USA > Oklahoma > Portrait and biographical record of Oklahoma; commemorating the achievements of citizens who have contributed to the progress of Oklahoma and the development of its resources, V. 2 > Part 82
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The parents of Professor DeBarr are Matthew and Mary A. (Bell) DeBarr, natives of Oswego county, N. Y., and pioneers of Michigan. The father has managed farms in Ingham, Clinton and Saginaw counties, and for some time has resided at his present homestead, near Chesan- ing, Mich. His wife also is a child of a hero of the war of 1812. Her father, Samuel Bell, was born near Oswego, N. Y., nearly one hundred years ago, and her grandfather Bell, a native of England, first settled in Massachusetts upon ar- riving in this land, and afterwards located in the wilds of the Empire state. Samuel Bell, one of the few surviving veterans of the war of 1812, was a pioneer of Michigan. His first home there was near Detroit, and later he lived near Dexter, finally taking up his residence at his present home in Ingham county.
Of the three children born to Matthew DeBarr and wife, the only daughter is deceased, and Sim- eon is an agriculturist of the vicinity of Chesan- ing, Mich. Prof. Edwin DeBarr was born on a farm near Lansing, Mich., January 14, 1859, and was reared in Clinton county. An apt student, he improved his rather limited advantages, and at the early age of fifteen commenced his career as a teacher. Success attended him, and within a few years he had risen to the dignity of princi- pal of schools of Bath, Mich. For two years he pursued a course in the Normal at Ypsilanti, being graduated there in 1886, after which he was superintendent of the Almont (Mich.)
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schools until 1890. In 1891 he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Sciences in the Michigan Agricultural College at Lansing, and in March of the following year, upon complet- ing a course in the University of Michigan, re- ceived the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. In June, 1892, the Normal College of Ypsilanti conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Pedagogy. Honors of various kinds now came rapidly, and during that summer he served in the chair of biology at Albion (Mich.) College, in August was elected to the superintendency of the schools of Mount Clemens, same state, and had just entered upon his new duties there when he was called to the chairs of physics and chem- istry in the University of Oklahoma. Resigning his position as superintendent of schools, he ar- rived in Norman at the time when the university was opened, and at once took up the great work here with his characteristic energy. In 1894 he became professor of chemistry and pharmacy, and two years later the first class was graduated in the department of pharmacy. During the first year of the university's existence the second story of a brick building in Norman served for class-rooms, but better things were in store for this now progressive institution.
Owing to the scholarly thesis on prairie grasses and Oklahoma soil which he had prepared, Professor DeBarr received the degree of Mas- ter of Sciences from the Michigan Agricultural College in 1893, and six years later his other alma mater, the University of Michigan, be- stowed upon him the degree of Doctor of Phi- losophy. With the exception of the summer of 1896, he has returned to that university each summer, pursuing a course in the laboratory under Dr. P. C. Freer and Dr. A. B. Prescott. To-day he is recognized as a skilled chemist and toxicologist and frequently has been called upon as an expert in cases appearing in the courts of Oklahoma and Indian territories. Neg- lecting no opportunity of increasing his knowl- edge, he has identified himself with various or- ganizations of research, and as a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, delivered two papers, one before the assembly in Detroit, in 1894, and one in Toronto, two years later. In the Territorial Teachers' Association and in the National Educational As- sociation he has played an important part, his opinions being received with marked respect.
In the fraternities, Professor DeBarr ranks high, and since coming to Norman has taken thirty-two degrees in the Masonic order, now being a member of the Guthrie Consistory and Illustrious Potentate of India Temple, Mys- tic Shrine, of Oklahoma City. Initiated into the order in Norman Lodge No. 5, A. F. & A. M .. he is Worshipful Master of the same at present.
In Lion Chapter No. 24, R. A. M., he is past high priest, and in Oklahoma Commandery No. 2, K. T., is Eminent Commander. In the Odd Fellows society he is past noble grand of Bath (Mich.) Lodge No. 24, was a delegate to the grand lodge of the state, and now is identified with Norman Lodge No. I, I. O. O. F. A char- ter member of the Oklahoma City Lodge No. 417, B. P. O. E., he is past exalted ruler and was a delegate to the grand lodge at Atlantic City, July 10-12, 1900. In his religious belief he is a Presbyterian and is an elder in the Nor- man Church and active in the Sunday-school. His example should be an incentive to the rising generation, as he has reached his prominence in all lines of progress by earnest, determined ef- fort. In his youth he did not disdain manual labor, or any honorable employment, always keeping his "wagon hitched to a star," however, and steadily working toward his high goal. In order to pay his way through college, at first, he did surveying, and in the early years of his resi- dence in this territory he was similarly employed to a great extent by public officials and private individuals of Oklahoma and Indian territories.
The marriage of Professor DeBarr to Miss Harriet A. Bray, a native of Johnstown, Mich., took place at the home of her uncle and aunt. Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Smith, near Battle Creek, Mich. Her parents were J. C. and Celestia A. (Coman) Bray. Her father, an enterprising farmer, was born in Massachusetts and came of a fine New England family. Mrs. DeBarr was a lady of excellent education and was graduated in the Michigan Normal College in 1886. June 22, 1896, she was summoned to the silent land, and left two daughters, Helen C. and Hilda MI.
Professor DeBarr was married to Miss Cora Belle Reid at the home of her uncle and aunt. Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Woodward, at Port Huron. Mich., July 7, 1900. Mrs. DeBarr was a student of Michigan Normal College in 1885 and of Michigan University in 1898-99.
F RANK P. STEARNS, who has served the people of Shawnee as postmaster since Sep- tember, 1898, is a popular and efficient citi- zen and business man. In political circles he is well known as a leading Republican of this county, and as a member of the Shawnee Club seeks to promote the welfare of his community in a practical manner.
The family to which our subject belongs is one of the oldest in the Union, for the founder, Isaac Stearns, accompanied Governor Winthrop from England to Waltham, Mass., in 1630. William. great-grandfather of F. P. Stearns, settled in Paris, Me., in 1791, where he was a pioneer farmer and lumberman, also engaged in the
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coasting and West India trade. His son, Wil- liam; grandson, S. P .; and our subject were born in Paris, Me., and thus for more than a century the family has had representatives in that far-away village. In fact, William, a brother of our subject, is carrying on the homestead which their great-grandfather located eleven decades ago. S. P. Stearns, like his forefathers, devoted his attention largely to agriculture and stock- raising, and is still a resident of Paris. For many years he was a selectman of that place, and for a long period he has been an active member of the Baptist Church and of the Odd Fellows order. Governor Stearns, governor of Florida, was a second cousin of S. P., and one of the lat- ter's distant relatives, on his mother's side, was a governor of Maine. She bore the maiden name of Isabel Partridge, her parents being Austin and Sarah (Powers) Partridge, and her grand- father, Gideon Powers, a farmer of Maine, was a hero of the Revolution. Mrs. Stearns and her father were natives of Paris, Me., and she is still living in that town.
Of the eight children born to S. P. and Isabel Stearns, two are deceased, and the only repre- sentative of the family in the west is the gentle- man whose name heads this sketch. Born Octo- ber 5, 1862, in Paris, Me., he was reared in that vicinity, becoming thoroughly versed in the proper management of a farm. An apt student, he was placed in charge of a school when he was only sixteen years old, and later his higher studies were pursued in Colby University, at Waterville, Me., for two years. In July, 1883, he went to Kansas, and for two years engaged in the cattle business at Chapman and that local- ity, also shipping grain extensively. From 1885 to July, 1893, he made his home in Dighton. Kans., where, as formerly, he dealt in grain, and also conducted a real-estate business, and for over a year was the editor of the Herald. Though young in years, he possessed the enter- prise and ability of many middle-aged men, and by his own merits won the regard of the people. In the fall of 1885 he was honored by election to the responsible office of county superintend- ent of schools of Lane county, and at the expira- tion of his term was re-elected, thus serving from January, 1887. to January, 1891. An active and influential worker in the Republican interests, he was chosen as chairman of the county central committee, and in 1888 was a prominent candi- date for the office of state auditor, being de- feated, as is generally believed, by some political treachery.
In July, 1893. Mr. Stearns cast in his lot with Oklahoma, at first dealing in grain at King- fisher, but on the following 16th of September located a claim near Enid, Garfield county, re- maining there until November, 1894, when he
came to this county. Settling at old Shawnee, he carried on a general merchandising business until the new town was started, when he came here and built the first store in the place. This substantial structure, situated on Main street. and 50x60 feet in dimensions, is still owned by him, and is looked upon as a landmark. For some time he carried on a flourishing business as a builder and contractor, employing fifty or more workmen. In 1896 he sold out the gen- eral merchandising business which he had been managing, as his other enterprises demanded his entire attention. Then, until his election to his present office, he dealt in real estate and built no less than eight good residences in the town, and, in addition to this, was the local agent for a number of the leading insurance companies. Ini July, 1898, appointed by President Mckinley as postmaster of Shawnee, he assumed his duties as such September 1, and in January following was reappointed and confirmed in the office. During his incumbency the postoffice has been raised from the third to the second class, and many important changes for the better have been instituted in the service.
Fraternally our subject is a Knight of Pythias and belongs to Shawnee Lodge No. 27, A. F. & A. M. While a resident of Dighton, Kans., he married Miss Winifred Arnold, who is a native of Indiana, and one child blesses their union. namely, Helen. Mrs. Stearns is a daughter of S. E. Arnold, now numbered among the citizens of Shawnee.
T. W. JACKSON. Few in this prosperous county of Cleveland are better qualified to represent the most advanced element of agricultural progress than is Mr. Jackson. Ar- riving in the territory with practically nothing but his innate ability and perseverance, he has forged his way to the front, and has been identi- fied with the growth of his locality from the time of the opening. He erected the first house for miles around, the dimensions being 12x14 feet. and this small beginning forms a part of the present comfortable and commodious dwelling. He also dug the first well in the neighborhood, and found good water at a depth of twenty-six feet from the surface. In addition to his original claim, he purchased, in 1900, another claim on the northeast quarter of section 17, township 8. range 2 west. His entire time is devoted to the improvement and cultivation of his property. and by reason of well-directed and intelligent industry, he has been able to realize many of his expectations in regard to the promise of the field of effort of his later years.
The early years of Mr. Jackson were not tin- like those of many country-reared youths. He
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was born in Cedar county, Mo., November 28, 1850, and is a son of Dr. Josiah A. and Margaret C. (Winton) Jackson, who were born in Ten- nessee, and who in their childhood were school- mates and playfellows. The paternal grand- father, Jolin, was born in Virginia, and came of an old and distinguished southern family. Josiah Jackson was a typical southern planter, who owned a large plantation and numerous slaves. He was one of the pioneers of Cedar county, Mo., and was a practicing physician of promi- nence. About 1860 he removed to Cook county, Tex., where he lived until 1869, when he re- turned to Stockton, Cedar county, Mo., because of misfortunes that had overtaken him on account of the war. His useful career termi- nated in Stockton in 1870.
The educational advantages of T. W. Jackson were somewhat limited in the first years of his life, but he afterwards made up for the deficiency by study and observation. After his father's death he followed in his footsteps and studied medicine, but later became convinced that in the practice of the profession he would not feel the congeniality which portends success. He there- fore turned his attention to the more peaceful occupation of farming, and in Grayson county, Tex., he herded cattle and farmed for four years. He then removed north to the Indian Territory, and for twelve years continued the same line of work.
October 18, 1888, Mr. Jackson returned to Texas and was united in marriage with Marietta Penn, a native of Cook county, Tex., and daugh- ter of Stephen and Mary A. (Horton) Penn. Of this union there were no children. The year following his marriage Mr. Jackson decided to avail himself of the newly opened territory, and so settled in Cleveland county, which has since been his home. In politics he is a believer in the principles of the Democratic party, but has never sought political preferment. Fraternally he is associated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen at Norman. He is an ardent worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church. as was also Mrs. Jackson previous to her death May 15, 1900. In 1894 Mr. Jackson was ap -. pointed deputy sheriff of Cleveland county, and served for two years with George Smith. Dur- ing 1898-99 he held the same position again under Hi Downing.
H ON. ROBERT A. LOWRY. The name of Mr. Lowry is associated with the finest intellectual and material development of Stillwater. As a lawyer of more than ordinary erudition, and as a legislator whose motto is progress, he has found abundant opportunity for the exercise of his large humanitarian and
expanding views, to the permanent advantage of both the town and state.
The first of the Lowry family to associate their fortunes with the larger possibilities of life in America was the paternal great-grandfather. who came from the north of Ireland, and was of Scotch-Irish descent. He married a Miss Slater. a daughter of an Englishman of that name, and came to the United States during the reign of King George, locating upon a large grant of land granted him by the king. This land was located on the Elk river in Virginia, and during the Revolutionary war a great deal of it was lost through forfeitures and non-payment of taxes. After the marriage of his only daughter to Mr. Lowry, the latter went to live on the govern- ment grant, where he passed his years of use- fulness, and where he eventually died. An only son himself, he in turn had one son, Samuel, who became a planter, and died on the grant in the possession of the family. He became the father of three sons, all of whom were killed in the Union army during the Civil war, and only one of whom had a male descendant. This son, Hiram S., the father of R. A. Lowry, left his father's plantation in Virginia when twenty- one years of age. He was a man of too ad- vanced views to approve of slavery, and did not enjoy life` among the negroes of the south, and so located in Boston, Ohio. Pending more advantageous arrangements, he hired out to the surrounding farmers, and after saving up a little money engaged in independent farming. A natural mechanic, he studied engineering, and ran the mills for the manufacture of lum- ber in Kendall county, Ill. In August of 1861 he enlisted in Company I, Thirty-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry. At the battle of Murfrees- boro he was wounded in the left arm, and, after recovering, he served in a company of sharp- shooters who were in advance during the siege of Atlanta for ten days. He was shot on the last day of the siege, in August of 1864. and his wounds proved fatal three days after. He was a courageous and valorous soldier, and a worthy man and citizen.
The mother of Mr. Lowry was formerly Eliza- beth Jarvis, a native of Hamilton county, Ohio. and a daughter of Joseph Jarvis, a planter of West Virginia. He also was opposed to slavery. and, embracing the opportunity offered by the opening of the Northwest Territory, removed to Miami county, Ohio, where he became an agri- culturist on a large scale, and raised his family in comparative affluence. Of his four sons who served in the Civil war, two were captured, but lived to tell the tale of their sufferings in Ander- sonville to their children. The Jarvis family is of English descent, and Mrs. Lowry is now living in Des Moines, Iowa. Of her two chi !-
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dren, Alice is the wife of Mr. Varner, of Des Moines, Iowa.
Hon. R. A. Lowry was born near Oswego, Kendall county, Ill., September 24, 1859. In 1869 he went with his parents to Polk county, Iowa, where he was reared to agricultural pur- suits, and was educated at the public schools until sixteen years of age. He then started to work his way through the agricultural col- lege at Ames, Iowa, and at the end of two years, owing to a scarcity of funds, he engaged in teaching schools from 1877 until 1880. He then entered the University of Iowa, at Iowa City, and graduated from the department of law in 1881, with the degree of LL. B. At once he began the practice of his profession in Stratford. Jowa, and continued the same occupation after removing to Angus, Boone county, Iowa, until 1889. With unerring judgment he foresaw the advantages of existence in the undeveloped Ter- ritory of Oklahoma, and April 22, 1889, located on a quarter-section on the site of Stillwater. He gave forty acres to the city and had one hundred and twenty acres left for himself, all of which he has since platted as an addition to the city of Stillwater, and which is rapidly be- coming the fashionable residence portion of the town. .
Mr. Lowry's interests in his adopted town have been as various as are his abilities, and as substantial as his sterling traits of mind and character. He was one of the original promoters of the old Oklahoma Central and Southwestern Railroad, and assisted in much preliminary work. including the survey of the road. As a prominent member of the Republican party, he has had additional scope for his extended influence, and has served in most of the offices of trust within the gift of his fellow townsmen. In the begin- ning of September, 1889, he was appointed the first postmaster of Stillwater, which position he retained until 1892, when, owing to a contin- ually increasing practice, and the responsibili- ties incident thereto, he was obliged to resign his position as postmaster. In 1893 he resigned from his position as United States Court Com- missioner, which he had held since 1891. on account of change of national administration. In 1894 Mr. Lowry was nominated on the Re- publican ticket as representative, and was elected by a large plurality. During this third general assembly, he was chairman of the judiciary com- mittee, and a member of several important com- mittees, including the ways and means, crimina! jurisprudence, education, and rules. He was in- strumental in securing the passage of the rev- enue bills which he introduced, and which placed the different counties on a cash basis. This was regarded as some of the best legislation ever introduced in Oklahoma. Mr. Lowry also suc-
cessfully fought the attempt to divide the county. and for the retention of the Agricultural and Mechanical College.
Mr. Lowry served for three years as a member of the Iowa State Militia, and with the breaking out of the Spanish-American war he enlisted in Company L, First Territorial Regiment as cap- tain, and was mustered out February 13, 1899. After the war he returned to his home in Still- water, and resumed his large and lucrative prac- tice. It is safe to assert that along the lines of his special work, that of criminal and civil law, he is without a peer in his adopted city. He has handled some of the most important murder cases, and has brought to bear upon their con- duct a wealth of research and soundness of judg- ment which have inspired the community with the greatest confidence in his ability and fair- ness.
In Chicago, Il1., September 24, 1883, Mr. Lowry was united in marriage with Anna A. Keeler, a daughter of J. F. Keeler, a resident of that city. Of this union there have been six children, viz .: Chester H., who is attending the Agricultura! and Mechanical College; Orla C., now in the high school; Theo M .; Abbie C .; Ethel E., and Fern A.
Fraternally Mr. Lowry is associated with the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World. He is a vice-president of the Terri- torial Bar Association, and is also. the president of the First Territorial Regiment Association of the Oklahoma Battalion. In May of 1900 he was appointed by Governor Barnes as judge- advocate of the governor's staff, with the rank of major.
C ASH M. MEAD, a progressive business man of Oklahoma City, has displayed energy and ability in the management of the various interests with which he has been identified. For a time he held the position of general agent in Oklahoma and Indian Terri- tories for the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company, which has a large plant in Oklahoma City. Resigning this position October 1, 1900. he embarked in the real-estate business, which he now conducts. Some years ago he acquired one hundred and sixty acres of land, a portion of which lies only six blocks from the center of the town, and, platting this property, in May. 1900, he laid out what is known as the East Side addition. To devote his entire attention to the improving and selling of these lois, he resigned his connection with the machine com- pany and inaugurated his real-estate enterprises that now engage his attention.
The Mead family is of English origin, but was established in New England in a very early
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day, and later generations settled in New York. Some of its members served in the Revolution- ary war. Barrack Mead, the grandfather of C. M., and a native of New York, in 1834 settled near Edwardsburg, Cass county, Mich., where he remained until his death. His son, II. B., who was born near Elmira, N. Y., embarked in the hardware business at Edwardsburg, Mich., in 1863, and still resides in that town, although he is now retired from active cares .. 'His mar- riage united him with Almira Sanford, who was born in Michigan and there died; she was a member of a highly connected family of New England. Of their seven children, all but one are living.
At Edwardsburg, Mich., C. M. Mead was born December 16, 1857. The public and high schools of that town afforded him his education. From boyhood until nineteen years of age he worked in his father's hardware store. In 1878 he took up a claim in Boone county, Neb., which he held until he had proved up on the land. In the meantime for a few years he engaged in prospecting and mining in the Black Hills. Going next to Omaha, Neb., he was employed as a bookkeeper. In 1884 he became traveling salesman for the Omaha Rubber Company in the territory from the Missouri river to the Pa- cific coast. In 1887 he became identified with the Russell Company of Massillon, Ohio, repre- senting the Council Bluffs house in Nebraska and South Dakota and a part of Iowa.
In October, 1894, he connected himself with the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Company, for which he traveled in Oklahoma and Indian Territories. In 1895 that firm established a branch house at Oklahoma City for Oklahoma and Indian Territories, and Mr. Mead was ap- pointed general agent. He superintended the erection of their establishment, 50x333 feet, which extends from Main street to Grand ave- nie.
At Omaha, Neb., Mr. Mead was united in marriage with Estella de St. Felix, who was born in Omaha, and is a daughter of Henry de St. Felix, a native of France. Her father was a pioneer in milling at Omaha, and was also en- gaged in mining in the Rocky Mountains. One child, Autum, has blessed this union. In politics Mr. Mead is a Republican.
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