Pioneers of Wynnewood
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Abernathy - The name Abernathy is the first noted in Wynnewood records in 1890 as the Abernathy Lumber Company.  In 1893 the First United Methodist Church was organized in Wynnewood and Mr. and Mrs. L.P. Abernathy were members.  In 1894, the Eastern Star Wynnewood Chapter No. 21 (later changed to Chapter 328) was constituted and Fannie Abernathy and Opal Abernathy and W. B. Abernathy and Walter Abernathy were members..  W. B. Abernathy also a member of the Wynnewood Masonic Lodge No. 40.  In 1895, the Matrons Club formed and Mrs. Bulla Abernathy became a  member.   Bulla Street in the Oak Lawn Cemetery at Wynnewood was named in honor of Bulla Abernathy.  In 1906 and 1907 George Abernathy was the city assessor and collector.   From 1925 through 1930, W. B. Abernathy served as city alderman. 

Alexander - The Alexander families were among the early settlers in Wynnewood.  In 1895, Henry Alexander acted as building contractor in Wynnewood,  Also in 1895, Bessie Alexander was a member of the Eastern Star Wynnewood Chapter 21 and both Henry and George Alexander were members also..  In 1899, Henry was Worshipful Master of the Wynnewood Masonic Lodge No. 40 and participated in the laying of the cornerstone for the Masonic Building on August 10, 1899.  In 1904, Grace Alexander became one of the teachers at the two-story black schoolhouse which was built that same year on the Lincoln Separate School ground and was named Douglas.  Later the school was renamed Lincoln High School.  In 1907 the Forty-Two Club organized and Mrs. R. L. Alexander became a member. 

Allen - The Allen families were very dedicated people in Wynnewood,  In 1890, The First Baptist Church organized as the Missionary Baptist Church of Christ and sister Frances Allen was one of the 12 original members.  In 1891 Mount Carmel Baptist Church organized and in later years Willie served as a deacon.   The Wynnewood congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church organized in 1894 and H. V. Allen became one of the ordained elders.  The Sheba, Rebekah Lodge No. 50 was instituted in 1900 and Minnie Ellen Allen served as Noble Grand.  In 1905 Steve Allen and Zack Allen became trustees for Bethesda Mission which was a black academy established as a day school and a boarding school and financed by the families in the community.

Baker - The Bakers have lived in Wynnewood since 1901, the year Dr. Robert Lee Baker came to this area.  He was born November 11, 1869 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved with his family as a child to New London, Arkansas.   He graduated from the School of Medicine at the University of Arkansas in 1892 and married Mattie  C. Tyree, daughter of Dr. S. B. Tyree on July 9, 1893.  Nine children were born to  Dr. and Mrs. Baker.  They were Willlis Tyree, Fred Bryon, Robert Lee, Jr., Paul Eugene, Mary Virginia, James Harold,   Lillian Josephine, Ralph Edward and Martha Ruth.  Dr. Baker practiced medicine at West Plains and at Bakersfield, Missouri until 1898 when he moved his family first to Texas and then on to Wynnewood in 1901.  He will always be remembered fondly as the family doctor who traveled about the countryside day and night taking care of his patients.  He was often paid in chickens, eggs, and livestock instead of money, which was scarce for farmers in the area.  He traveled in a double-buggy drawn by two gray horses.  He practiced medicine in the Wynnewood area until his death in 1932.  He rests now at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Wynnewood.  Bakers business's in Wynnewood's have been Baker Roads Materials, Howe Baker Construction, Baker Refrigeration and Baker Funeral Home. . In 1934 W. T. Baker served as a Wynnewood city councilman.  Mrs. Wallace Gaker served as an officer in the Wynnewood PTA in 1946.  In 1955-56 Woodrow Baker was a Wynnewood city councilman.  The Church of God organized in 1973 and Jewel Baker became a member.

Barrett - A. J. Barrett (Andrew Jasper) moved his family from Nevada, Texas to Wynnewood, Indian Territory, in 1899. A. J. was a carpenter by trade and had been pursued by T. P. Rollow and Wm. F. Moore (who were previously from Nevada) to come to Wynnewood to build them a business building. After the project was complete, each of the men insisted that he stay and build them each a fine home. One of these homes, the one for Wm. F. Moore, still stands today and is on the National Register of Historic Homes. Wynnewood was a young and growing community so Andrew decided that this was the place for him to pursue his trade and to raise his family, a decision he never regretted, spending the next 58 years there. He brought with him his wife, Barbara Allen Steinbaugh Barrett, and five children: Jesse Payton, Samuel Martin, Mary Alice, and twins Annie Maude and Minnie May. Three more children were born after the move to Wynnewood: Queenie Lee, Alva Jasper, and Haskell Allen. Five of these children grew to adulthood in Wynnewood and gave the couple eight grandchildren. Andrew was a public spirited individual as he served both on the Wynnewood City Council and as a member fo the Public School Board of Education. He continued in the building and contracting trade and built many fine homes and buildings in Wynnewood and throughout Garvin County. Probably the largest undertaking was the Junior High School Building later used as the systems Senior High, it being completed in 1927. The building was located on the block where the present High School is located.    Submitted by Andrew Joe Barrett (Great Grandson of  A. J. Barrett & son of  Samuel Max Barrett)  <a.j.barrett@att.net>
 My dad, Samuel Max Barrett, and I will be submitting more and welcome anyone who would like to review any of our more detailed information on the Barrett's and Prim's.

Boozer - In 1898, Dr. John H. Boozer was a Dentist in Wynnewood, In 1899 he was appointed city recorder.  He held this position until his death on October 11, 1931.

Bradfield - The Bradfields were early settlers of Wynnewood.  In 1893 G. D. Bradfield was instrumental in the construction of the new Methodist Church. Eligah Bradfield and his family were members of this church also.   Beatrice Bradfield was Worthy Matron of the Wynnewood Chapter of the Eastern Star in 11894 while George Bradfield served as Worthy Patron.  Misses Pearl and Sallie Bradfield organized the Ladies Athenaeum Club in 1895 as a ladies self improvement club.   Their motto was, "We study to be what we wish to be."  Pearl Bradfield taught in the Wynnewood school system beginning in 1896 and became principal of the Wynnewood High School in 1904.  In addition she was Garvin County Superintendent of Schools from  1907 to  1913.  Pearl and Sallie became members of the Forty-Two Club, a ladies social club, in 1907.  George Bradfield served as Worshipful Master of the Wynnewood Masonic Lodge No. 40. G.L. Bradfield was City Treasurer of Wynnewood in   1905 and an Alderman from 1908 to 1928.  Leta Bradfield was Worthy Advisor to the Wynnewood Order of Rainbow Girls in  1924 and Sallie Bradfield was the Wynnewood First Mother Advisor of the that club.

Carr - John E. Carr was a director and member of the Wynnewood School Board.  In 1892 he served as Worshipful Master in the Wynnewood Masonic Lodge No. 40.  He contributed so much to the educational, social and commercial development of Wynnewood that the city council named Carr Street in his honor.   In 1894 Alice Carr, wife of John E., joined the Presbyterian Church and in 1900, she became Noble Grand of Sheba Rebekah Lodge No. 50.  Alice C. Carr died May 15, 1914 and John E. Carr died June 5, 1917 and they are buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery in their beloved home of Wynnewood.  At. In 1905 William Emery Carr and wife, Rowena Clarke Havens Carr moved to Wynnewood with their six children, Tera Florence, Samuel Jefferson, Vera Ethel, Etta Lena, James Arel and Mize Everett.  Their oldest daughter, Tennie L. Carr died as an infant in  1894 in Ezel, Kentucky.  They rented 'Uncle Jim' Gardner's farm on the south side of Wynnewood.  Two more daughters were born to them in Wynnewood, Rena Alice and Edna Ruth.  Descendants of a George Carr who was born in Kentucky in 1827 came to the Indian Territory in  1890.  In 1906 Ellis Monroe Carr came to Wynnewood with three small children, Denzel, Orene and Delphine.

Crump - In 1888, William Bethel Crump, son of Memory Walker Crumo and Elizabeth Tabor Crump, came to Indian Territory from Etowah County, Alabama.  He moved to Wynnewood and in 1889 married Lucy Nuckalls.  They had four children; Earl, Bessie, Wilkinson, and William B. Jr.  W. B. Crump & Company, one of the first stores in Wynnewood, was a general merchandise store.  In 1895, W. B. Crump became vice president of the Citizens Bank of Wynnewood (later named First National Bank). In 1898, W. B. Crump was elected city alderman in the first election held in Wynnewood,  He was re elected in the years 1898, 1901 and 1907.  In 1927   W. B Crump Jr. was elected treasurer for one term and in 1929 became mayor for one term.  In 1935  W. B. Crump Sr. was mayor. In 1935 W. B. Crump, Jr. was treasurer and was re-elected for twelve consecutive terms. 1935-1957.  Earl Crump was a member of the Wynnewood School Board and Robert Crump was the owner of the Wynnewood Ice Company. In 1918, Mrs. W. B. Crump was one of the people who helped organize a Red Cross Chapter in Wynnewood. 

Doughtery - John Doughtery was cashier at the First National Bank in 1900.  He still worked there when the big bank robbery of 1927 took place.  This was in April.  He had walked across the street and when he returned he found Jim Lawrence and Sam Barrett on the floor and three customers lined up against the wall. The bank had been robbed by 4 men who were later caught and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 25 to 99 years.  Mrs. Lizzie Doughtery joined the First United Methodist Church in Wynnewood in 1893 and served on the new building committee of the church in 1895.

Eskridge - Annie Elizabeth Eskridge was born in 1877, died in 1955 and is buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery.  She was the wife of Pinckney Reed Eskridge and the mother of Howard Wright Eskridge. Pinckney was born in 1869 and died in 1944 and is buried beside Annie in Oak Lawn. Francis Marion Eskridge was born in 1911 and died in 1913 and is also buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery.  In 1900 Gordon Eskridge served as manager of the P. R. Eskridge Ice Plant in Wynnewood. P. R Eskridge started the first ice delivery service in Wynnewood.  The ice came in by train from Gainsville, Texas and was delivered to customers by horse drawn cart. P. R. Eskridge traveled by train up and down the Santa Fe railroad buying cotton.  This is where he got the idea for a home like comfortable hotel.  He built the Eskridge hotel in 1907.

The First National Bank with the Eskridge Hotel showing at the far right.
The Eskridge still stands, has been restored and is operated as a museum today.

Fields - Tom Fields was born in 1860 in Tennessee and died in 1915 and is buried in Oak Lawn Cemetery. He married Celia Louise Rader in 1887.   That same year Fields and T. H. Martin printed the first newspaper in the Chickasaw Nation, the Chickasaw Enterprise.  It is still published today as the Pauls Valley Daily Democrat.  Tom Fields sold his interest in the Enterprise in 1889.  It is believed he bought an interest in the Wynnewood Republic in 1891, listing him and R. Sydnor as editors and N. L. Burwell as the proprietor.  Fields moved to Criner and established the Pontotoc County News. In 1906 he moved back to Wynnewood and published the Wynnewood Gazette.  In 1915 Fields sold the Gazette to James Newell Squiers. (Dates may be a little off as records were lost in the Fraternity Building fire of 1944. Tom and his wife were members of the First United Methodist Church in Wynnewood and raised four children, Willie, Linnie, Seba Olin and Celia Louise.
This might be a picture of Tom Fields with Others (Found picture on web site-Jeff)

Froman -  Perry Froman was a livestock breeder and dealer in the Indian Territory in the 1880's.  He was listed on the building committee for the First United Methodist Church in Wynnewood in 1893 while in 1882 Mrs. Lavania Froman was instrumental in organizing this church..

Gardner - Ben Gardner was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 40 in  1891.  He laid the cornerstone of the Masonic Building on August 10, 1899.  Emily Gardner was a member of the  First United Methodist Church and a member of the Eastern Star.  Mrs. Gardner died in 1909.  James W. Gardner, know as Uncle Jim Gardner, was a land owner and livestock breeder.  In 1891 he was also a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 40.  He also took part in the laying of the cornerstone for their building.  He and his wife donated the land for the new First United Methodist Church in 1895 and he was elected the first steward.  James died in 1926.

Crowd at the laying of the cornerstone of the Masonic Hall August 10, 1899

Grant - Charles Mitchell Grant, an Indian, was born at Old Fort Arbuckle in 1874.  He was educated in Texas.  He met Alice Magrant and they were married in Indian Territory, just across the Red River under an oak tree in 1892.  He became a rancher in Wynnewood.  They had three children; Margaret, Alma and Chalyne, before Charles died in 1939.

Green - In 1907 a Mr. Green operated Green's Broom Factory in Wynnewood. In later years Elbert Green and LaDon Green were held city offices

Goff - Andrew Goff held office in Wynnewood in 1898, 1899, 1902 and 1905. In 1887 he and J. Frank Hargis were partners in the Hargis and Goff General Store in Wynnewood.

Hargis - In 1887 J. Frank Hargis was co-owner of the Hargis and Goff General Store. He and his wife were active in the community.  An S. J. Hargis held office in Wynnewood in 1901.

Hoover - The 1900 census lists A. J. Hoover as a physician in Wynnewood.  He was also active in the Masonic Lodge No. 40 and took part in the laying of the cornerstone.  Dr. Henry Hoover and his brother, Dr. A. J. Hoover opened a pharmacy in Wynnewood in 1896.  Dr. Roger Hoover was a city councilman in later days.

Howell - Dr. Thomas Pitchlyn Howell, son of Calvin and Rhoda Pitchlyn Howell, was born in 1849 at Eagletown, Choctaw Nation. He was a farmer and stockman in addition to being president of the Wynnewood First National Bank, the Davis First National Bank and the Wynnewood Cotton Oil Company. He married Lizzie Grant, daughter of Tom Grant of Fort Arbuckle and they had three children; Delila, Daisy and Hickman.  Later Dr. Howell married Henrietta Wright of Paris, Texas and they had four children; Tom P., Vivian, Gladys and Laura.  The Howells were active in the Methodist Church and were held in high regard in the councils of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations.   He died in 1943 at the ripe old age of 93.

Johnson - Cyrus Johnson operated a cafe in Wynnewood.   E. C. Johnson attended the originating meeting of the Wynnewood Presbyterian Church in 1894. A.J. Johnson was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 40. The Johnsons were very active in the Mount Carmel Baptist Church as deacons, officers and teachers.

Keever - Adolphus Pinckney Keever, son of James and Catherine Goodson Keever, was born in North Carolina in 1854.  He graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1882. In 1886 he married Mary Summey Warlick and they raised three children: James Edwin, Claude Bernard and Kathleen.  This family moved to Wynnewood in 1901.

Lael - In 1887, E. C. Lael advertised horses and buggies for trade or rent and also sold real estate and was an elected official in Wynnewood.   Mrs. E. C. Lael was a member of the Wynnewood Presbyterian Church which was built in 1887 and she helped organize the Wynnewood Red Cross Chapter. Noel (Noah) Lael was born in North Carolina in 1848.  In 1872, ne came to the Chickasaw Nation and made his living as a blacksmith and a horse shoer for the El Paso Overland Stage Company.  His territory included Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Indian Territory.  He carried mail also from Gainesville, Texas to Fort Arbuckle, which had been established in 1851. Noel married Lucy Harris, daughter of the Governor of the Chickasaw Nation, Cyrus Harris. in 1878.  He was a stockholder in and a vice president of the Citizens Bank of Wynnewood which later became the First National Bank of Wynnewood. The Laels had two children; Edward C. and Rushie.

Noah Lael home built around 1898

Long - Charley Long opened a saloon in Wynnewood in 1887.  In 1892 J. F. Long operated a restaurant and bakery.  H. T. Long was an elected official and in 1887 established the H. T. Long Cotton Gin with Henry T. Long as manager.  He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 40 and of the Wynnewood Eastern Star.

McAlister - Jud McAlister operated the Jud McAlister Ice Service in Wynnewood after statehood in 1907 and was a member of the Wynnewood school board. A McAlister's Grocery opened in Wynnewood around 1907.

Mitchell - E. L. Mitchell and S. Anderson opened the Anders & Mitchell Restaurant in 1892.  Ed Joe Mitchell was mayor and fire chief and a member of the city council. Guy Mitchell, G. S. Mitchell and J. W. Mitchell also held various elected offices and J. W. Mitchell also ran a General Store in 1887 in partnership with a Mr. McKey.

Moore - Moore's have lived in Wynnewood since 1898 when William F. Moore moved here.  In 1899 Mr. Moore had a three-story home built.   It was the finest in town and became the center of social and cultural activities.   On the ballroom on the third floor was used for dancing, musical programs and all sorts of social activities.  The Moore's took in boarders, one of whom was Miss Kinnie Bass, the first music teacher at the new Indianola College in 1906.  W.F. Moore held elected office and he and his brother-in-law T. P. Rollow ran a general store in 1896. A. E. Moore and A. L. Moore were at the organization meeting of the Presbyterian Church in 1894.

Perry - In 1890 J. Fred Perry with A. Hartley opened a new and secondhand house furnishings store. J. Fred Perry also held elected office and helped create the Wynnewood Fire Department in 1906.  He was first fire chief.   He and his brothers were some of Wynnewood's early businessmen.

Reed - Mrs. Maggie Reed founded the Methodist Episcopal Church for the black people who had lived with the Indians. The first church burned and a second was built and named Reed's Chapel in her honor.

Richardson - Samuel Oliver Richardson, son of Matthew B. and Fannie Richardson, was born May 17, 1857 in Georgia. He made the Run of 1889 and moved to Wynnewood and opened a general store with a Mr. Grundy as his partner. He was a farmer and rancher and inventor of a cotton planter/fertilizer machine.  In 1891 he married Lucinda Cordelia Jones and they had seven children; Fannie, Panalia, Nita, Leila, Robert, Samuel and Mattie.  They built a large brick home in Wynnewood in 1904 for this large family.  Mr. Richardson h elped found the Southern National Bank in 1901 and was president of this bank in 1920.  He was a member of the Methodist Church and a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 40.  Mr. Richardson died in 1940 and his home was sold to Kerr-McGee Oil Company and used as headquarters.

Robberson - Dr. Marvin Early Robberson was born January 18, 1880 at Marysville, Cooke County, Texas and moved to Wynnewood in 1905 and then on to Brady.  He came back to Wynnewood in 1919 and passed in 1947.  Dr. Robberson and his son, Dr. Morton E. Robberson established the Wynnewood Hospital and Clinic in 1937.   Dr. Robberson was a member of the First United Methodist Church,  the Woodmen of the World, and the Wynnewood Kiwanis.  Dr. Morton E. Robberson, son of Dr. Marvin Early and Mrs. Myrtle V. Bales, was born February 9, 1910 in Brady, Oklahoma.  He attended the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine. He married Ruth Courtney, daughter of R. L. Courtney of Wynnewood in 1937 and they settled in Wynnewood and had two children; David Ray and LaRuth. In 1947 Dr. Edward Thorton Shirley returned from California and became a partner with the Robbersons and they three built a new 26-bed hospital named Robberson-Shirley Hospital. 

Rollow - T. P. Rollow came to Wynnewood in 1898 and with his brother-in-law, William F. Moore, opened a general store.  In addition he was an elected official in the early 1900's.  The Rollows also opened the Wynnewood Pecan Factory in 1919.

Settle - Dr. William Eugene Settle, son of Francis Marion and Sarah David Settle, was born December 25, 1867 in David's Mill near Stephenville, Texas.  He graduated from the Louisville Medical College in Kentucky in 1894 and did post graduate work in Chicago. On Christmas day in 1894, Dr. Settle married Florence Brown.   They moved to Wynnewood and raised four children; Elizabeth Alden, Dorothy David, William Eugene and Newell Duncan.   They helped organize the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  In 1917 the Settles bought William F. Moore's home.  Dr. Settle practiced in Garvin County from 1894 until his death in 1935.   He was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 40 and the Eastern Star and was a city councilman. Mrs. Settle was a member of the Matrons club and helped organize the Wynnewood Red Cross Chapter.

Shirley - Lewis Lael Shirley, the son of Thornton S. and Rushie Lael Shirley, great grandson of Cyrus Harris, first governor of the Chickasaw nation, was born in 1907.  He was educated in Wynnewood and attended the University of Oklahoma in Norman.  At various times he owned and operated a drugstore, International Harvester Implement store, a cotton gin and the P. & S. Farms of Garvin County in Wynnewood. In 1900 Dr. John Shirley came here from Cherokee Town to help doctor those affected by the smallpox epidemic in Wynnewood.

Tripp - J.G. Tripp was pastor of the First Baptist Church in Wynnewood which organized in 1890. W. J. Tripp was an elected official in the early 1900's.  William I. Tripp was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 40. Oceina N. Tripp was a member of the Eastern Star.

Vaughan - Mrs. Charlie Vaughan and Sally Vaughan were among the first members in the Wynnewood Eastern Star organized for black women in 1909.   Oscar Vaughan was a church officer in the Mount Carmel Baptist Church which organized in Wynnewood in 1891.  W. A. Vaughan built the cement underground reservoir for the Wynnewood city water system around 1900 and served as alderman in 1905 and 1906.   W. B. Vaugham opened a grocery store in 1886 and a general store in 1887. H.M. Vaughan was also an elected official in the early days.

Wallace - Dr. William Thomas Wallace was born January 20, 1856, in Yazoo County, Mississippi on a plantation between the Big Black and the Yazoo Rivers.  He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky in 1882.  He married Sarah Elizabeth Creekmore in 1885 and they moved to Wynnewood in 1896.  Dr. Wallace retired in 1908 due to poor health and moved to Pauls Valley where he died in 1914.  Mrs. Wallace taught school many years in Wynnewood.   She died in 1942.

Walner  - John H Walner was the founder of Walner (Wynnewood's first name, changed in 1887) in 1886. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 40 and was present at the laying of the cornerstone of the Masonic building in 1899.

Whitaker - Green I. Whitaker had a blacksmith shop in Wynnewood in 1895. Tom Whitaker was an elected official.  Henry Whitaker was a member of the Masonic Lodge.  Lalia Whitaker was a member of the Eastern Star.

Wilson - Dr. Herbert P. Wilson was born in North Carolina on January 25, 1858, the son of W.F. and Martha Wilson.  He taught school in Tennessee and married Omie Hughey.  Dr. Wilson graduated from the Vanderbilt University School on Medicine in 1893 and moved with his family to Wynnewood in 1900.   Dr. & Mrs. Wilson had one daughter, Beatrice, who married George L. Bradfield of Wynnewood. 
H. P. Wilson opened a drug and book store in partnership with Frank L. Helvey in 1888 in Wynnewood.

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