* * * * * H. V. JOBE
Webb
The Webb Post Office and store was named for my mother's maiden name. My father sent in several names and Webb was the one they chose. He sent in Jobe, but there was already a Jobe in the eastern part of the state. We had a store in connection with the Post Office and sold buggies. the store and P.O. were in our house which was a big half dugout my father made after he filed on the land there. He hauled gyp and white-washed the walls an alabaster white.
Mr. Jobe worked for Frank Shannahan, a cattleman before settlers came. Mr. Shannahan had Mr. Jobe file on this homestead and after proving up it was to be given to Mr. Shannahan. However the settlers came so fast to homestead that the cattlemen were crowded out so Mr. Jobe kept the homestead. This homestead consisted of 40 acres each joining out of 4 different sections and were filed on in this manner to include a big pond that the cattlemen had built before 1892.
The cattle drives that came through were always of interest to us. Some came up from Texas and some were local all going to Abilene or Woodward. The cattle would drink from the pond. We used to go wading in the shallow part of the pond a lot.
We looked forward to mail time when Mr. Art Dasher would come horseback bringing the sack of mail. The neighbors would come to the house to get their mail. Our neighbors on the east were the Charles Eddy's and Orville Johnson on the south, A. W. Bain on the west, and John Brownrigg on the north.
The Locust Hill schoolhouse was built in the southeast corner of our farm. My father gave the land for the schoolhouse. It was the meeting place for the churches, both Methodist and Baptist, and just a regular community center. I have the certificate of Ordination for my father who was ordained there March 5, 1905. Earlier he and my mother and two sisters were baptized and united with the church. the names of the men that appear on the ordination paper are the moderator--deacon J. M. Otis, clerk--deacon A. W. Bain, interrogator----elder D. Ogle, charge to the church--deacon Otis, charge to the candidate--elder W. W. Patterson. A. W. Bain was the church clerk and the Rev. Ogle the pastor. The clerk said, "Pursuant to a call of the Jobe Baptist church, a council was formed etc." I remember the laying on of the hands when my father knelt since it was the first ordination I had ever seen.
Miss Carrie Harvey was our first school teacher at Locust Hill then Miss Tina Durlee and Ivan Fritts. I was 9 years old when we left there.
We moved to Missouri in the spring of 1905 and Jim Ridley took over the post office and moved it 1/2 mile west. We had always forded the river at Talogo while we lived at Webb and it was a privilege to cross on the new bridge when we left by covered wagon.
Orvalle Johnson passed away while we lived at Webb. He was a veteran and I recall the flag draped casket. There was a Snowd family west of us and he taught singing school. The neighborhood turned out nights for that. there were many things of interest going on at the schoolhouse. The Christmas program at night always drew a crowd and they always had a big native cedar tree lighted with candles.
Here is a little incident that will show you how early settlers managed. Our father used to give us his circular letters, it would be called junk mail now, and we would play post office with it. One day we wanted to go outside and have our post office but he told us not to that it was too cold. well we went anyway which we didn't do very often when father said no. Later we saw him go up to the big old cottonwood tree by the barn and cut a switch and we knew we were in trouble for disobeying him, although he wasn't one to spank much and he never spanked me. He called us to the house and we went trembling with fear. then to our relief we found out he was going to Talogo to buy us some shoes and he cut the switch to measure our little feet.
We moved back to Roger Mills county after a year or so in Missouri. Long after the family had married and scattered and my mother had passed away, my father moved back to Talogo where he was mayor when he passed away in October 1951.
By Jettie Jobe Adams
We came to Roger Mills County in the spring of 1907 to the Irvin Wilt farm, for which my father had traded our Missouri place. My father was Hugh V. Jobe and mother's name was Cynthia Webb Jobe. There were five children: Susie, Lizzie, Lee, Hugh and myself, Jettie. We originally came from Arkansas and my father homesteaded in Dewey County in about 1898 or 1899, lived there and ran the Webb Post Office until 1905, when we traded for a home in Missouri.
Our Roger Mills County home was about nine miles northeast of Strong City and Roll was our post office for many years. We younger children attended Rocky School, having been named Rocky because it was a half dugout made of rock. Later my father and Charles Lathrop built a frame school house. Many activities went on there, it was the meeting place for the neighborhood in addition to district teachers meeting, etc., Sunday school and church too.
As to the mode of travel, we came there by covered wagon from Anadarko, where we had spent the winter on coming from Missouri. Our home was a typical pioneer home, no modern conveniences, but we lived happily. For music we had an upright organ and the boys each had a violin, also we had a phonograph that played cylinder records. I believe it was an Edison.
A creek ran through this farm and many times we saw black oil oozing out of the creek bank into the water.
Young people had their play parties to attend, usually on a Saturday night. There were many revivals we loved to attend, one was the Holiness or Church of God revival at the Sanky Church, I believe it was called, east of Strong City. We also loved to attend old time singing conventions and picnics.
We saw Strong City spring up as a thriving town and we attended the picnic of the opening day. As I remember, there was a big crowd.
We young folks occassionally attended Sunday evening services at the Baptist Church at Strong City and I am happy to see the church still well cared for. I am also thankful to see the cemetery so well cared for, where my parents and brother, Hugh, were laid to rest. My daughter and Husband took my husband and me back to the Old Settler's Reunion last May 1976, at Strong City. It was a thrilling experience we shall long cherish.
We finally moved to the Ed Crum farm nearby, where we lived when I was married and left Oklahoma in 1919. Later my parents and Hugh moved to Strong City and lived there many years.
Several years ago, I stood with a friend at the Strong City post office and he envisioned the town as it once was, pointing out the locations of many businesses, etc. It's hard to imagine they were once there.
As to why we came back to Oklahoma, let my sister, Lizzie tell in her own words, her life history. "Dear old Oklahoma, with its searing hot winds, its withering scorching dry sun, had in it a wild fierce beauty, the virgin sod and cool nights where you could peacefully sleep and dream of a new and brighter day. Its hopes and ambitions just somehow got into your bones and blood."
I am the last of the Jobe family and will be 81 this year.
