Roger Mills County

Oklahoma

"Kiowa Cemetery"

By Leila Ford Evett

Pages 61 - 70

Page 61

From The Cheyenne Star,Thursday, July 2, 1981

Obituary(under Hammon News)

   Funeral services were held on June 26 for Rich FARMER, Elk City, at theSavage Funeral Home. Rich FARMER was born January 22, 1892 in Duke, Oklahoma anddied June 24 at the Community Hospital at the age of 89.

    He was an early day cowboy and lived all his life in Western Oklahoma. Hemarried Maude FIELD on August 2, 1913. He is survived by three children: LucilleCALLAHAN, San Antonio, Texas; Hubert FARMER, Wichita, Kansas and Doyle FARMERClinton; 5 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death byhis wife in 1973 and six brothers. Burial was in the Kiowa Cemetery, southwestof Hammon.

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FIELD

   Thomas G. FIELD was born 3 November 1868 in Hood County, Texas, son ofDavid Crockett FIELD. In about 1893 he married Martha Ballard WILSON. To thisunion were born several children, namely; Myrtle E., Florence Maude, David A.,Thomas Jr., Wilson, Raymond E., Martha S., Lowell D., Flossie and Hazel.

     TomFIELD came to Roger Mills County, Oklahoma Territory in 1904 when he bought arelinquished homestead of Charles SYLVESTER in Section 33, Twp 13 North, Range21 West of the Indian Meridian on 21^st of March of that year. He wasa cabinet maker and building contractor. Some of his constructions were theHammon Methodist Church and homes of Claude D. FERGUSON, Frank LUTTRELL and W.A. FORD.

   From exposure to weather inconstruction, Tom FIELD developed pneumonia and died 2 March 1913. He was laidto rest in the Kiowa Cemetery where three of his and Martha’s children werepreviously buried.

     Marthaleft widowed with small children, moved to Prescott, Arizona near her brother.In December 1915, Martha died of ruptured appendix and is interred in Prescottcemetery.

From The Hammon Advocate,Thursday, 16 December 1915

Death Of Mrs. FIELDS

   Mrs. Martha FIELDS, wife of T. G. FIELDS, formerlyof Hammon died in Prescott, Arizona, December 10, 1915. This news came in atelegram a few days ago, we have no particulars of her last sickness. She was ingood health about two weeks ago, this is known by recent letters. Mrs. FIELDSwas a devout member of the Methodist Church for many years, those who knew her,know she was to be found in the place at church always ready to do anything, shecould for her Master. Recently she wrote a letter to a friend, Mrs. YORK,enclosing a clipping that she wished read to the ladies of the MissionarySociety she said this expressed her sentiments.

Copy of clipping:

LookTo Jesus (Dedicated to my aged friends.)

   We lonely onesmust look to Jesus with a feeling that He knows. He knows all about our loses.He knows all about our crosses. He sees every tear that flows. He knows we’velost the home so happy, lost the loved one, kind and true; He knows how it allhas changed; how some times loved ones seen a stranger. Yes, Jesus knows aboutthis, too. He knows the heart sometimes grows heavy, from a sense of whatwe’ve lost—the kindly smile; the words of cheer, the little things to us sodear—and He knows what is all has cost. He knows there are thorns among theflowers all along our lonely way. Should we not be happy with such a comforterever near to remind us that all things are working together for good to them wholove the Lord? Not one of our friends can understand fully our environments savethose who from like experience have learned the lessons that must come into ourlives in order to consume the dross and refine the gold, thereby fitting us inthe Master’s vineyard.—Sallie A. MILLER.

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FARNI

    J. Doyle FARNI was born 19 November 1913, son of Joseph C. FARNI andAllice ULLUM. He was married to Marie EAKINS the daughter of George C. EAKINSand Della RIPPEY.

    Two children were born to this union:

    D. Wayne who died in infancy

    Carole

    Other children of Joseph C. and Allice (ULLUM) FARNI were: Joe, John,Floyd, Frank, Charles, Naomi, Fern, Hazel and Pauline.

FERGUSON

    Charles Douglas FERGUSON was born in Indiana 19 October1861, son of Levi FERGUSON. He came with his family to Oklahoma Territory wherehe filed for homestead on NW1/4 of Section 15, Twp 13 North, Range WIM on 14July 1900.

    1910 Census give the following family members

FORGEY

    Asa L FORGEY born 15 December 1850 and Susan NERZ born 2 June 1851 wereborn in Kentucky but living in Missouri when their sons were born.

    Lewis A. b. 1880; Clone C. b. 1887 and Wm. L. b. 1891

    Lewis A. FORGEY married Cora Leneve LUTTRELL b. 3 December 1888, daughterof Henry J. LUTTRELL and Nancy Alice RANES on 4 December 1904. Two daughterswere born to this union Cora who died in infancy and Lena Myrtle who marriedBabe MCMURTRY.

FRANKLIN

    Lena FRANKLIN was the daughter of Adam D. STULTS and MaryEDWARDS. She was married to Ellie B. FRANKLIN. Lena died soon after the birth oftheir daughter Gertie who was raised by her paternal grandparents Mose andLiddie FRANKLIN.

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FOWLER

    Tabitha Jane FOWLER was born Tabitha Jane FERGUSON on 7 February 1853,daughter of James Edward FERGUSON and Fannie FITZPATRICK. On 15 December 1874she married Tony Long FOWLER in Young Co. Texas by S. M. GLASCOW, JP (filedMarriage book 1)

    To this union were born 8 children

    Joseph Nimrod    1875-1960

    William Hardy   1877-1878

    John Wilson    1878-1879

    Edmond Dickson   1880-1881

    Coral Rue   1882-1943 (md. Hettie HART)

    Tansy Mable   1884-1963 (md. Chas. HART)

    Ona Teresa   1886-1937 (md. George E. MCREYNOLDS)

    Otto Morgan   1889-1964 (md. Florence DAVIS)

    Tabitha Jane FOWLER died 25 October 1903. Her children were almost grown.Tony FOWLER migrated to Arkansas where he was remarried.

FROST

From The Elk City Daily News, Wednesday April 7, 1965

Services ForMrs. FROST

    Funeralservices for Ruth A. FROST will be held at 2 p.m. Friday in the Hammon Assemblyof God Church with Reverend Wayne IVEY officiating.

    Burial will bein the Kiowa Falls Cemetery with Martin Funeral Home in charge of localarrangements.

    Mrs. FROSTdied in an Iowa Falls Hospital following an illness of several weeks. She was 61years old.

    She was bornin Hammon and two years ago moved to Ft.  Dodge,Iowa after marring Bill FROST. She was a longtime member of the Assembly of GodChurch. She left the Hammon area with her parents and moved to Kansas City,Missouri. She moved from there after her marriage.

    Survivorsinclude her husband of the home, 1 daughter, Mrs. Jean LOVKA of Huntington Park,California; one sister, Viola EDMONDS, Altadena, California and one brother H.M. HILL, Hammon.

    She waspreceded in death by one daughter. The body will arrive here from Iowa for localservices.

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The FORDs

    William Alfred FORD came to the Kiowa Community in the autumnof 1900 with his wife, the former Adeline RHODES. They purchased the homesteadof Nathan Joshua LACEY before returning to their home near Cloud Chief inWashita County where they had previously homesteaded to await the arrival of thestork. On 7 December 1900 Georgia Alice FORD was born. She was named forAddie’s mother Alice and for that cute little LACEY boy George where theystayed while at Kiowa.

    In January 1901, William, Addie and littleGeorgia moved from Washita to Roger Mills County. The were there only a shortwhile before Joseph N. LILLY, who homesteaded SW1/4 of Section 22, Twp 13N,Range 22 WIM decided he would like to sell out and move on. This was the answerto a place with water, trees and good soil that the young FORD family desired.They bought Mr. LILLY out and began making plans to establish their home inSection 22.

    Addie was notwell and it was believed she was suffering from tuberculosis a disease that hadclaimed her mother and sister. The FORDs made arrangements with Mrs. LACEY, awidow, to take care of little Georgia so that Addie could go to Corpus Christi,Texas to be under the care of a family doctor and friend of the RHODES family.Addie died 15 December 1901. Her body was returned to Cloud Chief to be buriedalongside that of parents in the Old Grissom Cemetery.

    The following year on 30 July 1902, William A. andMaggie, the oldest daughter of Nancy LACEY were married at Cheyenne. To thisunion were born seven children, namely;

    William Dennis who marriedFrancis FREEMAN and is buried at Morton Cemetery, Morton, Texas (farmer)

    Lena Rivers, nurse, unmarried

    Margaret Laone, nurse, whomarried Merrill BARTLETT (divorced)

    Oscar Darwin, married Dorothy LACKEY (farmer & station operator)

    May Zella, school teacher, married Will R. BROTHERS

    Leila Coredlia, civil service, married Lawrence E. EVETT

    William A. andMaggie lived their entire married life in the Kiowa Community. After Williamdied in 1950, Maggie moved to Oklahoma City to be near her daughter. She livedin her own home until final week of illness when she was in Midwest CityMemorial Hospital.

From The Elk City Daily News

Obituary

    William AlfredFORD, a pioneer resident of Roger Mills County passed away January 1, 1950 in anElk City hospital. Funeral was held January 3 at Martin-Hullum Chapel at ElkCity with Elder Floyd PITTMAN of Vinson, Oklahoma officiating, assisted byReverend R. L. CARTER of Elk City.

Page 66

    William A.FORD was born July 20, 1869 at Callao, Missouri. He homesteaded a claim nearRocky, moved to Roger Mills County in 1900. He first bought the N. J. LACEYhomestead, then the homestead of J. N. LILLY. He mad his home on the LILLY farmuntil his death.

    He was marriedto Margaret LACEY July 30, 1902. He is survived by his wife, daughter Lena, sonOscar of the home address; daughters Mrs. Georgia BROTHERS of Moorewood, Mrs.Laone BARTLETT, Brownsville, Texas, Mrs. Leila EVETT and Mrs. May Zelle BROTHERSOF Oklahoma City and son Dennis of Morton, Texas.

     Mr. FORDreceived a hope in Christ when a young man and united with Missionary BaptistChurch but later embraced the Primitive Baptist faith.

William AlfredFORD

1869    ---     1950

(Eulogy writtenby his son-in-law, Merrill S. BARTLETT)

    William Alfred FORD was born near Callao, Missouri 80 years ago. Hispassing marks the end of that little band of hard working, courageous pioneerswho faced the problems of the great southwest.

    Mr. FORD rode a mule into Oklahoma during the now famous land rush. Hefirst settled in the central part of the state, but later pushed westward to theKiowa vicinity where he spent the remainder of his life as a trader, stockgrower, and farmer. He was able, in later years, to recount many amusing as wellas trying events during his struggle for existence. He was generally able tofind something amusing or cheerful in a situation no matter how dark thatsituation appeared to be.

     Mr. FORD was a good partner to his wife and father to his children. Hestressed honesty in his teachings to them. He practiced integrity in dealingwith his neighbors. Of him, it can truly be said that no one ever asked his helpand went away empty handed. Whenever trouble came to his neighbors, or hispeople, he gave of his best to them. Where encouragement was needed he gave akind word. He shared food or shelter whenever the opportunity presented itself.

     Mr. FORD was never a wealthy man. But riches do not belittle a truly bigman—neither will they add to the stature of a little one. The wealth of hislife lay in the brave, cheerful and unselfish way he met it. The greatness of aman lies not in the materials he has acquired. The real measure of a man’sgreatness lies in the hearts that have been warmed by his cheer—the tears thathave been dried by his sympathy and understanding. Mr. FORD was just such a man. He was rich in good friends because, aboveall, he was a good friend.

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Margaret LACEYFORD

    Margaret “Maggie” FORD was born Margaret Catherine LACEY the 28^thof December 1879 near Brownwood, Texas the daughter of George ValentineLACEY and Nancy Catherine STEWART. She died 13 August 1955 at the Midwest CityMemorial Hospital at the age of 86 years, seven months and 15 days.

    Mrs. FORD was 16 years of age when she came to the Kiowa Community withher parents. On the 30^th of July 1902 she was married to WilliamAlfred FORD, a widower whose daughter she and her mother had cared for after theher mother’s illness and death.

    Maggie was a loyal and steadfast marriage partner whoaccepted the bad with the god and had so much love to give. She was a devotedmother to her step-daughter Georgia Alice as well as her own children, one ofwhom died of pneumonia while still an infant.

    The funeral was held at the Hammon Baptist Church by the pastor theReverend H. P. ELLIOTT, assisted by Reverend Gilbert R. BROTHERS, a grandson ofthe deceased. Burial was in the Kiowa Cemetery.

     She was preceded in death by her husband, William A. FORD and onedaughter, Nancy Lula. She is survived by two sons, Dennis of Morton, Texas andOscar of Oklahoma City; five daughters, Georgia BROTHERS of Fairview, Missouri,Miss Lena FORD, Laone BARTLETT, and Leila EVETT of Oklahoma City, and May ZellaBROTHERS of Wichita, Kansas. Also surviving are one brother, George H. Lacey anda sister Miss May LACEY of Hammon; thirteen grandchildren and 21 greatgrandchildren.

From The Cheyenne Star

    Oscar D. FORDpassed away on January 19, 1970 at this home in Midwest City, Oklahoma. BornJanuary 5, 1911 he was a longtime resident to the Kiowa Community southwest ofHammon, Oklahoma, where he helped work the family farm.

    An Armyveteran of World War II, he moved to Midwest City, Oklahoma in 1954 where withhis cousin, Fredie LACEY, operated a service station and feed store business forover ten years until he retired in 1965.

    Services wereheld at the Eisenhour Funeral Home in Midwest City, with Elder Alan WEST of theprimitive Baptist Church delivering the service.

    Survivorsinclude his wife, Dorothy FORD of the home; four daughters, Janice and LindaFORD, stepdaughters, Dena MULLENIX, all of Midwest City and Deloris BERNA ofSeattle, Washington; three stepsons, Dean MATHEWS of McCloud, Oklahoma, ChesterMATHEWS of Choctaw, Oklahoma and Delbert MATHEWS of Shreveport, Louisiana; fivesisters; Lena FORD, Leila EVETT both of Oklahoma City, Laone BARTLETT, Hammon,Oklahoma, May Zella BROTHERS of Wichita, Kansas and Georgia BROTHERS ofFairview, Missouri. One brother, Dennis FORD of Morton, Texas, an aunt May LACEYand as uncle George H. LACEY, both of Hammon, Oklahoma.

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Oscar DarwinFORD

1911 – 1970

    Oscar Darwin FORD was born January 5, 1911 in the Kiowa farming communitysouthwest of Hammon, Oklahoma of hard –working pioneer parents who settledthere at the turn of the century.

    He helped his parents, sisters and brother wrest a living from the soil.He gave of himself unstintingly in his early years and during the depressionduring the thirties.

    When World War II was declared he was drafted in the service of hiscountry in May 1942, and served in the Coast Artillery as a cannoneer. He wasdischarged from as Army hospital in December of 1942 and continued working onthe home farm until he moved to Oklahoma City and went into the service stationand feed store business with his cousin Freddie LACEY in October 1954.

    He married Dorothy MATHEWS, a widow, in November of 1954 and helped raiseher fine five children and two lovely girls that were born to this union, Janiceand Linda FORD.

Oscar FORD was a loving and devoted father to all hischildren, he was a truly kind human being, who treated all people, as he knew hewould like to be treated. He had the honesty of Lincoln and would rather becheated than to cheat any man. 

    Oscar FORD could never find itin his heart to turn away anyone that needed his help, his outgoing cheerfulnessand well-developed sense of humor, sustained him and those close to him in timesof adversity. If ever there was a man that lived by the religious and moralconcepts of this life and by the admonition that a “soft answer turneth awaywrath” that man was Oscar Darwin FORD.

    All who knew him well and loved him will greatly miss hispassing, but we can take heart in the words of Tennyson “In Memoriam” whenhe wrote “God’s finger touched him and he slept”.

Eulogy written byhis brother-in-law,Lawrence E. EVETT

    Oscar died suddenly at his home at 10101 NE 12^th Street. Causeof death: acute cardiac arrest.

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    William Dennis FORD, the oldest son of William A. andMargaret FORD is not buried at Kiowa Cemetery but his obituary as printed in theCheyenne Star, 22 December 1977 follows:

    William DennisFORD died in Levelland, Texas on Tuesday the 6^th of December 1977.Born 15 June 1903 in Oklahoma Territory the oldest son of William and Maggie(LACEY) FORD, pioneer farmers in the Kiowa Community, southwest of the presentsite of Hammon. The spent his childhood and youth here. He spent two years (1922– 1923) in California where he became interested in farm irrigation. Hereturned to Oklahoma to help his father and install his own irrigation system onLittle Kiowa Creek for truck farm operation. An abundance of vegetables requireda market and Dennis began trucking produce to Pampa and Borger, Texas where oilproduction was booming. Oilfield work looked more enticing than peddlingvegetables from an open truck and Dennis began working in the oil fields. It wasat this time in life, 12 March 1927, he married the young school teacher,Frances FREEMAN, who was teaching in the Meridian Schools, the same girl he hadmet three years earlier when she taught at the Kiowa Schools.

    Dennis, thedreamer, always working and seeking greener pastures, decided California offeredbetter opportunities to him and his new bride and in the summer of 1927 he leftfor California. But disillusioned in working for wages, he returned to Oklahomain December 1929. He farmed in Beckham and Custer Counties until his moving toMorton (Cochran County) Texas in December 1933 when that county was opened toagriculture and he was among the first to initiate irrigation farming in thatarea. This was the answer to his dreams and he spent the remainder of his lifethere.

    Dennis waspreceded in death by his parents, brother Oscar, and sister Laone. He issurvived by his wife, Frances, two sons, Frank of Newhall, California and Billof Morton, Texas; three daughters, Margaret NORMAN, Las Cruces, New Mexico; MaryFrances ALBRIGHT, Levelland, Texas and Glenna SMYER of Austin, Texas; foursisters; Georgia BROTHERS of Booker, Texas; May Zelle BROTHERS of Wichita,Kansas; Lena FORD and Leila EVETT, both of Oklahoma City and an aunt, May LACEY,of Jones, Oklahoma; thirteen grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews.

    Funeralservices were held on Friday, December 9, 1977 at 2:30 p.m. at the MortonBaptist Church with interment in Morton, Texas Cemetery.

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From The Cheyenne Star, Thursday, 19 August 1982

Services HeldFor Lena FORD

    Lena RiversFORD, born in Roger Mills County when it was Oklahoma Territory, died at he homein Oklahoma City, on August 5, 1982 after a three-year illness following a hipfracture.

    Lena was born19 March 1905 in the Kiowa Community to William A. and Margaret LACEY FORD. Inher early twenties, she entered nursing training and spent the next twenty yearsworking in that profession at the Musick and Community Hospitals in Elk City,Oklahoma.

    She isremembered by many as the efficient and pleasant nurse who assisted the latedoctors, J. E. and Oran STANDIFER, in their house calls during the depressionyears. Later, Lena worked at the Community Hospital when Dr. M. SHADED was stillthere.

    When agingparents needed her, she resigned her job to care for them. After her father’sdeath, she moved with her mother to Oklahoma City where she continued to carefor her as well as nieces and nephews when mothers were working.

    Lena issurvived by sisters May Zella BROTHERS, Wichita, Kansas and Leila EVETT,Oklahoma City, several nieces and nephews. One nephew, Bruce EVETT, shared herhome.

    Gravesideservices were conducted at the Kiowa Cemetery near Hammon, Sunday, August 8,1982 with the Reverend J. C. NEAL, pastor of the Hammon Baptist Churchofficiating.