OKGenWeb Notice: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Presentation here does not extend any permissions to the public. This material may not be included in any compilation, publication, collection, or other reproduction for profit without permission.
The creator copyrights ALL files on this site. The files may be linked to but may not be reproduced on another site without specific permission from the OKGenWeb Coordinator, [okgenweb@cox.net], and their creator. Although public information is not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in which they are presented, the notes and comments, etc. are. It is, however, permissible to print or save the files to a personal computer for personal use ONLY.


Indian Pioneer Papers - Index

Indian Pioneer History Project for Oklahoma
Date: December 14, 1937
Name: W. R. Drew
Post Office: Daugherty, Oklahoma
Date of Birth: October 8, 1855
Place of Birth: Missouri
Father: Ben Drew
Place of Birth: Kentucky
Information on father: Farmer
Mother: Mahaley Cook
Place of birth: Tennessee
Information on mother:
Field Worker: John F. Daugherty
Interview:
 
My parents were Ben Drew, born in Kentucky, and Mahaley Cook Drew, born in Tennessee. There were five children in our family. Father was a farmer. I was born in Missouri October 8, 1855.

I was married to Sarah CODY in Texas in 1880 and we moved to the Territory in 1883 in a covered wagon, crossing Red River at Colbert's Ferry. We settled on a farm belonging to M. TURNER near Dougherty. I raised corn, cotton and some sugar cane from which we made syrup for winter use. We didn't buy much sugar and the sorghum took its place for eating and cooking purposes. I hauled my cotton to the Nathan PRICE gin in Sorghum Flat near Dougherty. They tolled the cotton for pay for ginning. Mr. Price had a stall in which his toll was put as the cotton was ginned. This was a water mill also, run by an overshot wheel. He ground corn and wheat and ginned cotton.

I often bought a winter's supply of groceries at Gainsville. The ferry across Red River was pulled on cables. These were tied to the tops of trees on each bank of the river. A rope pulled the ferry and a long pole guided it. Sometimes the river got so low that we had to drive from the main channel onto the sand-bar, or in shallow water, to the opposite bank. The boat was large enough to put two wagons and teams across. There was much sickness, especially chills and fever, due to cutting the timber and deadening it. As it soured, it caused people to have malaria. The few doctors in this country were kept busy. They gave quinine and red pepper to break the fever and chills.

Game was plentiful and the streams were abundant with fish. Wild hogs were numerous and when we wanted beef we killed any number that we wanted from the herds of cattle grazing nearby. That was the custom in those days. Usually neighbors got together, killed the beef and divided it. In this way we often had fresh beef.

I paid a $5.00 permit each year to the Chickasaw Government and a tax of 25 cents per head on my cattle.

We had to go to Mill Creek for our mail about once a month.

I have lived in and near Dougherty since coming to the Territory in 1883.

Submitted to OKGenWeb by Donald L. Sullivan <donald.l.sullivan@lmco.com> 07-2000.