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Margaret (Miner) Sloan Maxwell was born on June 18, 1827 near Sego, Perry County, OH, the daughter of Daniel and Peggy (Fluckey) Minor Sr. 

As an eight-year-old, Margaret moved with her parents to Cardington, Morrow County, OH. Said the Morrow County Independent:

The Minor family came to Morrow county and settled on the farm now owned by Harry Long when Margaret was a young girl, since which she has resided in this vicinity. She was converted under the pastorate of Rev. Graham and joined the Bethel society Jan. 29, 1867, which relation she sustained [the rest of her life].

A rendering of the Bethel church building, closed in 1969 and later demolished, is seen here.

On April 18, 1848, at  the age of 20, Margaret entered into marriage with 23-year-old New York native Harvey Sloan Jr. (1825-1896) of Cardington. H.G. Dubois performed the nuptials.

Bethel Church, Cardington

The Sloans produced one daughter, Minerva Sloan, born in 1856.

Harvey was a carpenter by trade, perhaps learned from his father, who had helped construct the Bethel church. Harvey also farmed, and in 1852, at the death of his brother in law George S. Miner, he purchased a pitchfork at the estate auction for 50 cents.

When the federal censuses were enumerated in 1850 and 1860, the Sloans resided in Cardington, with Harvey engaged in carpentry. In 1850, three other carpenters boarded under their roof, including Margaret's 16-year-old brother Henry. 

The census of 1860 shows the family continuing to keep boarders, including Henry Minor as well as 17-year-old students Charles Benedict and L.B. Westbrook.

A few years later, when George's wife died, leaving their daughter an orphan, Harvey also appointed legal guardian of the girl , also named Margaret. The Independent later said that the aunt Margaret "was a real mother to ... [the]  niece who was left an orphan at the age of three years and was taken into her home and reared to womanhood." (Later in life, the niece would take her own grandchildren to see the log cabin where she had been raised by "Aunt Mag Maxwell.")

In 1854, after the death of his father-in-law, Harvey purchased the Miners' home farm near Cardington, totaling 64 acres. When Daniel's estate was divided among heirs in 1857, Harvey signed for his wife's share.

For reasons not yet known, the marriage between Margaret and Harvey ended. It is also a mystery of whatever became of their daughter Minerva, but she is thought to have died young, sometime after 1860. Now divorced, Harvey wed again in 1864 to Phoebe P. Stanley (1833-1909) and migrated to Iowa.

On June 16, 1870, at the age of 43, Margaret married her second spouse, 59-year-old J. Marshall Maxwell (1811-1887), a Cardington resident, and the son of Franklin W. Maxwell. J.W. Buxton officiated at the ceremony. There was a difference in their ages of 16 years.

A native of West Virginia, Marshall came into the marriage already having been twice widowed. His first wife, Margaret Johnston, died in 1861 after 23 years of matrimony, leaving him with eight children, five of whom lived to adulthood. His second bride, Amanda Dillingham (sometimes misspelled "Dilenbaugh"), had died in 1867, after five years of marriage, leaving him with two more young children.

Margaret thus became a stepmother to a mixed brood of nine offspring -- Sherman Marshall Maxwell, Melville Maxwell, Minerva Shaw, Johnston Maxwell, Levi Vaughan Maxwell, Melissa Roby, Catherine Arabelle Scribner, Estella Gruber Paste and Nettie Olive "Ollie" Carter. Another of her husband's sons, Theodore, had died on July 31, 1847 at the age of about 11 months.

The Independent said that she "had no children of her own, but was a real mother to her step-children," and that "As a neighbor she was kind and willing to lend a helping hand to all. Her life will linger in the memory of those who know her as one full of good works."

Marshall was a prosperous farmer and stock raiser and an Ohio pioneer in his own right, as described by the Independent, showing how transient Ohio settlers were in the early 1800s:

He first came to Marion county, Ohio, in the fall of 1831, but returned to [West] Virginia in the fall of 1832. He again came to Ohio, and in January, 1834, entered the land on which he afterward spent his life. After securing his land he returned to West Virginia and remained there until the fall of 1836, when he again came to Ohio and settled on the land which he had previously entered.

The 1857 Atlas of Morrow County shows that Marshall's farm comprised of 65½ acres was west of Cardington, in Section 19.

Three of Marshall's sons and sons-in-law joined the Union Army during the Civil War -- Melville, Johnson and Thomas Benjamin Roby. All returned home after the end of the conflict.

The 1870 U.S. census shows a household headed by Marshall and Margaret with his daughters Catharine, Mary E. and Olive, and son Marshall, and her niece Margaret Miner. Living next door was Marshall's 26-year-old son Johnson and his family.

The Morrow County Independent said that Marshall "in long years of residence had gained the acquaintance and by his genial nature and upright character, earned the friendship and esteem of a large circle." He was a 50-year member of the Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church. 

By 1880, all of the Maxwell children had moved out of the family home except for 16-year-old stepdaughter Olive and 14-year-old stepson Sherman. At that time, the four all shared a farm homeplace together in Richland Township, Marion County, OH. 

Four of the married daughters migrated West -- Melissa Roby to Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma; Catherine Scribner to Missouri; Mary Estella Gruber Paste to Kansas; and Nettie Ollie Carter to Kansas and Oklahoma. In the case of the Robys and Scribners, they maintained close ties with Cardington relatives in their new state of Missouri, making a home next to Margaret's uncle, aunt and cousins of the White family in 1880 in Haseville, Linn County. When the Carters moved to Kansas in 1885, they settled in a newly developing village of Isabel, Barber County, where the White also had relocated.

After 17 years of marriage, Marshall died at the age of 76, in 1887. He was laid to rest in the Bethel Cemetery in Cardington with his first wife, Margaret (Johnson) Maxwell. In 1895, when the Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow was published, Marshall and his first wife were mentioned in a feature paragraph about their son Johnson.

Margaret lived alone as a widow for another quarter-century. In 1910, census records show her living in Richland next-door to her married stepson Nathan "Minor" Maxwell. 

She died at age 85 on April 14, 1912, and is buried beside her husband. Their grave is marked by a red, cylindrical granite shaft in the Bethel Cemetery near Cardington. 

The couple is mentioned in the chapter on "The Maxwells" in the typed booklet, The Clines, by Jane and Russell Fisher (Galion, OH: 1976).

Obituaries for Maxwell (1887) and Margaret (1912)

Margaret also is named in a lavishly illustrated, 2011 book about one of her cousins who was a veteran of the Civil War -- entitled Well At This Time: the Civil War Diaries and Army Convalescence Saga of Farmboy Ephraim Miner.

Former spouse Harvey Sloan spent his final years in their residence east of Oskaloosa in Mahaska County, IA. With his health in decline in the summer of 1896, the Oskaloosa Herald reported that "That old time and honored citizen ... is lying at his home in a very precarious condition with little hope of recovery." His end came on Aug. 8, 1896, at the age of 71. Burial was in Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa. In another report on his death, the Herald said he:

...was a well known citizen, having lived and been engaged in the carpentry business here for thirty-two years. He came here from his native state, New York. For forty-four years he has been a prominent member and always identified with all the good works of the I.O.O.F. About six months ago he was stricken with paralysis from which he sank steadily until the end came. 

Harvey's wife Phoebe survived as a widow for another baker's dozen years and passed away on June 3, 1909.

Final resting place of the Maxwells

~ Stepdaughter Minerva (Maxwell) Shaw ~

Stepdaughter Minerva Maxwell Shaw (1842-1862) was born in 1842.

When she was 18 years of age, on Nov. 4, 1860, Minerva tied the marital cord with Asa "Harrison" Shaw (Oct. 14, 1840-1896), son of John Shaw and Parmelia (Messenger) Shaw Sr., the father having migrated to Morrow County in 1808 and for a time "was the only resident of the county," said the 1895 book Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, Union and Morrow, Ohio. Harrison's birth occurred on the very same day that William Henry Harrison was made President of the United States, with the baby's father serving at the time as a local clerk of elections.

Memorial Record profile, 1895 Courtesy Google Books

Their wedding ceremony was conducted in Marion County, OH, by the hand of Rev. Elnathan Gavitt. Asa's kinsman Jonathan Shaw came forward during the marriage application process to testify that Asa had no father living and no guardian so was granting his consent to the union.

Their union only lasted for a little under 15 months.

Minerva at the age of 19 succumbed to the spectre of death on Jan. 25, 1862. The remains were lowered under the sod of the Maxwell family plot in Cardington's Bethel Cemetery. 

Harrison endured for another three-plus decades. In 1863, he wed again to Martha J. Waltermire ( ? -1874). During their 11-year marriage, they produced a brood of five offspring -- Clarence F. Shaw, Maggie Parmelia Reed, Melvina Estella Maxwell, Valura Belle Maxwell and Bryant Clay Maxwell. Sadly, the second marriage also ended in the bride's death on Jan. 7, 1874. Harrison was joined in wedlock a third time on July 15, 1875 with Margaretta Martin (Jan. 2, 1848- ? ), daughter of B.U. and Mary (Hannah) Martin.

As of 1895, when profiled in the Memorial Record, Harrison owned a 245-acre farm. He was a Republican in politics, a member of the United Brethren Church and a trustee of Westfield Township. 

The spirit of death snatched him away in Morrow County on March 30, 1896. 

~ Stepson Levi Vaughan Maxwell ~

Stepson Levi Vaughan Maxwell (1848-1874) was born in 1848.

Death swept him away in 1874. The cause of his death is not yet known. 

More will be added here once discovered.

~ Stepdaughter Catherine Arabelle (Maxwell) Scribner ~

Stepdaughter Catherine Arabelle Maxwell (1854-1926) -- also spelled "Kathryn" over time -- was born on March 22, 1854 in Marion County, OH. 

At the age of 17, on May 11, 1871, she was joined in matrimony with George Washington Scribner (Dec. 1850-1938), son of William Scribner. Catherine was underage at the time, so her brother Johnson, authorized by their father, appeared in county court to give consent.

Together, they became the parents of Ora J. Scribner, Harry Scribner and Frank A. Scribner. 

The Scribners migrated westward to Missouri between 1873 and 1880 after the birth of their son. The federal census enumeration of 1880 shows them on a farm near Haseville in Jackson Township, Linn County, MO. At that time, they were next-door neighbors of Catherine's sister and brother-in-law Melissa and Thomas B. Roby and near-neighbors to Catherine's step-uncle and aunt Luther and Mahala (Minor) White and step-cousin Lester and Susan (McCarty) White. They were in Iowa in 1889 at the birth of their son Frank.

George also earned income as a realtor and landlord. The 1900 U.S. Census gives Catherine's occupation as "milliner" -- a maker of hats -- and their homeplace as Parson Creek, Linn County.

They spent the final six years of their lives together on the outskirts of Kansas City in Lee's Summit, Jackson County, MO. Catherine was burdened with hardening of the arteries. At the age of 72, she was felled by a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away 10 days later on May 18, 1926. Interment was under the sod of Lee's Summit Cemetery. Her official Missouri certificate of death spells her name as"Kathryn" but her grave marker as "Catherine."

George lived for another dozen years as a widower, making his final dwelling at 1001 Bales in the Kaw Township section of Kansas City. His health was burdened with hardening of the artries and chronic heart and kidney disease leading to an infection of uremia. The angel of death cleaved him away at the age of 87, in Lee's Summit, on May 26, 1938. Frank L. Scribner, of the home address, signed the death certificate. 

She is named in the typescript article entitled "The Maxwells," published in The Clines by Jane and Russell Fishere in 1976.

Son Ora Scribner (1873- ? ) was born in about 1873 in Ohio, likely in Cardington, Morrow County. 

Son Harry Scribner (1883- ? ) was born in Nov. 1883 in Missouri. 

Son Frank A. Scribner (1889- ? ) was born on May 1889 in Iowa.  

~ Stepdaughter Mary "Estella" "Tellie" (Maxwell) Gruber Paste ~

Stepdaughter Mary "Estella" Maxwell (1857-1940), sometimes using the version "Tellie," was born on Feb. 6, 1857 in Marion County, OH, the daughter of Marshall and Margaret (Johnson) Maxwell.

On April 13, 1876, at the age of 19, Estella was joined in the bonds of matrimony with Alpheus A. "Alpha" Gruber (June 27, 1856-1893), son of Abraham and Frances (Bell) Gruber. The ceremony was held in Marion County, and officiating was J.J. Henry.

Two children said to have been products of this marriage were Merl Maxwell Gruber and Florence Estella Sellars Leedy.

By 1880, when the federal census enumeration was made, they were making a life as farmers in Claridon, Marion County. That year, 27-year-old John H. Gruber boarded in their home and helped with farmwork.  

By 1885, the Grubers had made the decision to move west to Kansas. The Kansas State Census of 1885 shows them living in Medicine Lodge, either with or next door to her married sister and brother-in-law, Melissa and Thomas Benjamin Roby. 

At some point they returned to Cardington  Sadly, Alpha died at the age of 38, in Cardington, on Dec. 10, 1893. His remains were taken to Marion County to sleep for the ages in Marion Cemetery. 

Two years later, on Feb. 10, 1895, she wed widower Samuel H. Paste (July 2, 1858-1936), who had been born in England, the son of Charles and Hannah (Little) Paste. Samuel also had been been married previously to Lovina Sellers (1861-1894) and brought a stepson to the union, Merle "Guy" Paste.

Samuel was a coal dealer. In their later years, they made their homeplace on North Marion Street in Cardington. 

At the age of 78, Samuel suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away in Cardington on Aug. 11, 1936. Burial was next to his first wife in Glendale Cemetery.

Estella lived for another four years. Afflicted with hardening of the arteries, she died in Cardington, at the age of 83, on July 10, 1940. Burial was in Marion Cemetery. Florence Sellars of Cardington was the informant for her official Ohio death certificate. An obituary in the Marion (OH) Star said she was "a lifelong resident of Cardington and vicinity."

Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad bridge over the Salt Fork River in Alva, OK, the community where Merl Maxwell Gruber settled in about 1905

Son Merl Maxwell "M.M." Gruber (1881-1978) was born on Sept. 27, 1881. He relocated to Oklahoma and circa 1905 was in the town of Alva. Then in January 1906, Merl and Troy Curl left to return to Cardington. In reporting on the move, the Alva Weekly Pioneer said "They came to Alva together several years ago, and commenced working for W.A. Talkington, where Mr. Curl was working until he left for Ohio. Mr. Gruber has for the past 3 years been holding a position at E.A. Haines' Clothing Store. They are both splendid young men with fine business qualifications and are sure to succeed in whatever business undertaking they choose..." By the end of 1906, however, he was back in Oklahoma for his marriage. On Dec. 23, 1906, in Alva, he married Ruth Herod (Nov. 26, 1884-1948), daughter of E.A. Herod. Their wedding ceremony was led by Rev.E.A Newby, of the Christian Church, with only the family and a few friends in attendance. In announcing the event, the Weekly Pioneer said "These young people are both well known and liked in Alva by everybody and the Pioneer joins their numerous friends in wishing them a long life of happiness and prosperity. They intended leaving early this morning on a wedding trip to Ohio, but the train was late, and a gange of young people went to the Santa Fe depot and had fun with the couple until the eleven o'clock train came, when they started on their happy journey." In time they put down roots in Alva, Woods County, OK. The known children of this family were Jackson Herod Gruber (1909-1985), Philip Gruber (1913- ? ) and William E. Gruber (1915- ? ). As of 1920 and 1930, in Alva, Merl was employed as a traveling shoe salesman. Sadness cascaded over the family when Ruth passed away at age 63 on May 10, 1948. Merle survived her by three decades. He died on Feb. 17, 1978. 

Daughter Florence Estella Gruber (1890- ? ) was born on May 12, 1890. She was twice-wed. Her first spouse in 1910 was Elmer "Hayes" Sellars (Sept. 20, 1886-1922), son of Selby and Nettie (Barry) Sellars. They made a home on a 126-acre farm near Cardington and bore a pair of sons, Leo "Gilbert" Sellars and Earl R. Sellars. The family was plunged into worry when Elmer's left leg and foot accidentally were caught in the flywheel of his 10 horsepower engine on the farm. Gangrene developed, and he was admitted to Mt. Carmel Hospital in Columbus. The lower portion of the leg was amputed, but a deadly infection of tetanus set in. Their anxiety turned to grief at Elmer's death the day after Christmas 1922 at the age of 36. His remains were transported back to Cardington for burial in Glendale Cemetery. News of the tragedy was printed in the Marion (OH) Star. Florence lived in 1940 in Cardington. Then in 1941, she wed her second husband, Alfred T. Leedy ( ? -1953). He had been married before to Nora Long ( ? -1940) and was the father of two -- Rexford A. Leed (died 1923) and Walton O. Leedy. Alfred was a farmer and member of the local grange in Bellville, OH as well as a board director of the Patrons Mutual Relief Association and a one-term township trustee. In November 1952, they left Ohio to send the winter in Florida. She was rendered a widow for the second time at Alfred's death in St. Cloud, FL on Jan. 12, 1953. The body was shipped home for services held in Bellville, OH, with an obituary appearing in the Mansfield News-Journal. At the death of her step-brother M. Guy Paste in 1985, she was named in the newspaper obituary and living in Bucyrus, OH. She passed into the arms of the heavenly host at Oakwood Manor Nursing Home on Aug. 2, 1987, following an 11-year decline in her health. The Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum published an obituary.

Stepson Merrill/Merle "Guy" Paste (1891-1936) was born on May 18, 1891 in Cardington. He was a longtime farmer. In young manhood he filed a lawsuit against Wiley Sellars and others, requesting that the estate of John Sellers make a partition of lots in Bucyrus and Benton, Crawford County, OH. On April 27, 1916, he tied the knot with Mary Marie "Maria" Wheeler (Aug. 11, 1894-1977), daughter of Isaac W. and Maria (Ulrey) Wheeler of Harmony Township, Morrow County. Their nuptials were held at the Methodist Episcopal parsonage by the hand of Rev. C.R. McKeeken. At the time, she had been employed for the past three years in the Cahoon department store. The Pastes made their dwelling in Cardington in 1940. Sadly, Marie died on Dec. 8, 1977. Guy at the end lived at 2125 Ohio 529 West. He was admitted to the Woodside Village Care Center in Mount Gilead and died at the age of 93 on March 2, 1985, OH. Interment was in Cardington's Glendale Cemetery, with Rev. Dr. Edward Beck presiding over the funeral rites, as he had done for Marie seven-plus years earlier. An obituary appeared in the Marion Star.

~ Stepdaughter Nettie Olive "Ollie" (Maxwell) Carter ~

Stepdaughter Nettie Olive "Ollie" Maxwell (1863-1936) was born in September 1864/1865 in Cardington, OH, the eldest child of her father's second marriage. 

She was seven years of age when her widowed father wed our Margaret (Miner) Sloan. They all lived under one roof in 1880 in Richland Township, Marion County, OH. She joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in girlhood.

On Oct. 2, 1884, in Marion County, the 21-year-old Ollie tied the marital cord with 26-year-old Marion native James "Edgar" Carter (March 29, 1858-1932), son of James and Julia Carter of Cardington. On their marriage license, she wrote her name as "Miss Nettie Ollie Maxwell." Rev. A.D. Manheim officiated.

Three children among their brood were Harry Ray Carter, Alice "Pearl" Jones Watkins and Nellie Hazel Watkins.

Within five months of their marriage, on March 4, 1885, the Carters uprooted themselves and moved cross-country and settled in the small town of Isabel in the the Valley District of Barber County, KS. Ollie's step-uncle and aunt, Luther and Mahala (Minor) White, and some White step-cousins as well, had moved to Isabel a few years earlier as pioneer residents of the community.

Sadness blanketed the family when their son Harry died at the age of two on April 4, 1890. His tender remains were interred in Isabel Cemetery, a burying ground donated to the community by the White cousins. Inscribed on his grave marker is this epitaph: "We loved this tender little one, And would have wished his stay. But let our Father's will be done, He shines in endless day." 

College Avenue looking south in Alva, OK, where the Carters moved in 1891

Following in the footsteps of Ollie's elder half-sister Melissa Roby and nephew Merl Maxwell "M.M." Gruber, the Carters relocated on Feb. 21, 1891 to Alva, Woods County, OK. They resided there for good. Some evidence suggests that the year of migration was 1901 rather than 1891, a difference of 10 years.

The family must have retained their old home in Isabel, because in 1895, they were counted in a Kansas State Census of Isabel, with Edgar's' occupation shown as blacksmith. Ollie's step-cousin Lester and Susan (McCarty) White lived in the very next house.

The United States Census for 1900 shows them as farmers in Isabel. At that time, the Whites continued to be their next-door neighbors. Ollie transferred her membership in 1901 to the First Methodist Methodist Episcopal Church in Alva. Said the Alva Review-Courier, 

Mrs. Carter was a deeply religious woman... She was a member of the board of Stewards of this church for twenty-five years and many of the older members of this church recall her faithfulness in this official capacity. She was also the treasurer of the Woman's Foreign Missionary society for fourteen years and in recognition of her valued services in this office she was made a life member of this society. She was also the treasurer of the local W.C.T. U. for twenty-two years and in appreciation of her services was also made a life member of this organization. Truly such a life is like a "tree planted by the rivers of waters that bringeth forth its fruits in its season and its leaves also shall not wither." Her children requested that the following poem be made a part of the obituary. "There's only one heart like my mother's, So much like the heart of God, Forgiving, forgetting, and loving The one who wrong paths has trod! No eyes like the eys of mother Can see in my all that is best; Remembering all of my goodness, Forgetting all of the rest!..."

In both 1910-1920, the federal census shows them in Alva, with Edgar earning his income as a house carpenter. In 1920, two of their near neighbors in Alva were sister Melissa Roby and married niece Nellie (Roby) Coffman. Their address at that time was on the corner of Third and Maple Streets.

Edgar joined the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Alva, by letter of transfer, on April 30, 1916, under the pastorage of Rev. F.E. Gordon. Edgar also was a longtime member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Said the Alva Review-Courier:

Brother Carter had a vital and deep religious experience and lived his religion in daily life. We have heard of no one who doubted the religious sincerity and earnestness of Brother Carter. To be at his bedside during the last days of his pilgrimage on earth was really a benediction. He spoke of death as he would speak of making a journey of some five or ten miles distance. He feasted on some of the precious passages of Scripture when his body refused to take and assimilate food for the physican sustenance of life. "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord form hence forth, ye saith the Lord, they shall rest from their labor." 

Sadly, Edgar died three days before Christmas 1932. Funeral rites were held at the First Methodist Episcopal Church, jointly presided by Rev. Phil Deschner and Rev. J.F. Insley of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. An obituary in the Alva Review-Courier said he had passed "after an illness of about two weeks." Burial was in what was known at the time as the Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) cemetery, later renamed Alva Muncipal Cemetery. 

Ollie at the age of 72 surrendered to the angel of death on Feb. 24, 1936 while in the home of her daughter Hazel Watkins in Ringwood. As he had done earlier for Edgar, Rev. Deschner preached the funeral sermon for Ollie in the family church  Her remains were lowered into the sacred earth at her husband's side. Her obituary appeared in the Review-Courier.

Daughter Alice "Pearl" Carter (1891-1979) was born on May 9, 1891 in Kansas. She moved with her parents to Oklahoma and in 1910, single at the age of 19, was in their household in Alva, Woods County, OK. At that time she worked as a sales woman in a retail store. When she was age 22, Pearl married her first spouse, 24-year-old Fred L. Jones (1889- ? ), also of Alva. They exchanged marital vows in Woods County on Feb. 26, 1913, by the hand of Rev. S.A. Philips of the United Brethren Church. Then on Aug. 17, 1920, at the age of 29, she entered into marriage with Charles E. Watkins (1862-1935), a native of Missouri who was living in Aline, Alfalfa County, OK. Their wedding nuptials were conducted in Garfield, OK by justice of the peace F.E. Hills in the presence of Jennie Mahon and Gussie Huett, both of Enid, OK. The pair were 29 years apart in age. Three known daughters they brought into this world were Maxine Snider, Lois Williams and Jean Nickels. The family resided in Ringwood, OK in the late 1930s. At the death of her aunt Melissa Roby in 1937, Pearl is known to have traveled to attend the funeral. Charles passed away at the age of 73 on July 16, 1935. Alice outlived her spouse by 44 years. The angel of death spirited her away at the age of 87 on Jan. 15, 1979. Burial was in Aline-Star Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Maxine Watkins (1921- ? ) was born on June 19, 1921 in Aline, Alfalfa County, OK. Her growing-up years were spent on the family farm near Aline. She was a 1940 graduate of Cleo Springs High School. On Oct. 6, 1940, in Aline, Maxine entered into marriage with Leonard Snider ( ? - ? ). Their marriage held fast over the thick and thin of an extraordinary 69 years. The three children in this family were Pearl Nadine Snider, Lynda Cheeley and Gary Snider. Sadly, daughter Pearl Nadine died in infancy. Maxine generated income for the family through her work for Beechcraft. After retiring, they relocated to Phoenix, AZ, remaining there for 25 years. Then in 2007, Maxine returned to Enid. She died at the age of 93 on Dec. 28, 2014. Funeral rites were held in the Emmanuel Baptist Church, and burial took place in Memorial Park Cemetery. 

  Great-granddaughter Lynda Snider was joined in matrimony with Ray Cheeley. They have lived in Phoenix. 

  Great-grandson Gary Snider was united in wedlock with Alexis. They also make a home in Phoenix. 

• Granddaughter Lois M. Watkins (1931-2023) was born on Christmas Eve 1931 in Aline, Alfalfa County, OK. She grew to womanhood in Aline, OK. On May 15, 1948, she was united in matrimony with Charles Williams ( ? -2011). Four offspring of the pair were Charles Williams, Terry Williams, Nadine Lingenfelter and Bryan Williams. Lois earned a living as a clerk withthe Enid Tag Agency. She held memberships in the First Nazarene Church and the Valley View Home Extension Club. Said an obituary, "She enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, hosting family gatherings, and cooking for her family." Sadly, Charles passed away on March 25, 2011. Lois outlived him by more than a dozen years. Toward the end she was admitted to reside in the Greenbrier Nursing Home in Enid. She died there at the age of 91 on Aug. 20, 2023. 

Great-grandson Chuck Williams married Connie. They live in Lahoma, OK. 

Great-grandson Terry Williams wed LuAnn. They settled in Edmond, OK. 

Great-granddaughter Nadine Williams ( ? -living) was born on (?). She was a graduate of Enid High School. On May 20, 1972, she tied the knot with her high school boyfriend, Robert "Dewayne" Lingenfelter (Jan. 8, 1952-2013), son of James W. and Narcelyn E. (Parriott) Lingenfelter. Dewayne was a 1970 graduate of Enic High and a 1972 alumnus of Okmulgee Tech. They established their dwelling-place in Enid. Together, they produced a trio of children -- Ashley Currieer, Kristen Cue and Brandon Lingenfelter. Said an obituary, "Dewayne worked for MAC Tools for 10 years and later beside his father at Parriotts Garage until he became the owner in 1998. Dewayne enjoyed drag racing, deer hunting, riding motorcycles, and taking long road trips. Dewayne was an Eagle Scout and enjoyed spending time outdoors." Sadly, at the age of 61, Dewayne surrendered to the spirit of death on Dec. 6, 2013. Rev. Carrell Still led the funeral rites. In 2023, Nadine was in Enid.  

Great-grandson Bryan Williams relocated to Muddy Gap, WY. 

• Granddaughter Jean Carter ( ? - ? ) married (?) Nickels. They put down roots in Enid, OK.

Daughter Nellie Hazel Carter (1894-1982) was born on Christmas Eve 1894 in Kansas. She too relocated in childhood to Oklahoma with her parents and settled in Alva, Woods County, OK. On Nov. 21, 1912, at the age of 17, she was joined in wedlock with 22-year-old Colorado native Arthur M. Watkins (Nov. 6, 1890-1962). Because Nellie was underage, her mother had to give her approval in court. Rev. George A. Hendrickson, of the Christian Chruch of Alva, officiated the actual nuptials. In announcing the happy event, the Alva Review-Courier said: 

Only the immediate relatives witnessed the ceremony. Miss Carter ... is well able to make a happy home for the man she has chosen to travel beside the rest of her life. Arthur Watkins was associated with his father here in business everal years, and is a fine, sober, industrious young man, well able to make his bride happy. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins will make their future home near Aline. The Review-Courier joins the many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Watkins in wishing them a happy and prosperous journey through life. 

An astonishing 10 children were borne of their union -- Mildred Pauline Shoemaker, Nina "Margaret" Johnson, Arthur Macon Watkins Jr., Dorothy Louise Watkins, Everett Jean Watkins, Jack E. Watkins, Betty Lou Henn, Billy Dean Watkins, Bonnie Rose Henry, Mary Kathryn Shaffer and Kenneth Max Watkins. Their home for 30-some years was on a farm near Ringwood, Stone County, OK. Arthur made news in the gossip columns of the Review-Courier in August 1933 when he "was up from Cleo with a truck load of fruit and vegetables to market." The following week, he brought to Alva a quantity of apples. The Watkinses are known to have belonged to the Followers of Christ Church northeast of town. Arthur passed away on Oct. 24, 1962. In an obituary, the Enid Daily Eagle said his passing was "after a short illness." Brothers W.A. Morris and Marien Morris jointly officiated the funeral service. The remains were lowered under the sod of Square Cedar Cemetery near Cleo Springs. Nellie survived him by 19 years. She joined him in eternity on Jan. 17, 1982. They sleep aside each other in Square Cedar Cemetery in Cleo Springs, Major County, OK.

• Granddaughter Mildred Pauline Watkins (1914- ? ) was born in about 1914. She wed (?) Shoemaker and in 1962 dwelled at Cleo Springs, OK and in 1972 in Enid, OK..

• Granddaughter Nina "Margaret" Watkins (1915- ? ) was born in about 1915. She married (?) Johnson and put down roots in Enid, OK.

• Grandson Arthur Macon "Bus" Watkins Jr. (1917-1972) was born in about 1917. Circa 1941, he was required to register for the military draft on the eve of America's entry into World War II. At the time, he lived in Jet, Alfalfa County, OK and was employed by Mittry Brothers Construction Company. Arthur married Leatha M. ( ? - ? ). Together they bore a trio of children, among them Eugene D. Watkins, Lynda Larsen and Diana Hopper. They moved to Wichita, KS, where he labored as a sheet metal worker for Cessna Aircraft Company. Their home address in the early 1970s was 1129 East 71st Street. Sadly, at the age of 55, Arthur died on July 2, 1972. An obituary in the Wichita Beacon named his family as well as his living siblings.

  Great-grandson Eugene D. Watkins was in Newton, KS in 1972.

  Great-granddaughter Lynda Watkins wed (?) Larsen. Her home in 1972 was in Wichita.

  Great-granddaughter Diana Watkins tied the marital cord with (?) Hopper. They planted themselves in Wichita. 

• Granddaughter Dorothy Louise Watkins (1920- ? ) was born in about 1920. She entered into marriage with (?) Beckner. In 1962-1972, her home was in Ringwood, OK.

• Grandson Everett Jean Watkins (1922- ? ) was born in about 1922. He made his dwelling-place in 1962-1972 in Enid, OK.

• Grandson Jack E. Watkins (1925- ? ) was born in about 1925. He was in Enid, OK in the 1960s and 1970s.

• Granddaughter Betty Lou Watkins (1926- ? ) was born in about 1926. She tied the knot with (?) Henry and lived in Oklahoma City in 1962-1972.

• Grandson Billy Dean Watkins (1928- ? ) was born in about 1928. As of 1962-1972, his homeplace was at Cleo Springs, OK.

• Granddaughter Bonnie Rose Watkins (1930- ? ) was born in about 1930. She exchanged marital vows with (?) Henry. They moved to Wichita and were there in the 1960s and 1970s..

• Granddaughter Mary Kathryn Watkins (1932-  ) was born in about 1932.  She was united in matrimony with Roy Shaffer and settled in Fairview, OK where they were living in the 1960s and 1970s.

• Grandson Kenneth Max Watkins Sr. (1935-1961) was born in about 1935. He was a 1952 graduate of Cleo Springs High School and attended Enid Business College. He received a bachelor of arts degree in commercial art and in 1958 was employed by Knox Oil Company. On Oct. 4, 1958, he entered into the rite of marriage with Bonnie Long ( ? - ? ), daughter of H.A. Long of Aline, OK. The wedding was conducted in the Green Valley Church, by the hand of Rev. Hugh Wayman of Oklahoma City. The Alva Review-Courier announced the wedding, saying that the bride "wore a gown of petal blue with a fitted bodice of lace styled with a V neckline and decorated with a ruffle of lace and short sleeves. The full floor length satin skirt fell into a chapel train in back and in front featured a wide lace panel. She wore a sequin trimmed half hat which held heer tulle veil."  Bonnie was a 1957 graduate of Dacoma High School and studied at Enid Business College. They became the parents of two -- Kenneth Max Watkins Jr. and Kendra Gale Watkins. As of 1961, they lived in Ringwood, with Kenneth earning a living as a farmer and accountant. They held a membership in the Followers of Christ Church. Their worlds came crashing down when Kenneth suffered a heart attack at the age of 26 and died in Fairview Hospital on July 22, 1961. His obituary was printed in the Enid Daily Eagle. Funeral rites jointly were performed by Rev. Marion Morris and Rev. W.A. Morris in the family church north of town. Burial was in Square Cedar Cemetery.

~ Stepson Sherman Marshall Maxwell ~

Stepson Sherman Marshall Maxwell (1866-1933) was born on March 6, 1866. 

He was only four years old when his father married our Margaret (Miner) Sloan. He and his father, stepmother and sister Olive all resided in one household together in 1880 in Richland Township, Marion County, OH.

Circa 1886, at the age of about 20, he married Etta Celinda Shaw (1865-1940), the daughter of Henry J. and Caroline (Lewis) Shaw. 

They bore at least one son, Nathan "Minor" Maxwell. 

The Maxwells were longtime farmers. The 1900 federal census enumeration lists them as farmers in Richland Township. In 1910, still on a farm in Richland, Etta's unmarried sister Jennie J. Shaw lived under their roof, and Sherman's widowed stepmother lived next door.

In retirement, the Maxwells made their home at 117 West Main Street in Cardington. By December 1933, they were back in Richland. 

Suffering from diabetes and pulmonary tuberculosis, Sherman died in Richland at the age of 67 on Dec. 5, 1933. Burial was in Glendale Cemetery in Cardington.

Etta survived her husband by almost seven years. She died in Cardington at age 75 on Oct. 25, 1940. 

Son Nathan "Minor" Maxwell (1887-1956) was born on May 5, 1887 in Richland Township,, Marion County, OH. He was twice-wed. On Feb. 28, 1907, he first was joined in wedlock with Mollie Ethel Kester (1891-1987). Their union dissolved in divorce. On July 11, 1924, at the age of 37, he married widow Cecil Carmon (Debolt). Rose ( ? - ? ). They went on to bear two children, Martha Rose Maxwell and Marshall Robert Maxwell. Minor made a living as a livestock buyer. He passed away on Nov. 21, 1956, at the age of 69. He was laid to rest in the Glendale Cemetery in Cardington. 

• Granddaughter Martha Rose Maxwell (1927- ? ) was born in 1927. She was joined in wedlock with (?) Armstrong. As of November 1973, she still made her home in Cardington.

• Grandson Marshall Robert Maxwell (1929- ? ) was born in 1929.

Copyright © 2000-2001, 2004, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2024 Mark A. Miner