Mrs. Crump, Marvin, Evelyn, Willis, Mr. Crump, Eugene
Mrs. Crump, Marvin, Evelyn, Willis, Mr. Crump, Eugene
In the spring of 1916, 0. A. Crump and Mina Crump and sons, Willis and Marvin, lived at Oakwood, Oklahoma, where Mr. Crump was in the mercantile business with his brother-in-law, Mr. Neves. He obeyed the command to "go west, young man," and sold his interest in the business to his partner, and brother-in-law, Mr. Neves. He had received word through salesmen, that there was a general store for sale at LaKemp, Oklahoma, (now Booker, Texas) so he decided to make a trip out there and look the situation over.
Mr. Crump's brother, John Crump, was working in the Oakwood, Oklahoma store at this time, and decided to make the trip west with him. John Crump recalls, "Oscar and I were driving an old Overland car and it took quite a lot of tinkering and coaxing to keep it in motion. We stopped in Shattuck to inquire about the road to LaKemp, and were told to take the "trail" out through Ivanhoe, and a trail it was! About 4 o'clock in the afternoon, we made it in to Ivanhoe.
First stop was a garage with a gas pump out in front. While we were getting gas, Oscar was visiting with the owner of the garage, who was Norval Earl, and during the conversation Oscar told Mr. Earl that we were on our way out to LaKemp to look over a general store which was for sale. Mr. Earl told Oscar that a Mr. Legg (G. E.) had a store for sale there in Ivanhoe, with a small stock of groceries in one building and a small stock of dry goods in another building about a block away from the grocery store. Within a few hours, Oscar was in business. He bought both stores and took charge at once." John Crump stayed in Ivanhoe to manage the stores while Mr. Crump went back to Oakwood for his family. The family moved out in May, 1916, and John Crump returned to the store in Oakwood.
Mr. Crump and family, which now included a daughter, Evelyn, lived in Ivanhoe until the move to Follett, with one exception. He traded the stores to Norval Earl for a ranch out by Madison, Oklahoma. A few months later, Mr. Crump decided the mercantile business was his business, and persuaded Mr. Earl to trade back.
"Oscar went back to Ivanhoe after having traded the ranch back for the store, leaving Lloyd Palmer, my brother, in charge of the ranch and moving of the family back to town. Lloyd loaded up a wagon of household goods, and just after having gone through the gate into the road, his team of horses balked. So he came up with this idea; to put a wire on their ears and maybe twist them a little. This did the work, and he had no more trouble. It gave the team something else to think about and they moved right along. I know that their ears were not injured, as Lloyd loved horses and would not do anything to harm them," remembers Mrs. Mina Crump.
Mr. Crump was rather reluctant to move to the railroad, but in 1918, when Ivanhoe was moving, he moved his stock of merchandise. It was moved in a building which he had rented from Dr. Markley, and Dr. Markley put this building in the North part of Follett. The stock was moved without removing it from the shelves. Screen wire was nailed over the shelves to keep things in place, and within a few minutes after arriving in Follett, he was open for business. Business was carried on in this building until Mr. Crump built the store building in the south part of town in 1919. There he remained in business until he retired and moved to California in 1947. He continued as interest in the business with his son Eugene E. Crump until selling out in 1959 to Maurice Ehrlich.
Their youngest son, Eugene, was born in 1919. He was the first baby born in Follett. The family lived in several different houses until building a large two story home on the corner of Nagel and Frazier streets. This property is now owned by Mr. Finis Henry.
About 1921, Mr. Crump sold the store to Bob and Alex Porter and he bought an interest in the Adams store in Woodward, Oklahoma, and the family moved to Woodward. They were only in Woodward about two years, when he sold his interest back to Mr. Adams and moved back to Follett, buying the store back from the Porters.
Mr. and Mrs. Crump were charter members of the First Baptist Church of Follett in 1918.
'Mr. Crump was one of the early directors of the Follett National Bank. He was a charter member of the Masonic Lodge, and in 1926 he leased the upper story of his grocery store building to the lodge for a period of 99 years.
Mr. Crump loved Follett and the people of this area. He always called it "home". He was enthusiastic and energetic, and did much to promote business and draw people to Follett. Mr. Crump was known far and wide and held in high esteem by everyone who knew him. He not only helped found Follett, but also was a friend and benefactor to anyone in need.
Written by June Deeds Posted to the Net by Stan Crump