Joseph Ben Hedgecock was born in Towns County, Georgia, son of James Clark Hedgecock and Margaret Ann Fisher. He was born on July 3, but the exact birth year is in question. His tombstone gives his birth year as 1863. The 1860 and 1870 Federal Census records give his birth year as 1858. However, the 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal censuses all give his birth year as 1864, which we assume is correct. His death certificate is blank in the space for the date of birth.
The 1870 Federal Census for Cherokee County, Georgia (Bells District)(Cherokee Mills Post Office) lists Joseph Ben Hedgecock and his brothers and sisters as living with their parents. Joseph Ben was shown to be a farm laborer, born in Georgia, and is listed as being 12 years old. This would place his birth date in 1858.
The federal census records show that Ben was not living in his father’s household in 1880. Ben’s mother had passed away in 1873, and his father married again, and had three more children. None of Ben’s father’s first family of children were living with him in the 1880 Federal Census.
It is not known exactly when Ben migrated to Indian Territory, but he was in Indian Territory in about 1897 when he married. Records show that his brother, John, also moved to Indian Territory by 1900; his brother John before 1900; his brother, George, by 1910; his brother, James Henry, by 1910; his sister, Rosa, by 1900; his brother, Dr. Tom, by 1900, and his brother, Wade, by 1911.
In about 1897 in Indian Territory, Ben married Jo Eunice Stowe, daughter of Colonel Samuel Neel Stowe and Mary Jane Lee. She was born on October 1, 1878, in Coffee Bend, Oklahoma (Bryan County) (close to Platter). Coffee Bend is at the east side of the Washita at its confluence with Red River. This Bend is rich bottom land, and was one of the prosperous sections of Chickasaw Nation in an early day.
Ben and Jo Eunice permanently made their home in Indian Territory. They had seven children: Jo Manilla Hedgecock; Lilburn Hedgecock; Baby (name unknown) Hedgecock; James Dewitt Hedgecock; Baby (name unknown) Hedgecock; Ruby Catherine Hedgecock; and Lucy Loraine Hedgecock
The 1900 Federal Census for the Indian Territory (Chickasaw Nation) lists Ben, age 35, a farmer, born July 1864, in Tennessee. His wife, Eunice, was age 21, born October 1878, in Indian Territory. The census shows that Ben and Eunice had been married 3 years, and that they had one child, still living. Living with them was their daughter, Manila Hedgecock, age 1, born October 1898 in Indian Territory; and Eunice's brother Lilburn Stowe, age 17, born October 1882 in Indian Territory. Living next door was Ben's brother, John Hedgecock, and his family. Also living next door was Eunice's mother and stepfather, William Moody. William was shown to be age 50, born September 1849, in Missouri. His wife, is Mary J., age 46, born April 1854, in Arkansas. The census shows that William and Mary had been married for five years. Living with them were William's four sons by a former marriage: Alexander, Henry, George, and Lee. Also living with them is Mary J.'s son, William L. Stowe, age 15, born November 1884, in Indian Territory.
The 1910 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma shows Joseph B. Hedgecock, age 46, a farmer, born in Georgia. He and his wife, Eunice, had been married for 12 years. Eunice was age 31, born in Oklahoma. The census shows that Joseph B. and Eunice had given birth to 6 children but that only 4 were still living. The census shows that 3 children were living with them: Manila Hedgecock, age 11; Dewitt Hedgecock, age 6; and Catherine Hedgecock, age 3; all born in Oklahoma. Living next door, was Eunice's mother, Mary J. Moody, a 55-year old widow, born in Arkansas. The census shows that Mary J. had given birth to 6 children but that only 3 were still surviving. Living with Mary, was her 25-year old son, Lilburn Stowe, born in Oklahoma.
Ben and Eunice lived in Cade for awhile, and also New Allison, but eventually made their home near the town of Kemp, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Kemp is now in Bryan County, but was originally in the southwest corner of the Chickasaw Nation.
Ben and his family lived about a mile north of Kemp. They had a home that sat on the northeast corner of what is now Peanut Trail and Muddy Creek. By today’s standards, the old home place was a little primitive. There was no inside electricity, water, or other plumbing, and the toilet was outside. Light at night was provided by a fireplace and a few coal oil (kerosene) lamps. Heat was provided by a fireplace, wood cook stove, quilts and other bodies, if you found someone to snuggle with. Water was provided from a well not far from the house. It always seemed much farther in the winter if you were carrying big buckets of water.
Personal hygiene was accomplished with a wash pan, homemade soap, wash rags and towels made from flour sacks, worn-out sheets and clothes. The big bathing event was the Saturday night scrub down in a washtub. It was not unusual to use the same water to bathe several children. Everyone had to get a bath and get his or her hair washed and shiny on Saturday night to be ready to go to church the next day. Ben was a Presbyterian but switched to the Methodist faith when he and Jo Eunice got married because she was a Methodist. Ben later quit going to church after his hearing got so bad that he couldn't hear what the preacher said. In his elder years, he used a hearing trumpet or ear horn. It had a long spout that he held in his ear, and the other end had a wide bell for people to talk directly into. It was an odd-looking contraption but it seemed to help him hear a little better.
Ben would go to the fields at sunrise to pick cotton or to work in the cornfield. Cotton was the money crop. Ben occasionally smoked a pipe and raised his own tobacco. Raising and picking cotton, raising crops, raising and butchering farm animals, and keeping a garden was the only way to survive in the Bottoms. Ben always butchered a few hogs and some beef in the fall of the year. He always saved the scraps and he and Eunice would make big batches of soap to do the laundry the following year. Ben had his own smoke house made of logs and the family cured its own hams and shoulders, and also made homemade sausage that they had to can. He also had a big orchard of fruit trees (apple, peach, pear, and plum) and the family made their own jellies, jams and preserves and stored them away for the winter. They raised all the chickens and eggs that they needed.
The roads weren’t paved, and most people traveled by horse or by wagon. Horses were the most important animals on the farm. They were used to pull farm equipment, wagons and buggies.
The children had nowhere to go for entertainment, so they just made their own entertainment. They would just find things to do. They would entertain themselves with things that children don’t even think of today. The boys would climb trees and go exploring, and the girls would play on a swing or with home-made dolls. The kids also played games such as “hide and seek”, “follow-the-leader”, and “ring-around-the-roses”.
Eunice died on December 13, 1912, and was buried in the Kemp Cemetery, in Kemp, Oklahoma. At the time of her death, she and Ben had been married only about 16 years, and there were four children at home that needed care and attention: Manila Hedgecock, Dewitt Hedgecock, Catherine Hedgecock, and Loraine Hedgecock.
About a year after Eunice died, Ben married again, this time to America Mary Francis Rice Waitman. Mary was born on January 22, 1869 in Grayson County, Texas, the daughter of William Rice and Nancy W. Poindexter. Mary had been married before to a man named Samuel James Waitman, and had nine children by that marriage: Elizabeth (Liz), William Henry, JohnW., James (Jim), Sophia, Daisy B., Albert Porter, Lula Mae, and Lonnie. Not all of the Waitman children still lived at home with their Mother at the time she married Ben.
The 1920 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma (Kemp) shows Ben, age 56, a grower, born in Georgia. His wife, Mary, is age 50, was born in Texas. Living with them were their children DeWitt Hedgecock, age 17, Catherine Hedgecock, age 15, and Loraine Hedgecock, age 9, all born in Oklahoma. Also living in the household were four stepchildren Daisy Waitman, age 18, born in Texas, Albert Waitman, age 14, born in Texas, Lula Waitman, age 11, born in Oklahoma, and Lonnie Waitman, age 9, born in Oklahoma.
The 1930 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma shows Ben and his wife and stepchildren. Ben was shown to be age 65, a farmer, born in Georgia. His wife, Mary, was also 65, born in Texas. Living with them were Lonnie Waitman, age 18; Albert Waitman, age 24; Albert's wife, Willie M., age 18; Lulu Waitman Powell, age 22; and Lulu's son, 4 1/2 years old.
Ben died on Christmas Day, December 25, 1932, and was buried the next day in the Kemp Cemetery beside his first wife, Eunice. His death certificate lists his cause of death as pneumonia, with bronchitis as a secondary cause. Holmes Funeral Home in Durant, Oklahoma, took care of the mortuary arrangements. His official death certificate states that he died on December 25, 1932; however, his tombstone lists a death date of 1933.
Ben’s daughter, Catherine, inherited her father's homestead and when Mary Waitman Hedgecock and her children moved out, Catherine and her family moved in.
Mary Rice Waitman Hedgecock died on December 29, 1949 and was buried in Kemp Cemetery near some of her Rice and Waitman family members.
Photos and biographical information from book entitled Hedgecock and Stowe Family History, published June 2005, Copyright©Nancy Ladd. All rights reserved
The 1870 Federal Census for Cherokee County, Georgia (Bells District)(Cherokee Mills Post Office) lists Joseph Ben Hedgecock and his brothers and sisters as living with their parents. Joseph Ben was shown to be a farm laborer, born in Georgia, and is listed as being 12 years old. This would place his birth date in 1858.
The federal census records show that Ben was not living in his father’s household in 1880. Ben’s mother had passed away in 1873, and his father married again, and had three more children. None of Ben’s father’s first family of children were living with him in the 1880 Federal Census.
It is not known exactly when Ben migrated to Indian Territory, but he was in Indian Territory in about 1897 when he married. Records show that his brother, John, also moved to Indian Territory by 1900; his brother John before 1900; his brother, George, by 1910; his brother, James Henry, by 1910; his sister, Rosa, by 1900; his brother, Dr. Tom, by 1900, and his brother, Wade, by 1911.
In about 1897 in Indian Territory, Ben married Jo Eunice Stowe, daughter of Colonel Samuel Neel Stowe and Mary Jane Lee. She was born on October 1, 1878, in Coffee Bend, Oklahoma (Bryan County) (close to Platter). Coffee Bend is at the east side of the Washita at its confluence with Red River. This Bend is rich bottom land, and was one of the prosperous sections of Chickasaw Nation in an early day.
Ben and Jo Eunice permanently made their home in Indian Territory. They had seven children: Jo Manilla Hedgecock; Lilburn Hedgecock; Baby (name unknown) Hedgecock; James Dewitt Hedgecock; Baby (name unknown) Hedgecock; Ruby Catherine Hedgecock; and Lucy Loraine Hedgecock
The 1900 Federal Census for the Indian Territory (Chickasaw Nation) lists Ben, age 35, a farmer, born July 1864, in Tennessee. His wife, Eunice, was age 21, born October 1878, in Indian Territory. The census shows that Ben and Eunice had been married 3 years, and that they had one child, still living. Living with them was their daughter, Manila Hedgecock, age 1, born October 1898 in Indian Territory; and Eunice's brother Lilburn Stowe, age 17, born October 1882 in Indian Territory. Living next door was Ben's brother, John Hedgecock, and his family. Also living next door was Eunice's mother and stepfather, William Moody. William was shown to be age 50, born September 1849, in Missouri. His wife, is Mary J., age 46, born April 1854, in Arkansas. The census shows that William and Mary had been married for five years. Living with them were William's four sons by a former marriage: Alexander, Henry, George, and Lee. Also living with them is Mary J.'s son, William L. Stowe, age 15, born November 1884, in Indian Territory.
The 1910 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma shows Joseph B. Hedgecock, age 46, a farmer, born in Georgia. He and his wife, Eunice, had been married for 12 years. Eunice was age 31, born in Oklahoma. The census shows that Joseph B. and Eunice had given birth to 6 children but that only 4 were still living. The census shows that 3 children were living with them: Manila Hedgecock, age 11; Dewitt Hedgecock, age 6; and Catherine Hedgecock, age 3; all born in Oklahoma. Living next door, was Eunice's mother, Mary J. Moody, a 55-year old widow, born in Arkansas. The census shows that Mary J. had given birth to 6 children but that only 3 were still surviving. Living with Mary, was her 25-year old son, Lilburn Stowe, born in Oklahoma.
Ben and Eunice lived in Cade for awhile, and also New Allison, but eventually made their home near the town of Kemp, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Kemp is now in Bryan County, but was originally in the southwest corner of the Chickasaw Nation.
Ben and his family lived about a mile north of Kemp. They had a home that sat on the northeast corner of what is now Peanut Trail and Muddy Creek. By today’s standards, the old home place was a little primitive. There was no inside electricity, water, or other plumbing, and the toilet was outside. Light at night was provided by a fireplace and a few coal oil (kerosene) lamps. Heat was provided by a fireplace, wood cook stove, quilts and other bodies, if you found someone to snuggle with. Water was provided from a well not far from the house. It always seemed much farther in the winter if you were carrying big buckets of water.
Personal hygiene was accomplished with a wash pan, homemade soap, wash rags and towels made from flour sacks, worn-out sheets and clothes. The big bathing event was the Saturday night scrub down in a washtub. It was not unusual to use the same water to bathe several children. Everyone had to get a bath and get his or her hair washed and shiny on Saturday night to be ready to go to church the next day. Ben was a Presbyterian but switched to the Methodist faith when he and Jo Eunice got married because she was a Methodist. Ben later quit going to church after his hearing got so bad that he couldn't hear what the preacher said. In his elder years, he used a hearing trumpet or ear horn. It had a long spout that he held in his ear, and the other end had a wide bell for people to talk directly into. It was an odd-looking contraption but it seemed to help him hear a little better.
Ben would go to the fields at sunrise to pick cotton or to work in the cornfield. Cotton was the money crop. Ben occasionally smoked a pipe and raised his own tobacco. Raising and picking cotton, raising crops, raising and butchering farm animals, and keeping a garden was the only way to survive in the Bottoms. Ben always butchered a few hogs and some beef in the fall of the year. He always saved the scraps and he and Eunice would make big batches of soap to do the laundry the following year. Ben had his own smoke house made of logs and the family cured its own hams and shoulders, and also made homemade sausage that they had to can. He also had a big orchard of fruit trees (apple, peach, pear, and plum) and the family made their own jellies, jams and preserves and stored them away for the winter. They raised all the chickens and eggs that they needed.
The roads weren’t paved, and most people traveled by horse or by wagon. Horses were the most important animals on the farm. They were used to pull farm equipment, wagons and buggies.
The children had nowhere to go for entertainment, so they just made their own entertainment. They would just find things to do. They would entertain themselves with things that children don’t even think of today. The boys would climb trees and go exploring, and the girls would play on a swing or with home-made dolls. The kids also played games such as “hide and seek”, “follow-the-leader”, and “ring-around-the-roses”.
Eunice died on December 13, 1912, and was buried in the Kemp Cemetery, in Kemp, Oklahoma. At the time of her death, she and Ben had been married only about 16 years, and there were four children at home that needed care and attention: Manila Hedgecock, Dewitt Hedgecock, Catherine Hedgecock, and Loraine Hedgecock.
About a year after Eunice died, Ben married again, this time to America Mary Francis Rice Waitman. Mary was born on January 22, 1869 in Grayson County, Texas, the daughter of William Rice and Nancy W. Poindexter. Mary had been married before to a man named Samuel James Waitman, and had nine children by that marriage: Elizabeth (Liz), William Henry, JohnW., James (Jim), Sophia, Daisy B., Albert Porter, Lula Mae, and Lonnie. Not all of the Waitman children still lived at home with their Mother at the time she married Ben.
The 1920 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma (Kemp) shows Ben, age 56, a grower, born in Georgia. His wife, Mary, is age 50, was born in Texas. Living with them were their children DeWitt Hedgecock, age 17, Catherine Hedgecock, age 15, and Loraine Hedgecock, age 9, all born in Oklahoma. Also living in the household were four stepchildren Daisy Waitman, age 18, born in Texas, Albert Waitman, age 14, born in Texas, Lula Waitman, age 11, born in Oklahoma, and Lonnie Waitman, age 9, born in Oklahoma.
The 1930 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma shows Ben and his wife and stepchildren. Ben was shown to be age 65, a farmer, born in Georgia. His wife, Mary, was also 65, born in Texas. Living with them were Lonnie Waitman, age 18; Albert Waitman, age 24; Albert's wife, Willie M., age 18; Lulu Waitman Powell, age 22; and Lulu's son, 4 1/2 years old.
Ben died on Christmas Day, December 25, 1932, and was buried the next day in the Kemp Cemetery beside his first wife, Eunice. His death certificate lists his cause of death as pneumonia, with bronchitis as a secondary cause. Holmes Funeral Home in Durant, Oklahoma, took care of the mortuary arrangements. His official death certificate states that he died on December 25, 1932; however, his tombstone lists a death date of 1933.
Ben’s daughter, Catherine, inherited her father's homestead and when Mary Waitman Hedgecock and her children moved out, Catherine and her family moved in.
Mary Rice Waitman Hedgecock died on December 29, 1949 and was buried in Kemp Cemetery near some of her Rice and Waitman family members.
Photos and biographical information from book entitled Hedgecock and Stowe Family History, published June 2005, Copyright©Nancy Ladd. All rights reserved
Joseph Ben Hedgecock was born in Towns County, Georgia, son of James Clark Hedgecock and Margaret Ann Fisher. He was born on July 3, but the exact birth year is in question. His tombstone gives his birth year as 1863. The 1860 and 1870 Federal Census records give his birth year as 1858. However, the 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 federal censuses all give his birth year as 1864, which we assume is correct. His death certificate is blank in the space for the date of birth.
The 1870 Federal Census for Cherokee County, Georgia (Bells District)(Cherokee Mills Post Office) lists Joseph Ben Hedgecock and his brothers and sisters as living with their parents. Joseph Ben was shown to be a farm laborer, born in Georgia, and is listed as being 12 years old. This would place his birth date in 1858.
The federal census records show that Ben was not living in his father’s household in 1880. Ben’s mother had passed away in 1873, and his father married again, and had three more children. None of Ben’s father’s first family of children were living with him in the 1880 Federal Census.
It is not known exactly when Ben migrated to Indian Territory, but he was in Indian Territory in about 1897 when he married. Records show that his brother, John, also moved to Indian Territory by 1900; his brother John before 1900; his brother, George, by 1910; his brother, James Henry, by 1910; his sister, Rosa, by 1900; his brother, Dr. Tom, by 1900, and his brother, Wade, by 1911.
In about 1897 in Indian Territory, Ben married Jo Eunice Stowe, daughter of Colonel Samuel Neel Stowe and Mary Jane Lee. She was born on October 1, 1878, in Coffee Bend, Oklahoma (Bryan County) (close to Platter). Coffee Bend is at the east side of the Washita at its confluence with Red River. This Bend is rich bottom land, and was one of the prosperous sections of Chickasaw Nation in an early day.
Ben and Jo Eunice permanently made their home in Indian Territory. They had seven children: Jo Manilla Hedgecock; Lilburn Hedgecock; Baby (name unknown) Hedgecock; James Dewitt Hedgecock; Baby (name unknown) Hedgecock; Ruby Catherine Hedgecock; and Lucy Loraine Hedgecock
The 1900 Federal Census for the Indian Territory (Chickasaw Nation) lists Ben, age 35, a farmer, born July 1864, in Tennessee. His wife, Eunice, was age 21, born October 1878, in Indian Territory. The census shows that Ben and Eunice had been married 3 years, and that they had one child, still living. Living with them was their daughter, Manila Hedgecock, age 1, born October 1898 in Indian Territory; and Eunice's brother Lilburn Stowe, age 17, born October 1882 in Indian Territory. Living next door was Ben's brother, John Hedgecock, and his family. Also living next door was Eunice's mother and stepfather, William Moody. William was shown to be age 50, born September 1849, in Missouri. His wife, is Mary J., age 46, born April 1854, in Arkansas. The census shows that William and Mary had been married for five years. Living with them were William's four sons by a former marriage: Alexander, Henry, George, and Lee. Also living with them is Mary J.'s son, William L. Stowe, age 15, born November 1884, in Indian Territory.
The 1910 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma shows Joseph B. Hedgecock, age 46, a farmer, born in Georgia. He and his wife, Eunice, had been married for 12 years. Eunice was age 31, born in Oklahoma. The census shows that Joseph B. and Eunice had given birth to 6 children but that only 4 were still living. The census shows that 3 children were living with them: Manila Hedgecock, age 11; Dewitt Hedgecock, age 6; and Catherine Hedgecock, age 3; all born in Oklahoma. Living next door, was Eunice's mother, Mary J. Moody, a 55-year old widow, born in Arkansas. The census shows that Mary J. had given birth to 6 children but that only 3 were still surviving. Living with Mary, was her 25-year old son, Lilburn Stowe, born in Oklahoma.
Ben and Eunice lived in Cade for awhile, and also New Allison, but eventually made their home near the town of Kemp, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Kemp is now in Bryan County, but was originally in the southwest corner of the Chickasaw Nation.
Ben and his family lived about a mile north of Kemp. They had a home that sat on the northeast corner of what is now Peanut Trail and Muddy Creek. By today’s standards, the old home place was a little primitive. There was no inside electricity, water, or other plumbing, and the toilet was outside. Light at night was provided by a fireplace and a few coal oil (kerosene) lamps. Heat was provided by a fireplace, wood cook stove, quilts and other bodies, if you found someone to snuggle with. Water was provided from a well not far from the house. It always seemed much farther in the winter if you were carrying big buckets of water.
Personal hygiene was accomplished with a wash pan, homemade soap, wash rags and towels made from flour sacks, worn-out sheets and clothes. The big bathing event was the Saturday night scrub down in a washtub. It was not unusual to use the same water to bathe several children. Everyone had to get a bath and get his or her hair washed and shiny on Saturday night to be ready to go to church the next day. Ben was a Presbyterian but switched to the Methodist faith when he and Jo Eunice got married because she was a Methodist. Ben later quit going to church after his hearing got so bad that he couldn't hear what the preacher said. In his elder years, he used a hearing trumpet or ear horn. It had a long spout that he held in his ear, and the other end had a wide bell for people to talk directly into. It was an odd-looking contraption but it seemed to help him hear a little better.
Ben would go to the fields at sunrise to pick cotton or to work in the cornfield. Cotton was the money crop. Ben occasionally smoked a pipe and raised his own tobacco. Raising and picking cotton, raising crops, raising and butchering farm animals, and keeping a garden was the only way to survive in the Bottoms. Ben always butchered a few hogs and some beef in the fall of the year. He always saved the scraps and he and Eunice would make big batches of soap to do the laundry the following year. Ben had his own smoke house made of logs and the family cured its own hams and shoulders, and also made homemade sausage that they had to can. He also had a big orchard of fruit trees (apple, peach, pear, and plum) and the family made their own jellies, jams and preserves and stored them away for the winter. They raised all the chickens and eggs that they needed.
The roads weren’t paved, and most people traveled by horse or by wagon. Horses were the most important animals on the farm. They were used to pull farm equipment, wagons and buggies.
The children had nowhere to go for entertainment, so they just made their own entertainment. They would just find things to do. They would entertain themselves with things that children don’t even think of today. The boys would climb trees and go exploring, and the girls would play on a swing or with home-made dolls. The kids also played games such as “hide and seek”, “follow-the-leader”, and “ring-around-the-roses”.
Eunice died on December 13, 1912, and was buried in the Kemp Cemetery, in Kemp, Oklahoma. At the time of her death, she and Ben had been married only about 16 years, and there were four children at home that needed care and attention: Manila Hedgecock, Dewitt Hedgecock, Catherine Hedgecock, and Loraine Hedgecock.
About a year after Eunice died, Ben married again, this time to America Mary Francis Rice Waitman. Mary was born on January 22, 1869 in Grayson County, Texas, the daughter of William Rice and Nancy W. Poindexter. Mary had been married before to a man named Samuel James Waitman, and had nine children by that marriage: Elizabeth (Liz), William Henry, JohnW., James (Jim), Sophia, Daisy B., Albert Porter, Lula Mae, and Lonnie. Not all of the Waitman children still lived at home with their Mother at the time she married Ben.
The 1920 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma (Kemp) shows Ben, age 56, a grower, born in Georgia. His wife, Mary, is age 50, was born in Texas. Living with them were their children DeWitt Hedgecock, age 17, Catherine Hedgecock, age 15, and Loraine Hedgecock, age 9, all born in Oklahoma. Also living in the household were four stepchildren Daisy Waitman, age 18, born in Texas, Albert Waitman, age 14, born in Texas, Lula Waitman, age 11, born in Oklahoma, and Lonnie Waitman, age 9, born in Oklahoma.
The 1930 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma shows Ben and his wife and stepchildren. Ben was shown to be age 65, a farmer, born in Georgia. His wife, Mary, was also 65, born in Texas. Living with them were Lonnie Waitman, age 18; Albert Waitman, age 24; Albert's wife, Willie M., age 18; Lulu Waitman Powell, age 22; and Lulu's son, 4 1/2 years old.
Ben died on Christmas Day, December 25, 1932, and was buried the next day in the Kemp Cemetery beside his first wife, Eunice. His death certificate lists his cause of death as pneumonia, with bronchitis as a secondary cause. Holmes Funeral Home in Durant, Oklahoma, took care of the mortuary arrangements. His official death certificate states that he died on December 25, 1932; however, his tombstone lists a death date of 1933.
Ben’s daughter, Catherine, inherited her father's homestead and when Mary Waitman Hedgecock and her children moved out, Catherine and her family moved in.
Mary Rice Waitman Hedgecock died on December 29, 1949 and was buried in Kemp Cemetery near some of her Rice and Waitman family members.
Photos and biographical information from book entitled Hedgecock and Stowe Family History, published June 2005, Copyright©Nancy Ladd. All rights reserved
The 1870 Federal Census for Cherokee County, Georgia (Bells District)(Cherokee Mills Post Office) lists Joseph Ben Hedgecock and his brothers and sisters as living with their parents. Joseph Ben was shown to be a farm laborer, born in Georgia, and is listed as being 12 years old. This would place his birth date in 1858.
The federal census records show that Ben was not living in his father’s household in 1880. Ben’s mother had passed away in 1873, and his father married again, and had three more children. None of Ben’s father’s first family of children were living with him in the 1880 Federal Census.
It is not known exactly when Ben migrated to Indian Territory, but he was in Indian Territory in about 1897 when he married. Records show that his brother, John, also moved to Indian Territory by 1900; his brother John before 1900; his brother, George, by 1910; his brother, James Henry, by 1910; his sister, Rosa, by 1900; his brother, Dr. Tom, by 1900, and his brother, Wade, by 1911.
In about 1897 in Indian Territory, Ben married Jo Eunice Stowe, daughter of Colonel Samuel Neel Stowe and Mary Jane Lee. She was born on October 1, 1878, in Coffee Bend, Oklahoma (Bryan County) (close to Platter). Coffee Bend is at the east side of the Washita at its confluence with Red River. This Bend is rich bottom land, and was one of the prosperous sections of Chickasaw Nation in an early day.
Ben and Jo Eunice permanently made their home in Indian Territory. They had seven children: Jo Manilla Hedgecock; Lilburn Hedgecock; Baby (name unknown) Hedgecock; James Dewitt Hedgecock; Baby (name unknown) Hedgecock; Ruby Catherine Hedgecock; and Lucy Loraine Hedgecock
The 1900 Federal Census for the Indian Territory (Chickasaw Nation) lists Ben, age 35, a farmer, born July 1864, in Tennessee. His wife, Eunice, was age 21, born October 1878, in Indian Territory. The census shows that Ben and Eunice had been married 3 years, and that they had one child, still living. Living with them was their daughter, Manila Hedgecock, age 1, born October 1898 in Indian Territory; and Eunice's brother Lilburn Stowe, age 17, born October 1882 in Indian Territory. Living next door was Ben's brother, John Hedgecock, and his family. Also living next door was Eunice's mother and stepfather, William Moody. William was shown to be age 50, born September 1849, in Missouri. His wife, is Mary J., age 46, born April 1854, in Arkansas. The census shows that William and Mary had been married for five years. Living with them were William's four sons by a former marriage: Alexander, Henry, George, and Lee. Also living with them is Mary J.'s son, William L. Stowe, age 15, born November 1884, in Indian Territory.
The 1910 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma shows Joseph B. Hedgecock, age 46, a farmer, born in Georgia. He and his wife, Eunice, had been married for 12 years. Eunice was age 31, born in Oklahoma. The census shows that Joseph B. and Eunice had given birth to 6 children but that only 4 were still living. The census shows that 3 children were living with them: Manila Hedgecock, age 11; Dewitt Hedgecock, age 6; and Catherine Hedgecock, age 3; all born in Oklahoma. Living next door, was Eunice's mother, Mary J. Moody, a 55-year old widow, born in Arkansas. The census shows that Mary J. had given birth to 6 children but that only 3 were still surviving. Living with Mary, was her 25-year old son, Lilburn Stowe, born in Oklahoma.
Ben and Eunice lived in Cade for awhile, and also New Allison, but eventually made their home near the town of Kemp, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Kemp is now in Bryan County, but was originally in the southwest corner of the Chickasaw Nation.
Ben and his family lived about a mile north of Kemp. They had a home that sat on the northeast corner of what is now Peanut Trail and Muddy Creek. By today’s standards, the old home place was a little primitive. There was no inside electricity, water, or other plumbing, and the toilet was outside. Light at night was provided by a fireplace and a few coal oil (kerosene) lamps. Heat was provided by a fireplace, wood cook stove, quilts and other bodies, if you found someone to snuggle with. Water was provided from a well not far from the house. It always seemed much farther in the winter if you were carrying big buckets of water.
Personal hygiene was accomplished with a wash pan, homemade soap, wash rags and towels made from flour sacks, worn-out sheets and clothes. The big bathing event was the Saturday night scrub down in a washtub. It was not unusual to use the same water to bathe several children. Everyone had to get a bath and get his or her hair washed and shiny on Saturday night to be ready to go to church the next day. Ben was a Presbyterian but switched to the Methodist faith when he and Jo Eunice got married because she was a Methodist. Ben later quit going to church after his hearing got so bad that he couldn't hear what the preacher said. In his elder years, he used a hearing trumpet or ear horn. It had a long spout that he held in his ear, and the other end had a wide bell for people to talk directly into. It was an odd-looking contraption but it seemed to help him hear a little better.
Ben would go to the fields at sunrise to pick cotton or to work in the cornfield. Cotton was the money crop. Ben occasionally smoked a pipe and raised his own tobacco. Raising and picking cotton, raising crops, raising and butchering farm animals, and keeping a garden was the only way to survive in the Bottoms. Ben always butchered a few hogs and some beef in the fall of the year. He always saved the scraps and he and Eunice would make big batches of soap to do the laundry the following year. Ben had his own smoke house made of logs and the family cured its own hams and shoulders, and also made homemade sausage that they had to can. He also had a big orchard of fruit trees (apple, peach, pear, and plum) and the family made their own jellies, jams and preserves and stored them away for the winter. They raised all the chickens and eggs that they needed.
The roads weren’t paved, and most people traveled by horse or by wagon. Horses were the most important animals on the farm. They were used to pull farm equipment, wagons and buggies.
The children had nowhere to go for entertainment, so they just made their own entertainment. They would just find things to do. They would entertain themselves with things that children don’t even think of today. The boys would climb trees and go exploring, and the girls would play on a swing or with home-made dolls. The kids also played games such as “hide and seek”, “follow-the-leader”, and “ring-around-the-roses”.
Eunice died on December 13, 1912, and was buried in the Kemp Cemetery, in Kemp, Oklahoma. At the time of her death, she and Ben had been married only about 16 years, and there were four children at home that needed care and attention: Manila Hedgecock, Dewitt Hedgecock, Catherine Hedgecock, and Loraine Hedgecock.
About a year after Eunice died, Ben married again, this time to America Mary Francis Rice Waitman. Mary was born on January 22, 1869 in Grayson County, Texas, the daughter of William Rice and Nancy W. Poindexter. Mary had been married before to a man named Samuel James Waitman, and had nine children by that marriage: Elizabeth (Liz), William Henry, JohnW., James (Jim), Sophia, Daisy B., Albert Porter, Lula Mae, and Lonnie. Not all of the Waitman children still lived at home with their Mother at the time she married Ben.
The 1920 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma (Kemp) shows Ben, age 56, a grower, born in Georgia. His wife, Mary, is age 50, was born in Texas. Living with them were their children DeWitt Hedgecock, age 17, Catherine Hedgecock, age 15, and Loraine Hedgecock, age 9, all born in Oklahoma. Also living in the household were four stepchildren Daisy Waitman, age 18, born in Texas, Albert Waitman, age 14, born in Texas, Lula Waitman, age 11, born in Oklahoma, and Lonnie Waitman, age 9, born in Oklahoma.
The 1930 Federal Census for Bryan County, Oklahoma shows Ben and his wife and stepchildren. Ben was shown to be age 65, a farmer, born in Georgia. His wife, Mary, was also 65, born in Texas. Living with them were Lonnie Waitman, age 18; Albert Waitman, age 24; Albert's wife, Willie M., age 18; Lulu Waitman Powell, age 22; and Lulu's son, 4 1/2 years old.
Ben died on Christmas Day, December 25, 1932, and was buried the next day in the Kemp Cemetery beside his first wife, Eunice. His death certificate lists his cause of death as pneumonia, with bronchitis as a secondary cause. Holmes Funeral Home in Durant, Oklahoma, took care of the mortuary arrangements. His official death certificate states that he died on December 25, 1932; however, his tombstone lists a death date of 1933.
Ben’s daughter, Catherine, inherited her father's homestead and when Mary Waitman Hedgecock and her children moved out, Catherine and her family moved in.
Mary Rice Waitman Hedgecock died on December 29, 1949 and was buried in Kemp Cemetery near some of her Rice and Waitman family members.
Photos and biographical information from book entitled Hedgecock and Stowe Family History, published June 2005, Copyright©Nancy Ladd. All rights reserved
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