Volume 9 , Issue 48

Pioneer James Philander Renfrew

As to the "Standard History of Oklahoma" books, I found a set of all the volumes online and acquired them for my library. The set came in the mail Friday. Looking on the inside it looks as if they came from the "East Central State Teachers College Library," in Ada, Oklahoma.

In the next few weeks, we will be looking up some history of past pioneers of Oklahoma & Indian Territory. If you have anyone you want me to research, let me know.

Before we get into Pioneer James Philander Renfrew's legacy, let me share a quote that I found in the Preface, page v of the 1916, A Standard History of Oklahoma, Vol. 1, by Joseph B. Thoburn. It goes like this: "History must be a consensus of enlightened opinion on the part of the many, rather than a matter of personal viewpoint on the part of the few."

James Philander Renfrew
The following past pioneer information came from the 1916 history book, A Standard History of Oklahoma, compiled by Joseph B. Thoburn and associates in 1916.

James Philander Renfrew published one of the newspapers of most influence in the old Cherokee Strip country of Oklahoma Territory: Renfrew's Daily and Weekly Record, in Alva, OK.

Renfrew was a pioneer in Cherokee country, participated in the opening in the fall of 1893. elected treasurer of Woods County; leading figure as a homesteader, teacher, man of affairs and newspaper publisher.

It was written that James Philander Renfrew represented one of the best family stocks that came into Oklahoma when the country was first opened for settlement.

James P. Renfrew was born on a farm in Benton county, Iowa, Aug. 31, 1849, son of John and Hester Jane (Johnson) Renfrew. James' father was born on a farm near Mansfield, Ohio, Jan. 16, 1824, son of James Renfrew, who was a native of Ireland.

James Philander Renfrew was reared and educated in Richland county, Ohio and Caldwell County, Missouri. He was about 11 years old when his father located in the latter county. His advantages in public schools qualified him as a teacher at the age of twenty and he followed that occupation in combination with farming for a number of years. In 1887 James Renfrew removed to Barber county, Kansas and continued farming, teaching for 7 years.

In September 1893, Renfrew was on the starting line for the rush into the Cherokee Strip, staked out a claim of Government land ten miles north of Alva. When Woods county was organized that year all the officers were appointed, and the first regular county election was held in 1894. In that campaign James Renfrew was a candidate on the populist ticket for the office of treasurer and won the contest by a safe majority. This gave James Renfrew the distinction in local county history as the first regularly elected treasurer of the county. After filling that office for two years, he again resumed his work as teacher, and paid some attention to the development of his farm.

In 1899, Renfrew acquired an interest in the Alva Review and for the following three years was its editor. Selling out he then established in 1902 Renfrew's Record as a weekly populist paper.

In 1904 Renfrew became once more aligned with the regular democratic party, but up to that year had been one of the active factors in the populist movement. In 1898 he was the populist nominee for the office of state senator from Woods county.

On Jan. 1, 1915, Renfrew began the publication of a morning edition, known as Renfrew's Morning Record. This newspaper had a large circulation over Woods and surrounding counties and was a paper from which many hundreds of its readers took their opinions on current questions. It also was a prosperous business enterprise.

Renfrew had a modern plant with complete equipment for the publication of his journal and also for general printing. In 1910 he was honored by election to the office of president of the Oklahoma State Press Assoc. and held the office one year.

James & Julia Ellen (Black) Renfrew
Aug. 31, 1871, on his twenty-second birthday, at Mirabile, Missouri, James Renfrew married Julia Ellen Black. The Black family of Missouri had been one of the oldest and most honored for many years. Julia Ellen's parents were Dr. Oakley H. and Susan R. (Hyde) Black. Julia Ellen Black was born April 14, 1856, at Champaign, Illinois, being the first white child born in that city. Her father Dr. Black was born May 21, 1828, in Clark County, Ohio, and was of Virginia parents and English ancestry.

Dr. Black served as a soldier in the Mexican war and was also in service along the frontier against the Indians during the years 1846-51. He was a member of Company B of the First United States Dragoons, and was made sergeant of his company at the battle of Buena Vista. Dr. Black was the family physician to all the best people in and around Mirabile for many years and finally died at Cameron, Missouri, Feb. 13, 1894. He was married Jan. 29, 1854, and the eight children living by his first marriage are Julia E., Emma W., Olive M., Sarah C., Cordelia A., Agnes B., Minerva L. and Rosana M. The mother of these children died Feb. 26, 1870. On Nov. 4, 1870, Dr. Black married Miss Mary T. Rinaman. The three children of this marriage are Charles T., William A., and Mary E. William was a successful editor, newspaper man.

James & Julia Renfrew were the parents of four children: two sons and two daughters. Rufus Oakley, oldest, born July 6, 1872, married Feb. 13, 1898, to Miss Stella Long, daughter of Rev. M.T. and Mary (Noble) Long, who was born Nov. 14, 1878, in Chautauqua county, Kansas, and by their marriage have one child, Edith Lillian, born April 21, 1900.

Rufus Renfrew was in business as a loan broker and abstracter at Woodward, Oklahoma in 1916 and was a 33 degree Mason.

The second child, Mabel Estella, was born October 15, 1873, died September 5, 1874. John Alden, born March 14, 1875, was a merchant, and mayor of Alva in 1916. He married Mabel Williams, daughter of Capt. George L. and Anna F. (Bragg) Williams. They had a child, Clara, born April 22, 1902.

Lillian Emma, the youngest, born October 3, 1876, died May 27, 1900, was married April 28, 1897 to Dyas Galbois, who was accidentally killed July 3, 1909.

Mrs. Renfrew inherited much of the strong mental ability and character of her father, and had ably assisted her husband in the editorial management of the paper. She had also been prominent in club, church and society affairs both in her own city and over the state. She served in 1914 as department president of the Woman's Relief corps, and was past worthy matron of the order of Eastern Star.

John Renfrew
John Renfrew was a farmer by occupation, went to Iowa in 1846, around the time that state was admitted to the Union. about 1860 he set out for Kansas, while that state was being settled, but instead of proceeding to his destination determined to locate in Caldwell County, Missouri, he lived in Northwest Missouri for 28 years.

Afterwards he actually went to Kansas, when conditions were very different from what they had been before the Civil war, settled on a tract of Government land in Barber County. He continued farming until 1894, then in the year following the opening of the Cherokee Strip moved to Woods County, Okahoma, and proved up a homestead ten miles north of Alva. John Renfrew occurred at Alva, June 16, 1902. He married in Coshocton County, Ohio, Nov. 2, 1849, to Miss Hester Jane Johnson, a daughter of Robert and Jane (Stephenson) Johnson. Hester Johnson Renfrew was born April 6, 1831, in Coshocton county and died in Woods county, OK, March 12, 1899.

The Alva editor was the first of their four children (three daughters and one son). Emily Jane, oldest of the daughters, born Feb. 18, 1852, married Dec. 5, 1871 to James W. DeGeer, who was born Nov. 26, 1843, in Ontario, Canada, and lived as a reitred farmer at Nampa, Idaho; James & Emily DeGeer had four children: Cora, Eva, Renfrew I, and Vaughn E.

Mary Ellen, second daughter, born Aug. 10, 1855, married Oct. 28, 1875 to Lyman W. DeGeer and they had 7 children: Muriel, Mabel, Dahl, Frederick, Ernest, Frank and Edgar.

Hessie lou, the youngest born Jan. 14, 1869, married April 22, 1895, to Anthony T. Nuce, and they had two children: Harry Renfrew and Alice.
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