Calton & Friends Family Pictures

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Calton & Friends Family Pictures
(From the Stratford/McGee Area)
See McGee Cemetery Return to Photo Index See Calton Store

Some of the population of Stratford

Men standing left to right: Curtis Williams Jr.(son of my Great Aunt Lucy Cantwell Williams Maxwell),
Jess Kemp, Will Calton, (my Grandmother Myrtle Calton Cantwell's brother and son of Mary Ann and George E. Calton),
Max McHenry, Roy Cantwell (my Grandfather Perry Cantwell's brother and married to Cora Heimer).
Women seated back row: Maggie Heimer Prather, Mary Ann Griffin Calton (my Great Grandmother and G.E.'s wife),
Cora Heimer Cantwell, and Mrs. Campbell. Women seated first row: Lucy Cantwell Williams Maxwell,
Cora Cantwell Calton (my Grandfather Perry's sister and the wife of Will Calton) Addie Campbell and Mae Campbell.
Boys in the front row: George C. Calton, (son of Will and Cora Calton) and Max McHenry, Jr.

Heath Family

This one is of the Al Heath Family. They were friends of George E. Calton (my Great Grandfather).
They moved with the Calton family from Mc Kenney, Texas.

Shipman Family

The Shipman's were neighbors of G.E. Calton. My Grannie,
Myrtle Jane was between the two girls in front in age.

Zina Young's Parents

I don't know their first names and Zina wasn't in the picture but the
writing on the back of the picture says that they were also neighbors of the Calton's.

Hyden Kids

The children are Johnny Hyden and his sister Patty.
Mom told me that the little girl, Patty, died from pneumonia when she was only four years old.
Johnny was killed in an automobile accident. Mom says he was married and had children
when the accident took his life. I believe they had another sister, Gale.

Postoak Girls

The girl on the right is Lena Postoak. I'm not sure of the other girls' name.

Postoak Girls

The sign says Sendy Hill Baptist Sunday Sch The Life of Christ Part I.
Look at the trees and the landscape! Must've been at the side of a road in the Spring or Fall?
Is this Sandy Hill Baptist Church off old Hwy 19 which is now Lake Longmire Road?
There is a cemetery there and it was a Native American church.

Mrs. Bell

The writting on the back of this picture says Mrs. Bell was a neighbor when
Myrtle Jane Calton was 6 years old. The year would have been 1901.
When I showed my Mom, Mary Irene Cantwell Thompson the picture, she said Mrs. Bell
was known for making "light bread". She showed my Grannie how to bake it.
She would put the dough under a feather mattress to get it to rise!
It must've worked because my Grannie became an ace at baking light bread although
I never saw her put her dough under a mattress!

Submitted by Inis Faye Bloomster

George Ellison Calton Family
See McGee Cemetery Return to Photo Index See Calton/Griffin Family Letter See Calton Store

The Calton Family

George Ellison & Mary Ann Calton
They are buried side by side by the west fence in the old section of McGee Cemetery

This submission is dedicated to my Mom, Mary
Irene Cantwell Thompson, and to my Grannie, Mary Ann Griffin Calton
and her husband, George E. Calton, as well as her,
Mary Ann's, father and mother, C.L. Griffin and Margaret Walker Griffin.

Submitted by Inis Faye Bloomster

Calton/Griffin Family Letter
See McGee Cemetery See Calton Store Photo see photos of historic downtown Stratford

While looking through old pictures that my Grannie, (Myrtle Jane Calton Cantwell) had, I came across a letter from my Great-great-grandfather, C.L. Griffin, to his son-in-law, G.E. Calton, my Grannie's dad. Some of the letter tells about the current events happening in the area. The letter is dated August 26, 1912 and C.L. is now living in Comanche, Oklahoma after living in McGee and Stratford most of his life. He sounds a little homesick as the letter begins:

Mr. G.E. Calton and family:

Dear old boy: A few lines in answer to your always welcome letter set to hand some days back. I was glad to hear from you all. We are well and fixing to go to see Martha Lee and family. I want to see all of the kin back there but can't tell when that will be for this trip will strap me. If I had a team (of horses) like you all, I sure would see you this fall but I haven't. I soon will have a fine horse if no bad luck. I have two fine Jersey cows. We have just finished painting our house. It is white as snow; bordered sky blue. If you ever come to see me, I live two blocks west of the water tower. The nicest house in this part of town.

We have the finest gardens you ever saw. Dutch (his wife, M.E. Grier) has made about $75.00 on her cow and garden. The other cow will be *fresh in a few days. We have one cabbage that measures 39 inches around. What do you think of that? We are canning tomatoes today. We have our cellar nearly full of canned fruit and we're still canning. Our Elburties (peaches) are so large we have to quarter them to get them in the jars.

Well G.E. we are having a holiness meeting here. They have chosen us for debate. We are going to set Ledlow on this - Ledlow is by far the smartest man I have heard on the Bible.*

G.E. I only live about 65 miles from Pauls Valley. Why can't you hitch up and drive over & help me eat some of Dutch's good biscuits? She has bought her a new oil stove. She can get a meal really quick. I haven't bought a stick of wood this summer. You may guess that suits old hall gray for it is hot out here. We had a fine rain last night. The carnival was fine. The airship flew twice a day. It sailed high and swift. I can't tell what will be next.

Well, I guess I had better close for this time. With love and good will to all. Truly hope we will all meet again some sweet day. Give my love to all the connection and share a good passion yourselves. I have nearly lived my three score and ten. Can't be here very much longer. Would like to see all often but can't but my love is just the same from one that loves all. CL. G

One of the cows had a calf. After the calf is weaned, the cow becomes "fresh" and can give milk again.

Evidently different churches set up debates to discuss various doctrines and interpretations of the Bible. G.E. and C.L. were
members of the Church of Christ.
Picture of envelope below

Submitted by Inis Faye Bloomster

Calton Store
In Stratford, 1930's

See McGee Cemetery See Family Photos See Calton/Griffin Family Letter

George Ellison Calton & Son, Will, pictured here in the Calton Store

This submission is dedicated to my Mom, Mary
Irene Cantwell Thompson, and to my Grannie, Mary Ann Griffin Calton
and her husband, George E. Calton, as well as her,
Mary Ann's, father and mother, C.L. Griffin and Margaret Walker Griffin.

Submitted by Inis Faye Bloomster