Garvin County, Oklahoma

Garvin County GenWeb



Town Info From: Roadside History of Oklahoma 1991 by Francis L. and Roberta Fugate, Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana-1991

Pauls Valley, Garvin County

Smith Paul was the first white man to come to this valley. Smith ran away from home and joined the Chickasaw Indians in northwestern Mississippi. He came out west with them on the Trail of Tears, and worked for a Scotchman named McClure. After McClure died he married his widow. Paul came to the valley about 1847 and farmed the rich bottom land and it became known as Smith Pauls Valley. When the post office was established in 1871 the name shortened to Pauls Valley. In 1887 the newspaper was established called The Chickasaw Enterprise. A formal townsite was laid out in 1892 and was incorporated in 1897. During WWI, Pauls Valley was a major market for supplying mules to the U.S.Army.

Kate Shawbell and Kids 1925
Standing: Eva, Claude Sr., Kate, John.
Middle: Laura, Clem
Seated: Nettie, Alice, Kathleen

Photos: Early Days Pauls Valley :: Garvin County Page 1


In 1909 Lewis E. and Katherine 'Kate' (Seney)Shawbell, and their seven children arrived on their newly acquired 160 ac. farm with their belongings and stock from Guthrie, where Lewis sold his Land Run claim. 'Kate' and the four girls rode the Santa Fe train and Lewis and his three sons traveled by wagon with all the household goods and stock.
Read: Memoir's of Nettie Sarah Shawbell-Caldwell

Garvin County Tornado- 26 May 1910
Town of McCarty, Garvin County, Oklahoma Wiped Out



Wynnewood, Garvin County

This community began in 1886 as Walner, named for John H. Walner, and early settler. With the coming of the Santa Fe in 1887, railroad officals changed the name to Wynnewood, after a town in Pennsylvannia. It became a one of Oklahoma's largest pecan markets.

On 20 Sep 1913, Claude M. Shawbell, Sr. and Edna Maybel Covington were married by Justice of the Peace Walter Beard; on his farm outside of Wynnewood (Walner). Their marriage certificate indicated they were from Wynnewood, but the township line was handwritten in as Walner.

In 1935, Edna's mother, Effie Covington moved back to Wynnewood after her husband, Thomas Jefferson Covington passed away in 1931 at Powell. 'Ma', as we all called her, lived out her life in a neat white frame house on a hill a couple of blocks east of downtown. (ciiisiii: I was in Wynnewood October 2007 and the house is still there and it's memorable 'storm celler'. It has been commerically sided now, but still is reconisable today).

Powell, Marshall County

Thomas Jefferson and Effie (Smith) Covington moved there shortly after Oklahoma statehood in 1907 from Ardmore, Carter Co. OK. Thomas 'Tom' was in the grocery business after retiring as a Deputy Marshall in 1897, and Effie served as Postmistress. Tom passed away here in 1931. Powell was flooded when Lake Texoma was filled, and town was abandoned.

Konawa, Seminole Co.
Authur Kennedy Memorial Library at Konawa High School(Authur and his brother, Chester were close friends of my Father 'Jack' and Uncle 'Blackie' growing up in Konawa).


Photos: Early Days Konawa - Seminole County :: Page 2

Photos/Article/Obit :: Boiler Explosion Exacts Terrible Toll


A prosperous agricultural community established in 1904, and also benefited from petroleum production. Its name means ' string of beads' in the Seminole language.
My father, Claude M. 'Jack' and his brother Lewis T. 'Blackie', and sister Nadine grew up and graduated from Konawa High School..home of the Tiger's! It's also the place that great tragedy befell our family.
Claude M. Shawbell, Sr. and Oscar F. Ryan lost their lives here Jan 1929 when an oil rig boiler exploded at the Kerr Petroleum rig site at the Wise Family Farm nearby. Claude, Edna and their children, Lewis, Claude M. Jr. and Nadine were living in Konawa. All Graduated from Konawa High School. Those were tough times for our family and 'Claudie Boy', only 36yrs old was sadly missed. My father was 12, Lewis was 15 and Nadine was 9 years old. Edna was 35 years old and she never remarried, living to age ninety-three. Raised three kids through the Great Depression. I learned a lot from her.
I have both of Claude's watches; his work pocketwatch is stopped at the moment of the explosion. I also have his 32nd Degree Mason rings and membership cards that were in his wallet I also have archived. An uncanny experience that is testamony to your connections to your family ancestor's happened one day two years ago. I noticed a eBay auction for a photograph because his name was listed so I checked it out. It was a photo of the whole Jan. 17-26th 1927 Graduating Class of Masons at Guthrie, OK. I bought it and have it framed with his 32nd Degree. The seller had found the photo in an old storage shed, framed but without glass at an estate sale in San Luis Obispo,California. It was just uncanny that it's condition was perfect. Grandpa would be amazed too.

Stratford, Garvin Co.

Peaches have been cash crop since the town's founding in 1906. 'Peach Capital of Oklahoma'. Named Stratford-on-the Avon, for reasons since forgotten. Tom and Effie Covington lived here a short while.

Pernell, Garvin Co.

No info yet. I did drive through in October 2007 with my cousin Marie Stilley. Marie had lived in Pernell when she was a young girl. It was my first time to see the place, which is just a Post Office today sparsely surrounded by some homes.

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