Lula Brannon Briscoe, ca. 1903. Courtesy of the Brannon/Briscoe family
It’s time for Episode 3 of “Voices from the West,” our blog series featuring audio recordings of historical documents from the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center.
Our goal is to show that history is more than a timeline. At its core, it’s about people. And not just the famous and infamous, but the everyday and ordinary. If you missed previous episodes, you can start here.
About Lula
The oldest of six children, Lula had moved with her family from Texas to the Chickasaw Nation in 1898. They settled in Sugden, a small community near today’s Texas border that consisted primarily of farmers. She married Robert Willis Briscoe and together they had five children.
Listen Now
[audio mp3="https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/3-10151903.mp3"][/audio]
Sources: 1900-1930 United States Federal Census, WWI Draft Cards, and Franklin High School Yearbook.
Fun Facts
Lula asked often about her younger siblings: Carl, Frank, Winnie, Elmer, and Juletta, called Juju for short. Based on the letters and available records, we can piece together a bit of their stories. Sadly, Carl seemingly suffered from mental health issues and died in 1917 at Eastern State Hospital. Frank had light brown hair and blue eyes and later worked various jobs to help support his mother. Winnie married Herman G. Braunschweig in August of 1917. Perhaps because of anti-German sentiment during WWI, he changed his name to Brunswick shortly after their marriage. Elmer stayed in Washington for a time and also helped support his mother before moving to Chicago between 1921 and 1929. Juletta worked as a stenographer in a department store after graduating high school and taking two years of college. This photograph was taken her junior year of high school.
