John McGrew was born March 3, 1845 near Mobile, Alabama, the son of Henry Mortimer McGrew and Susan Kemp. He helped his mother with the tobacco and other farm products after his father went to the Civil War. He was old enough to fight, but when men came in search of him, he would hide in the tobacco. He eventually did serve during the last part of the war.
He married Rutha Melinda Long, born March 8, 1848, the daughter of Thomas Long and Elizabeth McDonald, in November of 1865 and they lived near the Mississippi/Alabama border in Energy, MS. Seven of their children were born by the time they moved to Winn Parish, Louisiana. They had two more children before his wife, Lindy died in 1888.
John McGrew then moved his family to Wise County, Texas about four miles northeast of Alvord, where his brother David was living. He met Synthia Jane Owens Husband, who had six children from her previous marriage to Will W. Husband. He married her on June 19, 1891 in Wise County and they moved to Authur in Indian Territory, Oklahoma where his mother was living.
They were very poor and he borrowed some money to buy corn. The corn products were about all they had to live on (they even roasted the bran from the corn to make coffee.) One of Synthia's uncles died and left her $250 and they bought three cows. They had four more children and moved to Velma and then Loco, both in Indian Territory. In 1909, John took the family members who still lived at home and moved to Nocona, Montague County, Texas. He put in a shoe shop which he operated until his death. One of his sons became a tinsmith and opened a tin shop in the same building as his father.
He died on a hot Sunday afternoon, August 15, 1926. His son, Wash had been sitting
with him on a front porch swing when John went inside to take a nap. Wash found
him clutching his bible in death. He was buried in the Nocona Cemetery.
Synthia died February 20, 1927 and was buried beside him.
Susan Kemp McGrew, his mother
Susan Elizabeth McGrew Deese,
his daughter
Thomas Long, her Father
Big Chart
McGrew, Deese
Ahnentafel Chart
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