Volume 11 , Issue 21

John C. McClure (Feb. 21, 1884-??)

Did you ... or Do you realize that those old "Pioneer Letters" that your grandparents bundled and saved in an old trunk in the attic or basement could reveal a lot about the pioneers, the times they lived through and the people that crossed their lives? That brings us to one pioneer in particular, John C. McClure, Altona, Knox Co., Illinois.

We have found out many things about John C. McClure. His folks were from around Altona, Knox Co., Illinois. In 1904, John McClure was boarding in Quincy, Illinois while going to the Gem City Business College. John went back to the family farm in Altona, Illinois during the summers to help with the farming and harvesting of the corn. In March 1905, John finished business school and ventured to the Northwest Oklahoma Territory and worked as a clerk at the First National Bank in Alva and was still working there in 1906.

We understand from some of John's letters to Constance that he knew several of the pioneers of Oklahoma Territory back in the early 1900's and may have lived near the Liberty school district near Constance at one time. We also have learned that Nellie Corben was just one of many cousins of John C. McClure.

Looking ahead, some of the 1905 letters reveal that from June to September of 1905 Constance was receiving letters from John while Constance was vacationing around the Virginia's (Vanderpool and Mountain Grove). For instance, in June of 1905 Constance was in Mountain Grove, West Virginia and staying and receiving mail care of Paul Warwick at Mountain Grove and visiting a cousin, Lucy Warwick.

We have not transcribed the 1905 letters yet, but from reading ahead we find that John was by then referring to Constance as his Oklahoma girl or Sweetheart (S.H.). We also learned that John C. McClure turned 21 years of age on February 21, 1905.

We have glanced through several of the 1906 letters from John to Constance and found that on January 30, 1906 John's father and sister came to Alva, Oklahoma Territory for a visit. BUT ... we do not know their names.

In May of 1905 and in 1906 John addressed letters to Miss Constance Warwick at Pringey, O.T., where Constance may have been teaching at a country school around there.

I am told from there were at least a couple of rural school districts in the area of Pringey, O.T. One being West Union school and the Golden Belt school.

Last year The OkieLegacy eZine, Vol. 10, Iss. 43 reported the following information about rural schools in the Territory: "The Oklahoma Territorial Legislature had set a term of school as not less than three months, to be held between October 1 and June 1, in each year."

This is a long-shot, but if anyone out there around the Altona, Illinois area or in Oklahoma new of John C. McClure -- know of descendants of the McClure's from Illinois, we would love to know if John saved/bundled Constance's letters together from 1904-06 and stuck them in an attic somewhere. Would also like to find a photo of John C. McClure from around the early 1900s. Thanks for any help you might pass along this way!
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