All My Ancestors

Every time I have to do a look up in the newspaper for an obit or a news story, I am amazed at what a treasure of information they hold. I’ve decided to use some of what I find as blog fodder. It won’t meet my stated purpose of blogging about my own family, but it will be someone’s family.

I was searching the Lawton newspapers for obituaries and I was struck by the scarcity of them.  Marriages were regularly listed–Fort Sill was nearby so there was a plethora of young men.  Births appear less frequently, and usually in the “about town” column that records visits from out of town relatives or the amount of rain received south of town.

There were two newspapers at this time period–the Lawton Constitution and The Daily News and Star. On the front page of the 10 Jul 1913 edition, there was an interesting mix of stories. Mrs. Mattie Payne calls for a meeting of all the ladies who settled in Lawton any time during 1901 to phone or write her. She is organizing a club of such “as an auxilary [sic] to the men’s club just organized.”  This reminded me of the story about the establishment of the Daughters of the American Revolution–the men wouldn’t allow the women to join their organization, so the ladies started their own.  And we all know how that turned out.

There’s also a list of the visitors to nearby Medicine Park–the holiday weekend, no doubt.   This resort was apparently established shortly after statehood and is still in operation.  I’d love to know how some of my relatives spent their July 4 holiday.

Then there was the story about John Tremont, who, together with Mrs. Ada Woodward and Emma Rivers, was charged with having killed Mrs. Woodward’s husband Sherman by administering “rat biscuits placed in sardines.”  The jury in neighboring Chickasha evidently could not reach as verdict so the jury was discharged.

Here’s the one obituary I found among these stories on the front page.  Interesting that 62 was considered aged.  William, one of  ”the Hogg boys” was 30 if the 1910 census is accurate–

Aged Lawton Lady is Death’s Victim

Mothes [sic] of Mrs. G. F. Japp and Hogg Boys Succumbs to Reaper

Mrs. Mary Hogg, 62 years of age, died at her home, 207 Park avenue, at 6 o’clock last night, after an illness of the past several weeks.  The body will be buried tomorrow morning, 10 o’clock, from the residence, the Rev. T. J. Irwin to preach the fueneral [sic] sermon.

Mrs. Hogg was the mother of William and Percy Hogg of this city and Mrs. G. F. Japp, residing southeast of town.  She also has a daughter, Mrs. Emma Rupert, residing in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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