NW Oklahoma Territory Pioneer Woman
There would not have been "town fathers" without "town mothers." I dedicate this feature to all the NW Oklahoma Territory Pioneer women, such is the lady, my grandmother, Constance Estella (Warwick) McGill (1882-1968) and my Great Grandmother Signora Bell (Gwin) Warwick (1860-1934).
Constance was a young girl of 11 years when she settled in NW Oklahoma Territory with her father John Robert Warwick (1857-1937); her mother Signora Belle Gwin Warwick (1860-1934); and her younger brother Robert Lee Warwick (1887-1952) during the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893.
John R. Warwick headed west with a couple of brothers, Pete and William, and cousins from their Virginia homeland while his family stayed behind. There were many reasons for the westward escape to Oklahoma Territory. Some of which we have talked about in earlier volumes and issues with a reminder of those links in this issue.
It's believed that John Warwick headed towards Kansas sometime between 1889-1890, settling for a time teaching school in Coldwater while waiting for the opening of the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893. John staked out a piece of land along Eagle Chief Creek, just north of a little community of Hopeton, 7 miles south of Alva.
Constance, like her parents, was a strong willed, independent woman. She was the oldest child, daughter with a younger brother Robert Lee, five years her junior. Constance and Robert for a brief time in 1895-1896 had another brother, Wm Wilbur Warwick, born October 13, 1895 but his young life was short-lived (8 months) when he died of an influenza out break in May, 1896.
We know it took strong willed independent pioneers to venture westward looking for a new adventure and beginnings. Signora Belle (a.k.a. Sigga by friends) was one of those pioneer women. Sigga was known to chew tobacco with the men, as well as her husband John Robert Warwick.
They had their hardships along with good things. They lived through the time period of Alva's "Old Opera House Mystery (1910)." Mable Oakes must have been of the same age group as Constance Warwick. They both were at one time students of Northwestern State Normal "Castle On the Hill." I look back at some of grandmother's old photos of her girl friends gathered for a country picnic and wonder if one of those girls could be Mabel Oakes. Constance is pictured, frontrow, rightside in this photo.
Constance was courted by buggy rides, horseback in the countryside of NW Oklahoma Territory. Constance was the stronger of the couple (Bill and Constance).
Constance Warwick and Bill McGill were married in March, 1910. In 27 December 1914, Gene M. McGill was born with Robert Lee McGill born in 1916. I believe the young boy positioned on the front of this old auto is my father, Gene M. McGill (aged 1-2 years). Grandmother Constance is seated behind the steering wheel with two ladies. You can see the Castle On the Hill in the background
Constance and Bills marriage last for 33 years when they were divorced during WWII. Constance raised her two boys, Gene and Robert with a stern strict hand and managed her fathers farm land he had acquired during the "dirty thirties" dust bowl days when John worked at Hopeton State bank.
Bill McGill remarried afterwards, but Constance remained single throughout the rest of her life.
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