Volume 7 , Issue 36

Col. Bob Kirkbride - Candy Bob...

"I am writing you for information about Colonel Bob Kirkbride (also known as Candy Bob). I?ve seen a couple of articles or reader?s responses about him on the Okie Legacy web site and thought you might have more information available. I am trying to put together what information I have about him and confirm it or add to it. I?ve tried to summarize below what information I do have. From what I?ve been told or can find in my copy of a family history, he is my great-grandfather's brother and his given name is Robin Wilson Kirkbride. Robin Wilson is the only brother's name that equates with ?Bob.? Any information you can provide would be appreciated and I will try to look through my family pictures to see if I can find pictures of Colonel Bob when he was younger. I know I have picture of his family (parents and siblings) but only know which person in the picture is my great-grandfather (Guy Carmi Kirkbride).

The information I have from a family history is that Colonel Bob was born on 12/7/1887, probably in Stratton, Nebraska, to Franklin Wilson KIRKBRIDE and Flora WELLS. He was the sixth child out of nine total kids and the last of the three boys in the bunch. Robin married Pearl E. Huff on 11/23/1910, and it?s not clear if Pearl is from Alva or that they were married in Alva. The text about him reads: ?Born 12-7-1887, married Nov.23, 1910 to Pearl E. Huff, Alva, Okla.? Robin and Pearl had three girls and no boys. The girls are 1) Dorothy Wells (born 8/23/1911 and died 3/23/1915), 2) Margery Lee (born 6/29/1914), and Mary Doris (born 10/1/1920). It appears that Margery Lee is the Margery Clyne that Marvin Henry was referring to in The Okie Legacy (5 May 2001, Vol. III, Iss. 18).

I have heard that Colonel Bob was an avid duck hunter, an auctioneer, and made candy. Bob and my great-grandfather (Guy) started out working together by traveling around to buy and sell cattle. My great-grandfather worked as a butcher (one reason to buy cattle) or farmed land in the various places that he lived (Trenton, Nebraska until the dust bowl and then in Vernonia, Oregon). Either Robin or Guy (depending on which family member is telling the story) had a Buick that broke down and stranded him, causing him to lose a sale. He wanted to make sure that it didn?t happen again so he bought himself another Buick to make sure he had at least one running car.

My grandfather (Byron Kirkbride) told me that when Candy Bob was running an auction and the bidding slowed down, he would take a break from selling and tell a ribald story or two to loosen up the crowd (and their wallets), and then he would resume the sales. And usually, the bidding would pick up.

My father told me that Colonel Bob Kirkbride was killed as he was driving by a couple of duck hunters, when one of the hunters followed a duck in flight with his shotgun and happened to fire it when the duck was in line with Colonel Bob. My father made it sound like Colonel Bob died relatively young but the Alva, Oklahoma library web site (www.alvaok.org/Library/pdf/k.pdf) shows his date of death as June 20, 1947, making him nearly 60. Although, with what I?ve seen about of my family, 60 could be considered relatively young. Thank you in advance for whatever help you can provide." -- Randy Kirkbride, Kennewick, WA - Email: rakirkbride@charter.net   |  View or Add Comments (2 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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