were knitting, crocheting ,ceramics, beautiful afghans.. She was very talented.
Enid General Hospital 1920
(later incorporated and renamed INTEGRIS Bass Baptist Health Center)
My mother only had one hand. She fell off a horse when she was a young girl and her older sister fell on her too. Anyhow she had a club right hand. She wrote beautiful script. Never considered herself handicapped, because she could do about anything." -From conversations of J. Coole and great-uncle Ron Schoonover-June 2010, on his mother, Viola Sims Schoonover
Viola and Charles Edward (known as Ed) married on December 20th, 1919 in Enid. Ed had recently served in WWI, and was on the Rhine River in Europe when the war ended in the summer. One year later, in 1920 Ed and Viola are married and living in Enid on East Broadway Street, with no children yet. He is 23 years old, and she is 18 years old. Ed is employed constructing telephone lines for the phone company.
Enid Oklahoma 1920
Transcript 1920 US Census, Enid City, Garfield County, Oklahoma >
(margin notes East Broadway [street]) >
Schoonover, Charles E., Head of Household, renting home, male, white, age 23, married, read/write yes, born Oklahoma, father born Virginia, mother born Virginia, employed lineman, Telephone Co, wage worker.
Viola M., wife, female, white, age 18, married, read/write yes, born Oklahoma, father born OK, mother born OK.
It is interesting to note the change in their move from East Broadway to West State Street. This same year, Rev. Ferguson moved the black Baptist Church from the same street, Broadway, to East State Street. , as this is the same year that the black community in Enid, OK was relocating to the south-east district. During the ten years before, segregation codes (local laws) were being enforced in parts of Oklahoma and the Ku Klux Klan was growing in membership. In Enid, the clan marched in the streets to discourage black enterprise in the 1920's. The black community in Enid however, seems to have had a bustling growth. Called "East Park", the black community of Enid had schools, churches, stores, a newspaper, an ice-cream parlor, etc., and operated mostly autonomously with the exception of service jobs in the white sectors of the city. The black community of Enid was most likely inspired by the not-so-far-away "Black Wallstreet" of Tulsa Oklahoma which became famous for it's prosperity at the time and then also unfortunately famous for the race riot the following year.
(Enid was desegregated in the 1950's and 60's) source: okhistory
In the same year, Ed's mother and Viola's father are neighbors on Main Street in Cimmaron, Oklahoma, (about 56 miles from Ed and Viola). It's likely Ed and Viola became neighbors as children. Viola's parents moved from Illinois to Oklahoma during the few years following the homestead acts and the Cherokee land runs in Oklahoma (which created the town of Enid where they lived). At this point Viola's family had lived in Oklahoma for at least 15 years, though Viola's parents moved back to Illinois at some point.
Cimmaron County Courthouse
Viola Sims Schoonover, center right, and Sims family
Ten years later,1930, into the first year of the great Depression, Ed and Viola are listed with their four children, still in Enid,Oklahoma - Eveline M , 9 years old, (Lee) Charles L, 8, (Gere) Raymond J,7, and (Toad) Ronald E.,5. They are on West State Street, which is five blocks away from their former Main Street, home rented for $20 a month and own a radio set. Ed is employed as a truckdriver for wholesale groceries.
From their son, Ron Schoonover, " During the depression my dad was employed by Ranney Davis Mercantile Company as a truck driver and we as a family survived quite well. He worked for them 49 years."
The next 9 years, Oklahoma will plummet into the Dust Bowl, drought and severe dust storms.. Millions of acres of land dried up, and many devastated farmers left the plains seeking ease of hardship, but Ed and Viola remained in town in Enid. They were about an hour away from their families location in Cimmaron shown in the picture below.
-from their son Ron, " Yes I remember the dust bowl fairly well, I was about 12-14 years old. It was a dirty mess. I remember punching eye holes in paper bags to slip over my head. Enid suffered quite a bit, but the panhandel northwest of Enid was the worst I ever saw. Wewoka, even years later still had a lot of sand dunes in the area I also remember a host of grasshoppers. Don't know what they ate as there wasn't much good vegetation."
During this time Viola has a hysterectomy for medical reasons, and works at the Enid General Hospital for most of her adult life.She was the linen and laundry supervisor for forty years before retiring in 1972.
Dust Bowl, Cimmaron County, 1936
As the Depression and Dust Bowl were ending, WWII was beginning. During this time Ed and Viola are living in Enid (1940 US Census), still on West State Street, still renting at $20 a month, although now they have relatives living with them. Their children, as well as their grandson (daughter Evelyn's baby Andrew), and Evelyn with the married last name of Franks living with them, as well as Viola's sister Jessie Sims.
Ed is shown making a $400 salary as Grocery Co. truckdriver, Viola a $1,000 salary as a laudry clothes 'shorer', and their son Raymond of 17 years age is shown making $315 mo. with a note "n y a" (though I'm not sure yet what n.y.a. stands for).
In the next three years Viola would see all three of her sons enlist and serve in 1940, 41, and 42. She would also see all three sons return home, marry, and have children of their own.
Viola was a 50-year member of the American Legion Auxiliary.
The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. Focusing on service to veterans, service members and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States.
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| American Legion Headquarters Enid Oklahoma |
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| American Legion Today, Enid Oklahoma, Argonne Post 4 |
Viola was also in longtime service of the 40&8. The 40&8 honors and serves combat veterans.
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| 40&8 Official Emblem |
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Viola, Husband Ed, and Ed's sister Lula Schoonover
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Viola and Charles lived at 702 W. Nagle, Enid, Oklahoma until their death.
source transcripts and images
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| 1930 US Census Enid Oklahoma closeup |
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| 1930 US Census Enid Oklahoma |
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| 1940 US Census Enid Oklahoma |
Viola's husband Charles Edward Schoonover is listed in his mother, Sallie Schoonover's household in Cimmeron, as well as in his own household in Enid, both in the 1920 Census.
[Transcripts of 1920 US Census for Charles Edward Schoonover, his mother Sallie Schoonover, and
Viola's father Jacob:
1920 US Census, Cimmeron Township, Major County, Oklahoma
Schoonover, Sallie A., Head of Household, home rented, female, white, age 55, widowed, can read and write, born Virginia, father born VA, mother born VA, employed washing-for town, paid wages. >John W., son, male, white, age 31, married, read/write yes, born VA, father VA, mother VA, employed farmer, renting land, paid 'one account'.
> Walter L., son, male, white, age 29, married, read/write yes, born VA, father VA, mother VA, employed farmer, renting land, paid 'one account'.
> James R., son, male, white, age 28, married, read/write yes, born VA, father VA, mother VA, employed farmer, renting land, wage worker.
> Charles E., son, male, white, age 24, married, read/write yes, born VA, father VA, mother VA, employed construction work, telephone line, wage worker.
> George R., son, male, white, age 23, single, read/write yes, born VA, father VA, mother VA, employed railroad sector, wage worker.
> Francis E, daughter, female, white, age 18, single, read/write yes, born Oklahoma, father VA, mother VA.
> Roy T., son, male, white, age 14, attending school, read/write yes, born Oklahoma, father VA, mother VA.
> Floyd, son, male, white, age 12, attending school, read/write yes, born Oklahoma, father VA, mother VA.
>
>
> Note: neighbors on 1920 census are inlaws through Charles E. Schoonover and Viola M. Sims
>
Transcript: 1920 US Census, Cimmeron Township, Major County, Oklahoma
> (household number 21, margin notes 'Main Street')
> Sims, Jacob M., Head of Household, Renting house, male, white, age 46, married, read/write yes, born Illinois, father born Illinois, mother born Illinois, employed Manager; Elevator (industry), salary.
> Selia M., wife, female, white, age 42, married, read/write yes, born Illinois, father born Illinois, mother born Illinois.
> (Nellie ?legibility) M., daughter, female, white, age 22, single, read/write yes, born Illinois, father born Illinois, mother born Illinois, employed 'Central Girl In Phone Office', salary.
> Jessie F., daughter, female, white, age 15, single, attending school, read/write yes, born Oklahoma, father Illinois, mother Illinois.
> Harold L., son, male, white, age 11, attending school, read/write yes, born Oklahoma, father Illinois, mother Illinois.
> Lester I. , son, age 8, attending school, born Oklahoma, father Ill., mother Ill.
> Homer I. , son, age 4, born Oklahoma, father Ill., mother Ill.
>
>
> Note: Charles Edward's father is listed as born in Virginia. C.E. is duplicated in households in 1920, as is his brother Walter E. Schoonover. In Walter's records as Head of Household he lists his father as being born in Germany, and father's native language as German. ]
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