-180-
cont.

WILLIS S. KILGORE. Prominent among the county officials of Grady county is Willis S. Kilgore, of Chickasha, a man of much financial ability and judgment, who is filling the position of county treasurer with honor to himself and to the credit of his constituents. A son of the late Lewis Kilgore, a cousin of Congressman Buck Kilgore, of Texas, he was born, August 12, 1846, in Muscogee county, Georgia. He is descended from the Kilgores of South Carolina and Virginia, the emigrant ancestor, an Irishman by birth having located in the latter state on coming here from the Emerald Isle. The great grandfather of Mr. Kilgore, on the paternal side, was a Virginian, and served in the Patriot army during the Revolutionary war.
    Lewis Kilgore was born, in 1795, in Meriwether county, Georgia, and died, in 1878, in Winston county, Alabama. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits during his active life. He was an unswerving Democrat in his political affiliations, and was in sympathy with the old custom of traffic in slaves. He married Dijah Hill, a daughter of Hilliard Hill, who belonged to the same family from which the famous Ben Hill, of Cobb county, Georgia was descended, she having been his second wife. She died in 1853, leaving three children, namely: Willis S., Oliver P., of Cleveland, Mississippi; and Mary, wife of John Jaggers, of Winston county, Alabama. By his first marriage, Lewis Kilgore had seven children, as follows: William B., who died in Georgia, leaving a family; George W., of Winston county, Alabama; Betsey, wife of Hezekiah Freeman, of Winston county, Alabama; Samuel, who died near Waco, Texas; John D. died in Winston county, Alabama; Martha, deceased, married Newell Anderson, of Ellis county, Texas; and Joanna, wife of Reuben Johnson, of Chattooga county, Georgia.
    Brought up on a farm, Willis S. Kilgore's advantages for securing an education were but meagre [meager], but reading, observation, and his varied experience in life, have supplemented his early educational opportunities and given him a liberal insight into business forms and methods. His success as a fanner in Georgia was marked, and he farmed, profitably, more land than any of his neighboring agriculturists. He became active in political circles while a resident of Chattooga county, being drawn into

-181-

the vortex, and served four years as tax collector, being elected to the office in 1890, and re-elected in 1892. Mr. Kilgore subsequently settled in Denton county, Texas, where he continued his free and independent6ccupation for four years. Coming then to the Chickasaw Nation, he carried on the H. B. Johnson lands, in the Washita Valley, for several years, being exceedingly prosperous in his operations. Removing then to Caddo county, Mr. Kilgore took up a piece of school land, and has since been occupied with its improvement and cultivation. When the boundary lines of the various counties were definitely fixed by the Constitutional Convention, a strip of Caddo county was added to Grady county, throwing Mr. Kilgore into the latter county. Mr. Kilgore was for many years extensively engaged in growing wheat, having threshed as many as twelve hundred bushels of that grain from one crop. He is also interested in the raising of blooded hogs and cattle, and as a pastime, and a diversion from the customary toil of the farm he keeps a pack of fox hounds of the celebrated July strain, and in the occasional chase of the coyote finds strength and relaxation, and a pleasant reminder of his youthful days.
    During the strenuous days of the Civil war, Mr. Kilgore was an active participant in the cause of the South. On June 11, 1861, before he was fifteen years of age, he enlisted in Company B, Ninth Georgia Infantry, and was first at the front at Darkvi1le. Virginia. Being subsequently discharged from this command, he joined his father and family in Alabama, and there helped raise a company of infantry, of which he was made lieutenant, serving under General Walker. He saw much hard service, the severest being at Missionary Ridge. His health becoming seriously impaired, he resigned from his regiment, the Thirty-fifth Alabama Infantry, but as soon as he had recovered in some measure his physical vigor, Mr. Kilgore returned again to the scene of conflict in the Hollingsworth Battalion, General W. T. Wofford Brigade, cavalry. In 1865, at Tunnel Hill, he was captured, and was in prison at Chattanooga, Tennessee, until the twelfth of April, when he was paroled, and returned home.
    In Georgia, January 17, 1870, Mr. Kilgore married Tulula, daughter of A. J. Moore, a farmer, and into their home nine children have been born, namely: Ulysses, engaged in farming in Grady county; James L., living on the home farm; Minnie, wife of Fred Lughenbill, of Chickasha; Willis R.; Walter R., of Grady county; Maria, wife of J. W. McGee, of Grady county; Elbert P.; Susie Belle, wife of S. M. Crowley, of Chickasha; and John Bunyan, on the home farm.
    Mr. Kilgore made his race for the nomination for county treasurer on the Democratic ticket against two competitors, won by a plurality vote, and was elected in September, 1907, by a majority of seventeen hundred votes. He is a faithful member of the Baptist church, of which he has been deacon for thirty years, and is active in denominational work.

-181-
cont.

BEN F. JOHNSON, cashier of the .First National Bank of Chickasha, and representative of one of the historic families of Oklahoma, is a product of the new state, born at Silver City, Grady county, March 18, 1880. His birthplace was the site of his father's ranching interests for many years, and was a noted trading point at the crossing of the Chisholm trail and the Canadian river. Charles B. Johnson, his grandfather, was born in England, early came into the Southwest, and through an influential friend was appointed a special agent by the United States government to move the Chickasaw Indians from the state of Mississippi to the territory. This mission he not only accomplished, hut he accompanied the first settlers of the tribe to their new home, married one of their women and while his wife lived was a faithful and useful citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. His children are Montford T., the father of Ben F. Johnson, and a daughter who is now Mrs. James H. Bond, of Tuttle, Oklahoma. After the death of his wife the grandfather removed to New York City, where he was in the wholesale business for many years prior to his death. Montford T. Johnson was born in the Chickasaw Nation, where he passed his active career, mainly engaged in the cattle business along the Canadian and Washita rivers. He was both successful and popular. He married, first Mary Campbell, an English lady who had two brothers in the military service of the United States, and who died in 1880, after bearing him seven children. Mr. Johnson married his second wife, Adelaide B. Campbell, a niece of his first wife, and there were six children of this union. The husband died in 1899 at Minco, where he had established his home and large business interests.

-182-

    Ben F. Johnson is the youngest of his father's first family, and the years of his boyhood and youth were passed in acquiring his education, the foundation of which was obtained in Sacred Heart Mission and the Minco (Oklahoma) public schools. He completed his academic course in the military academy at Boonville, Missouri, and finished a very substantial training for the serious affairs of life in Spaulding's Business College, at Kansas City, that state. Soon afterward he secured a position as secretary of the Chickasha Cotton Oil Company, and in 1900 became identified with the First National Bank as assistant cashier and teller. Four years later he was elected cashier of the institution. C. B. Campbell is its president, and Henry B. Johnson, its vice president. Its directorate represents men of firm financial standing and absolute responsibility, the stability of the bank being well illustrated by the fact that during the financial stringency of 1907 its transactions were conducted on the usual cash basis, and its, deposits maintained a steady growth throughout that critical period. Mr. Johnson's responsible position has earned him a large share of the credit for this late honor and the present high standing of the bank among the financial institutions of Oklahoma. In civic affairs he is also an enthusiastic progressionist. He is treasurer of the Commercial Club, through which so many public improvements have been initiated and pushed, and as a Scottish Rite Mason is well known in that fraternity. His wife, to whom he was married in Nashville, Tennessee, March 23, 1903, was Miss Mayme Olive, daughter of Mrs. Josephine Olive, of that city. Josephine and Mary Lee Johnson are the issue of their union.

-182-
cont.

RICHARD M. COCHRAN, of Chickasha, is one of the prime up-builders of the city, whether considered as real estate man, merchant or citizen of public affairs. A native of Mayfield, Kentucky, born on the 25th of December, 1868, he is a son of Holden J. and Maria L. (Seaford) Cochran. His ancestry is agricultural for many generations, the paternal family having been founded in the United States since early historic times, while the maternal, is of recent German stock. The father died when his three sons were young, leaving their support upon the faithful widow, who remained loyal to her trust until her death in 1883. With her passing away, the children were left to their own devices in the world. Richard M. Cochran, the youngest, was then fifteen years of age, his elder brothers being William F., now of St. Louis, Missouri, and A. B. Cochran, of Chickasha.
    Richard M. Cochran became familiar with the work of the tobacco plantations around his native town, spending about three years in this employment. Before leaving Kentucky he also acquired a limited education, which included one term at the Farmington seminary. In 1886, three years after his mother's death, he abandoned the scenes of his boyhood days for the Texas plains, and for five years was a cowboy of the Panhandle. He then located in Vernon, Texas, raised a crop of wheat, became connected with the sheriff's office of Wilbarger county and remained in this locality for two years. With his savings of the seven years, in September, 1893, he came to Chickasha, and although business conditions were then at their lowest ebb for twenty years he embarked in a mercantile venture, under the name of The Turner-Cochran Mercantile Company. The enterprise, largely through his energy and good judgment not only lived, but prospered and voluntarily closed its successful career in 1901. On retiring from this field, Mr. Cochran exchanged his interest in the business largely for Oklahoma City real estate, and also engaged in the handling of Chickasha property. Among other large enterprises in this line which he has successfully promoted are the West Hill addition to Chickasha containing about 180 lots, which he has platted and sold, and the handling of the Phillips addition. Besides the development of his own investments, he is also engaged in a brisk and profitable general business. With the patentee, R. B. Human, he is also interested in the exploitation of the Human Stalkcutter, which is attached to disk cultivators for the purpose of cutting cotton stalks. The invention, which is being generally introduced in this section of the state, is manufactured in Chickasha by an incorporated company. First as a citizen, and secondly as a stanch Democrat, Mr. Cochran has performed a good part in furthering the civic affairs of Chickasha. He was a member of the first and second city councils and of the school board, in the latter capacity assisting in the erection of the first brick school buildings of the place. Further, he has been among the most foremost in the furtherance of moral and religious

-183-

movements, being one of the founders of the Baptist church of Chickasha, of which he has been a deacon from the first. He and his good wife are the only charter members remaining in the congregation. Mr. Cochran was married September 1, 1892, in Vernon, Texas, to Cynthia, daughter of J. S. Whatley, a Georgian farmer who came to the Red river country at an early day, engaged in stock business, and located at Ladonia, Texas. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cochran, as follows: "B," Alma, Reuben M. and Homer.

-183-
cont.

WALTER PENQUITE, M. D. Bringing to the practice of his profession a well trained mind, enthusiastic zeal, and an, excellent knowledge of diseases, their cause and treatment, Walter Penquite, M. D., of Chickasha, is eminently deserving of the high standing which he has attained among the able and skilful physicians of this part of the state. A son of Joseph J. Penquite, he was born. November 4, 1864, in Lebanon, Warren county, Ohio, where he was bred and educated. He comes of Quaker stock, the emigrant ancestor of the family, himself a Friend, having settled near Philadelphia, which was founded by William Penn, and there Joseph Penquite, the Doctor's great-grandfather, was born.
    Joseph Penquite left his Quaker home when young, migrating to Virginia, where he reared his family, some of whom subsequently settled in the south, became thoroughly identified with the interests of that part of the country, and, furnished sons for the Confederate army, while others located permanently in Ohio, and were equally active in supporting the Union cause. He was the owner of a plantation, and kept slaves, as did his brother, Dr. Abram Penquite, who moved to Mississippi, there reared his family, whose descendants are scattered throughout the south.
    Stephen Penquite, grandfather of Walter, moved to Ohio, locating in Warren county, where he became a landowner, engaged in farming some extent, and also ran a general store for many years in the nearby village of Rochester, living there until his death, in 1870, at the age of seventy-two years. Although his father, was a slave-holder, he was never in any way identified with the traffic, but brought up his children to abhor the institution. He married Margaret Jackson, by whom be had eight chi1dren, namely; Virginia, deceased, married David B. Glasscock, who served in both the Mexican and the Civil wars, and died, in 1907, in Blanchester, Ohio, at the venerable age of ninety-four years; Joseph J.; John M., of Dayton, Ohio, served in the Civil war as a soldier in the Union army; Catherine, wife of Kent Wilson, died in Clarksville. Ohio; Benjamin F., of Clarksville, Ohio; Warren D., of Wilmington, Ohio, served in the Civil war under General Thomas; Mary, married Joseph. R. Whitaker, of Wilmington, Ohio, who was a soldier in the Civil war, serving under General Rosecrans, and being badly wounded at the memorable battle at Lookout Mountain; and Charles A., of Blanchester, Ohio.
    Joseph J. Penquite was born, in 1836, in Fauquier county, Virginia, and the same year was taken by his parents to Warren county, Ohio, and subsequently received his education in Lebanon, Ohio, where he was reared to mercantile pursuits. During the Civil war, he served under General Thomas, and at its close removed to Lamonte, Missouri, where he has since carried on a substantial business as druggist. A stanch Republican in politics, he has taken an active interest in local affairs, and for twelve years was postmaster of his town. He is a prominent church worker, and is now superintendent of the Sunday school, from which he has not for twelve years missed a Sunday. He married Minerva Vandervoort, the descendant of one of the early Dutch families that settled New Amsterdam, now New York. She died in 1888, in Lebanon, Ohio, leaving three children, namely: Ella V., who married Charles Reed, died in 1896, at Salt Lake City, Utah; Walter, of this sketch; and Robert G., of Sedalia, Missouri.
    Brought up in Missouri, Walter Penquite received his academical education at the Elk Fork Academy, after which he attended the Wesleyan University, in Delaware, Ohio, for three years. Subsequently entering the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati, he completed the course, and was there graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1889. Returning then to Lamonte, Missouri, the Doctor began the practice of his profession, remaining there ten years, building up an extensive patronage, and gaining wisdom and skill. Coming in 1899 to Chickasha, be has since been actively and prominently identified with its highest and best interests, and has achieved both professional and. material success, having built up a large and lucrative practice, and acquired considerable property. He has a fine resi-

-184-

dence in Chickasha, and has improved, and owns, a well-stocked farm in Grady county, where he keeps a fine line of blooded stock, his horses, cattle, hogs and chickens all being eligible to registry. The Doctor is very fond of life in the open, is an expert with gun and rod, and in his various hunting expeditions has traveled all over the west, from British Columbia to old Mexico. He has in his collection many trophies of the chase, including wolf, deer, antelope, ocelot and black bear skins, which are pleasant reminders of his many trips, and tokens of his good marksmanship. His office is adorned with these trophies, and contains many curios of the fauna which once inhabited the plains. The Doctor spends his vacations as a traveler and hunter, in these trips finding renewed vigor and force, these enabling him to put more intense thought and activity into his professional work.
    Dr. Penquite married, July 30, 1890, at Lamonte, Missouri, Stella M. Wood, a daughter of Albion and Time (Lightfoot) Wood, formerly of Kentucky, and they have two children, Lillian and Robert. Dr. Penquite is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and while a resident of Lamonte served, under the McKinley administration, as secretary of the Pension Board. He is now president of the Pension Board at Chickasha; and is surgeon for the Rock Island Railroad Company, and for the Chickasha Oil Company. He was formerly physician to the United States Federal Jail, here located.

-184-
cont.

ALEXANDER B. LEEDS, M. D. Prominent among the popular and successful physicians and surgeons of Chickasha is Alexander B. Leeds, M. D., whose professional career since coming to this city places him in a foremost position among his medical brethren, while his personal worth and public spirit render his citizenship impervious to criticism. A son of Lodo C. Leeds, he was born, November 4, 1876, at Berrien Springs, Michigan. He comes of honored patriotic stock, his great-grandfather on the paternal side having fought in both the Revolutionary war and in the war of 1812. The name of Leeds originated in England, and it is said that but two families of the name exist in the United States, one in New York, and one in Pennsylvania, both of which were founded in colonial days.
    Judge Alexander B. Leeds, the Doctor's grandfather, was born in 1802, in New York state, and when a small boy was taken by his parents to Michigan, where they settled in territorial times. He studied law in Berrien county, took. an active part in politics, and was elected probate judge of the county, an office which he held many years. He lived to a good old age, passing away in 1880.
    Lodo C. Leeds was born in Michigan, in 1845, and died, in 1900, in Dallas, Texas. Although but a mere boy at the breaking out of the Civil war, he enlisted in Company C, Thirty-Third Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and concluded his service by marching with Sherman to the sea, and afterwards taking part in the climax of the conflict, and Grand Review at Washington. Returning to Michigan, he embarked in the lumber business, carrying on a wholesale trade for a number of years, while thus engaged obtaining the supply of the manufactured product for his Michigan yards in Texas, where he established extensive timber interests. These interests so accumulated, and became of such importance as to require his presence, and he moved with his family to Dallas, in the nineties, and resided there until his death. He was a man of commercial power, with a business sagacity and forethought that enabled him to take a substantial advantage of conditions in the lumber field, and accumulate a comfortable estate. He was a Republican in politics, and, brought up under christian influences, was a member of the Methodist church. He married Martha B. Bartholomew, daughter of Dr. Bartholomew, who easily traced his ancestry back to 1627, when the founder of the family from which he sprung was living in England. To them five children were born, namely: Alexander B., the subject of this sketch; Lodo C., chief clerk in the office of the general manager of the Texas Oil Company, at Houston; Will L., of Dallas, manager of the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company; Carl W., with his brother in Dallas; and Miss Jessie, who lives with her widowed mother, in Dallas.
    Being fitted for college, Alexander B. Leeds entered the Fort Worth University, at Fort Worth, Texas, where he was graduated with the degree of A. B. in 1898. He had previously begun to read medicine, and after finishing the first course of study entered the medical department of the same institution ill which he acquired his literary training, and from it was graduated with the degree of M. D. in 1902. At once establishing himself as a physician in Chickasha, Dr. Leeds has built up a fine practice in this vicinity, his

-185-

successes paying a generous tribute to his professional standing and worth. At the present writing the Doctor is surgeon for the Chickasha Milling Company, for the Chickasha Cotton Oil Company, and for the local Electric Light Company, and in 1902 served as city physician. He is a member of the Commercial Club, one of the most prominent organizations of the place, and for two years was president of the Republican Club. Fraternally he is a Mason, belonging to the blue lodge, the chapter, commandery and Shrine, and is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
    On February 3, 1900, in Dal1as, Texas, Dr. Leeds married Ethel Cates, a daughter of C. O. Cates, now of Decatur, Texas, but formerly of Tennessee. The Doctor and Mrs. Leeds have two children: Martha Orlene, born June 27, 1901, and Helen Virginia, born March 26, 1908.

-185-
cont.

FINIS E. RIDDLE is one of the prominent attorneys and citizens of Chickasha, Grady county, and, as a resident of territory and state, has been identified with its vigorous growth for a period of thirteen years. He is a native of Lincoln county, Tennessee, born July 13, 1871, and as his father was a teacher of rare ability and pronounced faithfulness, his education was both thorough and liberal. His primary and intermediate studies were therefore pursued under paternal tutelage, and his education was continued at College Grove, Tennessee, and at Holbrook Normal College, Lebanon, Ohio: Mr. Riddle finished his regular literary course at the latter institution in 1893, having in the meantime commenced his law studies. Finishing his professional education with Samuel A. Billingsby, a leading lawyer of Lynchburg, Tennessee, he was admitted to the bar before Judge Smallman and Chancellor. Beardon, of the Equity Court of Tennessee, and at once established himself in practice at Chickasha, Indian Territory, in the Chickasaw Nation.
    Mr. Riddle won his first case, a suit for damages, and his professional progress has since been continous. He has been identified with all phases of the law, with the rapid changes of conditions in the territory and state, and in the strenuous race he has never been left behind. Perhaps his case of greatest note was that entitled W. G. Morris vs. Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Secretary of the Interior and others, wherein Mr. Morris sought to prevent the collection of twenty-five cents per head on cattle held in the territory by non-citizens. Mr. Riddle was one of the counsel for the cattlemen, and prepared some of the important papers in the case. The litigation, however, was finally carried to the supreme court of the United States and decided in favor of the government's contention. In politics, Mr. Riddle is a Democratic; but he has been active in no field save that of his profession.
    Martin V. Riddle, father of our subject, was a native of Wilson county, Tennessee, and was orphaned at an early age. As a student he seemed predestined to be a teacher, and, although the educational methods of his life work were those of the old school, he bad a rare faculty of imparting knowledge with such force and distinctness that it became useful working capital for the future. Drill and review were his watchwords; his discipline was stern, but hundreds of pupils had occasion to thank him for it in the after years. His work was chiefly conducted in Lincoln county and the adjoining territory. Throughout his mature life he was an elder of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, was a man of unflinching morality and strong convictions on every subject, and strict fidelity to every trust which seemed a part of his life was a large part of his religion. For his wife, Martin V. Riddle married Theresa Tucker, daughter of Dr. Tucker, who survived her husband at the age of seventy-four years. Their children were as follows: Mattie, wife of Jas. C. Spencer, of Hughey, Tennessee; William B., of Fayetteville, Tennessee, who is engaged in the stock business; Annie, who married George Moorehead, of Lincoln county, Tennessee; James E., a resident of Waxahachie, Texas; McDonald M., of Franklin county, Tennessee; Ophelia, wife of E. Hill, of Lincoln county, Tennessee; Miss Emma of the same county; Finis E., of this notice; Lula, wife of Dudley McCandless, of Giles county, Tennessee, and Julian B., who is living in Arkansas. On the 22nd of October, 1896, Mr. Riddle of this biography, was married to Miss Letitia Cloud, a daughter of Isaac Cloud, of Cooke county, Texas. Mrs. Riddle received a literary, musical and art education, is highly accomplished and is a lady of charming- personality. The son of this union, Francis Allen, was born in February, 1900.

-185-
cont.

SAMUEL WOMACK BIRD, actively and effectively identified with the real estate business and the general advancement of Chicka-

-186-

sha, Grady county, is of a fine family of Kentucky farmers, who for several generations have resided in and near Shelbyville. His paternal grandfather owned the old farm of Governor Todd, the first governor of Kentucky, and improved it into a splendid estate. His maternal grandfather was a pioneer teacher of the state and founder of a famous school for boys near Shelbyville. It was upon the magnificent homestead near Shelbyville that Samuel W. Bird was born on the 19th of July, 1861, his early education being obtained in the country schools of the neighborhood, and his intellectual training afterward pursued at the Kentucky Military Institute (Anchorage) and the Forest Academy. Equipped with a fair education, at the age of sixteen, upon the death of his father, he commenced the practical duties of life by assuming the management of the paternal estate. Three years thereafter he joined his mother in Shelbyville, and engaged in the purchase and sale of farms until his final removal from the county in 1902.
    His business reached such large proportions that he had the distinction of having owned more different farms in Shelby county than any other citizen who ever resided therein. At that time he was also an active member of the She1byville Commercial Club.
He came to Chickasha February 9, 1902, and at once invested in some of its valuable business property at the corner of Chickasha avenue and Second street, while at the corner of Washington and Eighth streets he has improved an attractive home. He has established a good real estate business, is an active member of the Commercial Club of Chickasha and has heartily entered into the progressive movements of the place. He was a member of the first board of equalization of the city, and its report raising the value of city real estate to $3,500,000 created something of a stir, but the figures have stood the test.
    The paternal grandfather of Samuel W. Bird settled near She1byville during the first quarter of the nineteenth century, and Joseph Glass Bird, a son and the father of our subject, was born there in 1823 and died in 1877. He was ever identified with farming and the stock business, and, as stated, became the owner of the old farm of Governor Todd, improving it into a splendid estate, with fine accommodations and commodious buildings, and all the other accessories to provide a generous outlet for the typical hospitality of the affluent Kentucky farmer. Although a man of strong convictions, he had no other aspirations than to be an honorable citizen and provide every comfort and advantage for his family consistent with worthy aims. He married a Miss Womack, and became the father of Dovie, who married a Mr. Lyle, and Joseph Glass Bird, the father of Samuel W. The elder Mr. Bird married Amantha J. Womack, daughter of Samuel Womack, a pioneer teacher in Kentucky and founder of a famous school for boys in Shelbyville. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph G. Bird were: Mary S., wife of D. Ross Smith; Katie, afterward Mrs. B. C. Harbison; Samuel W., of this notice, and Fannie, who married John M. Cowherd. All reside in their native county, except Samuel W. The last named was married April 16; 1884, to Miss Augusta Irvine, daughter of Lee I. and Belle Irvine. Mrs. Irvine was a daughter of John B. Burton, one of the leading men of Boyle county, Kentucky, a merchant and citizen of wealth. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel W. Bird are: Amantha, wife of E. Dent Smith, of Shelbyville; Lee Irvine, and Givens Bird, who yet lives at home.

-186-
cont.

GEORGE W. PETTY. The growth and prosperity of the city of Chickasha are wholly due to the men whose judgment singled it out as an eligible point for business in the midst of a country possessing vast resources ready for development by master hands and minds. Among this number was George W. Petty, registrar of deeds for Grady county, who was one of the pioneer white settlers of Chickasha, beginning his career in Oklahoma as a cowboy on Ellison and Blank's ranch, in the Washita valley. He was born, March 24, 1870, in Texas, where he was bred and educated, being a son of Joseph W. Petty.
    Born in 1832, in Tennessee, Joseph W. Petty was brought up in Audrain county, Missouri, being reared to agricultural pursuits. After attaining his majority, he moved to Texas, and for a number of years carried on general farming and stock-raising in Caldwell county, in his occupation meeting with moderate success. He is now living in San Saba county, Texas, being somewhat retired from active business. He has been three times married. By his marriage with his first wife, Mary Estep, he had one son, Albert, who died in Co11in county, Texas, leaving a family. He married second, Mrs. Emma Jones, by whom he had one son. William, who went, in 1881, to Deadwood, South Dakota, where all trace

-187-

of him has been lost, he, seemingly, having perished. His third wife, whose maiden name was Lucinda Hood, died in 1904. She bore him six children namely James, deceased; George W.; Charles, of Frederick, Oklahoma; Henry, of Kiowa, Kansas; Andrew, of San Saba county, Texas; and Joseph, of Frederick, Oklahoma.
    Educated in the common schools of Texas, George W. Petty remained beneath the parental roof until becoming of age. Securing then a position with Ellison and Blank, he came to the Indian Territory, and before civilization had marked it for a metropolis, rode over the present town-site of Chickasha. Subsequently, with his later employers, Mr. Petty became familiar with every trail in the country, whether made by the white man, the Indian, or the cattle. Leaving his last employers, Light & Sparks, Mr. Petty traded for a farm in Caddo county, and was extensively engaged in raising grain for a few years, after which he returned to the Chickasha side, obtained a lease, and started a cow ranch of his own. While on this ranch, he kept in close touch with Chicaksha affairs, being even wont, without the qualifications of a voter, to add his influence to urban campaigns, and as soon as he cast his lot with the city permanently lost no opportunity to lend personal and financial aid to the extent of his ability. Whether it was the carrying of an election, promoting public improvements in the city, building bridges in the county, or erecting churches, his influence was made manifest, while his acquaintance was extended and his friendships strengthened to the limits of the town. When, therefore, the time came to make the campaign for the office of registrar of deeds his characteristic honesty prompted him to offer to his friends the reason that "it was a good-paying job," and he wanted it, they took him at his word, and helped elect him.
    Politically, Mr. Petty is very prominent and active in Democratic ranks. He is an earnest worker in town and county affairs, has served as delegate to state conventions, defeated his two competitors for the nomination to his present position among the county officials, at the election leading the county ticket, winning by a majority of eighteen hundred. Fraternally he is a thirty-second degree Mason, a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Genial and companionable, Mr. Petty easily wins friends and holds them, and as a successful trader and business man has acquired valuable property interest in Chickasha. He is unmarried.

-187-
cont.

DAVE HILL. Familiarly and favorably known throughout Grady county is Dave Hill, of Chickasha, whose business interests in this part of Oklahoma have been so prominent, and so eminently successful, that a brief account of his life and career will, doubtless, prove interesting to many, reading more like a tale of fiction than like sober fact. A son of J. B. Hill, he was born, January 13, 1867, in Franklin county, Kentucky, but was reared in Texas.
    In 1872, J. B. Hill removed with his family to Denton county, Texas, and at the end of five years made another removal, locating, in 1877, in Callahan county, on the very frontier of the Lone Star State. There he continued a stock-raiser and dealer until his death, in 1889, at the age of sixty-four years. His wife, whose maiden name was Catherine Jones, died in Callahan county, Texas, in 1878, leaving eight children, namely: E. C., of Callahan county, Texas, who became the head of the family upon the death of the mother; Alice, deceased, married David McGee; Thomas, of Abilene, Texas; Kate; wife of Moses Franklin, of Baird, Texas; Jennie, wife of W. H. Gilland, of Abilene, Texas; James, of Grady county, Oklahoma; Dave, of this sketch, and Emma, wife of Press McFarland, of Baird, Texas.
    In Texas, on the very fringe of civilization, one hundred and fifty miles from a railroad, and from the source of domestic supplies, was the place where, and the condition in which, Dave Hill was brought up. There both the opportunity and means for obtaining an education were lacking, yet he received a good common school education. In assisting his brother, E. C., he acquired a good knowledge of stock-raising, and remained on the ranges of western Texas until 1888. In that year, while in the employ of Mays and Hagden, Mr. Hill came to the Cherokee Nation with two thousand head of cattle, bound for Chateau, and being rushed into the country to head off new government quarantine regulations, which took effect at midnight of a fixed date. The cattle being unloaded at Gibson Station in the Creek Nation, he superintended the driving of them to their place of destination, thirty miles away, and subsequently had charge of them for several months, holding them on Brushy creek. The follow-

-188-

ing seven years, Mr. Hill was in the employ of Mr. Hayden, a ranchman, having his ranch headquarters at Choteau. While in that country he was brought in contact with people of all classes and conditions, the rough and lawless element of society as well as with those more peacefully and industriously inclined, among the number being the Daltons, Bill Doolan, Henry Starr, and others of lesser notoriety. On one occasion, Mr. Hill and a companion were approaching two of these desperadoes, and was warned and motioned to change his course in order to avoid them, but not understanding the warnings in season to turn about, his horse was struck by a rifle shot from one of the outlaws. Hurrying to a vantage point, the two cowboys waited until the highwaymen came into view, when a Winchester in Mr. Hill's hand, and a pistol in the hand of his companion, inflicted like wounds on the mounts of the robbers.
    Prudent and economical, Mr. Hill accumulated quite a fund of money while in the Cherokee Nation, and in 1896 embarked in the cattle business on his own account. He located on the Canadian river, in the Choctaw Nation, and alternated between there and Checotah until 1900, when he moved his constantly increasing herd to Winter's creek, finally going from there to Bitter creek, his bunch then aggregating several hundred head of cattle. Mr. Hill has a lease, near his allotment, of seven thousand acres of land, and this, with his thousand-acre farm in the Washita valley, and his individual allotment, just west of Chickasha, and a few of minor interest in the vicinity of the county-seat, furnish him with ample diversion and employment. For many years, Mr. Hill has been an extensive feeder, and has marketed some of the choicest steers ever sent from the Washita country.
    On April 29, 1896, Mr. Hill married Nellie Morgan, of Canadian, a daughter of Frank and Emma (Cochran) Morgan. Her mother was a Choctaw, and the union gave Mr. Hill citizenship in the Choctaw Nation. Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Hill six children have been born, namely: "J. B.," Harry F., Mabel Lucile, Houston E., Wynema and Almeta. In 1907, Mr. Hill erected his beautiful home on his individual allotment west of Chickasha, it being situated upon an eminence at the country end of Iowa avenue. This fourteen room mansion is equipped with every modern appliance and convenience, with. Hardwood finish on the first floor, a soft-water cistern having capacity of fourteen hundred barrels. hot water radiators in every room, billiard apartments in the attic, while the whole house, and the barn, are lighted with electricity, the buildings, with their surroundings, constituting the most elaborate and most costly outlay for a rural home to be found in Grady county.
    Mr. Hill's notable achievements in the affairs of business at so early an age, and, practically, in a dozen years, render him a man of mark, the wonder and admiration alike of his friends, whose name is legion, his popularity as a man and a citizen being bounded only by the extent of his acquaintance. His hospitality, sincere and unreserved, is un1imited, friend and stranger being welcomed at his gate, and his assistance is ever cheerfully given to the needy or afflicted.

-188-
cont.

WILLIAM H. WADSWORTH, of Chickasha, a well known dealer in agricultural implements and otherwise identified with the business interests of this section of the state, has been a resident of the city named since 1901. Born at Henniker, New Hampshire, on the 13th of March, 1863, his father was Edwin C. Wadsworth, a tanner of that state born in 1841. The paternal grandfather was Carlton Wadsworth, also a native of Merrimac county, New Hampshire, who was a shipbuilder in early life, but spent his last years as a farmer. The father left the Granite state in 1872 and located in Exira, Iowa, later he moved to Grinnell, that state, where, at his death in 1896, he was a member of the glove manufacturing firm of Morrison, McIntosh and Company. His wife was Harriet, daughter of Carlton Dodge, representative of an old New England family, and the children of their marriage were: William H., of this biography; E. Arthur, of Grinnell, Iowa; and Mabel L., wife of Lee Blodgett, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
    William H. Wadsworth secured his education in. the public schools in and near Exira, Iowa, and obtained his first employment with the Stewart Lumber Company of that place. Starting with a capital of some $350 he then embarked in an agricultural implement enterprise, continuing in that line of business for about fifteen years, or until his departure for Oklahoma in 1901. Prior to his actual settlement he had formed a partnership with Mr. White, which has remained unchanged. Their warehouse and sales depot on Kansas avenue between Second and Third streets, is

-189-

a two story building of brick, fifty feet sql1are, and represents a business of $35,000 annually. Mr. Wadsworth's attractive home is at Thirteenth street and Kansas avenue, and, in addition to his large business participation, he is vice-president of the Chickasha, National Bank. There is no doubt, therefore, of his position as one of the strong factors in the substantial prosperity and advancement of Chickasha. On January 14, 1885, at Exira, Iowa, he was united in marriage with Miss Alice R. Fowler, daughter of a well known Ohio citizen. The children of this union are: Hattie, Ethel, Fannie, Ruth, Alice (deceased), Irene, and Edward and Ebert (twins). Mr. Wadsworth is a Republican, a Mason, a leading member of the Commercial Club of Chickasha, and earns the highest regard of his associates in whatever field of activities he ventures.

-189-
cont.

JONAS COOK of Chickasha, Grady county, ex-superintendent of the city schools, and now engaged in real estate business, has done much to advance the cause of education in the West and Southwest. He was born in Carroll county, Ohio, on July 7, 1852, being the ninth child of a family of fourteen, and until he was twenty-seven years of age, spent the greater portion of his life as a farmer and in the acquirement of an education. His higher literary training included courses at Mount Union College, which advanced him to the sophomore year, and at the Northwestern Ohio Normal University, from which he graduated in 1879, with the degree B. S. The latter institution afterward conferred upon him the degree M. S.
    He began teaching in 1873 in his native county. . He also conducted a private school, chiefly for the instruction of teachers. He was connected with the schools of Genoa, Ohio, for four years, and one year with those of McArthur, Vinton county, after which he removed to Harper, Kansas, and for six years served that city as its superintendent of schools. Removing to Montana in 1896, he held a similar position for five years in Phillipsburg, Montana. In 1901, Mr. Cook was called to Chickasha as superintendent of schools, with a corps of eleven teachers in several inconvenient rented buildings. At the close of the school year he had fourteen teachers, and in the following fall, twenty-two teachers, occupying twenty buildings. In the fall of 1903 he opened the school year with twenty-eight teachers in four new brick buildings, and with a four years' high school course. In the spring of 1904 he was unanimously re-elected for a fourth year, but decided to leave the educational field and devote himself to the real estate business. As an instructor in Teachers' Normals he has done service in Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, Montana and Oklahoma. He holds a state certificate from the board of education of Ohio; a life certificate from the state board of education of Montana; and a life certificate from the state board of education of Oklahoma. Mr. Cook was engaged in educational work from 1873 to 1904, with the exception of three years during which time he was editor and proprietor of the Harper Sentinel, conducting it during this time as a stanch Republican newspaper. While thus engaged he became quite widely known as the author of "Uncle Jonas Talks." During the last year of his stay in Montana he was also connected with the Helena Daily Record.
    Mr. Cook has always been an earnest and active Republican. He was a delegate to the Statehood Convention which met at Oklahoma City in 19OO and to the Republican State Convention which assembled at Tulsa in 1907; was a member of the convention at Oklahoma City which named delegates to the next National Republican Convention, and for several years acted as secretary of the Chickasha Republican Club. He is also identified with the Commercial Club of that city.
    Both the father and grandfather of Jonas Cook were born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, the elder (Peter Cook) migrating to the heavily timbered section of Carroll county, Ohio, when his son (Moses Cook) was a youth of about fifteen years. The incursion of another pioneer family took place in 1817. The two worked together clearing the forest growths from the land and bringing it into the form of a cultivated farm and comfortable homestead. In the midst of much necessary pioneer toil, Moses Cook came to mature years with more physical than mental training, but an honest, earnest, reliable man. In June, 1890, Jonas Cook married, in Kingman county, Kansas, Minnie, daughter of Capt. John M. Hart, formerly of Shelbyville, Illinois, where Mrs. Cook was born. The child of their union, Howard Cook, was born August 22, 1891.

-189-
cont.

ROBERT D. WELBORNE. For more than half a century the Welborne family, father and son, was an important agent in the development of

-190-

that section of eastern Texas now embraced in Gregg and Upshur counties. The elder man, William L. Welborne, was a pioneer merchant during the Mexican occupancy of the country, and passed many of the best years of his life at the historic Pine Tree, while Robert D. Welborne, the son, was for a number of years the legal representative of the Gould system of railroads il1 that section of the state, and is now recognized as one of the ablest lawyers of Chickasha and the Washita valley Robert D. Welborne was born in Gregg county, Texas, than a part of Upshur county, on the 5th of January, 1858, his immediate ancestry originating in Tennessee. He acquired the ordinary country school education through the usual makeshifts of a pioneer's son, but early rejected the idea of engaging in either mercantile or farming pursuits. Selecting the law as his profession, he bent his energies toward securing the necessary education, and finally had the satisfaction of entering the law school at Lebanon, Tennessee, known as Cumberland University. He graduated therefrom in 1878, but his license to practice was withheld for a year, or until the attainment of his majority.
    While waiting for his diploma, Mr. Welborne improved his time and himself by pursuing a course of reading at Longview, Gregg county, and in due time creditably passed his examination and was admitted to the Texas bar before Judge Bonner. His first case in court was the defense of a negro for stealing hides, and he immediately entered upon an active civil practice. This soon brought him into favorable notice, and during his partnership with the noted John M. Duncan the firm represented all the railroads of Upshur and Gregg counties, chiefly the Gould system of roads. In 1882 the partnership was dissolved by the removal of Mr. Welborne to Henrietta, Clay county, Texas, where he practiced successfully and obtained a firm leadership in the Democratic party of his section. He was a delegate to the congressional convention that first nominated Joseph W. Bailey to the United States senate. Soon after locating at Chickasha , in 1899, Mr. Welborne became a member of the law firm of Welborne and Sheperd, but later this partnership was dissolved and he associated himself with Judge Walter S. Hayes. This strong legal combination was broken by the election of Judge Hayes to the supreme bench of the state, when with Judge Dickerson, Mr. Welborne formed the firm of Welborne and Dickerson, which is one of the most substantial in Oklahoma.
    In this state Mr. Welborne has acted generally with the Democracy, but without any display of partisanship, and has thrown his influence toward the moral movements in politics. He vigorously supported the movement for statewide prohibition, and its adoption by the people is one of the most gratifying events of his life.
    As stated, Mr. Welborne represents an old Tennessee family, his father being born in McNairy county, of that state, in the year 1822. When a child he accompanied his parents to Texas, and in his early manhood, while the future republic and state was still Mexican territory, established a store at old Pine Tree, Upshur county. There he spent most of his remaining life, his later years being identified with agriculture. He had a wide acquaintance, served as commissioner of his county, as well as a soldier of the Confederacy, and was a stirring and an honorable man. Toward the close of his life he moved into Hunt county, where he died in 1898. His wife (formerly Frances Demron) had previously passed away at Pine Tree, the mother of John, of Longview, Texas; Sarah, who married a Mr. Drake; Mary, who married and died at Pine Tree, Texas; Robert D., of this sketch, and Lewis W., of Altus, Oklahoma. Robert D. Welborne was married at Shreveport, Louisiana, on the 25th of November, 1881, to Mrs. Mary Rankin, widow of Emmett Rankin and a daughter of James Heffner. By her first marriage, Mrs. Welborne is the mother of James W. Rankin, of Paris. Texas: and Emmett Rankin, who married and in 1902 died in Chickasha, leaving two children. Mr. and Mrs. Welborne are both members of the Methodist church of Chickasha, in which the former is a steward and trustee and has served on the building committee which supervised the erection of the present handsome house of worship. He has also been president of the Epworth League, The family residence is at the corner of Eighth street and Texas avenue, in the choice residence district of the city. and the cottage home reflects the tastes and domestic inclinations of its owners.