Mary Susan (Rowland) Poe (1857 - 1937)

I don’t know facts about my grandmother; only what I have been told by my mother and my memories of her. Mary Susan Rowland was born probably in the late 1850’s or early 1860’s, & think in Kentucky. Susan had an identical twin sister named Alice. Also 1 other sister _itsy and 2 brothers Jim & Joe, but probably more of that family. My grandmother Susan told me she and Alice owned a negro maid who looked after them.

I can remember visiting Aunt Alice & Uncle Howard (last name unknown) [Howard Massey Eubank- jn] in Pratt, Kan. I don’t think they had any children. Also when about 4 1/2 , my mother took the 3 of us to Western Kansas to visit Aunt _itsy and Uncle Bill Gaither & their 2 children [Judah and William ‘Bill’ Goiller-jn]. Bonnie the same age as my sister Leola-14 at the time-- & Billie, a year older than me. Aunt _itsy was a lot of fun & she got out & played with us kids. Remember 1 day she took my mother someplace and left Bonnie & Leola to look after the rest of us little ones. Aunt _itsy gave Bonnie a quarter to buy us 5 each an ice cream cone when the ice cream wagon came along. That was a well traveled quarter, as Bonnie afraid would lose it, so put it in her mouth & when then she swallowed it. So of course we didn’t get cones that day. The next morning she passed the quarter-so cleaned it up and polished it & later that afternoon we all got our cones. They all lived in a big house in town. Uncle Bill rode out to his farm to care for the acres and acres of wheat. In the kitchen they had a huge black iron cook stove & heating stove combined, & it really heated up the house in the summer, so Uncle Bill got them a kerosene cook stove & put it outside on the porch, as always feared it would explode. And it did go “pop” every time Aunt _itsy lit it, but she did cook some fine meals out on this little stove. And remember hearing later on that it did explode & burned dow porch and part of kitchen so when repaired, got a modern cookstove for the kitchen.

The 2 brothers Jim and Joe Rowland lived in Guthrie, Okla. & owned and run a hardware & furniture store there. I vaguely remember hearing both were married & had families, but don’t know for sure. These 2 uncles came to Shawnee each year to a hardware convention & would come out to visit us for a few hours, & when Grandma came to live with us they came a times to have dinner & evening with us. The last time I remember them was in 1937, & Fred & I were engaged by then & he got to meet them & as he also worked at a hardware & furniture store in Tecemseh, they had good visits. Then know we left to go to the movies probably, & when uncles left they put a $10.00 bill on the buffet & said it was for me to get something for my “ hope chest”, for when we got married. Don’t think they were ever back again so may of passed away, as both getting old.

Grandma Susan marred a Tucker Alexander Eubanks in Kentucky, probably in the mid-1880’s. Their first child Verda, was born in 1878 & my mother Louella in 1880 & the 2 boys later in 1880+ [Tucker 1886 and John 1889-JN]. I was told my Grandfather T.A.Eubanks owned a drygoods store and wanting to come west, they sold out the store & he loaded up a huge covered wagon with all sorts of goods, hoping to start a store where they settled. He drove the big wagon & Grandma drove a buggy with the 4 kids & personal belongings from Kentucky to Okla. Territory; where they stopped & either built or bought a building for their home & the store & established a Post Office for the community. [Minnie listed Tucker in error, Mary Susan married Tucker’s son Alexander Crillion Eubank in 1877-jn]

From the Post Office, Bureau of Archives in Washington, D.C., I requested information and received notice that my Grandfather Eubanks, had established a store and Post Office in community of Eubanks, Okla. In Beaver County & he was Postmaster from Feb. 12, 1891 to March 5, 1892, when they sold out & moved to Lavrock, in Beaver County. The Postmaster there was Jesse L Eubanks & grandfather also worked in Post Office until late 1892. Later moving on to Cavett, Okla. In Okla. County, Alexander Eubank became Post Master on October 28, 1892 until Aug. 10, 1893. I have no idea how, or why or when he died but grandma worked in a store & raised her 4 kids, or when she married Mr. Poe. Mother did tell me that after she & our daddy were married in 1898, soon after her brother John moved in with them for a time, because he didn’t like Mr. Poe and Uncle Tucker had already married and left home.

I vaguely remember this Grandpa Poe. My mother & us 3 kids had gone to visit them in Chickasha, & several kids there also. Some were kids of his workers & some his own grandkids, & a couple of our cousins, & they all called him “Mr. Poe”, but in my thinking as he was married to my grandma, he was supposed to be my grandpa & that is what I called him. And guess he liked it, as remember 1 time while we were there he drove his wagon to town for things for grandma & something he needed for the farm & can remember seeing him driving in down the lane that evening & right on to the barn. When he came towards the house he carried a big sack & came straight to me & handed me the sack. And it was full of candy & was up to me to divide. But he gave it to me. One of those days while we were there had been cloudy and rainy most of the day & we had all gone to bed & it started to thunder & lightening, & grandpa yelled from the foot of the stairs “Ella get up & bring those kids we are going to the cellar”. Well mother called to him to go ahead but she & us would be staying where we were. Grandpa called to her & said you bring or send those kids down & you can stay there but as long as you are under my roof those kids go to the cellar. And we came down & spent rest of the night in cellar. The first & only time I remember ever staying in a cellar. And I was raised in Okla & there we had lots of tornados.

I was a teenage in High School when Mr. Poe died. Mother took my brother John & went to Chickasha to help my grandmother & left me with Mrs. McBrian in the house across the street from us, where later on Fred & I bought & was our first home. Took some time to get Mr. Poes affairs in order, as he had children to divide with from a former marriage. Remember lots of boxes moved down to our house & grandma moved from Chickasha. At first she went to live in Kansas with her son John & about 6 moths then Verda, mother’s sister & then to Ardmore with son Tucker & then came to us. This went on about 4 years & she moved in with use permanent so mother could care for her.

Grandma’s eyesight was gradually failing & she also had diabetes, so mother took care of her & saw to her medication. Even with her eyesight going bad she still liked to play cards & where I mostly learned to play. Because was up to me to help grandma & tell her what cards to play-so mostly me playing instead of her, but she enjoys it. Grandma was quite a modern person. She always wanted to look nice & be pretty and every night she rolled up her hair on rags because she said it crimped & curled he hair. Also wanted powder on her face & rouge & lipstick, & as she couldn’t see it was up to me or my sister to put it on for her, & she could be pretty. She was a pretty woman & also a large woman. Big boned & fat too. Must be where I get my size from.

She also could get around good in the house & we didn’t ever move a piece of furniture as much as an inch, so she memorized the room & got around good. I was engaged to Fred by then & he would tease her & make over her & she loved it & loved him for it. She passed away in spring of 1937.

I am so sorry now that I didn’t ask more from her about her family & write it all down, not having to sort my memories for each thing. Her monies were divided with her 3 living kids & us-sister Leola-Brother John & I got $50.00 from her. Know I put mine away with what I had received from oil lease on our 80 acres & when Fred & I bought our furniture I used it then. Mother never told any uf us how much Grandma left her but feel sure it was a nice sum, & neither did mother ever tell any of us how much money she & my father had saved & she had for us to live on all those years. But she made it all last & where we weren’t of the affluent class we always had plenty to eat-a nice house to live in--& good clothes & and education.