Oklahoma : a history of the state and its people
Thoburn, Joseph B. (Joseph Bradfield), 1866-1941
9 * * ° * * * ° * « ‘* * * * ‘.  * 6 = — Ee] Ia = = == | = — — —= a —_ Fy a] = — — = = = — = = = Ss a = = == — = = =< = =e 4 = a — = —— = — — = —— a | a — = — —— —s ae — = — = = = —— — = = — = = = — = =a = —— = —-s — = = =< —- = med — = = es  = — — — — = = HUTA MLA * * + ry INN al ill OKLAHOMA—STATE AND PEOPLE at Oklahoma City, continuing this business with suc- cess until September, 1926, when he disposed of it and removed to Shawnee. There he resumed his work and rapidly became one of the leading painting con- tractors and interior decorators of that section of Oklahoma. His work is of the highest type, and he has decorated and painted many of the finest homes, both in Oklahoma City and Shawnee. Since coming to the latter town, he has done interior dec- orating and painting in seven of the largest and finest theatres in Shawnee, Seminole, Wewoka and Paw- huska, and in the State National Bank of Shawnee, and the First Presbyterian Church of Shawnee. He is now again associated in business with his father, who supplies practically all designs for the many contracts handled by himself and his son. Both are recognized as men of great experience in their par- ticular field, and as master craftsmen in the execu- tion of decorating and painting work. During the World War, Mr. Grandt served for four years with the 162d Machine Gun Infantry in the German Army, having the good fortune neither to be wounded nor taken prisoner. Since coming to this country he has taken great interest in public affairs, and although not active in politics, he is a supporter of the Re- publican party and its principles. He is a member of the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce, and always ready to give his support to every civic movement tending to advance the growth and prosperity of the community. His religious affiliations are with the Presbyterian church, and more particularly with the First Presbyterian Church of Shawnee. Mr. Grandt was married, in Germany, December 12, 1920, to Frieda Eschenhagen, a daughter of Au- gust and Hannah Eschenhagen. Mr. and Mrs. Grandt are the parents of one daughter, Rose-Marie, born at Shawnee, March 27, 1928. The family home is located at No. 722 North Broadway, Shawnee, in one of the finest residential sections of that town. THOMAS RAGLAND-—Stern and _ undeviating determination to collect in full the living that the world owed him brought Thomas Ragland to a posi- tion of prominence and prosperity and to his heirs the splendid results of his industry. He accumulated property of much value in the neighborhood of Konawa, in the heart of the oil industry of Okla- homa, and established a name for good citizenship that is a worthy memorial and a proud badge of heritage to his widow and children. No man was more devoted to the best interests of his community and his country, and his patriotism was of a high order. He was far-visioned, keen of intellect and courageous in his advance along the hard road to success, but he never faltered when the travel was rough, but stuck faithfully to his self-appointed task and was rewarded in full measure. He had many friends, won by his manliness and integrity, and was a power in the industrial world of the State, respec- ted in life and sincerely mourned at his passing. “Tom” Ragland was born in Mississippi, January 4, 1878, a son of Thomas Ragland, a farmer, and of Frances (Claton) Ragland, and obtained his educa- tion in that State, in the grammar and high school and having one year in Oklahoma University. He had been left an orphan at the age of six years and was reared by an uncle until he was sixteen, when he decided to come West. He had sufficient money to buy a ticket into Arkanas, where he landed with five cents capital He met a Dr. C. Kellum, who Okla—27 duce. 417 hired him for some work and paid him six dollars a month, in addition to his living, which was with the physician’s own family. It was through the kindly influence of this doctor that in the boy’s mind were sown the seeds that later were to develop into a crop of prosperity. He remained with his benefactor several years, then went to Mississippi at the out- break of the Spanish-American War, when he en- listed, May 5, 1898, and served until December 20, 1898, when he was honorably discharged, having risen to the rank of sergeant. In 1900 he came to the Indian Territory, where he taught school for one term and with the money he had been able to save bought four head of cattle. With this nucleus ha be- gan stock-raising, putting every dollar he earned into more stock, until he owned two hundred head and began to prosper, buying and selling and ever increasing his herds. In 1904, he leased some land, built a house and bought a team of horses, continu- ing his stock-raising and tilling the soil for his own purposes. He was never a professional farmer, save during the participation of the United States in the World War, when he felt it to be his duty to raise grain in as great quantities as his land would pro- He later returned to stock-raising and con- tinued in that until his sudden death, when he was shot in the back by an unidentified enemy. He was a Democrat, a Presbyterian and belonged to the Woodmen of the World. His widow has proved to be a capable manager of her estate, some of which she has disposed of on royalties for oil production, but retaining some 960 acres of fine land for her children. Before her mar- riage she was a school teacher in Mississippi. Thomas Ragland married, in Taylor, Mississippi, December 27, 1906, Maude Taylor, daughter of Ben and Nancy Taylor, in honor of which family the town was named. Her father was a large landowner and served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He was made prisoner at the beginning of the war and held until its close. The children of Thom- as and Maude (Taylor) Ragland are: 1. Nan, born October 23, 1907, a student at Blue Mountain College for Girls, in Mississippi. 2. Thomas, born September 12, 1909, a high school student. 3. Robert B., born June 13, 1912, a high school student. 4. Cordella, born December 23, 1918, now in elementary school. EDWARD C. HALEY—Associated with the Ada Fire Department ever since that body was composed of volunteers, Edward C. Haley, fire chief, has been one of the signal factors in bringing to Ada one of the best-trained and most complete fire-fighting units in the State of Oklahoma. Appointed to his present post in 1923, to succeed Somer N. Jones, Mr. Halty has convinced the officials of his city that a full- time department membership was necessary, and the results obtained under his experienced preceptorship have more than justified his judgment. Mr. Haley was born April 21, 1898, in Eastern Tennessee, son of James and Jennie Haley. The Haley family migrated to Oklahoma in 1906, one year before the coming of Statehood, and Edward C. Haley was educated in the public schools of this State. His school days ended, he became a clerk in a grocery store in 1911, and was thus occupied until he was about eighteen years of age. In 1916, the city of Ada was hardly large enough to support a paid fire de- partment for full-time service, and depended upon volunteers and part-time firemen for protection from 418 conflagrations. In this year, Mr. Haley obtained a position with the department, on a half-pay basis. The city was expanding rapidly, and in the following year he was employed to devote his entire time to serv- ice in the fire department, and was made assistant to Chief Somer N. Jones, now (1928) serving his third term as mayor of Ada. When Mr. Jones resigned to enter the mayor’s office, Mr. Haley was appointed chief by the Board of Aldermen, an appointment that was approved generally by the citizens of the city, who realized that Mr. Haley’s long connection with the department had fully qualified him for the post. Chief Haley assumed his new duties on February 15, 1923, and immediately inaugurated a number of plans he favored for the betterment of Ada’s fire depart- ment. In 1924 he prevailed upon the city officials to abolish the antiquated volunteer system and to em- ploy seven full-time firemen, although thirteen vol- unteers are kept on the payrolls as half-time em- ployees. Chief Haley has perfected a smooth-working organization, and the department’s equipment con- sists of three fire trucks and one chemical wagon. The personnel of the fire department is kept in train- ing by the chief, and especial attention is devoted to keeping the equipment in the best condition possible. Since the assumption by Mr. Haley of the chief’s duties, the wisdom of his advice has been fully dem- onstrated by a decrease in Ada’s losses from fires, and the citizenship generally is highly pleased with its protection. Chief Haley is a member of the Democratic party, and supports the principles and candidates of that political organization. His sincere interest in his duties is demonstrated through his membership in the Southwest Fire Chiefs’ Association. Edward C. Haley married, December 30, 1923, at Ada, Eva Venson, and they have one child, Joyce, born May 4, 1924. The Haley residence is located at No. 328 West Fifth Street, Ada. PAUL BRYANT JONES—In the course of his many active years in the business and industrial life of Oklahoma, Paul Bryant Jones did much for the town of Ardmore, and acquired here and in the sur- rounding region of the State a large number of faithful friends—people who had been associated with him in raising and selling livestock or in the oil trade, as well as those who knew him only in a social way. All of them recognized in Mr. Jones a man of the very highest and finest qualities, alert and progress- ive in his business activities, quick and accurate in his judgments, yet kind and gentle and a lover of home life, and ever courteous and companionable among his friends. His death, it is hardly necessary to point out, caused widespread sorrow throughout Ardmore, as well as in all parts of the State of Okla- homa, throughout which he was widely and: favor- ably known. Born on March 15, 1868, in Louisville, Kentucky, he was a son of Thomas and Cordelia (Osborne) Jones. His father was a wholesale dealer and stock man, and a highly respected citizen in his community. Paul B. Jones received his early education in Ken- tucky, and then for a number of years lived in McKinney, Texas, where he was engaged in the cattle business and ranching on a small scale. At Christmas, 1898, he came, however, to Ardmore, Ok- lahoma, where for about seven years he was engaged: in the cattle business, buying and selling, never con- sidered among the large buyers and shippers, but keeping about 1,200 head, and doing business on a OKLAHOMA—STATE AND PEOPLE cash basis only. Preferring not to borrow money for investment in stock, he chose to develop slowly, and as business conditions permitted rather than to place himself under obligations to others. He also owned the livery stable in Ardmore, and conducted it for a number of years. A man oi keen judgment and far-sightedness, he saw the possibilities of Ardmore, and so entered the real estate business, buying and selling farm lands and city property, although handling mostly city sites. Here he followed the same principle that had guided his other enterprises; in other words, he did a small volume of business, but bought and sold on a strictly cash basis, and thus he made further real estate investments and bought oil royalties, and ac- quired a considerable quantity of property in the form of store buildings and land, which he left to his family. Although he was not officially connected with any banks or large corporations either in Ard- more or elsewhere, Mr. Jones had very sound busi- ness ideas and opinions, and his advice was fre- quently sought by business and professional men and bankers, especially in regard to real estate transac- tions. He was active in many of the social and fra- ternal enterprises of Ardmore. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, while his wife was identified with the Presbyterian church. His political affiliation was with the Democratic party, whose poli- cies and candidates he regularly supported. On November 4, 1900, in Ardmore, Indian Terri- tory, Mr. Jones married Lillian Barnes, daughter of Harry C. and Jennie Barnes. Harry C. Barnes was a stock dealer and a large landowner in Oklahoma. By this marriage there was one son, Lucian P. Jones, born June 2, 1902, who was graduated from the Ard- more High School and the University of Oklahoma, and who, in the year of his graduation from the uni- versity, was given by his mother a trip to Europe, where he traveled in seven foreign countries—Eng- land, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. The death of Paul Bryant Jones came as a great shock to the community in which for so many years he had lived and labored; for there was nobody in Ardmore or its environs who did not regard him highly, feeling that his work had been to the ad- vantage of the city, and that the influence of his daily life had placed him among the foremost men of this vicinity. It is the pioneer of his type who has been of inestimably great value in the upbuilding of this great State. MRS. FRANK N. (ANNA BROSIUS) KORN— Of the women who have participated actively in public affairs in Oklahoma during the past decade, none are better or more favorably known for conspicuous service of a diversified nature than Mrs. Frank N. Korn of El Reno. Outstanding as a leader, organizer and executive of ability, she has realized many of her worthy ambitions—supporting as she has, progress- ive methods and high standards of attainment which rates her prominently as representative of her sex. Her first work, after coming to Oklahoma, in De- cember, 1917, to attract public attention, was in the patriotic field when on June 7, 1918, she attended the State Convention of Oklahoma Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, held at Altus, and reported the organization of the Dr. Harry T. Smith Chapter of El] Reno, May 23, 1918, of which she was president. The Division elected her State Parlia- § OKLAHOMA—STATE AND PEOPLE mentarian, and in 1923 she was elected second vice- president, and during her two years of office or- ganized seven chapters in towns of the State, and through them added one hundred and fifty members to it, a record not equalled or surpassed by any one holding the office. Being an ardent supporter of the Suffrage movement throughout the country, when en- franchisement was finally granted to women, she aligned herself with the Democratic party, to which she has rendered inestimable service. When the first convention of the Democratic women voters of Cana- dian County was held at the court house, Saturday, at two M., January 17, 1920, she was unani- mously elected county vice-chairman of the Canadian County Democratic Central Committee, and with twenty-two delegates attended the first State-wide Democratic Convention of Women held at the Over- holser Theatre at Oklahoma City the following week. June 1 found the Canadian County Democratic Committee women organized by her, the first county of women to be organized in the State. Likewise, July 1, she gave the first social innovation in politics when she entertained forty-one precinct vice-chairmen at a political luncheon held in her home, when the county chairman, State committeeman and Hon. EI- mer Thomas, candidate for Congress, were honor guests, when Mr. Thomas was endorsed for Con- gress. This exemplification of her organization powers led to her appointment on the State Campaign Com- mittee, functioning under the Speakers’ Bureau, dur- ing the general campaign, speaking for the ‘‘League of Nations” throughout the west and northwestern part of the State. So well was she received that good reports got to National Democratic Headquarters, and she was appointed to serve under the Congres- sional Committee on a speaking tour with the privi- lege of selecting her itinerary of dates and places. Mrs. Korn is the authoress of the law on the Okla- homa Statutes setting aside November 16, the birth- day of the State of Oklahoma into the Union, designa- ted Oklahoma Day, to be observed by teachers and pupils of schools, with appropriate exercises, in- spiring the youth with loyalty and patriotism to the Commonwealth; a portion of the day to be ob- served by the general public. The law was enac- ted February 7, 1921. On February 22, 1921, she organized the El Reno Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution at her house following a patri- otic luncheon, when forty charter members signed the roll, which records the largest charter member- ship of any chapter in the State. She was elected Regent, an office held for two years, after which she was appointed State chairman of the Carolina Scott Harrison Memorial, by the State Regent, a place she filled two years in the State body. The same year she served as vice-chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, when Canadian County was _ fourth county over the top in raising the quota. In Febru- ary, 1922, she was elected to membership on the board of directors, State Historical Society, for a term of five years, during which she served as secretary of the Library-Museum Committee which selects and orders the equipment and supplies for same, subject to approval of the State Board of Affairs. She was appointed to membership on the Building Committee, which, with a State commission appointed by the governor will superintend the construction of a build- ing to house the State Historical Society and Mu- seum, and to be headquarters of patriotic societies of ‘opment of women party voters, 419 all wars, to be known as the War Memorial Build- ing, as a memorial to soldiers of all wars. Mrs. Korn was reélected to membership on the board of direc- tors last year and appointed to membership on the Legislative Committee, which will ask the Eleventh Legislature when it convenes in January, 1929, for an appropriation of funds to construct the memorial build- ing on the Capitol grounds. In 1923 she was elected president of the Women’s Legislative Council for a term of two years, and sponsored a legislative program in the Eighth Leg- islature with the result that seven measures endorsed by the Council were enacted into laws. The present new building of the Women’s Reformatory, segre- gated from the State Penitentiary to provide for the proper care and maintenance of female prisoners, is due largely to activities of the council under her guidance through recommendation of Mrs. Mabel Bassett, State Commissioner of Charities and Correc- tions, who was the first to discover the awful and intolerable conditions undergone. On November 9, 1925, she founded, organized and was elected president of the Oklahoma League of Democratic Women, for the education and devel- for study of party principles and public questions affecting the citizenry of the State and nation. On September 27, 1927, she founded, organized and was elected president of the Oklahoma Memorial Association, which functions un- der a board of thirty directors, five of which are elec- ted annually. Officers are elected by the board, which controls and directs all of its activities. Its object is educational, historical and patriotic: to revere the memory of old pioneers, who blazed the way for present civilization and progress; to celebrate an- nually November 16, the birthday of the State into the Union; to commemorate living citizens of Okla- homa who ‘have achieved success and distinction along some line of public endeavor worthy of recognition; to beautify the State Capitol with unusual art and pictures; to erect monuments, plant trees, and estab- lish memorial scholarships. Tt is working to obtain the War Memorial Building and its next goal is a Memorial Fountain for the Capitol grounds. Mrs. Korn is the efficient State president of the National Society, United States Daughters of 1812, and is serving her third term. Five chapters have been organized by her in the society. She is bending her energies to get a government appropriation of $25,000, with which to erect a monument on Okla- homa soil to honor the United States Army officers, War of 1812, and private soldiers who garrisoned early forts in Oklahoma from 1817 to 1837. Senator Elmer Thomas will frame, introduce and sponsor the bill in Congress, 1929. As president of the society, she was appointed on the State Committee of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and is accredited with turning in more individual donations than any in the committee. She is a member of the Women’s De- fense Council-National Flag Association. Nor are these all of her activities. She is a member of the Oklahoma Federation of Women’s Clubs, being his- torian of the Women’s Culture Club of El Reno; El Reno Business and Professional Women’s Club; El Reno Union of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union; El Reno Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution; and Oklahoma Hospitality Club. Fraternally, she is a member of the Pythian Sis- ters, Hamilton, Missouri, and E] Reno Chapter, No. 27, Order of the Eastern Star. Having been a resi- 420 dent of five States of the Union, her impress has been left in records of achievement in them. Mrs. Korn is a native Missourian, a product of Caldwell County and a daughter of Hamilton, founded October 9, 1855, by her grandparents, Captain Albert Gallatin Davis and wife, Julia Anna Penney, and great-granddaughter of Lewis Cave Davis and wife, Mary Colson Holliday, who with one hundred and fifty families, followed Daniel Boone’s trail to Mis- souri and colonized Boone’s Lick Settlement at Old Franklin Howard County, the first English settle- ment in the State west of the Mississippi River. Her second great-uncle, Benjamin Holliday, founded the first county newspaper in America west of the Mis- sissippi River at Old Franklin, April 19, 1819, with Nathaniel Patten as a partner, to whom he sold a third interest on credit, and at the end of a year, for lack of funds sold his part back to his benefactor. Steven Holliday, a brother, was the printer, and they lived in the building. Benjamin Holliday, founder of the Pony Express and freighter of the plains, and later president of the steamship line which plied between towns on the Western coast and president of the Oregon Central Railroad, which he founded at Portland and styled the “Silver King” because of his silver mines in Nevada, was a cousin of Governor Lillburn W. Boggs, one of the early governors of Missouri. Judge Andrew King of St. John, United States Con- gressman from his district in 1871, is also a cousin on the maternal side. Mrs. Korn is descended from Captain John Holliday, of Virginia, “Captain of Vir- ginia Rangers in 1732,” through whom she was admitted to membership in the Missouri Society, Daughters of American Colonists, and is a charter member. She was admitted to membership in Colonial Daugh- ters of America, St. Louis, Missouri, Chapter, and served the State Society as State Registrar, enter- ing through William Hampton, an Episcopal clergy- man, who served two parishes for over fifty years. This distinguished family gave a general to the Revo- lutionary Army, a governor to South Carolina, and a United States Senator from the same, namely Wade Hampton, son and grandson. Ancestors on the paternal side also assisted in es- tablishing the independence of our country, namely, Captain Nicholas Diehl, Abraham and Jacob Brosius, of Chester County, Pennsylvania, who served in the Revolutionary War and were members of the “Com- mittee of Observation and Soldiers, 1776.” United States Congressman Merritt Brosius (deceased), of Pennsylvania, is a cousin. Mrs. Korn is the daughter of James Henry Brosius, merchant of Hamilton, Missouri, and his wife, Mary Frances (Davis) Brosius, deceased. She is a gradu- ate of the Hamilton, Missouri, High School, and at- tended the Congregational College at Kidder, Mis- souri, under George Thileman, and the Pittsburg, Kansas, Normal under Charles Sheppardson. She is a widely traveled and a thoroughly cultured woman, and has manifested great talent in literary and artistic movements. As a descriptive writer she has achieved success on articles of travel published in serial form; also writing poetry. She has gained recognition as a song writer. A song written by her entitled “Mis- souri,” was unanimously endorsed by the Forty-sev- enth General Assembly of the Missouri Legislature for use on State occasions, national holidays, and in schools and colleges. “Guard the Flag of Our Re- OKLAHOMA—STATE AND PEOPLE public,” written by her, was received with enthusiasm when rendered by a quartette at the State Encamp- ment of the Grand Army of the Republic at Lyceum Theatre, St. Joseph, and at the dedication of Patriots’ Hall, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1914, by the choir of Washington Memorial Chapel. She is the authoress of the words, “Oklahoma,” sung to the tune of “America,” adopted by the Oklahoma So- ciety, U. S. Daughters of 1812, as their State Society song. She is a member of the Missouri Historical So- ciety, and has contributed articles to the Missouri Historical Review, and she is authoress of the law on the Missouri statutes, designating the first Mon- day in October “Missouri Day.” A copy of the bill was placed in the cornerstone of the new State Capitol and a framed copy of the bill hung in the Missouri Building, at San Francisco, Panama Exposition. When the new Missouri Capitol was completed at Jeffer- son City, Mrs. Korn received an invitation from Gov- ernor Arthur Hyde to attend the dedicatory cere- monies on Missouri Day, October 6, 1924, which she accepted, and had a part in the historical pageant depicting four epochs of Missouri history, repre- senting Indiana in the scene of the “Reception of States.” Mrs. Korn received an invitation from Mrs. Ed. C. Hyde, president of the Anna C. Gilday Civic Forum to be the honor guest of the Forum and Kansas City, during Missouri Products Week, and speak, March 5, 1926, following a luncheon at the new President Hotel, given to commemorate her establishment of Missouri Day by law, which she accepted. Albert Beach, mayor of Kansas City, welcomed her on be- half of the city; Governor Sam Baker was repre- sented by Captain Roy Godsey of the Adjutant-Gen- eral’s office, and Roye B. Hinckle, State Labor Com- missioner, who complimented the object and bene- fits to be derived from observance of a State Day. Dr. J. Rosa, ex-president of Missouri University, and other notables made addresses, after which initiatory service was conducted, when the honoree was inducted into the Forum and honorary member- ship conferred upon her. A framed picture of Mrs. Korn with the Missouri Day bill printed beneath it was presented to Kansas City by the Forum, and hangs in the Kansas City Library. One also hangs in the State Capitol. Mrs. Korn’s husband, Frank N. Korn, is night chief dispatcher of the Rock Island Railroad at El Reno (see a following biography), and their home is noted for its hospitability. The loss of two children to this couple accounts for the time given to worthy causes as espoused by Mrs. Korn. FRANK NICHOLAS KORN, a thorough railroad — man, was born and reared in Breckenridge, Caldwell County, Missouri. At the early age of fourteen years, he started his railroad career as messenger boy on the Hannibal & St. Joe Railroad. Learning telegraphy at the same time under his elder brother, Will S. Korn, operator at Breckenridge, he was promoted as telegraph operator with his first position at St. Joe, in August, 1886, remaining with that company in the capacity of operator and station agent until 1890, when he entered the service of the Santa Fé Railroad as operator at Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he remained until April, 1891, when he entered the serv- ice of the Rock Island Railway, at Trenton, Mis- OKLAHOMA—STATE AND PEOPLE souri, as operator. In May, he was promoted to the position of train dispatcher. In October, 1895, he entered the service of the St. Louis & Southwestern Railway, and served that com- pany in capacity of operator, station agent and train dispatcher for five years. In June, 1900, he entered the service of the Kansas City Southern Railway at Pittsburg, Kansas, which position he held until Au- gust 6, 1902, when he was promoted to the position of chief dispatcher, which position he relinquished to accept a position with the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, under General Superintendent William Coughlin, who resigned his position recently with the Kansas City Southern. The following articles may be here quoted from: Pittsburg, Kansas, paper, “It ap- pears that the Kansas City Southern is the training school for the railroads of the country. Whenever a railroad wants a good man, they take one from the Kansas City Southern offices. The latest man selected is the genial, hard-working chief dispatcher, Frank N. Korn. He has accepted a position with the Den- ver & Rio Grande. Next Monday he leaves for his home in Salida, Colorado. The whole office force hate to see him go. They feel as bad about it as they did when Superintendent Coughlin left, and that is saying a great deal for the popularity of Mr. Korn. He has been employed here a number of years, and was promoted to his present position on the 6th of last August. From that day on, he has borne the responsibilities of the office and never failed. The hours are long, the work hard and deli- cate, but he didn’t falter nor lose temper. His subordinates are his greatest admirers, for he was always kind, generous, a good fellow, and an excel- lent chief. He and his good wife will be missed by hosts of friends with whom they have mingled in the social and club life of Pittsburg.” Mr. Korn commenced duties at Salida, Colorado, for the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, as dispatcher and chief dispatcher in April, 1903, and continued in service until November 16, 1905, when he resigned his position as chief dispatcher with that company to ac- cept a position with the Rock Island Railway, at Little Rock, Arkansas, in the capacity of train mas- ter of construction, and built that part of the road from Haskell into Crosset, Arkansas. When the work was completed, he was transferred to Chicka- sha, Oklahoma, where he was employed as dispatcher for ten months, when he was transferred to El Reno, Oklahoma, where he was made chief dispatcher, and later promoted to train master of transportation, which he held until January 1, 1911, when he was trans- ferred to the Missouri division of the Rock Island Lines as chief dispatcher. In December, 1917, he was transferred back to the Oklahoma division of the Rock Island lines, holding the position of dispatcher, and later promoted to night chief dispatcher, a posi- tion he now holds, at El Reno, Oklahoma. Mr. Korn is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and secretary of the Kiwanis Club; he is also a mem- ber of the Oklahoma Historical Society. His wife was his boyhood sweetheart, Anna Lee Brosius, of Hamilton, Missouri, a popular belle of his neighbor- ing town (see a preceding biography). Two children blessed the union, both dying in infancy: Frank Mar- vin, and Mildred Lillian. ROBERT ALLEN—Native of Oklahoma, borr in Indian Territory, November 7, 1888, Robert Al- len, of the firm of Allen & Allen, at Idabel, is a son 421 of Douglas and Minnie (Lee) Allen, both of whom are living (1928), the father a native of Arkansas, born in 1859, and the mother of Georgia, born in 1868. Douglas Allen is a physician, and has prac- ticed many years, respected and honored by his con- freres in the profession. In the public schools, Mr. Allen laid a firm aca- demic basis for the studies of later years. He gradu- ated from high school at Shawnee, Oklahoma, and then began the study of law, privately, being ad- mitted to the bar of Arkansas, in 1925, and to the bar of Oklahoma in 1926. His experiences have been varied and interesting, and have not been con- fined to the law, as there was a considerable period after graduation from high school when he pursued other employments. It was on January 1, 1925, that the firm-at-law of Allen & Allen was organized, at Idabel, Oklahoma, with Mr. Allen in association with his younger brother, Douglas Allen (q. v.). Mr. Allen brought to the profession certain trainings of value to the partnership from the extra-legal field. He had been for several years a mining engineer of some considerable renown before he took up study of the law, and as mining engineer had visited British Columbia, Alaska, Arizona and (California, together with other States not here cited, but which gave to him a broad conception of affairs and prepared him admirably to be of excellent service to an important clientele at law. While in California he had en- gineering experience notably at Klamath, and in Arizona at Bizbee. When the United States entered the World War, Mr. Allen joined the colors speedily, and saw service with Company C, of the Twelfth Infantry, Battery A, of the 340th Field Artillery, the Thirty-fourth Artillery, and the Twelfth En- gineers. He took part in the battle of Lunéville, March 4, 1918, the Somme, March 21, 1918; Amiens, Chambre (in Normandy), and was engaged at Cha- teau-Thierry, the Meuse, and the Argonne. He was wounded at Chateau-Thierry, and received another wound, a shell wound, in trench warfare, October 19, 1918. He is now a member of the American Legion. All these experiences Mr. Allen brought with him to the law firm of Allen & Allen. He is a man of proven courage, character, will and integ- rity, and his influence has assisted the firm’s prog- ress mightily. Allen & Allen is one of the strongest legal combinations in Idabel, and frequently goes into consultation regarding litigation of centers at some distance from this community, to such wide- spread extent has the firm’s reputation spread. In Idabel, Oklahoma, 1926, Mr. Allen was united in marriage with Margaret Guthrie. DOUGLAS ALLEN—Born in Arkansas, Novem- ber 11, 1890, Douglas Allen, of the law firm of Al- len & Allen, in Idabel, Oklahoma, is a son of Doug- las and Minnie (Lee) Allen, the father being a na- tive of Arkansas, born in 1859, and the mother of Georgia, 1868. Douglas Allen, Sr., is a physician, and has practiced for many years, with the highest standing in professional circles. In the public schools of Paris, Texas, Douglas Allen received his elementary and secondary educa- tion. Following his graduation from high school he matriculated in Cumberland University, at Lebanon, Tennessee, from which he graduated in 1922. He was admitted to the bar of Oklahoma in 1924, and began without delay in the practice of his profession. In association with his elder brother, Robert Allen 422 hat (q. v.), he founded the law firm of Allen & Allen, in Idabel, January 1, 1925, and has been a partner in its progress thence onward to the present time (1928). The firm is possessed of a wide and hon- orable reputation; its clientele is among the largest in this part of the State; and Mr. Allen occupies a position of respect in the eyes of confreres in law. A Republican, he interests himself in all movements for the general welfare of the community and county, but gives less thought to party dominance than to the benefits accruing to the people at large. When the United States entered the World War, Mr. Al- len entered his country’s military service, with Com- pany D, 358th Infantry, Ninetieth Division, overseas, and took part in the battles of St. Mihiel, the Meuse- Argonne, and others of comparable significance in the great conflict. On November 1, 1918, he was gassed. He is a member of the American Legion. In 1925, at Antlers, Oklahoma, Mr. Allen was united in marriage with Sue Woods. AMOS GILBERT MAYHUE—Oklahoma wealth usually is attributed to having been founded on pe- troleum, and the many other sources of prosperity in this State have been overlooked, among them the growing of cotton. Among the Oklahomans who have attained to prominence in this pursuit is Amos Gil- bert Mayhue, a resident of Ada, who, at one time in his life had under lease more than one thousand acres of Oklahoma soil, and who has on innumerable occasions won prizes for producing the largest yield of cotton in Seminole County. Mr. Mayhue, while specializing in this pursuit, also has devoted many years to the breeding of cattle, horses and mules. While now (1928) on the verge of retirement, gradu- ally turning over his interests to his four capable sons, he has financial and other associations that keep him quite active, and his devotion to public welfare movements is an added stimulus to his fellow-citi- zens. Mr. Mayhue, on a small scale, benefited through the discovery of oil on some of his holdings, but, as heretofore stated, most of his success may be directly attributed to agriculture and livestock. Mr. Mayhue was born September 13, 1862, at Shawnee Town, Illinois, son of Amos and Mary Mayhue. Amos Mayhue, also a native of Shawnee Town, was a farmer. He served his native com- munity as justice of the peace for a period of sixteen years, and after removing to the State of Arkansas, held the office of justice of the peace there for an- other sixteen years’ period. Amos Gilbert Mayhue was brought to Arkansas by his parents, and attended the public schools of that State. After completing his education, he was en- gaged in his father’s calling, farming, for several years, in Arkansas, and during that time was mar- ried. In 1892, when about thirty years of age, Mr. Mayhue brought his family into the Choctaw Na- tion, Indian Territory, and there remained eight years, occupied in general farming and large scale opera- tions in cattle raising. This was prior to the State- hood days, and the Indians were restricted from sell- ing their lands, and thus Mr. Mayhue’s farming was conducted on land leased from the tribesmen. In 1900, he moved into the Seminole Nation, where he soon had more than one thousand acres of land under lease, devoted to cultivation and stock-raising. A portion of these holdings he also sub-leased. The Mayhue ranch, which was located about four miles northeast of the town of Seminole, comprised three OKLAHOMA—STATE AND PEOPLE hundred and twenty acres. As time passed and sale restrictions were removed, Mr. Mayhue became the owner of much of the land he had leased, and began to specialize in the culture of cotton. For many years he held the reputation of growing the largest amount and the finest grade of cotton in Seminole, and won many prizes for his accomplishments. These awards ranged from $40 to $100, and several times he was forced to content himself with second prize, due to the fact that a part of his crop had been marketed outside of Seminole County. He combined the breed- ing of livestock with his other endeavors, and soon attained to prominence in this industry, raising and dealing in cattle, horses and mules. Another ex- ample of his exceptional versatility is given by a re- view of his interests in financial institutions and com- mercial enterprises. He is a member of the board of directors of the Wewoka Bank, and is a stockholder and director of the Seminole Lumber Company. His four sons are now participating in the conduct of Mr. Mayhue’s various enterprises, which include oil pro- duction on small scale. Only one well was sunk on the Mayhue ranch, which was brought in as a pro- ducer of one hundred and twenty barrels of crude oil per hour. This production since has decreased, and the well is now (1928) flowing about two hundred barrels each twenty-four hours. A Democrat in political beliefs, Mr. Mayhue has been a signal factor in the councils of this party, and was honored for many years by appointment as chairman of the Seminole County Election Board. His public service also includes one term as justice of the peace. Although an interested and influential mem- ber of the Seminole Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows (Past Noble Grand), the Woodmen of the World, and the Baptist church, Mr. Mayhue’s greatest accomplishments in work of this character have been attained through his labors on behalf of the Good Hope School. He was primarily respon- sible for the erection of that institution, in which four other men aided, some through the providing of labor, others materials, but he assumed the financial burden. This generosity appears to have been a trait handed down to his sons, for the Mayhues are noted for their many good works. In 1927, the Mayhue family removed to Ada, where they purchased about 285 acres of land, erected modern, up-to-date build- ings, and made many other improvements. As _ pre- viously mentioned, Mr. Mayhue is gradually retiring, and two of his sons, William E. and Amos A., as- sist in conducting the Ada estate, located just outside the city limits. 