Volume 9 , Issue 24

Share Bros. of Oklahoma Territory

I was doing some looking back at bits, pieces that I have gathered on the Share Brothers of Oklahoma Territory. Amongst the information, it looks like the Share brothers were native of Michigan and had a mercantile business in Harper, Kansas in what is known as the 'Buckeye building' before moving their mercantile business to Alva, Oklahoma Territory.

Charles C. Share was a native of Michigan, but engaged in the mercantile business at Harper, Kansas, for several years. He moved his stock of goods to Alva in 1901 and consolidated it with that of Sylvester B. Share & Bros' department store. Charles C. Share had been a cashier of that big institution in 1904. He was also in the class of Woods County progressive citizens.

J. D. Share was also a native of Michigan. He located in Wellington, Kansas, 1872, and engaged in the drygoods business until he came to Alva in September, 1895, where he was already had an interest with his brother, Sylvester B. They built the first brick business house in the city. Afterwards adding two more brick rooms, making the buildings combined 75 by 150 feet. They also built the Alva National Bank block of four business rooms, with offices upstairs, and later the post office building. Mr. Share was vice-president of the 'first commercial club,' and was always active in furthering any enterprise for the general benefit of the city. He served one year (1900) as a member of the 'Territorial Board of Education' for 'Normal Schools', and in 1901 was elected a member of the city council and was active in re-organizing Alva as a city of the first class, making its laws, among other things.

Sylvester B. Share was an Alva, Oklahoma pioneer native of Michigan. Sylvester B. Share came to Harper, Kansas, about 1884 and engaged in the mercantile business. Sylvester B. Share came to Alva, Oklahoma Territory in the spring of 1894 and opened a large general merchandise store. Sylvester B. Share was very liberal, enthusiastic in furthering the interests of the city. Like his brother, Sylvester served two terms on the city council, years of 1894-5. In 1909 he was of the firm of S. B. Share and Bros. large department store in Alva, Oklahoma Territory.

It seems as though the Share brothers and their descendants touched many lives in this northwest Oklahoma Territory and across the northern border into Kansas. Today many northwest Oklahomans will remember Charles Morton "Corky" Share as the son of Charles C. Share. "Charles Morton Share Trust has been used to build many businesses, new hospital, library, etc...

As a little girl living on the southwest corner of 7th & Church Street, in a two-story white, frame house, in Alva, Oklahoma, my family (including myself, a.k.a, & Linda Kay McGill) were neighbors of Charles "Corky" Morton Share.

To this impressionable, shy little girl in the 1950's, Charles 'Corky' Morton Share was a single, quiet, heavy set man, whom lived in the white frame house just south of us. Corky Share (Charles Morton Share) died June 13, 1959 and is buried in block A-086-07 of the Alva cemetery with his parents.

I do not remember much about the man and my neighbor as I was a rather shy, introverted, impressionable young thing in my early youth back then and things seemed to easily scare me. All that I remember about "Corky" Share was that he seemed to be a quiet, heavy set man that kept to himself and lived with his widowed mother. I don�t know if that is true or not. BUT... I kept to myself and really did not get to know him like I probably should have as a neighbor.

Corky seemed tall to this short shy neighborhood girl in her early youth. I can only speak for myself, Corky seemed a bit frightening. I don't know if it was the neighborhood kids that started the rumor or not, but we were told that if we went in his back yard all hell would break loose. Now that I have grown older and wiser, I see that the rumor may have been something that the kids in the block started because Corky kept to himself. It is always easier looking back and seeing what you would like to change, isn't it?

I remember the many fruit trees he had in his backyard. There was one year that Charles Morton Share let my baby sister, Amber, pick some fruit from his trees to make him a pie. I guess my baby sister was a bit more outgoing than I was. BUT... I think my mother made the pie for her.

Anyway, when Charles Morton Share died in 1959, he bequeathed a stuffed pelican to my baby sister, Amber. That pelican has long since been donated to the museum at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

As we glance, read through the "Pioneer Footprints Across Woods County" history book, you get a glimpse of the many lives that were entangled with the Share Bros. businesses. BUT... there is no other family history of the Share brothers personal family life.

Who was Alva's benefactors, Charles "Corky" Morton Share? Charles C. Share; J. D. Share; and Sylvester B. Share?

If anyone out there has a more detail history of the liberal, enthusiastic benefactors (Share Bros.) that progressively help build northwest Oklahoma Territory and parts of Kansas to the North, we would love to learn more about these Michigan natives that stopped in Wellington and Harper, Kansas before moving on into northwest Oklahoma Territory. CONTACT: Linda McGill Wagner, PO Box 619, Bayfield, CO 81122 - Email: mcwagner.lk@gmail.com.
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