The Ewing Connection

In my filing cabinet I have a file labeled "The Ewing Connection". I called it this because I did not know for sure if there was a family by that name in my ancestry, but I thought I remembered hearing the name somewhere and thus thought that there might be some connection with the Earp family. I have other files in my cabinet named the "So and So" connection, or the "John Doe" connection  meaning that I haven't proven that connection yet. However, I need to change the name of this particular file because, in the case of the "Ewing Connection", I have been able to prove the relationship.


I will begin with a picture which some generous genealogy nut like myself posted on his/her ancestry.com public member family tree and graciously has shared it with me. (Genealogists are really great like that--generous and helpful.)
                                                        

Mary Jane Deal Earp Ewing 


Mary Jane Deal was born 19 Sep, 1835 in Georgia. The 1850 Federal Census shows Mary Jane living with her parents, Robert and Mary Deal, and siblings Alexander, Hugh and William in Dist. 26, Cherokee Co., Alabama. Living nearby was Matthew and Selina Earp and their large family. In 1853 Mary Jane married Caswell Earp, b. 1827, third son of Matthew and Selina,  in nearby Cedar Bluff, Cherokee Co., Alabama. I have been told by several sources that Mary Jane was one half Cherokee Indian, but I have never been able to prove it.


Two children were born to Mary Jane and Caswell... Mary Elizabeth, b. 1854 d. 1864, and William Asbury Earp, our great grandfather, pioneer and homesteader,  b. 3 April 1856 in Cherokee County, AL. On 1 July of 1859 Caswell died at the young age of 31 of complications from measles.


In Jun 1861 Mary Jane married Caswell's brother John William Earp, b. 1839. The 1860 Federal Census shows Mary Jane and her two young children, Mary and William, living next door to Daniel Earp, one of Caswell's older brothers. Therefore, she and William were probably married in Cherokee Co., AL. although other historians say they were married in Chatanooga, TN. I haven't been able to prove either place.


The first battle of the Civil War was fought in April 1861. We don't know when exactly  J. William Earp went off to war, but we do know that not long after the war began, he joined up with the Confederate Alabama 19th Infantry, Company I. Now this is where the story gets interesting. I will quote from the research and writings of my uncle, Ernest F. Earp, B.A.M.T.  These are his notes on how things probably transpired next.


     "William Earp went to the war and was killed. (Having not heard from him for quite some time) she (Mary Jane) went to find some record of him. Times were very hard for her and two small children. She met George W. Ewing who was a Corporel in the Union Army. (Corp. Ewing) helped her to look for her husband. Since he was reported killed and no trace could be found, (Mary Jane) then hired out as a cook for Ewing's company...Co. I, 19th Inf Ohio. It was common for army companies to hire cooks at that time (from the local women).

     "It is believed that she (Mary Jane) found Co. I, 19th Ohio by mistake, thinking it was Co. I, 19th Alabama. George Ewing and Mary Jane Earp were married at Chattanooga, TN and moved to Arkansas until 1870, moving from there to (Ohio and then) Iowa. The date of the marriage was June 19, 1864.


     "The Ewings had children as follows: Ori D. born 1865, Robert Vernon born 1867, Blanche born 1869, died young, Wathie (Hiawatha) born 1871, and Hattie born Feb. 1875. The young sister of William A. Earp, Mary Elizabeth, died in 1862 of (complications of) influenza brought on by hardships caused by war.


     "The Earps, (in Cherokee Co., AL) including Mary Jane, were burned out by Union soldiers and forced to live in a cave. After the war the Earps moved to Texas. Losing all their possessions, they walked to Mississippi, got help from David Earp there, and moved on to Texas. This is family tradition. It is believed according to Civil War records found later...that the soldier William Earp did not die but was captured by the enemy and put in a prison camp until the end of the war, where he was  released (and) joined his family in Texas.  Communications were poor, the country torn up, he probably never knew where Mary Jane had went to. This too is not proof but records do indicate it."


I have in my files a copy of the prison record of the same John William Earp. He was captured near Nashville, TN and held prisoner for a short time and later released in Dec. of 1864. So that part of the story is indeed true.


The 1870 census shows Mary Jane living with her husband George Ewing, their children Ori D., Robert V, Blanche and William Irp (Earp) in Jefferson Twp., Wayne Co., Iowa. On Jan. 1, 1884 William A. Earp married Mary Francis Wright in Clio, Wayne Co., Iowa. The 1885 census for the state of Nebraska shows George, Mary Jane and their children living in Cedar Valley Precinct in Greeley County. Living nearby is William A. Earp and his wife Mary Francis and their baby daughter Coy Jane age 6 months.  


So, to answer the questions, "What was the Ewing Connection?" and "How were the Ewings connected to the Earp family?".... Mary Jane Deal Earp Ewing was the mother of our great grandfather William A. Earp and George W. Ewing was his step father. The Ewing children were half siblings of Will. The Ewings came to Oklahoma Territory from Nebraska some time in 1892 and settled in Keokuk Twp., Lincoln County near Will and Mary Earp.
 


The man on the right is Ori Ewing. The other two men are unidentified. (The man in center could possibly be Charles Wright, Ori's brother-in-law.) The date is also unsure but probably circa 1890-1900. Ori was a blacksmith by trade.
I need more information about this photo. Can someone help me with date and place.

George and Hattie Ewing Cummings, Emma Cox and Wathie Ewing, Ori and Lizzie Wright Ewing, Summer of 1935,
Earp Family Reunion, Tilghman Park, Chandler, OK


 

Dougdawg re OK Monument

Hello! Just this morning I ran across a blog that I want you all to read. I have posted the link to make it easy. I was doing some research on the Cherokee Outlet and other land runs and I ran across a reference to this extraordinary sculpture "OK Land Run Monument" by sculptor Paul Moore. It is located on Lincoln Blvd., in Bricktown, Oklahoma City, OK. Check out  Doug's blog for the fascinating story behind this bronze sculpture. Click on the picture to see it enlarged. Click on the title or the link to view the blog. http://dougdawg.blogspot.com/2008/07/oklahoma-land-run-monument.html

OK Land Run monument by sculptor Paul Moore

Will Earp, Mary F. Wright Earp and Family 1891-92

This photo is a real treasure and one that I had never seen until recently. It was taken in 1891 or 1892. I don't know if was taken in Nebraska before the Will Earp family left for Oklahoma or if it was taken after their arrival in Oklahoma Territory. If anyone knows where it was taken, please let me know.

The Will Earp Family in 1891-92. Left to right: Vernie born 1889, Wm A. born 1856,
                      Ina Elizabeth born 1887, Coy Jane born 1884, Otto George born 1886, Mary F.
Wright born 1862 and Martin Earle born 1890.

By the fall of 1891 Will Earp, Mary Frances Wright Earp and their children had settled at Guthrie, OK Territory for the winter. There a child was born who did not survive.

In January of 1892, Will traded a wagon, a team of mules and harness for a claim of 160 acres of land located in N. Keokuk Twp., northwest of Stroud, Oklahoma Territory. Hugh Earnest, born 1893, was the first of the Earp children born on the new claim. Hannah Ona came in 1896, Ara Viola followed in 1898, Oba Asa in 1900, John Luther in 1902 and Claud Russell in 1904.

Note the picture of the entire family that is posted on the beginning page of this blog.

Photo Albums

I have just completed putting together a new family history photo album. I have to thank my cousin Janie Anderson Anderson for her help with this latest project. Most of the family photos in the album were sent to me by Janie.

Janie has an amazing knowledge of the Earp/Wright/Ewing connection. Thanks to her my curiosity has finally been satisfied and I now understand all the twists and turns of those family connections. (I think.)

Janie explained that as a girl she and her family attended the Church of God in Stroud. Her grandmother, Coy Earp Miller, daughter of Wm. and Mary F. Earp, was widowed and lived with our great grandmother, Mary F. Earp. Many Sundays Janie and her family ate Sunday dinner there at the Earp home and she spent the afternoon observing all the many visiting family members who dropped by to see their mother, grandmother, and/or great grandmother.

Church of God, Stroud, OK, built abt. 1928

I will soon be posting some of those photographs. Above is a photo of the Church of God in Stroud, OK. This church was built by our great grandmother, Mary Frances Wright Earp, after her husband Will Earp died and she moved to town. It is still standing but has recently been purchased by a private buyer and has been renovated into a home.

" Earp Family Arrives by Covered Wagon" transcribed by Judy Stevens

Most of you by now, I hope, have seen and read the booklet "Clara's Book". Judy Stevens, who holds the copyright on this little book, (she is Clara McDaniel's granddaughter), generously offered to type the newspaper article "Earp Family Arrives by Covered Wagon" for us so that it will be easier to read. Thank you Judy.

Lincoln County News

September 10, 1959

"The Earp Family Arrives Here by Covered Wagon"

By Mrs. Don Turner

In the fall of 1892, three little old fashioned covered wagons drawn by teams of mules slowly wended their way into the Indian territory.

Mrs. W. A. Earp was the driver of one of the quaint little conveyances, while her husband drove one and her brother, Henry Wright, who was also coming to make his home in the new territory, drove the last of the wagons.

Riding in the wagon with Mrs. Earp were their five children, wide eyed with excitement as they scanned the wooded hillsides for traces of the painted Indians of which they had heard so much.

Mary Francis Wright, (Mrs. W. A. Earp) daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Martin Wright, was born August 5 1862 near Ravanie, Mo. She was married to W. A. Earp January 1, 1884 at Limeville, Nebraska where they homesteaded in the lime hills.

Life had not been easy in these hills and it had been difficult for this couple to get a start in life. They had heard so much of the opportunities that the new territory had to offer that they decided to risk their whole future in this wild and unsettled country.

They brought everything that they could stack in the three covered wagons and one brisk autumn day started out for their new home.

The trip was tiresome as the little wagon jogged along for six weeks over rough muddy roads, when (which) had been traveled but very little.

On their way into the strange new country the Earp family were ever conscious of the Indians and were always on the alert. One night they came upon an Indian camp and after much deliberation they decided to spend the night there. They found the Indians nice and friendly. Nevertheless, Mrs. Earp’s brother, Henry, assumed a very protective attitude and eager to show his bravery, jumped up in the back of the wagon, waved a hatchet and yelled for the Indians to come on and he would chop off their noses.

Another amusing incident happened as they were crossing the plains of Kansas. They had brought a hay burner along to use for cooking, but they ran out of hay so had nothing for fuel. Finally they came upon a house so decided to ask the owner if they might cook a meal on their stove. Earp and his wife’s brother, Henry, knocked at the door and when the lady of the house opened it they asked her if they might do some cooking on her stove. The lady said “Oh sure, come right in and cook anything you want”. They were pleased no end, but when they informed her that they would have to get the wife and children, she said “that’s different. No you can’t cook on my stove”.

Mrs. Earp chuckled as she told the story and added, “as the modern generation would phrase it, that was quite a switch”.

The only time that they were slowed up for any length of time was when their colt got confused and followed some travelers in the opposite direction. Even though they “hated like sin” to have to go back and hunt the colt there seemed to be no other alternative so back they went. They were afraid that they might have trouble convincing the travelers that the colt was theirs, but they were very cooperative and they took their colt and went merrily on their way back to join their family.

They arrived in Guthrie shortly after the run and they knew that they would have to be on the lookout for a claim that they could buy since they had arrived too late to stake one.

A stillborn child was born to them shortly after their arrival.

The Earp family spent the first winter in Guthrie, but in the spring they were fortunate in being able to locate a claim that they might acquire for a proper trade. They traded a team of mules, a wagon and a set of harness for the relinquishment of the claim on 160 acres of land five miles northwest of Stroud.

The claim was located between Oak Valley and Salt Creeks schools and at some time or other the Earp children attended both schools.

Mrs. Earp smiled with pride as she told us that they had always had plenty to eat even though they had earned their living the hard way. According to her, children amount to a lot more if they all have a few duties to perform. She said that she never allowed her children to idle all of their time away.

There was a touch of sentimentalism in Mrs. Earp’s voice as she described their first little home in the Indian territory. It was a one-room log structure and this one room served as a kitchen, dining and living room for the family and also a bedroom for Mr. and Mrs. Earp. There was a ladder that led to the attic room which served as sleeping quarters for the children.

Mrs. Earp said that they didn’t consider themselves crowded in the least and she said that she sometimes wondered if their close association didn’t make them love each other as a family even more.

In later years Earp became interested in registered horses and jacks. At one time he owned some of the best known blood lines and most high spirited horses in the middle west.

Mrs. Earp told of the time that he paid $700 for a mare. “It seemed like such a huge sum of money at that time” said Mrs. Earp, “that it almost took my breath away. But she smiled with pride when she told of the wonderful colts that they raised and sold.

Mr. and Mrs. Earp later moved on a five acre tract on the “old trail” where they lived until Earp’s death in 1924. In 1928 Mrs. Earp moved into Stroud, where she has since made her home.

She loves to attend services at her church and has played a big part in the building and maintaining of the Church of God in Stroud.

Mrs. Earp has 11 children living. Her children are, Mrs. Coy Miller, Chandler; Otto Earp, Stroud; Mrs. Ina Collier, Shamrock; Varnie Earp, Chandler; Early Earp, Sparks; Hughie Earp, Stroud; Mrs. Ona Taylor, Oklahoma City; Oba Earp, Sparks; Mrs. Ora Hensley, Stroud; John Earp, Midlothian; and Claude, who now lives on the home place. Mrs. Earp now makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Ora Hensley in Stroud.

Through the goodness of her heart Mrs. Earp took a nephew, Kenneth Earp*, when he was only two weeks old and reared him as her own. He now makes his home in Dallas, Texas.

*Note: Kenneth was not a nephew but a grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Earp.

Early Bird Milks the Cow

It is 6 A.M.--so where are your 1800 ancestors? What was a typical day for them? That depends on what they did for a living. If they were farmers, like most of our ancestors, here is a daily schedule similar to what theirs possibly would be.

Farmer
5:00 am -  feed animals
6:00 am  - breakfast
7:00 am -  out to the fields
8:00 am--noon depending on the season the farmer will be sowing, planting, fertilizing, weeding, pruning, harvesting, etc.
12 noon lunch
1:00 pm -  repair/build fences, clean barns
2:00 pm  - chop wood, fish or hunt
3:00 pm - out in the fields again
5:00 pm  - evening chores: feed animals, milk cows, etc.
6:00 pm -  supper
7:00 pm -  clean guns, mend bridles, whittle
8:00 pm -  bed

Farm Wife
5:00 am - milk cows
6:00 am - cook breakfast
7:00 am - sweep house, make beds, wash dishes
8:00 am - work in garden
9:00 am - wash clothes by hand, hang to dry
11:00 am - prepare lunch for family
12:00 noon lunch
1:00 pm - lessons with children
3:00 pm - start preparations for supper: gather wood, start fire, kill and clean chicken, etc.
4:00 pm - 6:00 - prepare meal for family
6:00 pm - supper
7:00 pm - clean up after meal
8:00 pm - mend, sew, knit; put children to bed
9:00 pm - bed

Child
6:00 am - haul water, start fire
7:00 am - gather eggs, feed chickens
8:00 am - work in the garden
9:00 am - gather firewood/buffalo chips
10:00 am - slop the pigs
11:00 am - sweep the yard
12:00 am - lunch
1:00- pm - lessons with mama
3:00 pm - free time
5:00 pm. - help prepare meal
6:00 pm - supper
7:00 pm - sew, read, arithmetic
8:00 pm - bed

Online source: Ancestry Magazine; by staff writer; published 28 Apr. 2008

Two Sisters

Dean and Opal Earp - 1938

Do you have a sister? If you do, you are blessed. I never had a sister although I always wanted one. I have two wonderful brothers, but somehow I feel like I have missed something special by not having a sister. I want to tell you about two sisters whose names were Opal Mary Earp and Veradene Earp. 

Opal and "Dena' grew up together on a farm north of Chandler in Lincoln Co., OK. Their parents were Hughie and Arlie Earp. They had two brothers--Ernie and Wendel. Opal married Archie Pounds in Jan. of 1940. Dena married Ted Phillips in Feb. of 1945. Sometime after 1945 Ted and Dena left Oklahoma and moved to New Mexico. It was the first time the sisters had ever been separated. They both raised families and the years passed. The children all grew up and left home.

About 1976 Dena and Ted moved back to Chandler and purchased a house a couple of blocks from Opal and Archie. The "girls" were thrilled to be living near each other again. Archie and Opal moved to Duncan not long after that, but in the fall of 1990 they returned to Chandler.

Wendel, Opal, Dena and Ernie 1986

 In the fall of 1986 all four brothers and sisters were together for a family reunion at the Phillips home. It was the first time in years they had all been together and sadly, it was the last time that they would ever be together, the four of them.

These were golden years for Dena and Opal. Their friendship flourished and grew. They spent lots of time together visiting and playing games. Then in June of 2000 Archie and Opal felt the need of leaving Chandler again and moving to Tulsa to be near A.M. and his family, as they were getting older and their health was failing.

In Nov. of 2002 Ted passed away and Dena lived alone in Chandler for a time where she had made many friends. Archie passed away in March 2004.

Sammy, Krista, Jill and I spent a week in Glenpool with Mama (Opal) in June of '05. Dena was staying a few weeks with Opal at the same time. We had a great time together. We took the ladies to the Jenks Aquarium. They were like two young girls, both so bright eyed with interest and amazement. We went to Brahms for ice cream and hamburgers. We played Skipbo and read family letters.

Dena and Opal in June 2005, Jenks Aquarium

That same summer Teddy and Bob felt it was time for their mother (Dena) to move to Sandy, Utah, to be near Bob and Jeanie. Soon afterward Teddy came to help his mom pack the things she wanted to take with her. And so it was done. As they said goodbye, Opal promised Dena that she would fly out to Utah the following summer for a visit.

That visit never took place. Both sisters longed to see each other one more time, but old age and dementia was fast creeping up on both of them. Dena was unable to make the trip back to Oklahoma and Opal was unable to conquer her anxieties enough to get on a plane and fly to Utah. They exchanged letters regularly.

When Dena was no longer able to write back, Opal continued to write and send cards. Bob faithfully read the letters to his mother. Dena would keep the latest letter with her for days, holding it in her hand, carrying it around with her, thus, no doubt, feeling closer to her big sister.

In July of 2007 Mother (Opal) came to Louisiana to live as her health was failing and the family thought it best that she be near me, her only daughter. I was thrilled to have her here as I had not lived near her since I had married in 1965.

In April of 2009 Mom fell and thus began her last journey. During these last days in the nursing home she continually thought I was Dena and would call me Dena. I never attempted to tell her any differently. I was honored to be her "Dena".

Opal left us gently and quietly on June 28, 2009 with her family gathered around her. Six months later, Jan. 8, 2010 Dena left this world gently and quietly with her family gathered around her. The two sisters who were apart so much in life were now together for eternity.

Lincoln County Oklahoma Land Run of 1891

LINCOLN COUNTY OKLAHOMA Land Run of 1891

Left click the picture below to see an enlarged view of Harper's Weekly portrayal of the "run". Then left click on the above link. On the bottom of the new page you will find a link to the OkGenWeb Project. There are several links there that you might enjoy.

Christmas Candy

I know this is a little late to be making Christmas candy, but candy can be made year 'round, right? Just a few days ago I was digging through my box of old recipes and I turned up an old yellowed lined sheet of paper from a writing tablet. On the outside it read "Date Loaf Candy" in Grandma Arlie's handwriting. On the inside was Grandma's recipe for date loaf candy, which I dearly loved as a kid, written in her own hand. What a treasure!

Because I am a magnanimous sort of person, ahem, I have decided to share it with you, her off spring!

Do any of you ladies out there have any of Grandma's recipes that you'd like to share? We would love to see them if you do.

Left click to enlarge.

Golden Anniversary 1967

I am posting a colored photograph of Hughie and Arlie taken at their reception in Jan., 1967. Color photography was a relatively new thing in 1967 and tended to fade. However, this photo has been well preserved as it shows the red of Grandma's dress, the stripes in Grandpa's suit, and the golden leaves on the cake, golden candles, and golden floral arrangement on the buffet.

Left click on the photo to see the details.