Obit of James, Silas Henry - Roger Mills County, Oklahoma Submitted by: Wanda Purcell 19 Jun 2005 Return to Roger Mills County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/rogermills/rogermills.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== Surnames: James, Richards, Hiatt, Marvin, Summers, Ross, Gray, Ellegoode Originally Posted At: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/5YB.2ACE/6017 Silas Henry James was born December 7, 1852 in Henderson County, Illinois. At the age of six, he moved to Versailles, Illinois where he lived until he moved as a pioneer young man to Waco, Kansas, where he met and married in 1877, Miss Emma Richards, to which union were born Burl, who preceded him in death in 1935, Harold Odell of Glendale, California, and Mrs. Lula James Hiatt of Cheyenne. He moved again to Pratt, Kansas; where he was engaged in the mercantile business for about twenty years after which, in 1902 he came to what is now western Oklahoma, where he pioneered in the telephone business, establishing systems at Shattuck and at Foss, later linking them up, giving Cheyenne its first telephone service. He moved to Cheyenne in 1906 where he continued to live until he departed this life in Glendale, California, September 27, 1939 at the age of 86 years, 9 months and 20 days. After a memorial service conducted by Rev,. Ray W. Menard in the Cheyenne Methodist church with Tunnard Funeral Home laid his tired body to rest by the side of his wife in the Cheyenne cemetery, Cheyenne, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma. "Granddaddy", as he was affectionately known in the later years, was truly a pioneer, bringing to Cheyenne not only the first telephone exchange, but also the first private water system, the first light plant, the first silent pictures, and the first talking picture. He was among those whose perdsonal sacrifice brought the railroad to Cheyenne. He was active not only in his personal business enterprises and in civic activities, but alsdo a loyal member of the Cheyenne Medthodist church. Because of his long residence in the community he was wide known, and because of his winsome personality his friends were numbered by his acquaintanes without regard to age, creed or station in life. Funeral services were held in Cheyenne on Wednesday afternoon, October 4, 1939 in the Methodist church, after which burial was made in the local cemetery. Relatives present at the service in Cheyenne included Mrs. Lula James Hiatt of Cheyenne, his grandson, Mr. Henry James of Bakersfield, California, his niece, Mrs. Charles Marvin and Mr. Charles Marvin of Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, his niece, Mrs. Minnie Summers of Watonga, Oklahoma, his nephews, Mr. Glern Ross of Wichita, Kansas, Mr. Floyd Richards and Mrs. Richards of Bartleaville, Oklahoma, Mr. Leland Richards and Mrs. Richards of Rocky, Oklahoma, Mrs. Era Grfay of Gage, Oklahoma and a niece, Mrs. Iva Ellegoode, Lawton, Oklahoma. Cheyenne Star, Cheyenne, OK 12-Oct-1939 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Roger Mills Archives http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/rogermills/rogermills.html