These pages tell some of the story of
J.R. Whisler,
Blaine County Pioneer
|
this information compiled by Thelma Gunn Whisler
of Oklahoma City Jesse Robertson Whisler was
born near Elliott, Iowa in Cass County in 1867. He was the oldest
of William L. and Sophronia (Mercer) Whisler. When William L. made
the run into Oklahoma in 1889, Jesse stayed in Iowa with his mother and
the younger children to attend to the farming and other farm chores that
needed attention while his father was away.
After William L. staked his claim and made the
necessary arrangements, he returned to Iowa to make preparations to
return to Oklahoma with camping equipment, food, clothing and other
necessary items. With one of his younger sons, they drove a
heavily loaded wagon back to his homestead to make the preparations for
the rest of the family to follow in the spring.
Once again, Jesse remained behind with his mother and
younger brothers and sisters to gather the crops and made the
arrangements to ship the livestock, household goods, feed and machinery
by immigrant car to Oklahoma. They, themselves, left by train on
March 12, 1890 for their new home in
Oklahoma Territory, a land of new promise.
Not long after coming to this new land, Jesse bought a
homestead relinquishment to a quarter section claim NE 1/4, Sec. 30, twp
14, (Deer Creek), range 4, near to his fathers' homestead. The
dwelling on this farm was a sod house which Jesse lived in until
February 1892 when he built a frame house just prior to his marriage.
|
This article is from the Edmond Sun newspaper, printed on
March 18, 1892:
"Jet Whistler and Miss Nora Adamson, Loren Adamson and
Miss Kenaday, were married at the resident of J.Q. Adamson's near
Burlington, by Rev. Miller, of Oklahoma City, last Saturday. A
large circle of friends were present who wished the happy couples a
prosperous and happy journey down life's turbulent stream." |
Nora
Adamson, whose father made the land run along with Jesse's
father was born near Atlantic, Iowa in Pymosa township.
She came to Oklahoma Territory in the fall of 1889 with her
parents. After attending the first Normal Class at
Edmond, Nora taught the first District school to open in
that part of the county (1891). School started on
January 15, just 4 days past her 17th birthday and she
received twenty five dollars a month salary. She soon
gave up her teaching career to marry and raise a family.
After building
a nice frame house on his farm, Jesse asked Miss Nora
Adamson for her hand in marriage, she accepted and they were
married March 12, 1892.
|
Jesse was nicknamed Jet and as you will note later, he was called
J. R. more often than Jesse.Jesse and Nora
lived on this homestead west of Edmond until 1902. Five of their 9
children were born there - Ralph, Ross, Mayburn, Everett and Lois.
When Jesse bought this land, he acquired 24 head of good grade shorthorn
cattle which had a great influence in later years. Robert
remembers his father and mother telling about the time his dad butchered
a beef in the pasture leaving the remains as is. That afternoon
his mother heard the scream of a panther or some kind of a large cat.
The next day when they were going to church, they saw a pile of rocks
where some people were doing some building and on these rocks lay this
panther sunning himself. So wild animals were very prevalent in
early Oklahoma territory. Jesse and Nora were members of Hopewell
Baptist Church which is still in existence today. Jesse, as well
as his father and Uncle Robert were civic minded individuals and helped
build schools, churches and roads in Deer Creek township. Uncle
Robert Whisler donated a plot for a cemetery in one corner of his farm.
This is where Jesse and Nora's baby son, Ross was buried. The
cemetery is still well maintained and many of our family members are
buried.
|
The Edmond Sun printed the news item below on Aug. 28,
1896 on page 3, column 6
Died on
Thursday, Aug 27, at 12 am of brain fever, Ross Whisler, aged 10 months,
Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Whisler's baby. The burial will take place today at 4
pm. The interment in the cemetery in that neighborhood. |
Nora A. Adamson Whisler's Story
Compiled by Thelma Whisler from her notes written for
a story she never got around to finish - notes written in 1950.
Springtime ad April makes 89ers and early pioneers
think of happy days forever gone in Oklahoma. My father, John
Quincy Adamson, also my husband's father, William L. Whisler came by
train April 2nd to leave Arkansas city, looking forward to the memorable
12 o'clock noon on April 22nd which would open to settlement the
counties which were then known as Oklahoma proper.
Leaving the train at Seward, father traveled on foot
with his camping equipment, an axe and spade which he carried on his
back. He located and filed a soldier's declaration on a claim 2
miles west and 1 mile north of Waterloo, Logan Co., O.T. he went
back to Iowa and returned the latter part of September with goods and a
years supply of foodstuff. We arrived in Edmond and after
unloading the car into wagons, we drove directly north and west to the
Claim that was to be our home and made camp for the night. When
everything was unloaded in the high prairie grass, the wagons were sent
back to Edmond for lumber to build as a very modest house, in the
meantime we cooked and slept in the open.
As soon as the house was ready to shelter us, my
father and brothers cut hay and stacked it for the cows and horse during
our first winter. I recall at that time that the grass was 3 feet
high.
In the meantime a few other claimholders had settled
on claims. As soon as families were comfortable, people began to
think of schools and religious services. A meeting was held and
some of the neighbors were Sanford Jackman, Samuel Lewis, Robert Murray
and a few others including my father, were all present. They
decided to build a log house to be used for school and all community
purposes. A very nice log house was completed in time for
Christmas entertainment.
School was started the first of the year of 1890.
An elderly man named Judge Clayton was our first teacher. There
being no funds, it was a subscription school with a charge of one dollar
each child per month. This school was located one mile north of
Waterloo, just east of the Santa Fe right of way in a nice shady nook
and it was called "Woodland".
A Mrs. Twyford, who came with her husband from
Wichita, Kansas, taught in this same log school house. Mrs.
Twyford was appointed on the State board to help organize our Oklahoma
School System. Later she taught the first Normal class in Edmond
which was also a subscription school. I attended this school.
It is now known as Edmond State Teacher's College and was the first in
the State. Mrs. Twyford, besides being a teacher was an ordained
minister, some of her family still live in Oklahoma City.
The writer of this article, Nora A. Adamson Whisler
taught the first district school to open in this part of the county.
It was located 1 mile south of Waterloo. School opened 15 Jan.
1891 and was known as the Johnson school but was later called Enterprise
School. A 50 year celebration of the opening of this school was
observed in Oct. 1941. Myself and 5 of the first students attended
this event. I told the children that day about the school as it
was 50 years before.
This is what I told them. "School started in a
large house and the Johnson's lived downstairs with school classes held
upstairs. It was a rather large room but the district had no money
to bus seats or books and my salary was just $25 a month. They
made benches around the sides of the room and recitation benches for the
middle of the room. I had a nice home-made table and a blackboard.
We had a large wood burning stove, a water pail, a dipper, a broom and a
box of chalk. The children brought the books they had brought with
them to Oklahoma from different states. I think I had books from
almost every state in the Union. I had 57 pupils enrolled and
school was opened at 8 o'clock. The small children recited first
and went home early, then the older ones remained for recitation and
sometimes it was almost dark when we left to go home. We had a 4
month school term but I think we were all sorry when school closed.
I know I learned a great deal and I feel sure the children did, too."
In time for school the next year a school house was
built a mile east and called "Enterprise". |