| Notes |
- Letter to his brother Benjamin:
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/OKGARFIE/1998-01/0884460162
United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
https://www.familysearch.org/search/recordDetails/show?uri=https://api.familysearch.org/records/pal:/MM9.1.r/915G-YHF/p1
Death Certificate: http://genealogy.az.gov/azdeath/075/10752839.pdf
[[
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/OKGARFIE/1998-01/0884460162
From: Yvonne James-Henderson hen1@idt.net
Subject: Garfield County Run
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 1998 14:22:42 -0500
Taylor > writes:
If anyone finds a connection to these families I would be glad to answer
their questions/share information. I have a copy of the book below as
well
as a book on the Hildabrand/Hildebrand family of the same area. I
probably
could glean more from them for your page if you're ever in need.
The core family at the time of the "run" is below (with the exception of
the last two children who were born on the homesteaded land):
Descendants of Isiah Sanford Hoar
1 Isiah Sanford Hoar 1848 - 1933
. +Linnie Mae Eakin 1857 - 1938
........ 2 Benjamin Jesse Hoar 1875 -
............ +Ida Mae Phoenix
........ 2 Edwin Herbert Hoar 1877 - 1945
............ +Grace Hooper
........ 2 James Arthur Garfield Hoar 1880 - 1966
............ +Lulu Jane Ramey 1887 - 1967
........ 2 Susan Mary Hoar 1882 - 1983
............ +William Estill 1880 - 1944
........ 2 Ord Albert Hoar 1885 - 1954
............ +Jessie Neumann 1888 - 1963
........ *2nd Wife of Ord Albert Hoar:
............ +Dovie Hildabrand 1902 - 1992
........ 2 Charles Wesley Hoar 1887 - 1952
............ +Lucy Katherine Cecil 1889 - 1972
........ 2 Estella Maude Hoar 1889 - 1960
............ +Frank J. Stahl
........ 2 Vern Sanford Hoar 1892 -
............ +Dora Belle Coffin
........ 2 Letitia Maurine Hoar 1894 - 1976
........ 2 Lillian Ruth Hoar 1897 - 1955
A copy of a letter by the late Ed Hoar (1877-1945) , Carrier, OK to his
brother Benjamin J. Hoar (1875- ?), Okemah, OK as it appears in "History
and Geneology of the Families of Hoare and Hoar" written by Edwin C.
Houston
there is no correction of grammar or spelling to this letter from that
book
Dear Brother:
To go back fifty two years to the day of the opening of the Cherokee Strip
is a long way. But, there are a few things that stand out, never to be
forgotten, as to the day of September 16, 1893. There are only three that
survive today, Uncle Conda Eakin, Challey Nelson and myself.
Our family and the men that made the "run" together were living near
Towanda, Kansas. Those in the group were: W.C. Nelson and his sons,
George C., H.C. (Tobe), and Chalmers who was about eighteen years old.
Also Uncle Conda, A.B. Eakin and an old and typical Kentucky Colonel, Mr.
Woolridge (he drove a fine filly and buckboard), and lastly my father,
I.S.
Hoar and myself (I being the age of sixteen years).
We left home about September 5, 1893. There were four wagons and the
buckboard in our outfit. Our first stop was at Arkansas City, Kansas, and
it was here that we were informed that we could not drive across the
"Strip" as the army had cleared it of all prospective homesteaders.
Finally we loaded our outfit on a freight train to be shipped to the south
side where we wanted to start the "run". It was at Arkansas City where we
first saw "running water" in a building for domestic use. There were
toilets and lavatories there at the Santa Fe Depot. It was there that we
all washed an cleaned after the loading of our outfit onto the freight
car.
After unloading and putting our wagons together at Orlando, Oklahoma, we
went to Hennessey, where we were starting the "run". We were all required
to register here. On arrival at Hennessey, or rather two miles north on
the border between Old Oklahoma and the Cherokee Strip, we found thousands
of people waiting to register for the race. It was a very hot, dusty and
windy day and this kind of weather lasted for several days. It took a few
days to register. People were required to stay in line, each waiting his
turn (they all stayed in). Finally all our folks were registered.
After studying the maps for a long time and after a lengthy discussion it
was decided to go to a point know as "The Three Cottonwoods", about seven
miles west of Hennessey, to start the race. We arrived there on September
14, 1893 and made camp. At twelve noon on September 16th, everybody being
in his selected place, the wild race started at the firing a gun.
The Colonel, with the filly and the buckboard, Father and "Old Dan" (a
Morgan gelding who lived for many years and did much to help father
develop
and establish a home on NE 10-23-8). The rest of our boys followed on
their horses with hundreds of others, horseback, front wheels of wagons,
buggies, springwagons, and all sorts of vehicles. Instructions to Challey
Nelson and myself were to stop and make camp at the first creek we came to
on the Old Cantonment Trail we were to follow. We each had two wagons and
extra horses, and the chuck wagon outfit. Each man carried only a light
lunch, a stake, and a hammer or a hand axe.
As soon as the trail ahead was cleared, we were on our way. The loads
were
heavy and the trail was sandy and not too good to travel at a very rapid
speed. Early in the afternoon we arrived at Elm Creek which was located
south of where Lahoma now stands. This was a blind creek and was not
shown
on the map, and how were we to know that we should have gone about four
miles, which would have placed us two miles east of Lahoma at the crossing
of Turkey Creek. After making camp we found there was no water available
for the horses so we explored the country and then dug a well in the creek
bed (which later proved to be in the middle of the section line). No
sooner had we struck water when men came with buckets and horses to the
well and we poor boys almost had to fight to get water for our own thirsty
horses.
About midnight Uncle Conda, Eck and Tobe Nelson found us. The next
morning
at daylight we started for our claims that they had for us, north of what
is now Carrier, Oklahoma. All remained on their claims with the exception
of Colonel Woolridge. He drove the filly and the buckboard through the
finest land in Oklahoma, through Garfield, Grant, and Kay Counties to
Arkansas City where we had started. He said "he did not see a good corn
(cawn) farm in the Cherokee Strip".
As we were crossing the flats north of Drummond someone called out "a
deer". Soon Tobe Nelson was at the scene with his 45-70 rifle and just as
the sun came into view he fired. No meat, we soon discovered the deer was
a stray mule. There were no roads or trails so it was difficult to locate
where we were to camp. Fifteen miles on we came northeast to the site of
Enid, a tent town, then followed a fence row to our camp. It was located
about one-half mile northeast of where our house now stands, near the
Barnard home now. We arrived about noon with food for the almost starved
men, and were they glad to see us.
There were lots of antelope in the country. They were frightened by the
excitement and we saw many herds. On Monday afternoon as we were all
around the camp a herd was sighted as soming our way. Five of us mounted
our horses. Armed with a shot gun I mounted "Pet", my favorite Indian
Pony. The chase was on, I cut off a buck and still remember that my hand
was on the trigger and I was in good shooting distance of the buck. If I
didn't get him with the first shot I woud try again, then something
happened, my pony hit a buffalo wallow and threw me. Several hours later
I
regained consciousness in camp where they had carried me. Again, no meat!
The next spring, however, I did shoot an antelope on the homestead. At
this time food was limited to coffee, hot bread, salt pork, and sometimes
beans. All food was cooked on a sheetiron stove. How well I remember our
first good meal consisting of coffee and praire chicken. It was several
days later (after the opening day) as we were waiting to file on the
homestead, that Tobe and Challey Nelson, Uncle Conda, Eck and I decided to
go to the Glass Mountains about fifty miles west to hunt for deer and
other
big game in that section. About noon on the day we left camp we found
some
grass that had not been burned and there we killed nine praire chickens.
Immediately we made a camp and dressed the chickens and put them in a pot
of water, boiled them, then put some flour in for gravy. We made coffee,
what a feed, meat this time!
When we returned from the hunting trip we were informed that the men
couldn't file until later, so we all returned to Kansas. Some weeks later
father returned to Enid and file his claim. On his return (to Kansas) I
remember that a neighbor asked him what he thought of Oklahoma. He
replied, "My claim, someday, will be worth at least two thousand dollars."
He surely was an optimist, for twenty four years ago he sold the farm for
nineteen thousand dollars.
On March 1, 1894 the family with all their earthly possessions moved onto
the claim, with the exception of mother, who was ill, and the youngest
child Verne who came latter, making a family with eight children. After
arriving on the claim I went with father to buy some furniture and some
lumber for a house. We drove with two wagons. There weren't any roads or
trails part of the way. After father had made all his purchases we met an
old neighbord, Frank Green who was a carpenter. Father hired him for a
dollar a day to build out house. Soon afterwards we started for home.
Darkness came upon us before we were in sight of our tent and we missed
it,
going on a quarter of a mile north. Father, who was walking beside the
wagon to keep warm, stumbled and fell over a pile of sod. He made some
pertinent remarks about a fellow who would pile sod up in such a way.
(Next morning we discovered the spot where father fell was where he
himself
had piled the dirt and stuck his stake on that memorable day, September
16,
1893). We drove on west about two miles getting into sand hills and
finding that we were lost. We made camp and since it was very cold we
unloaded the stove. We only had one light quilt so I got in between
father
and Mr. Green, sleeping until daylight. A rooster crowed and father said,
"That's my rooster crowing." They got me up and there was home two miles
away. Sister Susie was the homemaker until mother came and that night we
were lost the brave little girl burned papers (there was no oil) hoping to
light our way home.
After paying for the materials and other things bought the previous day
father had thirty five dollars left.
Pioneers and heroes - - surely father was both.
Sincerely,
(signed) Ed (Hoar)
|
The H600 Project Genealogy DB
1877 - 1945 (68 years)