Charles E Reid

Charles and Florence Reid Charles Reid family

Charles was born on February 23rd, 1871 near Boomington, Illinois.  Charles' father was Luther Reid and his mother was Sarah Kauffman.  His maternal grandparents were David Funk Kauffman and Rebecca Snell.  He was an only child.  He died at the age of 80 on February 2nd, 1952.  He was buried in Nardin, Oklahoma.

• General Notes

  Charles Reid, Sr. was a pioneer settler in Oklahoma. He was born February 23, 1871 near Bloomington, Illinois. He was the oldest child of Luther Reid and Sarah (Kaufman) Reid.
  
  About the year 1885 the family moved to Kansas, settling on a farm seven miles south and one east of Peabody, Kansas. Dad's father came on ahead to fix a house for the family to live in. Dad was a boy of 12 when they moved. He, his mother, and three other children made the trip in a covered wagon pulled by horses, across the country.
  
  When the Cherokee Outlet was opened for settlement in Oklahoma, on September 16, 1893, Charles Reid and two or three neighbor boys decided to make the run on horseback. They started at the State line south of Hunnewell, Kansas. With the shot of the pistol, the line quickly moved south. After riding about 20 miles south, Dad set his stake on some ground just north of Tonkawa a mile or so. When the ground was measured off into quarters and eighths, another man had staked on the same piece of ground. Dad just pulled his stake, rather than argue with the man, and went back to Kansas. The following spring, he came back to Oklahoma, bought a relinquishment and proved up on the N E1/4 27-28-3.
  
  In the spring of 1896 or 97, there was a big wheat crop in the Cherokee Strip. Dad's brother Thomas moved a threshing machine down from their home in Kansas, and threshed for many farmers in the community. From that year on, they were known as "the Reid Brothers Threshing Crew." This went on until 1914 when Dad moved to Colorado, and sold his interest in the outfit to his brother.
  
  Charles was a bachelor for about 14 years. His father passed away in the fall of 1894. The neighbors of Charles tried hard to find him a housekeeper, by giving parties and inviting young ladies to them. In the summer of 1906, Florence O. Robinson came to visit her sister, Mrs. Rufus Forsyth. A romance started soon after she arrived, and on November 27, 1907 they were married. The wedding was held near Bethany, Illinois at the Robinson home.
  
  As the years went by Charles and Florence had six children born to them. They were Mrs. Ralph (Grace), Webster; Jerry S. Reid, Ponca City; Walter Neil Reid, who died at the age of 8 months; Charles E. Reid, Blackwell, Oklahoma; Gail E. Reid, Midwest City, Oklahoma; and Mrs. Leland (Avis) Eaves, Puerto Rico.
  
  In the summer of 1914, the Reid family moved to Colorado, near Keensburg, thinking that the climate would be better for Dad's health. After two years, they decided to move back to their place north of Deer Creek. Mother, with three children, came on the train to Deer Creek ahead of Dad. He came on a freight train with our household goods and livestock, arriving a few days later. We stayed with the Rufus Forsyth family until our furniture arrived. Stanley Forsyth (a cousin), Jerry, my brother, and myself would play out on the road. Mama told us we would get hurt, but we'd do it anyway. She even told us one day that the old devil would get us if we didn't mind, but we continued playing on the road. The next day the old devil showed up between the house and the road. We were scared. Stanley took out for the house as fast as he could go; I grabbed Jerry's arm and we started for the house too. Our mothers were waiting at the door for us. We told them that the old devil was in the yard, but we didn't stop until we got inside and under the bed. Later we learned it was Mama dressed up like the devil to keep us off the road!
  
  The schools were one room buildings, and one teacher to a building with all eight grades being taught. Dad held all offices of the school board at one time or another, while he had children in the grade school. W e lived 21/4 miles from school. We would either walk, ride a pony, or drive a pony and buggy for transportation. One evening my brother and I were returning home from school; we were playing and cutting up on the pony's back, when all of a sudden she just jumped sideways and we both fell to the ground. She didn't run from us, but stood beside us until we got up. Since we were almost home, we walked and led the pony the rest of the way.
  
  In 1917 Dad had a nice two story house built for his family. We were so pleased with this new house as we had more room. Charles Reid did most of his farming with horses until his boys were teenagers, then he got a tractor. Our father was a hardworking man, a good manager, and a good neighbor.
  
  Like many pioneer families, they struggled long days through all the hardships common to all the early settlers. They raised most of the food that we ate, milked cows, churned their butter, baked bread, and cured their meats, in order to keep their family fed during these years.
  
  We lost our mother on September 12, 1949 and Dad on February 2, 1952. They are both buried in the cemetery at Nardin, Oklahoma.
  
  by: Mrs. Ralph Webster Deer Creek, Oklahoma, History of Grant County Families, 1980
  
  
  
  
  

Details of Charles' family with Florence O Robinson