General Notes

This book was among Rachel Webster's possessions which were divided in 1983. Among the pages in the book were three newspaper clippings which are copied here:

SAM P. RIDINGS OF MEDFORD DIES AT ENID Attorney, Author, Former Cowboy, Long Prominent (From the Journal Bureau) MEDFORD, Jan 8 (1942)-Sam P. Ridings, 73, attorney and author of "The Chisholm Trail, " died Wednesday night in an Enid hospital where he had been critically ill for 10 days.

Funeral arrangements await word from a son. Major Eugene Ridings of the army general staff at Washington. The Hill funeral home is in charge. Ridings was born in Hillsboro, Ohio, Dec. 1, 1868 and went to Caldwell, Kans., with his family at the age of 7. When 15 he and a youthful friend went to what is now the Oklahoma Panhandle where they-or particularly Ridings-rode the range. He first rode the Chisholm trail, about which he later wrote his book, in 1881. As a cowboy there was probably none who knew and was personally acquainted with more frontiersmen, cattlemen and rangemen.

Ridings returned to Caldwell where he -finished his highschool education and graduated -from the University of Kansas with a bachelor of law degree in 1892. He was connected with a law firm at Caldwell later. At the opening of the Cherokee Strip Ridings made the run and settled on a farm near the present site of the town of Jefferson. The farm is now the Grant county home. Ridings was prominently connected with the Republican party in politics.

He was one of the first county attorneys in Grant at the time when the courthouse was located at Pond Creek. He carried several fights to the U. S. supreme court during the battle in the county about moving the location of the county seat. He practiced law for two years in Olympia, Wash., and returned to Medford in 1912.

There has hardly been an inportant case in the Grand county courts for the past 25 or 30 years on which Ridings hasn't been an attorney for one side or the other.

He wrote his book, "The Chisholm Trail, " in 1935 and 1936.

Ridings married Miss Nettie Lewis March 18, 1896. Survivors are his wife; one son, Major Ridings and two daughters, Mrs. Paul Breeden of Memphis, Tenn., and Mrs. Marie Cooke of Marigold, Miss. He was a charter member of the Montana-Wyoming National Cowboys association and the Old Time Cherokee Strip Cowboys association. Ridings also maintained membership in the Masons and Elks and was a lifetime member of the Oklahoma Historical society.

RIDINGS SERVICES SCHEDULED FRIDAY NIGHT, SATURDAY -- Methodist Church Funeral Follows Masonic Rites (From the Journal Bureau) MEDFORD, Jan. 9 (1942) -- Scottish Rite services for Sam P. Ridings, prominent Medford attorney and author, will be held Friday at midnight, under final arrangements completed here.

The final funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 O'clock at the Medford Methodist Church. The rites will be conducted by Rev. George Parkhurst, pastor of the Methodist church of Alva. He will be assisted by Rev. W. I. Smith, Medford pastor, and Rev. C. H. Schuermann, Renfrow pastor. Burial will be made in the Caldwell cemetery under the direction of the Hills funeral home. The final arrangements were confirmed after it had been learned that a son Major Eugene Ridings, U. S. army general staff, would arrive late Friday afternoon from Washington.

Ridings, 73, succombed Wednesday night at an Enid hospital following an illness of 10 weeks. He was one of Grant county's best known citizens and was considered an authority on early history of this section of the southwest. He had been actively engaged in the practice of law here for more than 40 years and was the senior partner of the law firm of Ridings and Drennan.

Because of the death of Ridings, the January motion day session of district court has been cancelled. Judge J. W. Bird announced that the docket would be heard at a later date. It had originally been assigned for Saturday.

HUNDREDS ATTEND RIDINGS FUNERAL AT MEDFORD -- Alva Pastor, Two Other Ministers, Conduct Services (From the Journal Bureau) MEDFORD, Jan. 1O (1942)-Hundreds of friends and business associates, including many from the legal fraternity, gathered with relatives Saturday afternoon at the Methodist church to pay a parting tribute to Sam P. Ridings, attorney and author, who died Wednesday night.
The rites were conducted by Rev. George A. Parkhurst, pastor of the Methodist church of Alva, formerly of Medford.

Assisting was Rev. W. I. Smith, local pastor, and Rev. C. H. Schuermann of Jefferson. The active pallbearers were Frank Hamilton, John Drennan, Frank Warzyn, Raymond Early, Orville Slater and Howard Reed.
Honorary pallbearers included members of the Grant county bar and others as follows: District Judge J. W. Baird, Enid; District Judge O. C. Wybrant, Woodward; Don A Armstrong, Oklahoma City; Robert L. Cooper, Robert Sullivan, and J. H. Asher, Pond Creek; P. C. Simons, Enid; Ellis W. Eddy, E. H. Breeden, Evan Breeden, J. E. Falkenberg, Denny W. Falkenberg, W. T. Clark, Hohn C. Stevenson, M. E. Prout, Dr. I. V. Hardy and Charles Sprague, Sr., all of Medford. Burial was in the Caldwell cemetery under the direction of Hills funeral home. The last rites Saturday afternoon followed midnight Scottish Rite services Friday at the Methodist church. Guthrie and Enid Scottish Rite officials were in charge.