Whitt family history obits, Rogers Co. OK Submitted by: Barbara Cox ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** I am sending you obits on my mother and grandparents. Thanks. Barbara Cox bjcox@attbi.com Charles Edward Whitt was the oldest of three children born May 26, 1904 to Genoa Hammons, second wife of Samuel Madison Whitt of Salyersville, Kentucky. Samuel Whitt had 13 children born to his first wife, Elizabeth Jane Cooper. When Charles was a young lad, his parents separated. Charles and his younger sister, Alma, were sent by train from Kentucky to the new state of Oklahoma to be raised by their elder half-brother, John Boone Whitt and his wife, Matilda. Three of the older Whitt sons of Samuel Madison Whitt had moved to Oklahoma to serve as lawyers for the young state. Many lawyers were hired by white settlers to settle purchase claims of lands previously owned by indians. John Boone Whitt, Beecher Whitt, and Oliver H. Whitt first settled in Crowder, OK. By 1917, J.B. Whitt moved his wife (along with Charles and Alma) to Claremore in Rogers County, by rail car. The home of J. B. Whitt's Claremore home was located at 418 East 2nd Street, just a vacant block from Charles' lifelong sweetheart's residence on 3rd Street, Rose Gregory. Charles and Rose were thirteen when they first met at the First Christian Church of Claremore where the both attended. The two were married on December 28, 1922 in the church parsonage when they both were eighteen. Charle and Rose Whitt had three daughters and two nephews were adopted sons. Norma Whitt Breeden, Wanda Thompson Moore, and Jeanne Whitt Owen died of cancer. Robert Whitt died in 1968 due to a tragic automobile accident. Son, Richard Whitmore, had a successful photography studio in the Virginia area near Washington D.C. The Whitts also provided a home for numerous friends and relatives experiencing harder times during the Great Depression and the years that followed. Charles Whitt owned and operated the second gasoline station in Claremore, located on the corner of First Street and J. M. Davis Blvd. (formerly Route 66). The Whitts owned thirteen stations during the 1920'2 and 30's. Gas sold for as high as twelve cents per gallon! After the war, the Whitts leased their station in Claremore to the Mobil Oil Company, with Mr. Whitt remaining manager. By the time the lease expired in 1967, the main highway had moved so Mr. Whitt converted the old station into a wholesale giftware and antique business known as Treasure House Gifts. During the mid 1950's, the Whitts purchased Lucky Springs, a farm located in northeastern Oklahoma near Tahlequah. With Spring Creek running through the property, a one-room school house, and a log-cabin home on a hillside - Lucky Springs provided an oasis swimming and fishing hole for grandchildren during the summer for years that followed. Many family reunions were hosted by the Whitts at Lucky Springs until the property was sold during the mid 1960's. By mid-1960's, Rose Whitt retired from twenty years of service at the Claremore Indian Hospital. She dabbled in selling ceramics from her home. She opened Treasure House # 2 next door in November 1970 at 618 W. First Street to sell her ceramics and porcelain antique reproduction dolls. Side-by-side, Charle and Rose worked, even after retirement. By 1978, Treasure House Gifts was sold to daughter and son-in-law, Wanda and Charl Moore. Charles and Rose then devoted all their energies on the Doll Shop. Charles developed a process to manufacture porcelain doll eyes to cut the high costs on imported blown-glass eyes from Germany. Treasure House Dolls was sold to their granddaughter and her hushand in 1981, Barbara and Gerald Cox. With Rose Whitt's mother, Ina Gregory still sewing baby doll gowns, and daughter Wanda selling Treasure House Dolls in her giftshop, four generations were involved in doll making. The family tradition continued another five years until the Treasure House Dolls was closed. Charles and Rose Whitt celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary on January 21, 1973 with an open house in their home at 513 N. Lavira, hosted by daughters Wanda and Norma, and son, Richard. The couple is remembered at Charles always carrying Rose's books when they attended school. After their marriage, Charles always made Rose breakfast and carried it to her. On Sunday, September 16, 1979 Charles was locking up the Doll Shop when he was viciously assaulted by a robber. Whitt (age 75) was beaten to the floor and threatened to death with a 7" blade knife by his assailant. After the robber fled, Whitt managed to call police. A unit was on patrol in the area and arrested the suspect, a 19 year old Tulsa man. The money stolen was returned to Whitt, who suffered only facial injuries. Rose Gregory Whitt, sweetheart of Charles for 67 years, died of kidney failure in 1990. Charles Whitt celebrated his 90th birthday in May 1994 with a reception held in his honor and attended by many relatives and friends. Just a few short weeks later, Charles suffered a slight stroke at his home at 513 North Lavira in Claremore, OK. After hospitalization, he was transferred to the Colonial Care Nursing Home in Chelsea where his granddaughter, Marcia Owen Morrison, could monitor his care. Charles died two years later on May 6, 1996 following a second stroke that impaired his breathing. Services held at Musgrove-Merriott-Smith in Claremore, with burial at Woodlawn Cemetery. Claremore Progress, May 7, 1996 ========== Headline: Dedicated Claremore Historian Dies Publication Date: October 05, 1994 Source: Tulsa World Page: N10 Subjects: Region: Oklahoma Obituary:Wanda Whitt Moore, 67, was perhaps best known for her accomplishments during six years as the president of the Rogers County Historical Society. The Claremore native attended the University of Oklahoma and spent 25 years with the Young Women's Christian Association in Dallas before returning to Claremore with her second husband, Charl, in 1978. He survives. The couple married in 1974 following the death of Moore's first husband, Robert Thompson. It was through Moore's quiet persistence and ability to motivate volunteers that the historical society turned wishes into realities: buying the Will Rogers Hotel for $1, paying off the $70,000 Belvidere Mansion in three years, helping obtain the Foyil Totem Pole, and most recently negotiating for the city's old library for a Hall of Fame. "She inspired many people to volunteer by her enthusiasm and her willingness to work hard," society member Cindy Smith said. "She wouldn't ever give up on a project by thinking it couldn't be done. She did it in such a wonderful spirit that when she asked you to do something, you did it." Dr. Will Barnes, who agreed to help with the Belvidere after being approached by Moore, said, "She has to be credited with the restoration and preservation efforts in the county. "Everybody liked Wanda." She was aware of what the county was about to lose, and "she motivated people not to let that happen," he said. Moore continued her work until she was hospitalized a few weeks ago, Barnes said. Services will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday at First Christian Church in Claremore. Other survivors include daughters Carolyn Younkin and Cindy Thompson, both of Dallas; and Barbara Cox of Gaithersburg, Md.; a brother, Richard Whitmore of Stafford, Va.; her father, Charles Whitt of Chelsea; and five grandchildren. =============== Rose Ida Whitt was born in Inola, Creek Indian Territory, on January 17, 1904. Her father, Gilbert, was 5/8ths Creek Indian. Her grandfather, James Roane Gregory was the son of a full blood indian mother, and 3/4 indian father. Her Creek Indian grandmother had a great influence on Rose's early childhood and the source of many a good story told by Rose to her grandchildren. Rose's parents (Ina and Gilbert Gregory) lived on the indian allotment land granted to the Gregory family by the Dawes Commission when the Creek Nation was divided among members of the Creek Tribe prior to Oklahoma becoming a state in 1906. The Gregory land was located along the Verdigris River in Inola, Rogers County. Prior to statehood, Inola bordered Creek and Cherokee Nation. Rose attended the Gregory School in Inola, named for her grandfather, James Roane Gregory, a Judge of the Creek Nation. Rose's family moved to Claremore about 1914. Their new farm house was located at (what is currently) 420 East Third Street. At the time of purchase, the farmhouse sat in a large meadow and there were no other homes around. Gilbert Gregory started working for the Post Office, being hired as the first Indian Rural Route Mail Carrier for Rogers County. When Rose was age 13, her father built an art studio for her in the backyard. She loved to paint pictures and also painted china. Granddaughter. Barbara, was given the set of 6 china plates Rose had about painted in 1920 to impress her future "in-laws" (J.B. and Tillie Whitt). Tillie was so impressed with the china that she asked Rose if she could buy the plates. Rose, was quite surprised and paused for a moment and then replied she would have to have at least $5.00 per plate. To Rose's amazement, Tillie grabbed her checkbook and wrote out a check to purchase the hand painted plates. The plates were given back to Rose years later, and then given to granddaughter Barbara Thompson Cox. Once the farmland became part of main street Claremore, homes began going up all around the old farm house. In later years, Rose and Charles rented the farmhouse for $12 per month. Daughter, Wanda, was born there. Rose and Charles decided the rent was too high and moved out. Rose and Charles bought a house on the corner of First Street near the railroad and what later became Highway Route 66 (known present day as J.M. Davis Blvd.). This home was located across the street from the old Spurgin Wagon yard where travelers stopped for an evening's lodging and had their wagons fixed. In the old days of the wagon yard, travelers could have an evenings lodging, get their wagon's fixed if needed, and feed their horse. The cost was $1.00. It was on this property on the southeast corner of First Street and J.M. Davis (old Highway 66) that Charles opened the second filling station in Claremore in 1927, Gaino Oil Company. Rose Whitt operated a small cottage industry manufacturing porcelain antique reproduction dolls from 1970 - 1981 called Treasure House Dolls. Her dolls gained popularity over the years and were sold mail-order to every state in the nation. When the Whitts decided to retire in 1981, Treasure House Dolls was then sold to granddaughter Barbara Cox, keeping the business in the family another five years. Rose Whitt was named Woman of Year in 1979 by the Indian Nations Business and Professional Women's Club of Claremore. Thanksgiving 1979 five generations gathered at Wanda's home to celebrate the holiday. Rose and Charles celebrated 68 years of marriage before Rose passed away in her sleep on March 27, 1990 while napping in her home at 513 N. Lavira in Claremore. Services held at Musgrove-Merriott-Smith in Claremore, with burial at Woodlawn Cemetery. ============== Ina Stewart was the fifth child of nine children born [March 16, 1887] to Mary Geneva Leach and Rufus Elgan Stewart. Her childhood years were spent in poverty. She was born in the Holt County, Missouri town of Maitland. Her father moved the family to Afton, Iowa where Ina attended some school. In 1894 the family moved to Siloam Springs, Arkansas when she was seven. Her father had been a painting contractor, section hand on the railroad, and even tried farming - all in an effort to provide for his family. Ina recalled her father not being very good at anything; but kept trying to support his family. In 1894, the family moved by covered wagon from Arkansas to Indian Territory. A sister to Ina's mother had encouraged the family to move to Siloam Springs for work. When Ina's family arrived however, the sister and her family had moved on to Indian Territory in hopes of even better opportunities. Ina's family continued on to the Creek Indian Nation, settling near present day Inola in Rogers County. Ina recalled the trip took six weeks. She recalled the bitter cold and wind, although remembered luckily having no rain or snow. The family had plenty of blankets to bundle up in to keep warm. For food, they carried seven loafs of bread, applesauce, and lots of cooked-up fried chicken. The food kept well in the wagons because of the frigid winter temperatures. When the family made stops, the children would all help gather the wood for the fire to help everyone stay warm and to heat the food. Corn, used for feed for the horses, was packed under all the beds in the wagon and used to supplement the dried hay or grasses the horses could eat on the open prairies along the way. When Ina's family arrived in Indian Territory, Ina's dad had ten cents, no job, and the family's food supply was exhausted on the trip. Ina's father eventually got a job paying fifty cents a day sawing wood to make railwood ties to support his family of five. The young children all worked exptremely hard helping to make fire wood, fence posts, or just about anything that needed done. The family survived on surplus potatos given to them. Ina, eighty years later, was still mindful of the kindness people afforded her family by providing the surplus potatos. She said they ate potatos three meals a day for over a year or two - rarely having anything else accept for occasional nuts or berries gathered in season. At the age of fourteen, Ina met Gilbert Rogers Gregory. He was the son of a politically active Creek Indian named James Roane Gregory. Though fifteen years her senior, Gilbert and Ina married in 1902. They had three children: Rose Ida, Beatrice Ellen, and Theodore Rogers Gregory. Gilbert was employed as the first Indian to become a mail-carrier for Rogers County. He worked for the Postal Service until his death in 1946. Ina worked many years in Claremore for Streeter Cleaners. In 1962, at the age of 75, Ina began construction of her home at the Lucky Springs farm of Rose and Charles Whitt near Tahlequah. She carefully and methodically stepped off the perimeter of each room to measure the areas needed for her house. Hauling the wood, and doing the sawing and hammering herself, she proceeded. The rural route mail man is said to have helped her wire the house for electricity. The two bedroom, living room, and kitchen house also had a small side porch and bathroom. A few years later, with the help of son Theodore, she added a large room on one end used as a den and extra bedroom when the great-grandchildren visited Lucky Springs during the summer. Ina enjoyed teaching her great granddaughters to sew, using cloth from feed sacks. Hours during the summer evenings were spent playing board games such as Monopoly or Sorry with the children. Dominos and Spoons were also favorite games. Ina enjoyed crochet, quilting, cooking, and all kinds of crafts. She had a keen wit and found delight in a good joke or prank. When the Whitt's sold Lucky Springs in the late 1960's, Ina moved to Sapulpa. Her son, Theodore, bought a three story old house (512 E. Cleveland) which he converted into apartments. Ina was the manager of the apartments while Theodore worked as a welder on jobs away from Sapulpa. At the age of 80, Ina was still mowing the huge lawn and running watch over the tennants. She installed a pay phone in her living room to discourage tennants from using her phone free. She walked the many blocks to the stores for groceries. At one point, she considered a motorcycle with a side-cart for transportation. Ina had never had a drivers license and family members discouraged her getting a motorcycle license at her age. The property was sold about 1971 when Theodore built a new house at 631 Pinto Lane in Sapulpa. After years of retirement, at age eighty, she began sewing baby-doll christening gowns for her daughter, Rose's Treasure House Doll Shop in Claremore. Ina eventually moved back to Claremore and lived in the little house behind Rose and Charles at 513 North Lavira. Ina entered Shady Grove Rest Home in Pryor in 1984. She continued to sew baby doll gowns for Treasure House Dolls, then owned by great-granddaughter, Barbara Thompson Cox. In 1987, Ina was honored on her 100th Birthday by a celebration with many friends and relatives attending. National weatherman, Willard Scott, announced her birthday on the "Today Show." Ina died of pneumonia at the age of 102 years and 10 months, with the comfort of granddaughter, Wanda, at her side. Daughter Rose at age 86, having always been very close to her mother, died just eight weeks later. Ina Stewart Gregory had a long and healthy life and was an inspiration to the generations who followed. Ina was buried next to Gilbert and daughter, Beatrice, at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Claremore, Oklahoma.