Biography of Edwin Ruthven Shapard, Jr. (1880-1969)

Edwin Ruthven Shapard, Jr., was born on August 3, 1880, at the New Hope Seminary, Oak Lodge, Skullyville, Choctaw Nation, Indian

Edwin Shapard Jr., c. 1880

Territory. He was the son of Rev. Edwin R. Shapard and Jennie (Hall) Shapard. In 1883, he moved with his family to Fort Smith, Arkansas, living in a wood planked house on Lexington Avenue. In 1886, he returned with his family to Indian Territory, living at Eufaula in the Creek Nation. A year later he moved to Savanna in the Choctaw Nation, only to return to Eufaula in 1888. When his father retired from the ministry in 1889, the Shapard family reestablished their residence at Fort Smith, Arkansas. When Edwin was only 9 years of age, his father died of pneumonia. His older brother Sumner Shapard at the age of 14 assumed the roll of provider for the family. Over the following years, Edwin attended public school in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Edwin R. Shapard, Jr.

In 1896, his brother Sumner purchased a grocery store in South McAlester, Indian Territory and Edwin moved there with his family, working as a stockboy in the business. Whilst there, he attended the Methodist Episcopal Church South and became a member of the Epworth League. In October of 1897, the Shapard family left the grocery business and returned to their home on Lexington Avenue in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In 1898, Edwin obtained employment with W.J. Echols & Co., working initially as an assistant bookkeeper and stenographer, until being promoted to a traveling salesman circa 1904. As a young man, Edwin was described as being very popular and well-liked, having blue eyes, black hair and a medium build.

May G. Miller

On October 16, 1909, Edwin married May Gullette Miller, daughter of J. T. and Mary J. (Trester) Miller of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Over the years, Edwin and May would be blessed with three children: Barbara Shapard (1912-1998), John Miller Shapard (1915-2015) and Edwin Ruthven Shapard III (1918-1998).

Edwin continued to work as a traveling salesman for the W. J. Echols & Co., until he moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma, in 1927, eventually accepting a job as a shoe salesman for the International Shoe Company. In 1931, Edwin lost his sister Elizabeth, when she was murdered in Washington D.C. Only a few years later in 1935, he lost his remaining siblings Sumner and David; one to a heart attack and the other to a car accident. Edwin assumed a fatherhood roll for his nephew, David Conger Shapard, after the loss of his father.

Edwin Jr., in middle with sons John (left) & Edwin III (right)

Edwin remained in Muskogee for the remainder of his life. He was a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and had been awarded a 50-year pin by the Oriental Lodge #430 AF & AM. He had been a member of the United Commercial Travelers for 65 years. He was also an historian and genealogist at heart, supporting and donating items to the Oklahoma Historical Society. He was preceded in death by his wife on October 31, 1968. Edwin Ruthven Shapard, Jr., died a year later, at the age of 89 years old, on August 4, 1969, and is buried next to his wife, his brother and his parents at Forest Park Cemetery in Fort Smith Arkansas.