Martha Olivia (Stephens) Cobb (1869 - 1943)

Born 19 Jun 1869 in Whitesboro, Grayson, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Rufus Rowland Cobb — married 30 Jan 1887 in JimTown, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, Oklahoma

Descendants

Died 28 Apr 1943 at age 73 in Arapaho, Custer, Oklahoma, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Susan Bradford [send private message]

Biography

Rufus R. Cobb and Mittie O. Stephens applied for marriage license at Cooke county, Texas, 26 January 1887. Clerk, A. J. Thompson. Deputy, Geo. W. Stafford. Marriage was officiated 30 January 1887 by C. F. Roberts, Minister of Gospel at JimTown, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, Oklahoma.

Mittie wrote in her journal: "My father, George W. Stephens, came to Ardmore in 1885 as a merchant who followed the railroad as it advanced north and west. He was a cousin of B. F. (Frank) Yoakum, president of one of the railroads that traversed this great and lovely state of Oklahoma. The Yoakums were Texas pioneers. They were educators and founders of schools, coming from Tennessee.

"I was born at Whitesboro, Texas, June 19, 1868, and was educated at Catholic Academies at Denison and Sherman, Texas. The building at Denison stands as a beautiful monument of those days in 1884. I visited it fifty years afterwards and recalled many memories of those kind dear teachers, the nuns of the Catholic Church. (Mittie attended St. Joseph's Academy at Sherman. She finished school at St. Xavier's Academy at Denison, Texas.)

"I met my husband, Rufus Rowland Cobb, at a big Camp Meeting at St. Joe, Texas, while my father's family were living at Jim Town, Indian Territory, near the Red River. He then took me home across the Red River. It then took almost a day in a buggy, now it can be driven in a few hours by auto. Our marriage several months later took place at my father's trading post at Jim Town, on January 30, 1887. The marriage certificate was issued at Gainesville, Texas. While the old river rolls between the two states the certificate, the words, and prayers of minister, Creed F. Roberts, have stayed good for holding the young couple, he aged 21, she 18 years, for 54 years together.

"We lived in Texas until the next October. We were moving to Indian Territory. The land belonged to the Indians but we could buy a permit and improve all the land we wished, build as many buildings as we could use, and bring as many cattle and horses as was owned.

"The country was soon settled. Houses built here and there. A school and Sunday school taught by my step-sister. My father, George W. Stephens, opened a post office with a store near Hewitt. Stephens' Post Office.

"When President proclaimed the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands open for settlement my husband made plans of a trip for the Run. I would be left with our three small children for the months that he would be gone. I wouldn't hear from him since there would be no mail. Husband, my father, and brother Jim left March 21, 1892 to head to Cheyenne land opening of April 19, 1892.

"The night of July 4, Rufus returned. The dog barking at the sound of the wagon traveling fast and Rufus singing aloud.

"In October we sold the land improvements, three room log house, furniture, carpets, barns, cribs, fences, horses, cattle, chickens and ducks, crop of wheat and oats, and cotton for $3,000. This was a good beginning towards getting started in the new location. We moved with three wagons of household goods, feed and farming implements. It would take about two weeks to travel from Stephens' Post Office to north of Arapaho, O.T. Some places there would be no road, only a dim trail.

"Our homestead was at Gip, fourteen miles north west of Arapaho. There was no mail route, no railroad, nor telegraph or telephone then. We lived in wagons and sheds until lumber was hauled from Minco, ninety or more miles over a rough trail with stream to . ford.

"Before the winter husband decided to move to Arapaho and open a store and feed yard there. we lived in a small three room house, part of it three and a half foot underground.

"After a year and half we sold the store to Mr. Simpson and returned to Gip. Rufus sold the store for 100 head of cattle which he took to Gip. I opened the first mail there, April 1894. We had a general store and post office. At first mail came once a week then twice a week. A few months later we had daily mail. A church, school house, blacksmith shop, lumberyard and farm implement store were all built at Gip. We run the store at Gip for 15 years. September 1907 we returned to Arapaho, built a new building for store.

"Our sons and daughters, nine living, have attended schools and universities that we have seen spring up in this new land. Our grandchildren and their children enjoy the blessings of this new State."

Mittie Stephens Cobb

OBITUARY OF MRS R. R. COBB, ARAPAHO BEE, April 1943.

Mittie Olivia Stephens was born June 19, 1868 at Whitesboro, Texas, and departed this life at Arapaho, April 28, 1943. She was united in marriage to Rufus R. Cobb at JimTown, Indian Territory, January 30, 1887 and made their home near Ardmore, Indian Territory, until 1892 when they came to Custer County at the opening of the Cheyenne-Arapaho country and filed on a claim at Gip.

Since the opening of the country the Cobb family have lived at Gip and Arapaho where Mr. Cobb has been in the mercantile business and ranching.

Ms. Cobb was a member of the Methodist church. She joined the church when 12 years of age at Gainesville, Texas and has held responsible positions with the church and Sunday School, was the secretary of the County Sunday School Association for 12 years, an active member of the W. C. T. U. in the pioneer days, and in every way gave aid and encouragement to her church and for humanity.

The funeral service was delivered at the Methodist church in Arapaho last Friday at 2p.m. by her grandson, Rev. Lawrence Cobb of Oklahoma City. Internment was made in the Gip cemetery.

Survivors include the husband, R. R. Cobb; sons, Jack Cobb, San Jose, Calif.; George H. Cobb, Fresno, Calif.; Randall W. Cobb, Portland, Oregon; Cecil Cobb, Butler, and Frank Cobb of Arapaho; daughters, Mrs. A. P. Cooper, Denver, Colorado; Mrs. R. P. Bland, Arapaho; Mrs. Mildred Shankland, Rosemead, Calif. and Miss Mary Cobb of home address; one brother, Jim Stephens of Custer City, sixteen grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXLR-6GG : 12 April 2016), Martha Stevens in household of George W Stevens, Texas, United States; citing p. 5, family 32, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,087.
• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFNX-3GP : 15 July 2017), Martha Stephens in household of George Stephens, Whitesboro, Grayson, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 14, sheet 346C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1307; FHL microfilm 1,255,307.
• "Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK8Y-4QDM : 10 December 2017), Ruffus Cobb and Mittie O Stephens, 30 Jan 1887; citing Cooke, Texas, United States, county courthouses, Texas; FHL microfilm 1,290,677.
• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMGC-JLR : accessed 23 January 2019), Martha Cobb in household of Ruf Cobb, Barnetz Township, Custer, Oklahoma Territory, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 36, sheet 1A, family 4, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,336.
• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLQ6-HWG : accessed 23 January 2019), Mittie O Cobb in household of Rufus R Cobb, Arapaho, Custer, Oklahoma, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 111, sheet 9A, family 10, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1250; FHL microfilm 1,375,263.
• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJMD-294 : accessed 23 January 2019), Rufus R Cobb, Arapaho, Custer, Oklahoma, United States; citing ED 18, sheet 4B, line 54, family 74, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1461; FHL microfilm 1,821,461.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XC7D-2BX : accessed 23 January 2019), Mittie Cobb in household of R R Cobb, Arapaho, Custer, Oklahoma, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 2, sheet 10B, line 92, family 230, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1901; FHL microfilm 2,341,635.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VBJY-KYS : 14 March 2018), Mittie O Cobb in household of Rufus R Cobb, Arapaho Township, Custer, Oklahoma, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 20-2, sheet 7B, line 42, family 129, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3290.
• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 23 January 2019), memorial page for Martha Olivia “Mittie” Stephens Cobb (1868–1943), Find A Grave Memorial no. 50930398, citing Gyp Cemetery, Custer City, Custer County, Oklahoma, USA ; Maintained by Dolores Colwell Willis & Roy Willis (contributor 47259173) .
• Susan Cabaniss Bradford, great-granddaughter, family resources

• Mittie Stephens Cobb's 1941 Journal http://mittiesjournal.blogspot.com/