John W Leach & Alice Lee Beach

John W Leach and Alice Lee Beach were my 2x great-grandparents. Their daughter, Minerva, was my great-grandmother.

John W Leach

John W Leach was born in about 1864 in Georgia. His parents were probably Reuben Leach and Jane Bell of Gilmer County, GA although there is no definitive documentation to support this fact. I've drawn this conclusion from tracing the family of Marcus Y Leach, second husband of Hester Priscilla Edmonds. John is listed on the 1870 and 1880 census in Georgia. Then he disappears from records until 1910 when he is listed on the federal census in Catoosa, OK with Alice and their children, David, Dicie, Sylva, and Minerva, as well as a woman named Betsey Hooker (see note under Alice Lee Beach). The Leach family is on the census record in Catoosa in 1920, but John disappears again after that date. Alice is on the 1930 census as a widow, so John must have died between 1920-1930. Norma Garrison, John's granddaughter, remembered that he died before she was born in 1933 and was buried in Catoosa, OK. No records of his death or burial have been found at the time this article was written.

Alice Lee Beach

Alice Lee Beach was born in 1867 in Tennessee. Her parents were George Washington Beach and Margaret Hancock (or possibly Hawkins). She lived in Oklahoma until at least 1935. By 1940 she was living in Kansas City, KS with her adopted son, Arnold. Alice died on 20 April 1956 and was buried in Kansas City at Maple Hill Cemetery.

NOTE: The 1910 census lists John and Alice Beach living with a woman named Betsey Hooker, born 1849 in Pennsylvania, and names her as Alice's mother. This is an error by the census taker. According to Minerva Leach Garrison, my great-grandmother, Betsey Hooker was a woman who lived with the family as a boarder but was no relation to them.

The Marriage and Children of John & Alice Leach

John and Alice Leach were married in approximately 1885, most likely in Georgia. No documentation has been found; conclusions have been drawn based on census records and birth dates of their children. They had seven children according to the 1910 census, but only four children are listed: David, Dicie, Sylva, and Minerva. There is also an older sister, Maggie, who is not listed with the family because she lived elsewhere. Minerva told her daughter, Norma, about an older brother nicknamed "Cap" who left home and lost contact with the family.  David is apparently "Cap". Here is what is known about the Leach children:

Maggie N Leach was born on 2 March 1886 in Dalton, GA. She married Mark B Whittle in Rogers County, OK on 4 October 1916. By 1930 they were living in Kansas City and managed a hotel there. I have not found documentation that Mark and Maggie had any children; they married when Maggie was 30 years old so it is likely they did not. Mark's date of death is unknown. Maggie died in 1954 in Kansas City, and is buried there at Maple Hill Cemetery near her mother.

David Edman "Cap" Leach was born on 5 November 1888 in Georgia or Tennessee. He married Pearl White in about 1913, and they lived in Catoosa until at least 1917. After 1917 David and Pearl moved from Oklahoma to Denver, CO and then eventually settled in San Diego, CA around 1928. They had three children:

• Truman Wilford, b. 19 November 1916, d. 24 February 1989; married Lorene Maxine Welch Bullowe
• Paul E, b. 3 August 1919, d. 10 November 1942 in Morocco; Paul was part of the 7th Infantry Regiment and died during Operation Torch, the British-American invasion of North Africa
• Velma Marguerite, b. 13 February 1922, d. 16 September 2002; married Leonard T Overcash. She may also have been married to men with the last name Remington and Holiman.

 David died on 12 December 1954 in San Diego, CA.

Dicie Bell Leach was born on 31 December 1895 in Texas. She married Joseph Russell between 1910-1920. They had no children, and Joseph died in 1933. On 2 December 1955 Dicie married Charlie Staggs. They were happily married until his death in October 1980. Dicie lived next door to her sister, Minerva, for many years. She had a small white poodle named Susie, and the family joke is that Susie and Dicie looked exactly alike with their fluffy white hair. When Dicie aged enough to no longer be able to live alone she moved to Tacoma, WA to live with her stepson, Alvin Dewayne "Bud" Staggs. Dicie died on 9 September 1989 in Tacoma. She is buried in Tulsa, OK at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Sylva Leach was born in about 1902 in Arkansas. No information has been found for Sylva other than the 1910 Census.

Minerva Leach. Click here for information about Minerva.

Arnold Leach

Arnold R Leach was adopted by John and Alice Leach. The identity of his parents is currently unknown; he is listed as John's nephew on the 1930 Census. Arnold was born on 27 September 1918 in Catoosa, OK. He was married to Edith "Marian" Hall, and it appears they did not have any children. Arnold died on 6 April 2006 in Broken Arrow, OK and is buried in Shawnee, KS.

Read Next: 
Reuben Leach & Jane Bell
George Washington Beach & Margaret Hancock

Jacob Fulton Garrison & Minerva Leach

Jacob Fulton Garrison and Minerva Leach were my great-grandparents. Their daughter, Norma, is my grandmother; her siblings are my great-aunts and uncles. NOTE: Information about living people has been omitted (with the exception of easily accessible public records) due to privacy considerations.

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
 

List of Garrison siblings written Norma Garrison Jordan