David Evander Shapard (Chapter 3) 1888-1889 Eufaula, Creek Nation, Indian Territory

 

Chapter 3

EUFAULA, CREEK NATION

INDIAN TERRITORY

1888-1889

 

After the Conference of 1888, the Shapard family moved from Savanna in the Choctaw Nation, to the parsonage at Eufaula in the Creek Nation. This was a familiar setting for them, since Eufaula was where they had lived during their appointment at the Asbury Manuel Labor School from 1886 to 1887. Sumner had already been living and working there since May of 1888, at Mr. Moore’s Drug Store. The community of Eufaula rejoiced at having their much-loved minister return to their charge, and their friends welcomed them back with open arms.

As Christmas approached, Lizzie returned from Texas where she was attending school. The Shapard family spent Christmas Eve at a celebration in the Methodist Church of Eufaula. “The Christmas tree at the church… attracted a crowded house. Artistic hands had preceded the audience and arrayed with dexterous skill the multitude of handsome presents which were to be distributed, one by one, among the expectant gathering. At an appropriate hour after the fall of night the church was illuminated, the many colored candles and Chinese lanterns which hung pendant from the branches of an elegant cedar were touched and the variegated decorations of the tree had flashed upon them in equal number of brilliant, scintillating colors which converted it into one magnificent scene of translucent beauty. While admiring eyes rested upon this exquisite grandeur, Rev. Mr. Shapard, in a brief manner and appropriate words, announced a short programme of sacred services. This completed, Santa Claus was searched for, found and presented to the audience. It was in his place to make a talk and then proceed with the distribution of presents. Everybody laughed at his grotesque appearance, and he tried to make the expected talk, but his voice trembled, his knees smote together, and he soon found himself handing out the gifts. This was a long task, for the presents were numerous and all had been remembered. Therefore the children all went away happy while the more advanced found no cause for complaint. It was a pleasant evening and one that will linger long in the memory of each auditor.”

During the winter, Rev. Shapard again became extremely ill, and on February 11, 1889, he drew up his last will and testament at Eufaula, in the presence of Rev. W. B. Austin and T. F. Turner. The document was given to his long-time friend, Rev. T. F. Brewer, for safekeeping. His health was so afflicted that he was unable to do the work of a Methodist preacher and was forced to rest until his condition improved. In late February, Rev. Shapard sought rest and recovery in Madison, Tennessee, at “Neely Farm,” the homestead of his in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. S. S. Hall.  Mrs. Shapard and the children, Edwin Jr., and David, went with him, while Sumner remained behind at Eufaula, with the mumps, to work and attend school. While in Tennessee, two year-old David contracted the chicken pox. The Shapard’s returned to Indian Territory in late April of 1889, and Rev. Shapard returned to his work, preaching at Eufaula and Fishertown.

Sumner recovered from the mumps and resumed work at Mr. Moore’s Drug Store, as well as, planting a vegetable garden and attending school. He remarked that Eufaula was declining as a town and nearly depopulated. The town doctor, Dr. K. R. Cutler, and the town’s main businessman, Mr. Adams, both had plans to relocate to Muskogee which was on the boom. Fourteen year-old Sumner claimed that Eufaula was “as dull as a hole, nothing going on at all” and that the other young men of the town “were just thinking about having a car load of girls shipped in here to supply the country, as there were so few here, and probably some of these fellows will have a chance to get married.”

In the early months of 1889, Indian Territory was overwhelmed with people traveling across the Indian Nations to participate in the first land run for the unassigned lands west of the Nations. It was estimated that, at noon on April 22, 1889, over 50,000 people raced for their own claim of land of the two-million acres that became available for settlement through the Indian Appropriations Bill of 1889. The towns of Guthrie and Oklahoma City literally went from an unoccupied open prairie to a settlement of 10,000 people within the matter of one afternoon. Within the following weeks, roads were laid out, schools opened and numerous businesses were established. This vast influx of population held enormous potential for the Indian Mission Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. All these people were new souls to whom the church could shepherd. This event would forever change the nature of their work in the Territory. They had been thrust from a small missionary Conference with a hand-full of preachers into potentially one of the most important, productive Conferences of the church during this era in history.

The 44^th Annual Indian Mission Conference was held in the Methodist Church at Atoka, in the Choctaw Nation, on October 2-6, 1889. E. R. Shapard was in attendance and had requested to be placed on Superannuated status, which signified that he was physically worn out from performing the duties of an itinerant minister and was requesting to retire from active service. Rev. Shapard’s request was referred to the Committee on Conference Relations, who reviewed his record of service and found him to be blameless in life and blameless in the administration of his work.  On October 5, 1889, the Committee granted Rev. Shapard’s request of ‘Superannuate Relation’, thus ending his thirty-year career in the ministry. After the conference was over, the Shapard family returned to their old home at Fort Smith, Arkansas.

David Evander Shapard (Chapter 2) 1887-1888 Savanna, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory

 Chapter 2

SAVANNA, CHOCTAW NATION

INDIAN TERRITORY

1887-1888

 

After the Conference in October of 1887, the Shapard family moved from Eufaula to Savanna, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory. Savanna was a mining camp that had shown growth as a small town since the discovery of coal in 1870. It was located along the MK&T Railroad tracks that linked the other coal mining towns together for export. It had its own post office which was established in 1876, yet was not operational until 1880.The miners, who often had large families, settled where there was work and generally lived in unpainted rent houses located close to the mines.

The coal provided industry which allowed for businesses and population growth in Savanna; but earlier that year, six months before the Shapard family arrived, on the night of April 4, 1887, there was an enormous explosion in one of the main mines which shot flames 100 feet from the shaft entrance, turned the nearby two-story engine house into splinters and killed 6 miners instantly.  The tragedy was amplified when twelve rescuers suffocated to death on poisonous air while attempting to reach the trapped miners.

On account of this incident, the mines were temporarily closed which caused an exodus of the miners and their families, as well as, the abandonment of most of the town. Rev. Shapard remarked that “I could occupy half a dozen houses and not discommode any person.” By the time the Shapard’s arrived, there were only three businesses remaining, those operated by Dr. Hailey, Mrs. Simpson and Mr. Coleman. Dr. Hailey had donated a building to be used as a schoolhouse during the week and a church on the weekends. Mrs. Calbertson was the school teacher of the town and presided over approximately 20 pupils. 12 year-old Sumner and 7 year-old Edwin, Jr., attended this school after their move and would have tried to make new friends. Sumner greatly missed Eufaula and returned there as often as he could to visit his old friends.

Despite the poor state of the town, it was strategically a good location for the Shapard family to reside, as it was near the center of Rev. Shapard’s work as he traveled up and down the MK&T Railroad, known as the “Katy,” to his various appointments on the Railroad Circuit. Overall, the Shapard family was lonesome in Savanna as the town died around them and the population decreased. The Railroad Circuit, on the other hand, was a very active circuit. It serviced the towns located in the coal field belt extending across the Choctaw Nation, which were linked by the railway. Rev. Shapard would ride the train to his appointments instead of a horse. There were approximately 3,000 people within the circuit who were drawn to work the coal. Rev. Shapard expressed the importance of his work there, as; “Every year there will be an increase in laborers in the mines and we will need to have houses of worship for them.”

Their first home in Savanna was better than the small house they had in Eufaula, however, it was not suitable for winter. In November of 1887, Mrs. Shapard wrote to her daughter, Lizzie, about the move to Savanna; “I packed some Monday, and Sunday we ironed, Wednesday we packed all of our things and Thursday we took up the carpets and put all the mission things in one room. Thursday about four o’clock we bid our little home good bye, and went over to Mrs. Cutless and stayed until the next morning. When we came down here, we were met at the train by Mr. Calbertson and escorted to his house where we stayed until the next morning. And then we moved into our mansion. And since then I have been just as busy as I could be, I find it right hard work to do any work with the baby. We left Sumner in Eufaula to stay until Saturday morning. He was the bluest thing you ever saw when he came. His Papa sent him back up there yesterday to attend to some business, and he was the happiest boy you ever saw. Bro. Rogers bought your Papa’s horse, and if he will let him have it back, Sumner is to aid it back tomorrow.

Well, of course you would like a description of our new home. We have three rooms, in one we have a stove, a box for a wash stand, and a box for a table, and three trunks, in one corner there is a closet without any door. I have put my white curtains up to that. And in the other room we have a bedstead, (as nice a one as you had in your room at Eufaula). Sumner’s and Edwin’s bed is on the floor, and the washing machine. The other is the kitchen, of course you know what is in that. We bought new dishes since we came. I wish you could just take a peep in on us tonight, your Papa has gone to preach tonight for the first time here, and Edwin and I are alone. David is asleep. This is a beautiful country, although the town is deserted…I never thought, though, that I could like the prairie. Especially in cold weather. Stella LeFlores house is next to ours, but she has not lived there for some time. It is vacant, like a good many others here…Your Papa has been real blue for a day or two. He is not well, and being worried over a place to live is too much for him.”

The following day, before mailing the letter, Mrs. Shapard attempted to write a post script while nursing David in her lap. As envisaged, she could only scribe a few sentences before the baby became restless.

The Shapard family moved again in late November of 1887, to a different house in Savanna that was suitable to keep out the winter weather. The new house had five rooms. There was no parsonage in this part of the country and Rev. Shapard had to rent a house wherever he could get it, and then furnish it from his own credit and trust the circuit to repay him.

The Shapard family spent the Christmas season of 1887 together in Savanna. There was a ceremony at the church where a tree was decorated with candles and lit. Afterwards, Santa Claus made an appearance to pass out presents to all the attendees. On Christmas day, the Shapard family received gifts from each other and from friends; Rev. and Mrs. Shapard received a turkey, cake, mince pie, two cans of tomatoes, a can of strawberry jelly, two cans of corn, two packages of coffee, some sugar and cheese, and a dressed ham, as well as, a box of mixed nuts; Sumner received a ball of popcorn; Edwin Jr. received a set of set of tools, two sacks of candy, a ball of popcorn and a horn which subsequently broke the following day; David, the baby, received a sack of candy. The day after Christmas, the Shapards invited the school teacher, Mrs. Calbertson, and her husband over for supper, and cooked the Christmas turkey the Calbertsons had given to them.

For the summer and fall of 1888, Sumner Shapard, at thirteen years of age, was allowed to return to his beloved Eufaula where he worked behind the counter at Mr. Moore’s Drug Store. Charles Gates Moore was born on February 7, 1863, in Missouri, and was the son of a merchant. At 15 years old, he clerked in Fulton, Missouri, and eventually acquired an extensive knowledge of administering and mixing pharmaceutical drugs. He moved to Eufaula, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, in June of 1887, at the age of 24, and became one of the first licensed pharmacists in the territory. His store was located on Main Street in Eufaula. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and was a Mason. On January 20, 1904, he married Harriett Morris Simpson. Mr. Moore died at the age of 83 years old on July 11, 1946, and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Eufaula, Oklahoma.

During the time that Sumner worked for him in 1888, his store sold pharmaceutical drugs, chemicals, patient medicine, toilet goods, brushes, paints, oils, books, etc. Sumner and Mr. Moore had a long-term friendship and business relationship, and they would partner up again, from 1895-1897, in the grocery business at South McAlester, Indian Territory.

In the fall of 1888, Lizzie Shapard began attending school at the North Texas Female College in Sherman, Texas. She would remain there until her graduation on June 10, 1890.

The 43^rd Annual Indian Mission Conference was held at White Bead Hill, in the Chickasaw Nation, on October 10-15, 1888. At the end of the 43^rd Annual Indian Mission Conference, Rev. E. R. Shapard was appointed to the Canadian District; Eufaula Circuit.

David Evander Shapard, (Chapter 1) 1886-1887 Eufaula, Creek Nation, Indian Territory

Chapter 1

EUFAULA, CREEK NATION

INDIAN TERRITORY

1886-1887

 

David Evander Shapard was conceived in Fort Smith, Arkansas, approximately June of 1886, just before his father, Rev. Edwin Ruthven Shapard (1838-1889) left his residence, for a month-and-a-half long venture to his old hometown of Shelbyville, Tennessee, to visit his brothers David Green Shapard (1846-1919) and Evander Shapard (1843-1921). This was Rev. Shapard’s first trip back to his hometown in four years. Clearly the reunion with his brothers was fruitful and impressionable, indicating how and why David Evander Shapard received his name. Upon his return, Rev. Shapard’s wife Jennie Neely (Hall) Shapard (1849-1910) told her husband the joyous news of her pregnancy.

In October of 1886, Rev. E. R. Shapard became quite sick during the weeks just prior to attending the 41^st Annual Indian Mission Conference which was held in the Methodist Church at Eufaula, in the Creek Nation, on October 20-25, 1886. At the end of the conference, Rev. Shapard was appointed by the church to the Muskogee District (Creek Nation) at Eufaula, Indian Territory, to be the Superintendent of the Asbury Manuel Labor School. The Shapard family, consisting of Rev. E. R. Shapard, Mrs. Jennie H. Shapard who was approximately four months pregnant, and their children: fourteen year old Elizabeth Mitchell Shapard (1872-1931), eleven year old Sumner Samuel Shapard (1875-1935) and six year old Edwin Ruthven Shapard, Jr. (1880-1969), closed up their house on Lexington Avenue at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and prepared for the move to the Creek Nation in Indian Territory.

The Asbury Manuel Labor School was established on November 4, 1847, by the 4^th Annual Indian Mission Conference, for the education of Creek children. Rev. Thomas Ruble (1811-1876) was appointed by Bishop William Capers to initiate the endeavor and superintend the school. Rev. Ruble commenced on the task of selecting a site for the school.  Assisted by Colonel Logan, a U.S. Indian Agent for the Creek Nation, and Colonel Rutherford, the Superintendent of Western Territory, in January 1848, a site was selected about a mile and a half northwest of North Fork town. In the 1830s, the Creek Indians established the town of North Fork, which was located within the fork of the Canadian and North Canadian rivers, due to its location at the intersection of the Texas and California Roads. In 1855, future general, Robert E. Lee, camped at North Fork town which was a stopping place on the ‘Texas Road’ running from Missouri to Texas. The town site consisted of homes and businesses which flourished until 1872, when G. W. Stidham, Capt. Sam Grayson, G. E. Scales, D. B. Whitlow and J. D. McCoody paid $1000 to R. S. Stevens, the manager of the MK&T Railroad, which was being constructed, to bypass North Fork and build the train station at the present site of Eufaula, which is where these men had land interests. Over time the businesses fled North Fork for Eufaula.

The Asbury school grounds, in 1848, consisted of 80 acres, of which 30 acres were fenced. Other improvements included a twenty-foot by twenty-foot log house with a front porch and kitchen, a stable and a chicken house, and “a tolerable supply of fruit trees”. Plans were enacted to erect a school building 110 feet long, 34 feet wide and three stories high. Contracts were let to Webster and Reed of Ft. Smith, Arkansas, for the stone and brick work, and to J. J. Denny of Louisville, Kentucky, for the wood work. Materials and furnishings were shipped by boat from Louisville, up the Arkansas River, and then overland to the site by ox wagons. The corner stone was laid on July 19, 1848. The building was completed in October of 1849, at a total cost of $9,169. It contained 21 rooms, with spacious halls, and could accommodate 100 students, plus faculty.

During the Civil War, the smaller buildings of Asbury were burned, and the large building was put in much disrepair. Rev. Thomas Bertholf, who was Superintendent during the entire course of the War, was given the task of rebuilding and reestablishing the school. He began this work in 1866, and died at his labors in 1867, being buried at the school’s cemetery. Rev. John Harrell took up the work for the remainder of the Conference year and was relieved by Rev. T. B. Ruble in 1868. Rev. Ruble’s work was barely begun when fire destroyed the main building in 1869. In 1870, Rev. John Harrell returned to Asbury School, and before 1871, had rebuilt the buildings and restarted the school. Rev. Harrell died in 1876, and was buried alongside his wife, Eliza, at the Asbury cemetery which was located approximately half a mile north of the school.

The Asbury School hosted the Annual Indian Mission Conference in 1855 and 1874. It was noted that the approach to the school led through a beautiful timbered field with a wide lane that separated the fields of corn, wheat and oats. There were vegetable gardens near the buildings. They had hogs, chickens, cattle, and horses. The main building, located in a grove of forest trees, was an east-facing three-story brick school with a porch that ran the entire length of the front. The basement level was constructed of stone and the rest of the exterior walls were brick. Asbury Manuel Labor School burned 1881, and again in 1886, under the superintendence of Rev. E. R. Shapard, and was not rebuilt. The school grounds and all remaining property within were sold on March 17, 1888. In 1892, Eufaula Boarding School, known first as Eufaula High School, was established at a different location to continue the work so nobly begun by the Asbury School.

In 1946, congress approved the establishment of a large lake in the vicinity of Eufaula. The graves at the Asbury school cemetery were relocated to Greenwood Cemetery at Eufaula. Stones from the foundation of the Asbury School were moved to the Greenwood Cemetery to establish the Asbury Memorial, which stands near the graves and honors the memory of those pioneer ministers. A dam was constructed and on September 25, 1964, the area was officially flooded, creating Lake Eufaula. Today the location of the school grounds and the town of North Fork lies deep beneath the waters of the lake.

After the Conference in October of 1886, the Shapard family collected their belongings and made the move to Eufaula, Creek Nation, residing at the Asbury Manuel Labor School. Rev. Shapard assumed his position as Superintendent and two teachers were employed to help educate the students. In addition, there were a variety of hired hands to help run the institution. Mrs. Shapard was in charge of the kitchen, overseeing all the meals. The school had an abundance of corn, hogs and cattle to feed the students and faculty for the year, as well as, a good array of tools for farming.

While the family prepared their quarters, Rev. Shapard wasted no time in beginning his work. He preached the first sermon of his new appointment to the students and faculty at the Asbury Manuel Labor School on November 3, 1886.

The Shapard family had only been there less than a month when tragedy struck. On the evening of November 26, 1886, as the faculty and students were assembling for evening prayers, the Asbury School caught fire. The flames started on the third story by the carelessness of one of the students. This was the third time the building had burned in its history. The tragedy was extensive and turned the Superintendent and 80 students out-of-doors and the school was suspended until December 14^th, when the Trustees rented a house, the residence of Judge G. W. Stidham, as a temporary school building.  Rev. Shapard immediately went to work arranging the move. By the authority of Bishop Charles B. Galloway and Mission Board, the school was reopened again with 40 pupils. After the burnout, the Trustees and the Chief of the Nation renegotiated the financial appropriation allotted to the school by a lesser amount. Rev. Shapard consulted with Bishop Galloway and determined to run the school for as long as the money ($2,852.50), allowed by the authority of the Nation, would last. Rev. Shapard further supplemented this amount by $358.54 through the sale of livestock. The term ended on June 17^th, which was just short of the normal time of dismissal, being June 30^th.

Due to the fire, the Shapard family was forced to move quarters again. Their new residence at the two-story Stidham house was apparently in need of great repair. Some of the windows needed glass which had allowed dirt dauber wasps, to cover the walls with their nests. The flue on the stove or chimney was faulty and filled the house with smoke when initially lit. Water had to be transported in, as the local water source was some distance away. One can only imagine the toll this event, and the new living arrangements, took on Mrs. Shapard, who at this time was approximately 5 months pregnant.

In late November or early December of 1886, Rev. Shapard’s 14-year-old daughter, Miss Lizzie Shapard, had been added to the number of boarding students at the Harrell Institute in Muskogee, Indian Territory. Rev. Shapard advised his daughter upon attending school, “I want you to do the best you can in studying, study hard, and even study those books which you may not be called upon to recite if it is for your good. - One great object which I have in sending you there is that you may learn music. - While I want you to carry up your other studies - As soon as I am able I will send you off to the States some-where - I want to qualify you for work in this country as a teacher or in whatever capacity the church may need you for. Be sure to take care of your health - And above everything else live the life of a Christian. Do not be ashamed to answer questions with regard to Christian experience. Try to make your prayers not only formal but spiritual.”

Lizzie seemed to fair well at the school as she was elected Secretary of the Juvenile Mission Society and elected Secretary of the Parsonage Society of Muskogee. She was also appointed as a librarian for the McGavock Library which was located at the school. Rev. Shapard may have donated 9 volumes of the ‘new’ Washington Irving to the school’s library, as he was known to have a large personal library. The books were donated, shortly after Lizzie appointment as librarian, by one of the ‘Harrell Institutes best friends” of which they were not at liberty to reveal.

On December 13, 1886, the Trustees of Asbury Manuel Labor School met at the Shapard home to decide which of the students would be allowed to stay. Because of the lack of housing and funds only 40 boys were allowed to remain to continue their education. Mrs. Shapard remarked, about the lack of space in the temporary school quarters, that, “we are so crowded in the dining room, when we get in we can’t get out, unless we go around the home.” Classes resumed on December 14^th and despite a noble effort by Rev. Shapard and the faculty, the crowded living conditions and disruption during the year hindered the proper advancement of the pupils.

In early January, 1887, the weather became extremely cold. Rev. Shapard could not send the Asbury students out to work and they did nothing but cook and eat. Nevertheless, several of the students became very sick from exposure to the winter weather. Later that month, Rev. Shapard traveled to Muskogee to attend a series of bible study meetings with 17 other ministers. For a week they had daily Bible readings, study, prayer and experience meetings, with regular sermons every evening. While in Muskogee, Rev. Shapard visited his daughter Lizzie at the Harrell Institute. When Rev. Shapard attended his meetings, Lizzie was excited to look after her little brother, Edwin Jr., who had traveled to Muskogee with his father.

On March 22, 1887, at Eufaula, Creek Nation, Indian Territory, David Evander Shapard was born. The turmoil of tragedy and displacement prior to his birth was sadly only a foreshadowing of much of what would await him in life. He was fittingly named ‘David,’ not only a biblical name bestowing the attributes of overcoming the impossible, but also the name of his father’s younger brother David Green Shapard (1846-1919). The name, ‘Evander’, was also derived from his father’s younger brother, and former Confederate soldier, Evander Shapard (1843-1921). Interestingly, both David Green Shapard and Evander Shapard were stewards of the First Methodist Church in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and remained very close with their brother Rev. Edwin R. Shapard throughout their lives.

On June 17, 1887, the Asbury Manuel Labor School closed its doors permanently and Rev. Shapard turned over the remaining property of the school to the Trustees. The Shapard family moved into the town of Eufaula, renting a small house, to spend the summer. That same month, E. R. Shapard attended his daughter’s graduation at the closing exercises of the sixth annual term of the Harrell Institute, which included student recitations, compositions and dialogues, examination of classes and a musical concert. After the summer, Lizzie Shapard was sent to ‘the States’ for a better education. She attended the Brookhaven Mississippi Female Institute from September, 1887, through June of 1888. This institute became the current-day Whitworth College. From 1859-1928, the school operated as a 4-year women's college which was affiliated with the Mississippi Methodist Conference.

On September 23, 1887, Rev. Shapard wrote to his daughter Lizzie, who was attending Brookhaven, and stated, “We are all well. Sumner is getting fat. Brother Brewer, your mamma, Sumner, Edwin, David and I took dinner at Dr. Cutler’s on yesterday. I have no idea where I will be next year, or at least no more idea than I had when you left.” This is the earliest document found mentioning David Evander Shapard, who at the time was only 6 months old.

The 42^nd Annual Indian Mission Conference was held at Vinita, in the Cherokee Nation, on October 12-17, 1887. At the end of Conference, Rev. Shapard was appointed to the Choctaw District; Railroad Circuit. The members of the church at Eufaula remarked that, “In parting with E. R. Shapard our minister for the last year, Eufaula loses one of the most zealous and earnest laborers in the Lord’s vineyard, who has ever had charge of this station.”

David Evander Shapard (1887 - 1935), Introduction

 INTRODUCTION

 

Robert Paine Shapard (January 9, 1805-September 18, 1871), grandfather of David Evander Shapard (March 22, 1887-December 1, 1935), was born on January 9, 1805, in Caswell County, North Carolina. He was the son of Lewis Shapard (c. 1773-June 1833) and Martha Paine (November 17, 1773-June 16, 1813) of Caswell County, North Carolina; and the grandson of William Shapard (c. 1741– c. October 1807) and Mary Booker (September 4, 1746–1804) of Cumberland County, Virginia, and Granville County, North Carolina; and the great-grandson of Samuel Shapard (c.1700-1752) and Mildred Crockford (1712-1781) of King and Queen County, Virginia.

In the Spring of 1813, Robert Paine Shapard moved with his parents from their plantation home in Caswell County, North Carolina, to Williamson County, Tennessee, where he was reared amid pioneer scenes. In 1813, when he was 8 years old, his mother, Martha Paine Shapard, died. Approximately a year and-a-half later, his father moved the family to Wilson County, Tennessee. On April 11, 1814, Robert’s father married Elizabeth Strother Parrish, who had been widowed by her first husband, Henry Parrish. In late 1816, Robert’s step-mother abandoned her new family and the Shapard family moved to Smith County, Tennessee, before finally settling in Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee.

Murfreesboro was recognized as the State Capital of Tennessee from 1818 until 1826, when the capital was moved to Nashville. On February 1, 1817, at 12 years of age, Robert was legally bound and apprenticed to his brother-in-law, Joshua Norman Harrison (1789-1825), to learn the trade of nail making.  At this time only wrought iron nails were in use. Each nail was handmade, by being cut from a piece of iron then placed in a vice and having a head hammered. Mr. Harrison operated a successful nail factory located on the Public Square in Murfreesboro, in a small one-story shop of about 18 feet by 25 feet made of cedar logs.  The indenture agreement stipulated that Robert was to be furnished with food, clothing, stationary, washing and lodging, and taught to read, write, and "cipher through the rule of three". The terms of apprenticeship would end when Robert reached the age of twenty-one, in 1826, at which time he would receive a suit of clothes worth fifty dollars. Mr. Harrison died on Christmas day in 1825. Afterwards, Robert did not follow the nailmakers trade and, instead, embarked in mercantile pursuits, successfully operating a store for the duration of his life, first in Murfreesboro and later in Fayetteville and Shelbyville, Tennessee. Robert was a devout Methodist and helped pioneer the early churches, banks, schools and infrastructure of his area. He died of a bacterial infection on September 18, 1871, in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and was buried at Willow Mount Cemetery.

On November 12, 1829, Robert Paine Shapard married Miss Parthenia Mitchell (January 12, 1809-April 27, 1872) in Rutherford County, Tennessee. She was the daughter of William Mitchell (1763-1850) and Elizabeth Curry (1773-1828). Mr. Mitchell was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, having taken part in the battle of King’s Mountain. He also owned and operated a large plantation a few miles northwest of Murfreesboro.  From the union of Robert and Parthenia, 10 children were born: William Shapard (1830-1894), James Hodge Shapard (1832-1836), daughter (1835-1835), Avarilla Elizabeth Shapard (1836-1854), Edwin Ruthven Shapard (1838-1889), Robert Addison Shapard (1841-1871), Evander Shapard (1843-1921), David Green Shapard (1846-1919), Sarah Shapard (1848-1933) and John Mitchell Shapard (1851-1858).

David Evander Shapard’s father, Edwin Ruthven Shapard (1838-1889), was born on December 16, 1838, in Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tennessee. The following year, Edwin’s father moved the family to the town of Fayetteville, in Lincoln County, Tennessee, where he established himself as a merchant. Edwin recalled that he was practically raised in that store during his youth. Edwin’s father owned a variety of slaves, from 1830 until the end of the Civil War, and Edwin was also reared among this institution of slavery, as a part of the normalcy of his daily life and upbringing. In addition, Edwin’s parents had deep ties to the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and Edwin and his siblings were raised in the light and morality of this Christian denomination. Interestingly, in 1849, a Methodist religious revival sparked in in the town of Fayetteville, and on December 14^th, Edwin, at the age of 11 years old, publicly professed his faith in Christ. In August of 1856, Edwin attended Florence Wesleyan University in Alabama (currently the University of Northern Alabama), where he was licensed to preach as a Methodist minister on March 12, 1859.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Rev. Edwin R. Shapard was serving as the minister of the church at Tuscumbia, Alabama, which was directly across the Tennessee River from his alma mater of Florence Wesleyan University. In April of 1862, Federal troops invaded northern Alabama, and by July, had seized the town of Tuscumbia, whereby, they expelled Rev. Shapard from his church and commandeered the building for their own use, desecrating its contents. The stress of the events that year caused Rev. Shapard to “lose his health.” His infirmity was so grave that he was officially released from his duties as a minister for a duration of four years, until the end of the war. In 1866, he was reinstated to spread the light of the Gospel throughout the state of Tennessee.

On October 21, 1868, at the 55^th Annual Tennessee Conference, Rev. Shapard was appointed to the Nashville District and assigned as the first minister to the new Hobson’s Chapel that had been dedicated on June 5, 1868. It was here that Edwin came into close association with Samuel Sumner Hall’s family who resided in the area. The Hall family already had an association with the Shapard family, as eight years earlier, Rev. Shapard’s older brother, William, married Samuel Sumner Hall’s eldest daughter, Susan Emily Hall. During the first eight months that Edwin was assigned to Hobson’s Chapel, he met and courted Mr. Hall’s daughter, Jennie Neely Hall. She was born on February 24, 1849, and was nicknamed “Jane.” She had sandy-blonde hair and crystal-blue eyes. She and Edwin were about the same height, approximately 5 foot 5 inches. They were married by Rev. Burkett Firth Ferrell on June 15, 1869, at ‘Neely Farm,’ which was the plantation and residence of her parents in Davidson County, Tennessee.

Jennie Hall’s lineage is as follows: John Hall, a native of Augusta County, Virginia, had 6 children. One of his children was George Hall, who settled in Sumner County, Tennessee and married Harriet Blakemore in 1804. George had a tanning business and accumulated wealth. He eventually moved to Lincoln County, Tennessee, and settled on a farm where he died in 1862. He was a Presbyterian. George and Harriet had 13 children, one of which was Samuel Sumner Hall who was born on January 19, 1814, and married Hadassah Neely on June 6, 1836. The ceremony was solemnized by Rev. Hayes in Nashville, Tennessee. She was the only child of William Neely and Jane M. Davis Neely. After marriage, Samuel lived at and operated the Neely Farm which was a plantation formerly owned by the parents of his wife. Samuel and Hadassa had 13 children; Susan Emily Hall who married Rev. William Shapard, William Neely Hall who died in infancy, George Franklin Hall who died in a horse accident at age 19, John Maxy Hall who was a Confederate soldier, Joseph Adison Bowman Hall who lived at “Neely Farm” and was Confederate soldier taken prisoner to Camp Morton from 1862-1865, Samuel Allen Hall, Jennie “Jane” Neely Hall who married Rev. E.R. Shapard, Herbert Winburn Hall, Edwin Ewing Hall who married Mattie Lee, William Clayton Hall, David Davis Hall, Harriet Eliza Hall who married Rev. Thomas P. Crittenden, and Sallie Thompson Hall who married William Yeatman.

In 1872, Rev. Shapard was called to missionary work; accepting a position as the Superintendent of the New Hope Seminary school, for the education of Choctaw girls in Indian Territory. Rev. Shapard held this position until his resignation in 1883, after being appointed as the Presiding Elder of the Choctaw Nation. To fulfill the duties of his new job, he traveled extensively over the Choctaw Nation. The following year, he was appointed as the Presiding Elder of the Cherokee Nation. His position required frequent travel throughout the Cherokee Nation and often for long durations fulfilling his obligations, one venture lasting 9 weeks.

In 1886, Rev. Shapard was appointed to be the Superintendent of the Asbury Manuel Labor School, located at Eufaula in the Creek Nation, for the education of Creek boys. Only a month after the school session began, tragedy struck on the evening of November 26^th, when a fire broke out, due to the carelessness of a student. Luckily, all the students and faculty escaped, however the schoolhouse and dorms were a loss.

The following year, Rev. Shapard was appointed by the church to the Railroad Circuit in the Choctaw Nation. He moved his family from Eufaula to Savanna, which was a small mining town located on the M. K. & T. railroad tracks. Rev. Shapard traveled up and down the railroad preaching at the various towns along the way.

In 1888, at the 43^rd Annual Indian Mission Conference, Rev. Shapard was appointed to the Eufaula Circuit in the Creek Nation. Throughout the year, despite Rev. Shapard’s effort to preach, his health suffered greatly. Realizing that his body had physically worn out from 30 years of performing the duties of an itinerant minister, he requested retirement from the church, which was granted the following year at the annual conference.

In October of 1889, Rev. Shapard and his family returned to their former home in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he accepted a job at the New York Life Insurance Company as the Field Canvassing Agent for the Indian Territory. Though still physically weak, he did a little business and made one trip into the territory, before his health failed. He was hurried home to Fort Smith, where he died of pneumonia on November 16, 1889.

Rev. Edwin R. Shapard and his wife Jennie were blessed with five children, four of whom survived to adulthood:

 

Elizabeth Mitchell Shapard (1872-1931), affectionately known as “Lizzie,” was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee, on February 21, 1872. Her middle name was in honor her paternal grandmother’s maiden name. At only eight months of age, she was taken to Indian Territory, when her father became the Superintendent for the New Hope Seminary at Oak Lodge, Skullyville, in the Choctaw Nation. It was among this pastoral educational setting that she would spend the next decade of her life. Her early education was among the faculty and Choctaw students of the seminary, however, in 1886, she was admitted to the Harrell Institute at Muskogee in the Creek Nation. Lizzie fared well at school and was elected Secretary of the Juvenile Mission Society and Secretary of the Parsonage Society of Muskogee. She was also appointed as a librarian for the McGavock Library, which was located at the school. Lizzie was a graduate of the 6^th term of the Harrell Institute in 1887. After spending the summer with her family at Eufaula in the Creek Nation, she was sent to “the States” for a better education, attending Brookhaven Mississippi Female Institute from September 1887 until June of 1888. This institute became the present-day Whitworth College, which operated as a four-year women’s college from 1859 until 1928. In the fall of 1888, Lizzie transferred to the North Texas Female College in Sherman, Grayson County, Texas. Whilst away, on November 16, 1889, her father died in Fort Smith, Arkansas. At the time of his death, Lizzie was as only 17 years of age. On June 10, 1890, Miss Elizabeth Shapard graduated from college, and returned to her family home in Fort Smith, Arkansas, teaching at the Belle Point School.

While at college in Sherman, Texas, Lizzie had been introduced to, and courted by, Mr. William Burton Jaynes. They continued to date after she returned to Fort Smith, and were married in Paris, Lamar County, Texas on December 26, 1891. Mr. Jaynes was born in South Carolina in 1866. He studied law in Dahlonega, Georgia, and then moved to Sherman, Texas, to establish his legal practice. In 1893, he was approached by Texas Representative (and future senator from 1901-1913) Joseph Weldon Bailey and offered a job as his personal secretary for the sum of $150 per month. Upon accepting the position, Mr. Jaynes and Lizzie moved to Washington D. C., in 1894, and initially rented a small room on Capitol Hill. Mr. Jaynes remained Senator Bailey’s personal secretary for the duration of his political career. He and Lizzie were members of the Mount Vernon Place Methodist Episcopal Church South, where in 1909 she began teaching a Sunday School class, known as the “Jaynes Class,” and did so for 22 consecutive years. She was also the church treasurer for the Woman’s Missionary Society.  Lizzie’s mother passed away on April 9, 1910, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, after a lingering illness of three months. Over the following years, Lizzie remained active in her church and also assisted her husband through secretarial work.

On April 3, 1931, she was working as a cashier at the Garden T Shoppe. At closing time, two masked men entered the fashionable tea shop. One held a gun at Lizzie, while the other removed the money from the cash register. Without warning the gun discharged and the thieves ran out the door. The police were immediately summoned and Lizzie gave a full report of the incident, not yet realizing she had been shot. Lizzie returned to her house where hours later her leg went numb and she was rushed to Garfield Hospital. Lizzie survived her injury for two days, yet, succumbed at 6:15 pm on Sunday April 5, 1931, at the age of 59 years old. Funeral Services were held on April 8^th at the Mount Vernon Place Methodist Episcopal Church South. Her three brothers, Sumner, Edwin, Jr., and David attended the funeral services and interment at Fort Lincoln Cemetery. Such a sad and tragic end to such a bright and beautiful spirit. Lizzie and her husband had no children.

 

Daughter born on April 17, 1874 and died the same day. Buried at the New Hope Cemetery, Skullyville, Oklahoma. Rev. Willis F. Folsom wrote in his diary on April 18, 1874, “Saturday, this day I attended brother Shapard’s child’s funeral at New Hope Seminary, Choctaw Nation.”

 

Sumner Samuel Shapard (1875-1935) was born on July 8, 1875, at the New Hope Seminary in Indian Territory (Oklahoma), Choctaw Nation. He was named after his maternal grandfather. During his youth, he was raised and educated at the seminary by his parents, Rev. Edwin Ruthven Shapard and Jennie (Hall) Shapard, and the various teachers.  In July of 1883, he moved with his parents to Fort Smith, Arkansas, and attended public school with white children for the first time. In October of 1886, he moved with his family to Eufaula, Indian Territory (Creek Nation). Sumner adored Eufaula and fostered numerous friendships, as well as, his first business connection through Charles G. Moore (1863-1946). Mr. Moore came to Eufaula from Missouri, at 24 years of age, in June of 1887, being the first licensed pharmacist in Indian Territory. In October of 1887, Sumner moved begrudgingly with his family to Savanna, Indian Territory (Choctaw Nation). However, for the summer of 1888, Sumner’s parents allowed him to return to his beloved Eufaula and work behind the counter at Mr. Moore’s pharmacy. As luck would have it, later that year, Sumner’s father was stationed at Eufaula, and by October of 1888, the Shapards moved back to Eufaula, Indian Territory (Creek Nation).
             In October of 1889, Sumner returned with his parents and siblings to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where his father Rev. Edwin Ruthven Shapard died on November 16, 1889. At 14 years of age, Sumner was now the man of the family. He worked as a clerk for a variety of people while managing the family rent houses in Fort Smith and attending school when able. In 1890, Sumner was living at 411 Lexington Ave. and working for Dyke Brothers. From 1894-1895 Sumner worked as a clerk for Foster & Co. As a man, he was described as having blue eyes, medium pudgy build and dark hair. He possessed the quality trait of responding carefully and thoughtfully to questions and was not quick to say just anything. He was a natural entertainer, charming, intelligent, austere, fondly-liked by all, loved by many and possessed the attributes of a perfect Southern gentleman.

On May 5, 1895, nineteen year old Sumner married eighteen year old Benetta Sanger in Grayson, Texas. Benetta was born in January of 1876 at Enterprise, Arkansas, and was the daughter of Stephen Smith Sanger and Emma Laura Bailey Sanger. Her father was born about 1839 in Virginia and her mother was born about 1842 in Arkansas. They were married in 1857 and are listed in the 1860 census as living in the Creek Nation, Indian Territory. In approximately 1877, Benetta’s family moved from Enterprise, Arkansas, to Okmulgee, Creek Nation, Oklahoma Territory, when she was one year of age. She had numerous brothers and sisters and the Sanger family produced numerous doctors (13 at one time - M. D. and D. D. S.). It is believed that Benetta met Sumner while either visiting her brother Stephen who was attending medical school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, or, when Sumner was in McAlister, where Benetta may have been living at the time.
            Around November of 1895, Sumner moved his wife, mother and his two brothers Edwin and David to South McAlester, Indian Territory, to operate the Shapard Grocery Company. On July 6, 1896, Sumner and Benetta give birth to their first child, a daughter named Naomi Kertrude Shapard. During the evening of October 7, 1896, Sumner’s three-month-old daughter died after an illness of about two weeks duration. The remains were shipped to Fort Smith, Arkansas, for interment. In September of 1897, Sumner left the grocery business and moved with his family back to their original home in Fort Smith.
            In February of 1898, Sumner’s wife gave birth to their daughter, Dorothy Benetta Shapard (1898-1980), in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In 1900, Sumner was a bookkeeper (accountant) living at 413 Lexington Avenue with his wife and two-year-old daughter. In 1901, Sumner and Benetta had their last child, a daughter named, Jennie “Jane” Laura Shapard (1900-1996), named after her paternal grandmother. In 1910, Sumner was working as a salesman for Berry-Wright Dry Goods Company. His mother-in-law, Emma Sanger was living with them after she was widowed, and they had a 14-year-old female servant from Ireland at their residence named, Maude Giblin. On April 9, 1910 Sumner’s mother, Jennie Hall Shapard, died of cancer at Fort Smith, Arkansas.

After the death of his mother, Sumner took a job as a sales manager with William R. Moore Dry Goods & Co., and moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He remained in Memphis until 1917, when he moved his family to Baltimore, Maryland, gaining employment as the manager of Oppenheim Oberndorf & Co., shirt makers. His daughter, Dorothy Benetta Shapard, attended John Hopkins University in 1923. During this time, Sumner was frequently called to New York City on business, and eventually acquired an apartment there for his convenience.

Sumner and his family remained in Baltimore until late 1923, after which he moved to Dallas, Texas, and became employed with the Reliance Manufacturing Company, shirt makers. Circa 1926, he became employed with Godcheaux & Levy, shirtmakers of Baltimore, Maryland, and moved to New York City. The stock market crash of 1929, devastated Sumner’s savings, however, he remained employed. He and his wife moved to East Orange, New Jersey, living briefly with his daughter Dorothy Shapard. By 1933, Sumner and Benetta were residing again in Dallas, Texas.   
            On Friday April 3rd, 1931, Sumner’s sister Elizabeth M. (Shapard) Jaynes was working as cashier at the Garden T Shoppe in Washington D.C. Just before closing time, the store was robbed by two masked men and Lizzie was shot. She was rushed to the Garfield Hospital where she died two days later at 6:15 pm on Sunday April 5th, 1931. Sumner and his brothers, Edwin, Jr., and David, attended her funeral.
            In late 1934, Sumner developed a heart condition rendering him physically unable fulfill the requirements of his job. After much discussion a decision was made that Sumner and his wife Benetta would move from Dallas, Texas, to Yukon, Oklahoma, where her nephew Dr. Paul Sanger would provide her with employment. Interestingly, Benetta’s parents and siblings had been living in Yukon, Oklahoma Territory, since 1900. Around January 1, 1935, Sumner and Benetta moved to Yukon, however, idleness did not suit Sumner, and upon feeling physically improved, he made a business trip to Dallas. While there, his heart failed, and on January 25, 1935, Sumner S. Shapard died in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 59 years old. Sumner was buried on January 28, 1935, at Yukon Cemetery in Yukon, Oklahoma. Benetta Sanger Shapard died in 1962, and her ashes were buried next to her husband.

 

Edwin Ruthven Shapard, Jr., was born on August 3, 1880, at the New Hope Seminary, Oak Lodge, Skullyville, Choctaw Nation, Indian 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 role of provider for the family. Over the following years, Edwin attended public school in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

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., wholesale grocer, working initially as an assistant bookkeeper, until being promoted to a traveling salesman circa 1902. As a young man, Edwin was described as being very popular and well-liked, having blue eyes, black hair and a medium build.

On October 16, 1909, Edwin married May Gullette Miller, daughter of John G. 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, 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 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 No. 430 A. F. & A. M. He had been a member of the United Commercial Travelers for 65 years. He and his wife were also historians and genealogists 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.

 

David Evander Shapard (1887-1935), the subject of this book, was born on March 22, 1887 and died on December 1, 1935. During his professional career, David was a traveling salesman, initially for the Webber-Ayers Hardware Company and then the Atkinson-Williams Hardware Company, before becoming an insurance salesman for the Equitable Life Assurance Society. He married Annelise Conger (1887 – 1973), the daughter of John William Conger and Tennie (Hamilton) Conger. David and Annelise had two sons during their marriage: David Evander Shapard, Jr. (later changed his name to David Conger Shapard) (1913-1983), and Jack Conger Shapard (1916-1916). Throughout his life, David was highly involved in philanthropic organizations, as well as, the Masons, United Commercial Travelers and other clubs and societies that bettered the citizens of Fort Smith and the state as a whole.

Shapard Painting from 1893 Discovered in Tennessee!

 In mid-July, I received an intriguing letter from a kind lady in Tullahoma, Tennessee, desiring to unravel the mystery surrounding a painting that had been in her family for the last 100 years or so. She stated that the painting had been on the wall of her grandfather's house in Shelbyville, Tennessee, for as long as she could remember, and after the passing of her grandfather she now inherited the beautiful work of art. 

The rectangular oil painting, adorned in a gold-leaf frame, is a floral still life of fifteen cut roses in a multitude of colors, including crimson, pink and white, linearly strewed out, surrounded by a cloudy ethereal backdrop of muted tones. In the lower right corner, the painting is simply marked "R. Shapard 1893."

Of particular interest to the new owner was unraveling the mystery of the artist's identity.

Here is where genealogical research played a vital role. It is common Shapard knowledge that Shelbyville, Tennessee, had been a family stronghold for many years, especially throughout the 1890s when the painting was created. We determined that since it was highly likely that the artist was from Shelbyville, that is where we would begin our hunt. 

In the 1850s, Robert Paine Shapard (1805-1871) and his wife Parthenia (Mitchell) moved their family of ten children from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to Shelbyville. After Robert's death in 1871, only two of his male children remained in Shelbyville raising families of their own -  Evander Shapard (1843-1921) and David Green Shapard (1846-1919). No one in David Green Shapard's family with an "R" name survived to 1893, thus, we excluded his line from the search. Among the children of Evander Shapard, there were two possibilities - Robert Paine Shapard (1872-1933) and his sister Rebecca Shapard (1877-1965). 

Upon researching Robert Paine Shapard (1872-1933), I only found his signature as "R. P. Shapard" and never just "R. Shapard." Furthermore, there is no record of him painting during his life, especially at the age of 21 years old in 1893. 

Rebecca Shapard (1877-1965) on the other hand was a more promising prospect. She would have been 16 years of age in 1893, being classically trained in school with an emphasis on the arts, as was common for young ladies at that time. The floral motif of the painting is in perfect harmony with a female painter and the skill level of the brush strokes is consistent with an artist of her age. Rebecca married Sidney Wood Garrison on June 17, 1896, and had one son. After her husband's death she married Eugene Haynes in 1910, and they had no children. She is buried in Willow Mount Cemetery in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Interestingly, the owner of the painting reported that her grandfather's mother's maiden name was Haynes also from Shelbyville, Tennessee. Although I was unable to connect the families through genealogy, the coincidence is promising. 

Thus through our best evidence, we deduced that the artist was Miss Rebecca Shapard (1877-1965), daughter of Evander Shapard (1843-1921).   

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.

Biography of Elizabeth Mitchell Shapard Jaynes (1872-1931)

Elizabeth Mitchell Shapard (1872-1931), affectionately known as “Lizzie,” was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee, on February 21, 1872. She was the daughter of Rev. Edwin Ruthven Shapard and Jennie (Hall) Shapard. Her middle name was in honor her paternal grandmother’s maiden name. At only eight months of age, she was taken to Indian Territory, when her father became the Superintendent for the New Hope Seminary at Oak Lodge, Skullyville, in the Choctaw Nation. It was among this pastoral educational setting that she would spend the next decade of her life. Her early education was among the faculty and Choctaw students of the seminary, however, in 1886, she was admitted to the Harrell Institute at Muskogee in the Creek Nation. Lizzie faired well at school and was elected Secretary of the Juvenile Mission Society and elected Secretary of the Parsonage Society of Muskogee. She was also appointed as a librarian for the McGavock Library, which was located at the school.

Elizabeth M. Shapard c. 1886

Lizzie was a graduate of the 6th term of the Harrell Institute in 1887. After spending the summer with her family at Eufaula in the Creek Nation, she was sent to “the States” for a better education, attending Brookhaven Mississippi Female Institute from September 1887 until June of 1888. This institute became the present-day Whitworth College, which operated as a four-year women’s college from 1859 until 1928. In the fall of 1888, Lizzie transferred to the North Texas Female College in Sherman, Grayson County, Texas. Whilst away, on November 16, 1889, her father would die in Fort Smith, Arkansas. At the time of her father’s death, Lizzie was as only 17 years of age. On June 10, 1890, Miss Elizabeth Shapard graduated from college, and returned to her family home in Fort Smith, Arkansas, teaching briefly at Belle Point school.

Elizabeth M. Shapard wedding 1891

Lizzie returned to Sherman, Texas, where she was courted by Mr. William Burton Jaynes. They were married in Paris, Lamar County, Texas on December 26, 1891. Mr. Jaynes was born in South Carolina in 1866. He studied law in Dahlonega, Georgia, and then moved to Sherman, Texas, to establish his legal practice. In 1893, he was approached by Texas Representative (and future senator from 1901-1913) Joseph Weldon Bailey and offered a job as his personal secretary for the sum of $150 per month. Upon accepting the position, Mr. Jaynes and Lizzie moved to Washington D.C., in 1894, and initially rented a small room on Capital Hill. Mr. Jaynes remained Senator Bailey’s personal secretary for the duration of his political career. Mr. Jaynes and Lizzie were members of the Mount

Vernon Place Methodist Episcopal Church South, where in 1909 she began teaching a class, and did so for 22 consecutive years. She was also the church treasurer for the Woman’s Missionary Society.
Lizzie’s mother passed away on April 9, 1910 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, after a lingering illness of three months. Over the following years, Lizzie remained active in her church and also assisted her husband through secretarial work.

In 1931, she was working as a cashier at the Garden T Shoppe. On April 3rd, at closing time, two masked men entered the fashionable tea shop. One held a gun at Lizzie while the other removed the $90 from the cash register. Without warning the gun discharged and the thieves ran out the door. The police were immediately summoned and Lizzie gave a full report of the incident, not yet realizing she had been shot. Lizzie returned to her house where hours later her leg went numb and she was rushed to Garfield Hospital. Lizzie survived her injury for two days, yet, succumbed at 6:15 pm on Sunday April 5, 1931, at the age of 59 years old. Funeral Services were held on April 8th at Mount Vernon Place Methodist Episcopal Church South. Her three brothers, Sumner, Edwin, Jr., and David attended the funeral services and interment at Fort Lincoln Cemetery. Such a sad and tragic end to such a bright and beautiful spirit. Lizzie and her husband had no children.