1937 Interview of Mary Daniel Maupin Fitzpatrick - Grady County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Sandi Carter SandKatC@aol.com Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== Mrs. Jim (Mary Daniel Maupin) Fitzpatrick 710 South 11th Street Chickasha, Oklahoma I came with my folks by train, from Kentucky to Caddo, Indian Territory, in 1874. My father (John Maupin) had chartered a car in Kentucky, and shipped his wagon and team and a few other things to Caddo, by rail. When we arrived at Caddo we hitched our horses to the wagon and traveled overland to Pauls Valley, where my father leased a farm from Smith Paul The house on the farm was a small low house that had a dirt floor. In one end of the room there was a big fireplace. The chimney was made of clay and small sticks. The sticks laid in the clay kept it from cracking and falling apart. The roof was covered with homemade board shingles. We had a small building in the yard close to the house. The walls were made of logs and the roof was just a framework of poles and covered with brush. The brush made a shade but it wouldn't turn water. We used this building for a summer kitchen. We carried our drinking water from a big well a quarter of a mile distant. My two sisters and I went to a subscription school in Pauls Valley which was taught by a man teacher. We studied McGuffey's books, and we used slates to do our work on. Our school had a dirt floor. Miller and Green ran a general merchandise store and kept the Post Office at Pauls Valley. They freighted their merchandise from Caddo. George Laflin did most of the freighting with ox teams and pole tar wagons. The mail was brought to Pauls Valley from Caddo, by stage from Pauls Valley, the stage went to Anadarko. The stage made a complete trip about once a week, and nearly always had a passenger or two. My father raised a good corn crop on Mr. Paul's farm which we shelled with a hand sheller, and sold to the government, delivered at Fort Sill. I helped my father plant the corn. After the rows had been laid off with a Georgia Stock we walked and dropped the corn. We were followed by someone with a hoe who covered the corn. Smith Paul had a 1,500 acre farm. In 1876, we moved to Mrs. Margaret Moncrief's farm on the Little Washita River, about 8 miles southeast of where Chickasha is now. My father farmed there. In 1880 I was married to Jim (James Albert) Fitzpatrick, by Dave Johnson, a Christian minister. We lived on my husband's ranch which was located on the Washita River, about six miles southeast of where Chickasha now is. My husband was a partner of Frank Murray and Wyatt Williams, in the cattle business. Mr. Williams took one herd to Kansas and shipped them to market, and kept all the money which was $40,000. He lived in Texas and he sent his cowboys to our ranch to get the rest of the cattle. My husband knew they were coming and he sent his cowboys to meet them and tell them to stay off the ranch if they wanted to avoid a fight, as my husband didn't intend to give up any more cattle. The men came on and one of Mr. Williams men was killed and one died later from the effects of a leg wound. We lived near what was called the Rock Crossing on the Washita River, where the Chisholm Trail crossed the river. Each spring, from 1880 until about 1890, Texas cattle were started moving north and would continue until late in the summer. We bought our ranch supplies from Frank Clayton who ran a general merchandise store at Erin Springs. We were bothered occasionally by horse thieves who came from Texas and stole our horses. Heck Thomas and Chris Madsen were two of the United States marshals who worked around near our ranch. About the only law breakers they ever caught were whiskey peddlers. They took these to Fort Smith for trial. Interviewer: Thad Smith, Jr. (a relative) Indian - Pioneer History, S-149 24 September 1937 I hope you have found the above of interest. James Albert and Mary Daniel Maupin Fitzpatrick were my great grandparents. Sandi Carter -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html