Samuel William “Sam” Love (1884-1943)

Samuel's parents were:
William James Love (1852 - 1939)
Hettie Jane Williams Love (1863 - 1949)

He was known simply as Sam.

On June 14, 1900,
Samuel, age 15, lived with his parents, William J. & Hettie J. Love, ages 46 & 37, who were renting a home in Township 5 (S.R. 3, East) Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. His parents had been married 22 years; his mother had given birth to 13 children - only 7 were living. His father farmed, with the help of his older sons & Sidney Beesley, a young man he employed.

Household Members
William J Love 46 (born in TN - Aug. 1853)
Hettie J Love 37 (MO - Aug. 1863
Children:
George T Love 20 (TX - Sept. 1879)
Mose Love 19 (TX - Feb. 1887)
Jack Love 17 (TX - Nov. 1882)
Samuel Love 15 (TX - Aug. 1884)
Elisha Love 13 (TX - March 1887)
Rosie B Love 10 (TX - Dec. 1889)
Robert L Love 6 (I.T. - May 1894)

Sidney Beesley 19 (Employee - Farm Laborer - TX - June 1880)
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Sam, age 18, & Lessie Nell Hawkins, the daughter of John Thomas & Annie Catherine (McAdams) Hawkins, were married in 1903. They had 12 children, which are shown on this page. It is said that he helped deliver all of them.
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The Daily Ardmoreite
(Ardmore, OK)
Wednesday, June 29, 1904
HOXBAR
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Sam Love, a daughter.

On May 13, 1910,
Samuel & Lessie Love, both age 24, were renting a farm in Wilson, Carter Co, OK. They had been married 7 years; Lessie had given birth to 4 children - only 1 was living. Sam was self-employed, doing general farm work to help support them.
Household Members
Samuel Love 24 (born in TX)
Lessie Love 24 (TN)
Mamie Love 4 (OK)
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On September 12, 1918, Sam, age 35, registered for the WWI draft. He & Lessie lived in Provence, Carter Co, OK where he was farming for himself. The date of his birth was shown as August 11, 1883. He was described as tall & medium build with blue eyes & dark colored hair. He signed his name, "Sam William Love." He wasn't called to serve his country.
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On January 30, 1920,
Sam W. & Lessie, ages 36 & 35, were still renting a farm in Wilson where he continued to do self-farming.
Household Members
Sam W Love 36 (born in TX)
Lessie Love 35 (born in TN)

All the children born in OK:
Maymie Love 14
Roy Love 12
Homer Love 10
Sidney Love 8
Woodrow Love 6
Cecyle Love 4 (Cecil)
A C Love 2
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The Daily Ardmoreite (OK)
Tuesday, December 5, 1922
"THREE CAPTURED IN RAID ON 'WILDCAT'
Deputy Sheriffs Ginn and Smith captured a large wildcat still, seven miles southeast of Provence this morning and placed three men, Sam Love, Clay Beckham and George Davis, under arrest and locked them up pending a preliminary trial.

The still was a 200 gallon affair and was in full operation when the officers arrived. They confiscated the plant and five gallons of whisky and destroyed sixteen barrels of mash that was ready for cooking. The officers stat that the still was a pretty complete affair and was turning out a heavy daily quanatity of joy juice."

On April 24, 1930,
Samuel W. & Lessie, ages 45, were renting a home in Haskell, Tillman Co, OK where Sam did general farm work. Lessie had given birth to four more children, all born in OK.
Household Members
Samuel W Love 45
Lessie N Love 45
Children:
Cecil Love 14
A C Love 12
Hazel Love 10
Juanita Love 5
Albert Love 4 years & 1 month
Herman Love 2 years & 1 month
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Ardmore Daily Ardmoreite
February 23, 1933
THIRTY YEARS AGO
From Files of the Daily Ardmoreite, Feb. 23, 1903
"Miss Lessie Hawkins and Sam Love, both of Wilson, were married at the home of the bride's parents. Rev. Hopkins of Hoxbar officiated.
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U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995
Name - Samuel W Love
Gender - Male
Residence Year - 1935
Street Address - 20 B NE
Residence Place - Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA
Spouse Lessie Love
Publication Title - Ardmore, Oklahoma, City Directory, 1935
Household Members
Lessie Love
Samuel W Love
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Samuel, known as Sam, was held in high esteem by his children. He had a quiet disposition and didn't lose his temper very easily. When he did he usually started whistling. I can remember him sitting on a tree stump whittling, which was one of his hobbies. His son, Herman, said he remembers his dad playing "Pop Goes the Weasle" on a fiddle. It is said that my father, Woodrow, was more like Sam than any of the children.

He & his sons worked together, sometimes hauling rocks in his truck from a quarry. Work was scarce, and around 1941 Sam, Lessie, & some of their sons & families went to Barstow, CA, where he & his sons worked helping construct a runway for military airplanes during WWII. Sam's son, Herman, told me that when his father learned there wouldn't be anymore work once the job was finished, they all quit and went back to Ardmore.

The next trip to CA was in January 1943. Sam, Lessie, & some of their children & families, as well as Sam's nephew, James Love & his wife, Pauline, were traveling together. There was one car and two trucks. They were on their way to Salinas. where Sam & Lessie's daughter, Hazel, & her husband, Andrew Marr, were working. They had let them know they could find work there.

Sam was riding in the car that his son, Roy, was driving. He was tired, so they stopped, and Sam got in the back of a truck that his son, Cecil, was driving. He was resting on a bed when the accident happened shortly afterward and was the only one injured.

The youngest of Sam & Lessie's children on the trip was Herman, who was 14. I was in the other truck and still have vague memories of that time. I had celebrated my 6th birthday earlier that month. I recall how dark it was and wolves howling from a distance.

Sam was taken to Richards Memorial Hospital in Paducah, Cattle Co, TX. He must have known he was dying at which time he asked Lessie to come & kiss him. He lived for about two hours before dying from shock & internal injuries. He had lived 58 years, 5 months, & 12 days.

His body was transferred back to Ardmore where everyone returned for his funeral & burial.
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Following is an account of the accident, although some details are wrong.

Jan. 24, 1943 (page 1)
Sam Love Dies in Texas Wreck
Car in Which Love and Family Were Riding Was Hit by Truck

Sam Love of northeast Ardmore was killed near Paducah, Texas, Saturday morning in a motor wreck while he was on his way to California. The Loves had two trucks and a car on their trip. Love's wife and five children were with him. The car in which Sam Love was riding was sideswiped by a cattle truck and Love received injuries from which he died two hours later. The accident occurred at 8 o'clock in the morning and he died at 5. Paducah had no hospital. The body was being brought here to Harvey's. No other person in the car received injuries. The news of the accident came to the Claude Puritt family and the radio station was used to locate the brothers of Sam Love who live in this section.
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Two Men Arrested Result of Wreck
Fort Worth, Jan. 23: AP - Two Lubbock men, arrested this afternoon at the Fort Worth livestock market by Highway Patrol Capt. E.M. Wells, were taken to Olney and the custody of King county officers tonight as suspects in the highway death early today of sam Love, 59, Ardmore, Okla., near Guthrie on the Guthrie-Seymour highway.

Love, moving from Ardmore to California with his wife and baby, was injured fatally at 4 a.m. when his truck, bearing the family's household effects, was sideswiped by a loaded cattle truck. He died two hours later in a Paducah hospital. His wife and child were uninjured.

Sheriff George Humphries of King county, acting on information furnished by Mrs. Love, telephoned to the state highway patrol to watch for the cattle truck. He also informed the patrol that a truck's outside rear view mirror, evidently broken off the machine that failed to stop, was found at the scene of the accident. Captain Wells spent the morning at the stockyards and finally located a truck from Lubbock, which had its rear view mirror broken off, apparently recently. He arrested the two occupants, and late Saturday afternoon they were taken by patrolmen to Olney where Sheriff Humphries was to take charge of them.

The Daily Ardmoreite
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The Daily Ardmoreite
Thursday, January 28, 1943
"Sam W. Love
Funeral of Sam W. Love, who died Jan. 23 at his home (died in Texas), 318 Thirteenth avenue northeast, was conducted from Harvey chapel Thursday afternoon, with burial following at Provence.

Serving as pallbearers were Herschel Gilliam, Brad Brown, Doyle Howell, Bill Edwards, Bud Adams and Mr. Hammer. Love was born Aug. 11, 1884, in Tennessee (Texas). He came to Ardmore as a small boy and Feb. 17, 1903, was married to Miss Lessie Hawkins of this city.

He is survived by his wife and the following children: Roy, Sid, Woodrow, Cecil, A.C, and Herman; Mrs. Andrew (Marr) and Mrs. Royce Craighead also 10 grandchildren and four daughters-in-law and two sons-in-law."
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The Daily Ardmoreite
Friday, January 29, 1943
"SAM LOVE FUNERAL
Funeral services were conducted for Sam Love, Ardmore man, Thursday in the Harvey chapel with burial at Provence.

Pall bearers were: B.L. Owens, Mr. Hammer, Bill Edwards, Robuck Russell, Lloyd Callins and Mr. Buck."