132006
Armer And Griffin Family History, Part 3/3
Expand/collapse
Descriptive
Part OfArmer and Griffin Family History Oral HistoryIntervieweeEdgar A. ArmerInterviewerJoyce McBrideBrowse TopicBusiness and IndustryCommunity GroupsLand, Environment, and Natural ResourcesSociety and CultureSubjectOral historiesArizona HistoryArizona History 20th CenturyGila County (Ariz.)BiographyCattle--West (U.S.)--HistoryRanching History of Gila CountyRanch managers--ArizonaU.S. Forest ServiceArizona Highway PatrolConstables--ArizonaDescriptionPart 3: Edgar A. Armer now tells us about his mother's side of the family before sharing his own life. Frank Greer was Ed's mother, Cynthia Day's grandfather. He came from Texas in 1937 and bought all the ranches in Gisela from the Mormons living there. Brigham Young had ordered all the Mormons out of the area, telling them there was going to be a plague. Cynthia was born in Blue Water, New Mexico, the daughter of Grandfather O'Day. When she was 10 years old, they moved to Gisela, Arizona and the "O'" was dropped. Ed was born in Globe in 1944, while his parents were running the then FA Ranch that was later sold to the Boy Scouts and became the R Bar C Ranch. When he was a year old the family followed Grandma Lucinda Armer to Globe, where they worked at her store and Ed's younger sister was born. Next, they moved to Young briefly, before settling in Payson. Ed has always considered Payson home, and says the happiest years of his life were those 10 years they lived there. But in 1957, the family moved back to Globe, behind what was then the Apache Land Cafe, where his mother worked. His father got a job working for Hagan Construction. Ed hated living in Globe, and spent all the time he could at the stockyards with Buster Mounce. When he was 15 he decided to quit school and join the Navy. Once they discovered his age, he was promptly discharged and he returned to work for Hagan Construction. He also worked on a dude ranch in Young when times were lean. In 1965, Ed married Shirley Pace, and shortly thereafter, was assigned to the Christmas Mine to teach new employees how to run the equipment. A year later their daughter was born dead, and another year to the date after that, they had a son that they named Cliff after Grandfather Clifford Griffin. Dick Lewis caught Ed drag racing one night and sentenced him ride with him for awhile. They were called to an accident where a beautiful little girl had been killed. Ed went home, held his baby son, and decided to become a Highway Patrol officer. After graduating from the Academy, he was assigned Interstate 40 and U.S. 66 from Kingman to Needles, and from Laughlin, NV to Bill Williams River. His marriage split up at this point and so he was transferred to Phoenix to be an undercover cop. He met his wife, now of 38 years, in 1972 and worked in law enforcement until he was injured and had to retire. They moved to Payson, and he served as constable for about 14 years before having a stroke. Now retired again, Ed keeps busy writing lyrics, playing music in his band called the "Rowdy Bunch," recording music, serving on the Fire Board, and being active in the Elks Club and the American Legion. He's dedicated his life to writing and helping his neighbors and living comfortably in spite of his disabilities. Ed is a "people person" who loves history because, he says, it tells him who he is.Audio Length00:16:50Date Original2010-03-22Date Range1940s (1940-1949)1950s (1950-1959)1960s (1960-1969)1970s (1970-1979)1980s (1980-1989)1990s (1990-1999)2000s (2000-2009)2010s (2010-2019)TypeSound- NonmusicalOriginal FormatOral historiesLanguageEnglishContributing InstitutionArizona Heritage Research FoundationCollectionOral Histories of Gila County RanchersRights StatementThe opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee only. They do not represent the views of the Arizona Heritage Research Foundation, the Gila Co. Historical Museum or the Arizona State Library. Please contact the Arizona Heritage Research Foundation with questions about the use and reproduction of this resource.
Geographic
Related
Oral HistoryArmer and Griffin FamilyPlaceChristmas
Administrative
Armer And Griffin Family History, Part 3/3, [Armer and Griffin Family History, Part 3.mp3]. Arizona Memory Project, accessed 28/11/2023, https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/132006
