| Name |
Grace Gertrude COWDEN [2] |
| Born |
13 Dec 1884 |
Belleville, Republic, Kansas, USA  [2, 3] |
| Gender |
Female |
| Census |
1 Mar 1885 |
Belleville, Republic, Kansas, USA [4] |
| 1885 Kansas State |
- in the A.A. Cowden household. Enumerated were A..A. 48 male married farmer born in Illinois came to KS from MO; MARTHA 31 female married born in MO came to KS from MO; BULA 2 female single born in MO came to KS from MO; GERTRUDE 4months female single born in KS came to KS from KS; JOHN PEDDIGO 23 male single farmer born in MO came to KS from MO;
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| Census |
6 Jun 1900 |
Mt. Pleasant Twp, Scotland, Missouri, USA [5] |
| 1900 US Federal |
- in the Martha J. Petigo household. Enumerated were MARTHA J. (head) female, white, May 1837, 63, widow, KY, -, VA, Farmer; and JOHN J. (son) male, white, June 1861, 39, single, MO, KY, KY, Farmer; CLARA B Cowden (g daughter) female, white, Oct 1883, MO-MO-MO; GRACIE E Cowden (g daughter) female, white, Dec 1884, MO-MO-MO; MAUDE H Cowden (g daughter) female, white, Feb 1885, MO-MO-MO
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| Census |
16 Apr 1910 |
Kremlin, Garfield, Oklahoma, USA |
| 1910 US Federal |
- In the Van A. Mount household. Enumerated were Van A. Mount age 32; Grace wife age 28; daughter Marvel L. age 10; daughter Ruth age 6; sons Ellis C. age 8; Hollis A. age 3; and Van W. age 1.
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| Census |
21 Jan 1920 |
El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA |
| 1920 US Federal |
- Grace G. age 35 was listed with her husband Van A. Mount age 42, stepson Ellis C. age 18; stepdaughter Naoma R. age 16; and sons Hollis A. age 13 and Van W. age 10.
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| Census |
4 Apr 1930 |
El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA [6] |
| 1930 US Federal |
- in the Van Mount household. Enumerated were Van age 52 W -M married at age 21 MO-KY-MO; Grace G. wife age 45 W-F married at age 20 KS-MO-IL; Leslie son M-W-S age 20 OK-MO-KS; Perry Dust nephew age 15 W-M-S OK-MO-MO
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| Famiy HIstory |
21 Jul 1937 |
El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA [7] |
| Oklahoma & Indian Territory, Indian & Pioneer Historical Collection |
- Mount, Mrs. Grace G. Cowden, Interview #4956
Interviewer: Nora Lorrin
Indian Pioneer History S-149
July 21, 1937
Interview With Grace G (Cowden) Mount
313 West Ownes
El Reno, Oklahoma
Born December 13, 1884
Belleville, Kansas
Father's name, A.A. Cowden
Born March 28, 1857,
Greenfield, Ill.,
Mother's name, Martha Jane (Pedigo) Cowden
Born (blank)
Mrs. Grace G. Mount was born December 13, 1884, at Belleville, Kansas. When she was four years of age, her mother died and she and her two sisters were sent to Missouri to her grandmother's home to live. A year later, her father, Mr. Cowden, married a 15 year old girl, who he met in the Chickasaw Nation. He then went to Missouri and got his little daughters and brought them (by train) to their home in the Chickasaw country, near Grady. Her stepmother's name was Sarah Della Coons Cowden. There were three daughters by the first marriage, and her father and stepmother had six children, their first a girl being born on their farm in the Chickasaw Nation.
Her father, Mr. Cowden, made the run from a little creek southwest of El Reno, called "Five Mile" creek.
page 2
He drove a little team of mules that could run like jack rabbits they were so little and wiry. Her father staked a claim eight miles west and one mile south of the mills. located in the southwest part of El Reno. The mills were not here then, of course.
When they were out to their claim from the Chickasaw country, Mr. Cowden drove the little mules and wagon, into the Canadian River and the coupling pin cam out, and the mules started to run, Mr. Cowden hung on and they dragged him into the waster and up the bank. He said that if the mules had gotten loose they would not have stopped short of their old home in the Chickasaw country. As it was, they got into pretty deep water and got everything very wet and the water ruined a lot of their pictures. People were afraid of the quick sand in the rivers; it was pretty bad sometimes.
Mr. Cowden was the first constable that was ever appointed in Canadian County, and his chief duty was hunting horse theives. Mr. Cowden's family were sometimes
page 3
frightened to be alone since he was gone about his duties much of the time, though Mrs. Mount says her step-mother was the most fearless person that she ever saw. One night they heard a noise near their farm wagon. The had left a horse tied to it. Her step-mother jerked the door open and ran out with Mrs. Mount after her and a man was in the act of untying the horse with the intention of stealing it. Mrs. Cowden yelled at him and he did not wait to argue the matter but left without the horse.
The Cowden family first lived in a tent then Mr. Cowden dug a hole in a bank and built a one room house above it, make one room and a basement. They cooked and ate in the basement and slept above it. Later, he dug a large cellar farther up the hill and moved their one room house to the new location. Their barns were made of poles driven into the ground and roofed with straw.
Everything was burned off a time or two except the house by prairie fires.
page 4
guards and several furrows had been plowed about it. When Mrs. Mount was 12 years old, she used to ride her pony to El Reno to get groceries; they traded at the Old Barrett Grocery. They could get quite a nice, large slab of bacon for 50 cents. She would buy it and they would tie it to her saddle for her. Mrs. Mount will never forget how happy they all were when her father brought home their first cow, and they could all have milk to drink.
The Indians south of the river often came to their home to trade for watermelons and other produce and her little sister, the one who was born in Chickasaw country, had lovely, long, blond curly hair. The Indians would want the mother to take the little girls' hair down every time that they came there so they could sdd her beautiful curls and handle them. It go so that she would run and crawl under the bed every time she would see an Indian coming, not because she was afraid of them, but because she was so tired having them fool with her hair.
page 5
The Indians always came by the Cowden place on their way to Darlington to get their rations. Before there were any schools out there Mrs. Mount and her two older sisters were sent back to Missouri to stay with their grandmother and go to school. They were back there for two years. The the Oak school house was built and they came home again and went to school there.
One night while they were living on their claim, there came a bad blizzard and there came a stamping and pawing at the door. Mrs. Cowden went to see what it was and it was an Indian sitting on a horse. The Indian was so nearly frozen that he could not talk. Mrs. Cowden and one of hers sons ran out and pulled the Indian off the horse and they thought he was frozen to death. They took him into the house and worked with him until he got thawed out. They let him sit by the fire all night. He said that he did not know how he came to be there; the horse just came up to the door of his own accord and pawed until they came out and got him. The Indian was very grateful, thanking
page 6
them again and again. He said "You've saved my life' You've saved my life, you good woman!"
There were lots of Germans in their neighborhood and they liked their hoe-down dances. They would build a platform and the neighbors would all come to dance, the whole family coming. The older folks would talk and the young people would dance. Mrs. Mount's grandmother in Missouri though the children were being disgraced because they were allowed to dance, and because they lived among the Indians.
There was not very much amusement for anyone, if they did not dance. Most everyone did.
The Indians were very fond of Mr. Cowden; he was away from home and among Indians a lot. He was an officer of Canadian County for twenty-eight years. He sold his claim to Judge Grigsby, and moved to El Reno.
Mr. Cowden and Judge Grigsby are the only two people badly burned when the house burned down a few years ago.
In 1898, Mr. Cowden was janitor in The old court house. He was a constable in 1901. Mr. Cowden and Matt Garrett
page 7
were constables under Mr. T. J. Hensley. Mr. Cowden and a Mr. McCartney both served as night police.
The negro soldiers caused quite a bit of extra police work.
Mrs. Mount was married to Mr. Van H. Mount, in 1905 and they are the parents of four children; on of the boys is Wesley Mount who works in El Reno fire department. She has a set of histories in two volumes, that are 70 years old and a salt shaker that is left from their early things. One of the histories is titled "Lincoln's Administration" but Mrs. Mount did not remember what the title of the other one was.
|
| Interview |
21 Jul 1937 |
El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA |
| Nora Lorrin for WPA Indian-Pioneer History |
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Mount, Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Indian Pioneer History Interview page 1
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Mount, Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Indian Pioneer History Interview page 2
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Mount, Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Indian Pioneer History Interview page 3
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Mount, Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Indian Pioneer History Interview page 4
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Mount, Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Indian Pioneer History Interview page 5
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Mount, Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Indian Pioneer History Interview page 6
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Mount, Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Indian Pioneer History Interview page 7
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| Census |
5 Apr 1940 |
El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA [8] |
| 1940 US Federal |
- in the Francis Allard household. Enumerated as Van Allen Mount lodger male white 62 married born MO lived same place in 1935 House Painter Building Contractor | Grace Mount lodger female white 56 married born KS lived same place in 1935
|
| Newspaper Article |
- In A Covered Wagon
Mrs. V. A. Mount, 513 West Owens street, first viewed this country from a covered wagon, coming here in 1892 with her father, A. A. Cowden, who made the run when the Cheyenne-Arapaho country opened.
Mr. Cowden homesteaded a farm eight miles west and a half mile south of El Reno, which was later sold to Judge Grigsby. Mrs. Mount reports that she has spent 35 yeras in Canadian county, six years in Garfield county and the remainder of her time in the north at school in Missouri.
Her father a well known resident of Canadian county, having served as and officer for about 28 years. Mrs. Mount recalls that when she was 12 yearas of age she rode to town frequently on her pony to buy groceries from the Barrett store.
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Mount, Grace (Cowden) - News article - In A Covered Wagon
¶The newspaper item is from the collection of Della Irene Strock, scanned by Daniel W. Cowden in 2001. The original was destroyed by fire, October 2002. DWC |
| Died |
27 Feb 1968 |
El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA [10] |
| Obituary |
29 Feb 1968 |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, USA |
| The Oklahoman (https://digital.olivesoftware.com/olive/APA/Oklahoman/Default.aspx#panel=document) |
- State Deaths - El Reno - Mount, Mrs. Grace, 83, Services Thursday (Benson).
The Oklahoman, Thursday, February 29, 1968; page 56; column 7
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| Buried |
El Reno Cemetery, El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA |
Address:
El Reno Cemetery
El Reno, Oklahoma |
- Find A Grave Memorial# 31546424
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Mount, Grace (Cowden) - Family Plot Burial Map - El Reno Cemetery
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Mount, Van A. and Grace G. (Cowden) - Gravestone
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| Person ID |
I1421 |
Brenda's Branches |
| Last Modified |
28 Jul 2021 |
| Family |
Bartlett Van Allen MOUNT, b. 2 Jul 1877, Elm Grove Farm, Vest Twp, Scotland, Missouri, USA , d. 16 Nov 1966, El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA (Age 89 years) |
| Married |
2 Jul 1905 |
Kremlin, Garfield, Oklahoma, USA [10, 11] |
- A Sunday Wedding
Van Mounts and Miss Grace Cowden Married at Kremlin.
From Tuesday's Daily.
On Sunday, at Kremlin, the marriage of Van Mounts and Miss Grace Cowden was solemnized. The groom was until recently a resident of this county and the bride is the charming daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cowden of this city and has resided here for years. A short time ago Mr. Mounts bought a livery barn at Kremlin and he and his bride will make their home in that town. They have the best wishes of many friends here.
Published in The El Reno Democrat (El Reno, Oklahoma Territory) on Thursday, July 6, 1905 - page 3 column 3
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Mount, Bartlett Van Allen and Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Marriage License and Certificate
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Mount, Van Allen and Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - Wedding Announcement
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Mount, Van Allen and Grace Gertrude (Cowden) - 50th Anniversary
The photo is from the collection of Della Irene Strock, scanned by Daniel W. Cowden in 2001. The original was destroyed by fire, October 2002. DWC |
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Mount, Van Allen and Grace (Cowden) - Wedding Photo
The photo is from the collection of Della Irene Strock, scanned by Daniel W. Cowden in 2001. The original was destroyed by fire, October 2002. DWC |
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Mount, Van Allen and Grace (Cowden) - Wedding Photo Back
The photo is from the collection of Della Irene Strock, scanned by Daniel W. Cowden in 2001. The original was destroyed by fire, October 2002. DWC |
| Alt. Marriage |
Kremlin, Garfield, Oklahoma, USA |
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| Children |
| | 1. Hollis Amzie MOUNT, b. 4 Dec 1906, Kremlin, Garfield, Oklahoma, USA , d. 2 Mar 1926, El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA (Age 19 years) |
| + | 2. Van Wesley MOUNT, b. 8 Apr 1909, Kremlin, Garfield, Oklahoma, USA , d. 23 May 1965, El Reno, Canadian, Oklahoma, USA (Age 56 years) |
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| Last Modified |
23 Feb 2021 |
| Family ID |
F1051 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
1884 - 1968 (83 years)
