Howe-History-Cont

    My father, William Wesley Howe, His brother, Joesph Richard, and their father, Charles Bryant Howe, and a brother-in-law, Jim A Wallace, made the run for the free homes April 22, 1889. with them were three bachelor friends, Lou Thorpe, Billy Brown, and Al Extine.
     They had left Kansas from Missouri a few years earlier and had been living in "No Man's Land", now Beaver county.
     A few days before the 22nd, the men accompanied by Grandmother, aunt Lizzie Wallace, and My sister, Cora, who was seven yrs old, started for Kingfisher.
     Water for their cattle had at times been quite a problem in"No Man's Land", so they wanted land with running water and headed for Uncle John's Creek. About a half-mile after crossing the creek, Uncle Jim Wallace staked his 160-acre claim. Father took the land just east, Grandfather chose land south of Father's and Uncle Dick (J.R.) took the farm, east of Grandfather's.
     The other men took nearby claims, and being close friends, worked together on their building projects. Granmother, Lizzie and cora, living meanwhile in the covered wagon, prepared food for the men as they built homes, followed by the plowing of the ground and the planting and harvesting crops.
    Wonderful not only for the cattle but also for children's play was the creek of clear water (Called Clear Creek) running through the land taken by my father, Uncle Dick and Jim, and Al Extine, as I was to learn when I 'came along" later. Yougest of six children, I was the only one born in Kingfisher County and in a son-half dugout home, a few years after the opening.
     That first summer, after the local harvest, Father and my uncles went to Kansas and worked in the harvest there. then in the fall, to "No Man's Land" to transport their families and personal property to the new homes near Kingfisher. the trip was made in covered wagons, with 35 or more head of cattle herded alongside. My oldest sister, Grace, who was nearly 14, and Nora, 9, rode ponies and drove the heard. (Acouple of years later Grace became the wife of George B. Hensley, and in 1896, Nora married Stephen Dull.)
     All were delighted with the new land, the dugouts and the claim shanties until new frame houses could be built. Grandfather's first house was made of native stone. It was he, who desiring religious instruction for the grandchilderen, built a brush and straw arbor, made benches and constructed a Sunday School for them and the neighborjood childeren. when the weather became cold, sunday School was moved to Warner Brown's, east of Uncle Dick's farm. Lou Thrope was a good carpenter and, with the help of my father, uncles, and others, constructed a nice building on a corner donated by Billy Brown, who had a fram just south of Grandfather's: and Sunday School and Church services were held there for many years and was given the name Howe Chapel.
   After a time the group decided to become affiliated with te United Brethren church and services continued for some time after world War I, and improved roads and automobles enabled people to attened services in neighbpring Kingfisher, Okarche and Reeding.
    Mother brought her musical instrument, an accordion, with her and played it in the evening, and with father's help, she taught us many songs. the bible was read each evening and prayer was said before we were put tp bed.
     Those of our family not mentioned above were a brother, Gilbert, born in Bolivar Mo., and a sister, Dora, born in"NO Man's Land" and maried Fred Morton in 1906. Sister cora married E.E. Oakes in 1898.
    Uncle dick's children were Alva, born in Kansas, Gertrude, born in "No Man's Land", and Archie, Bessie, Charley, Tom, Cora (Mrs jim Ash) , and Aaron, born in Kingfisher county. Children of Uncle Jim Wallace were, Neil, Ray, and Audy, born in Kingfisher County.
     when my father sold his farm and moved to Kingfisher in the summer of 1903, Dora and I were the only children at home, and we four became members of the Methodist Church. Dora married Fred R. Morton in 1906, and I married Thomas Archie Stetler in 1911.

The above is an extract from the book- "Pioneers of Kingfisher County 1889-1976"