VEATCH STORIES OKLAHOMA
The first Veatches in Oklahoma were Henry W. Veatch and his wife Alice Keller Veatch, with their four children: Roy L. Veatch, Elmer A. Veatch, Lily Mabel Veatch, and Bertha M. Veatch.
The Veatch family moved from Kansas to Oklahoma after Bertha's 1896 birth and before Ralph's 1900 birth. Eldest child, Roy, walked beside the wagon, leading the horses during the 100-mile trip south from Furley, Kansas to Ringwood, Oklahoma. It took about two weeks.
In 1898, Henry Veatch purchased Charley Duvall's 160-acre claim for $500 and built a two-room house for a living room and bedroom, near an existing one-room dugout that was used for cooking and dining. In a few years, a kitchen and two more rooms were added to the house and the dugout was discarded. "The family finished out the time of the Duvall claim and received a deed to the farm," according to son Ralph.[1] According to certificate #6115, dated 3 Nov 1905, the property was located in Major County, the South East quarter of Section fourteen in Township twenty-two North of Range ten West of Indian Meridian in Oklahoma, containing one hundred and sixty acres.[2]
Ralph brought a child's vision to the family's early days in Oklahoma.[1]
- "In the hot dry parts of the summer it was necessary to run the water pump by hand, and this was a task much disliked by the children, for it was difficult to keep the stock tank filled."
- "The clearing of the land left many stumps and roots in the ground which were a source of trouble and the cause of many a good hard crack on the shins of the person walking behind a drill, lister, plow, or cultivator."
- The building of a railroad line along the north side of the farm "was an exciting time and watched by the Veatch children as much as possible."
- An annual event was "the passing through of the Kiowa, Comanche, and other Indian tribes from Canton and southwestern Oklahoma to Ponca City [for] Green Corn, and other Indian celebration events.....The youngsters of the community were all eyes at this event but were a little cautious for fear they might get captured and taken away with the Indians."
- "The Veatch children all walked about a mile to school. Sometimes in the winter storms it was a tough mile. When it was too bad weather, my Father would hitch up the horses to a wagon or surrey and drive us."
"Henry Veatch was a stiff unyielding man, determined to do things his own way, not very likeable. But one story about him is very admirable."[3] It was the custom in those days for the community to sit up all night with the family when someone died. Clint Clark, who was drunk and causing disturbance, killed the mayor, Elmer Ferguson, who tried to calm him. The young man took hostages and ran, but a posse soon followed and shot him down. Only Henry Veatch and Mr. Huffman were willingto sit with the body that night awaiting burial, according to Ralph.[1]
On his eighteenth birthday, Roy received two horses from his father, as encouragement to stay on the farm. But Roy wanted to be an accountant, so he sold the horses for train fare to Wichita where he entered a trade school. In the 1910 census, his occupation was laborer in a lumber yard. Unfortunately, he contracted typhoid fever and had to return home to recover. After he recovered, he headed northeast again, working in Wichita, then Rock Island, Illinois then Chicago.
Grandson Roger said: "I saw them when I was six [1929]. I remember my grandfather scooped me up and set me on a horse. We didn't go back again until I was fourteen. Then, I was pretty close to my cousin Cecil. We always felt pretty far from them because we were city kids, but they are always very welcoming." [4]
Research Notes
- A cassette from 1980 has Roy Veatch telling stories of moving to Oklahoma and of his father sitting with the murderer's family. When it is found, add it here.
- Henry's brother, Lafe Veatch, and wife Anna removed their family to Ringwood, Oklahoma from Montrose, Colorado about 1915.[1]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ralph Veatch Sr in Gloss Mountain Country: A History of Major County, Major County Historical Society, 1977, pp. 333-335; State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, Dec 1996, F704 M4 G58.
- ↑ Oklahoma Land Records, vol 167, p. 224; https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=OK1670__.224&docClass=STA&sid=pssbv2zf.2rn#patentDetailsTabIndex=1
- ↑ Interview with Margery Veatch by Cossy Ksander, 19 Jul 1992.
- ↑ Interview with Roger Veatch by Cossy Ksander, 13 Oct 1997.
- Unsources materials were witnessed by or told to Cossy Ksander.