Jacob Fulton Garrison
Jacob Fulton Garrison was born on 7 January 1900 in North Carolina. He was the son of Robert F Garrison and Hester Priscilla Edmonds; he was the eighth of eleven children. (To read more about Robert Garrison and Hester Edmonds, click here.) The overwhelming majority of the Garrison family lived in northwestern North Carolina and had been there for generations. Robert and Hester Garrison, however, chose to move their family westward in about 1903. They eventually settled in Rogers County, OK, and Jacob grew up there. He did not have a full education - he only attended school through fourth grade - but that was not uncommon for that time period in that region of the country. At age 18 he was working as a farm laborer in Catoosa, OK. His World War I draft registration card lists him as medium height with dark hair and dark eyes.
By the age of 30 Jacob was working as a railroad laborer. In 1935, the family moved from Catoosa, OK to Altus, OK where Jacob worked as a railroad station foreman. He and Minerva attended the Church of Christ in Altus. Jacob outlived all but two of his siblings. He died of cancer on 26 October 1986 at the age of 86, and is buried at Restlawn Memorial Park in Altus, OK.
Minerva Leach
Minerva Leach was born on 23 December 1903 in Arkansas. She was the daughter of John W Leach and Alice Lee Beach and was the youngest of four children. Her adopted brother, Arnold, was born much later, in 1918. (To read more about John Leach and Alice Beach click here.) Minerva grew up in Catoosa, OK. She had an eighth grade education. There is very little information known about Minerva's family before she married Jacob Garrison. Minerva died on 23 February 1988 and is buried with her husband at Restlawn Memorial Park in Altus, OK.
Marriage and Children of Jacob & Minerva Garrison
Jacob Fulton Garrison and Minerva Leach were married on 21 May 1921 at the First Baptist Church in Claremore, OK. Jacob was 21 years old; Minerva was 17.
Jacob and Minerva had eight children: Alice Priscilla, William Jake, Margie Bell, Thomas Stanley Fulton, John Willard, Betty Lou, Norma Jean, and Jacob Sterling.
Alice Priscilla Garrison was born on 1 Mar 1922 in Catoosa, OK. She was married to George Clifton Cantrell from 26 December 1941 until his death on 15 June 1989. They had one daughter, Cheryl, born in 1950. In 2005 Alice married Robert Frank Lovely and remained married until his death on 6 March 2016. The following information is from Alice's obituary:
"Alice was born March 1, 1922, in Catoosa, Oklahoma, to Jake and Minerva Garrison. She was the oldest of their eight children. The family lived through the hardship of The Great Depression losing two children in early childhood. One year the family lived in a one room log cabin built by her father on an acre of rented land. Despite having only bran and molasses to eat for a year, they shared their home and meals with others less fortunate than they. Alice became a surrogate mother to her siblings while her mother tended the farm and her father worked for the railroad. The family moved to Altus, Oklahoma, when Alice was twelve. She graduated from Altus High School in 1940 as the Salutatorian. She attended college in Altus for two years. During WWII she and her husband moved to Washington D.C. where she worked for the State Department in the code breaking department. After the war they moved to Oklahoma City where Cheryl was born. Alice worked in the Insurance Industry for fifty years, rising to a management position and retiring at age seventy-five. She was respected as a highly competent employee and was well liked by her many friends and colleagues, with whom she stayed in contact after retirement. Alice and Cheryl were Charter members of the Memorial Christian Church. Alice attended church regularly for more than sixty years, serving as an Elder and on many standing committees. It was on one of the Church committees that Alice met Robert "Bob" Lovely. Alice and Bob married in 2005, both in their eighties. They both remained active and independent in their home for ten years. Alice described these years as the happiest of her life. Bob and Alice were consistently kind, generous and welcoming to their extended families. Alice loved bowling, belonged to many leagues over a fifty year period, bowled a game of over 200 only two years ago, and had many bowling buddies. She had planned to return to her bowling league next month. She was an accomplished gardener; this year's yard was as lovely as any."Alice died peacefully at her home in Oklahoma City, OK on 23 August 2016 at the age of 94. She was buried at Rose Hill Burial Park in Oklahoma City.
William Jake "Willie" Garrison was born in Catoosa, OK on 3 March 1924 and died of pneumonia on 3 January 1927.
Margie Bell Garrison was born on 8 November 1925 in Catoosa, OK. She married Richard Stewart in Crawford County, Arkansas on 12 Nov 1949. They had three children: Carolyn, Richard, and Norma Lou. Richard was an alcoholic and was abusive. While Margie was pregnant with Norma Lou, Richard kicked her in the stomach. Norma Lou was born with cerebral palsy and was mentally handicapped; she lived in an institution for most of her life. She was named for Margie's younger sisters, Norma and Betty Lou. Margie left Richard soon after Norma Lou was born. In 1956 she married Wilburn Phillip "Buck" Birdwell. They lived in Snyder, OK and were happily married until he died on 27 May 2004. They had one child together, Lynda. According to Margie's obituary, "she walked everywhere she went and never learned to drive. She enjoyed her family, playing card games, and working word search puzzles. She was a homemaker and a member of Southside Baptist Church in Snyder." Margie died on 12 July 2014 in Snyder, OK at the age of 88, and was buried at Rogers Cemetery in Tillman County, OK.
Thomas Stanley Fulton "Tommy" Garrison was born on 27 November 1927 in Catoosa, OK. In 1946, at age 18, Tommy enlisted in the US Army and served for eighteen months including time at the Panama Canal. After his military service Tommy married Gaynell Adams in Lawton, OK. They had a daughter, Brenda. Tommy and Gaynell lived in Altus, OK until Tommy's death on 2 September 2006. He is buried at Altus Cemetery in Altus.
John Willard "Johnny" Garrison was born on 11 October 1930 in Catoosa, OK. He married Laqueta McCracken on 9 August 1953, and they had two children: Sheila and John Glen. Laqueta died on 3 August 2011, and Sheila died on 1 March 2016. At the time of writing, Johnny was living in Burleson, TX.
Betty Lou Garrison was born on 14 January 1932 in Catoosa, OK. She graduated from Cyril High School and married Bill R Gibson in 1951. Betty and Bill lived in Lindsay, OK and had four children: Billy Keith, Lanette, Barbara, and Janette. Bill passed away on 9 January 1991, and on 18 March 1992 Betty married Neal VanHooser. They also lived in Lindsay, OK until Betty's death due to multiple myeloma on 8 January 2007. Betty was a member of the Church of Christ and loved to serve others. Even during her fight with cancer she was known for being in the kitchen cooking meals and saying "people are sick and need food". Betty enjoyed bowling, playing the piano, and spending time with her family. She was ruthless when it came to Skip-bo. Betty was buried at Green Hill Cemetery in McClain County, OK.
Norma Jean Garrison was born on 22 October 1933. She married Jake Jordan on 2 May 1953, and they had three sons: Paul, Royce, and Brent. Jake passed away on 14 March 2012. At the time of writing, Norma was living in Mesquite, TX.
Jacob Sterling "Jakie" Garrison was born on 8 June 1935 in Altus, OK and died on 10 November 1935. His exact cause of death is unknown. His sister, Norma, said she remembers her mother saying Jakie "couldn't cry" and Norma has always assumed there was a problem with his lungs. Although Jakie died in Altus, OK he was taken back to Catoosa, OK to be buried with other family members according to Norma.
Read Next:
Robert F Garrison and Hester Priscilla Edmonds
John W Leach and Alice Lee Beach
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| List of Garrison siblings written Norma Garrison Jordan |
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