Living

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Lewis was named after David Lewis Adair who was dating a fellow resident of his parent's rented house (corner of 10th and Main, Duncan, OK.). David was so pleased when he was told falsely by the girl that the new baby was being named after him that he purchased a pair of shoes for the child. The gift was gratefully accepted. The name was probably shortened as there was a David L. Payne well known in Oklahoma history (a Yankee captain boomer involved in scandal).

1932 - Attended Ardmore High School.

1933 - In January, he moved to Lefors, Texas, to live with his aunt Pearl for the rest of the academic year. He went to the local High School. He was described on arrival as coming "from Ardmore with a fine [report] card." He immediately became a reporter on the school newspaper 'The Pirate' and gained a schoolwide reputation as a poet and orator.

1934-Graduated from Duncan High School.

1936-8 Began a daily journal which he was to regularly write up for one year. Went to work with a Tulsa barnstormer, Earl Field, and learned aircraft engines on the job. He earned about five dollars a week. He was living with his parents in Duncan.

1940 - Ground Instructor's Certificate # 41961-40 issued 10th October 1940.

1941-- Started teaching at Oklahoma A & M College. Aircraft mechanics certificates #M-64172-41 issued 7 April 1941

1943-45 Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor for Government Flight School, Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 1945, Lewis, his wife Lunora, and their oldest daughter, Robin were living at 511 Hester Street.

1945-46 Self employed, buying and selling surplus wartime aircraft. In the June 7, 1998 Stillwater NewsPress, Steve Clark wrote that for a short time right after World War II, Stillwater had its own "air force...the warplanes-475 bombers and fighters began arriving at Searcy Field in 1945 to be parked until the government could figure out how to dispose of them...All 475 planes were bought by one man: Paul Mantz, the famous air racer and movie stunt pilot who died in the 1960s during the filming of THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX....Mantz paid $55,426 for the whole batch, making most, if not all of his money back by draining the planes's fuel tanks and selling the thousands of gallons of 100-octane gasoline. He kept 12 of the warbirds for himself...Most of the leftovers were sold to a scrap dealer from Wichita, though a few others escaped destructions..." Lewis Payne purchased one of the seven P-51 Mustangs in partnership with another man. At some stage his partner crashed and was killed. Lewis turned his share to the insurance money over to the grateful widow...In 1988 there are 51 of these aircraft still flying and each is worth about hald a million dollars.

1946-Pilot certificate #466435 issued on 19 March 1946

1946-1950 Instructor aircraft mechanic

1950-1952 Quality Control Inspector for Convair Aircraft, Fort Worth, Texas.

1952-61 Aircraft electrical shop supervisor, Arabian-American Oil Company, Saudi Arabia.

1961-1964 Started a retail liquor business in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This was not a success in a town where few people drank.

1964-1965 Downtown Airport, Oklahoma City.

1965-1968 Engineer for Philco-Ford Corporation, Fort Benning; Seychelles; Green Hill; Thailand; Vung Tau, Vietnam.

1968- Maintenance Supervisor, Swan Rubber Company, Stillwater, Oklahoma.

1970-1971 Field Engineer with Philco Ford, worked in Taiwan (9 months) and Iran (6 months) erecting still towers.

Obituary

"Lewis Adair Payne, 84 was a longtime breeder of Arabian horses in addition to being an aircraft mechanic. He was also a retired expatriate engineer.

He died Tuesday, 18 August 1998, at Stillwater Medical Center. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Strode Funeral Home. Private intermment and service will be at a later time in Duncan.

Payne was born March 15, 1914, in Duncan, to Marvin Walter Payne and Grace Ellen Gentry; both the children of Oklahoma Pioneers. He married Lunora McWethy in 1943. She is the daughter of William Meade McWethy and Ethel Arretha Phenis both formerly of Stillwater.

In the last 37 years of his life, Lewis devoted himself to the breeding of Arabian horses in the Stillwater area. His objective was achieve classical perfection in both body type and movement. His artist's eye later resulted in national recognition from a minority interested in the preservation breeding of this fine horse-celebrated by the 4th century B.C. Greeks in the marble statuary of the Parthenon frieze. At considerable cost to him he did not allow the untutored requirements of the market to damage the historic bloodlines of his horses. For a long time he stood alone.

Originally an aircraft mechanic in the later barnstorming days, Lewis was to instruct students in aircraft maintenance for the National Defense Training School during WWII at Searcy Field, the Stillwater airport. From there he spent nine years with his young family in Saudi Arabia working for Aramco. He later became an engineer for Philco-Ford with whom he worked all over the world.

He was a man who expanded his formal university classes with very extensive reading and travel. He last journeyed around the world at the age of 80. His curiousity was wide and his interests were cosmopolitan.

He was predeceased by two brothers, Claude Chadwick Payne and Marvin Walter Payne and one sister, Mary Olive Thompson. Survivors include his wife of fifty-two years, Lunora; two daughters; Robin White of Joplin, Missouri and Penny Harvey of Glencoe, OK; and two grandsons Bracken White of San Francisco, CA and Gentry White of Columbia, MO and grand-daughter Anne Marie Busse of Joplin, Mo.

Memorials may be made to the Stillwater Airport Memorial Museum."

Lewis's ashes were buried on a hill, under an oak tree, with a view of Hell Creek below. The burial site was on the land his grandfather Sam homesteaded and where he himself grew up during his teenage years. There was a brief informal religious ceremony conducted by son-in-law Tom White. Afterwords a picnic was served at the East Wing of the Stephens County Fairgrounds.

(The above is courtesy of Kenneth and Penny Harvey)

Lewis married Lunora McWethy on 8 May 1943 in Pawnee, Pawnee County, Oklahoma. Lunora (daughter of William Meade McWethy and Ethel Arretha Phenis) was born on 10 Feb 1911 in Lorena, Beaver County, Oklahoma; died on 8 Mar 1999 in Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

April 23, 1947 Mrs. Lewis Adair Payne and daughters, Robin Adair and Penny, and Mrs. Payne's mother, Mrs. W.M. McWethy, Stillwater, are visiting Mrs. and Mrs. Marvin Payne, 1106 Oak [Duncan, Oklahoma]. Mrs. Payne is the daughter-in-law of the Marvin Paynes.

Notes:

Kenneth Harvey wrote the following brief biography of Marvin Walter Payne: Marvin was named after the Methodist Bishop Marvin whom his mother particularly respected.

Marvin was about twelve years old when his photograph was taken in a family group with his parents. This photograph survives and is in the collection of Lewis Adair Payne (1997).

As a teenager he was out on the trail cattle herding with his father when he became very ill. Totally incapacitated he was left to lie in agony on the bedrolls in the accompanying chuck wagon. They were miles from anywhere. He later believed that the severe bouncing and bucking of the wagon as it slowly and labourously moved across the untamed countryside saved his life. Much later on it was proved that he had in fact survived a burst appendix; not a very common occurance. Most die from it. He was to say in later years that "I left my appendix on the Western Trail and the cattle walked over it."

He worked as a cowboy and attended high school part-time until he was twenty.

There is another photograph, this time of his high school graduation in from Quanah High School in May 1901. This shows him holding his sheepskin diploma-no "mere paper" at that time! The photograph shows five girls dressed like bridesmaids and one boy with a flower in his button hole, all students surrounding a man who is presumably the school principal. Marvin, the solitary boy (young adult), is at the rear (apparently education was not a very macho activity among the youth of the town). His younger sister Effie stands to his immediate right. Marvin read an essay to the assembled parents on "Closing Events of the Nineteenth Century." His sister Effie read an essay on "Duty." One of the other girls present was a Payne double first cousin, Lula Pearl McClanahan (daughter of Fred Lafayette McClanahan and Calla Payne). She read an essay on "Courage." Other graduating students were Bettie Carter, Cora B. Matlock, and a Miss Johnson. A long term correspondence with Miss Gabie E. Betts, later Burton (1871-?) begins after Marvin graduates from Quanah High School. Miss Gabie, as she refers to herself, used to live in Quanah where she taught in the elementary School. She was known as one of the best primary school teachers in the Panhandle. She later moved to teach at Clarendon College. She addresses Marvin in very affectionate terms--indeed as her son. The letters were saved by Grace after Marvin's death, and passed down to Mary Ann Mounts Payne.

Marvin graduated in 1903 from the Metropolitan Business School.

Marvin married Grace Gentry in 1907 and the young couple lived with her parents for some years in Oklahoma until they moved back to Quanah, Texas. He then worked there in a lumber company from about 1912.

On his father's death in 1916 the family farm was mortgaged and the family divided the proceeds. Marvin fell heir to the mortgage and immediately rented it out to help pay off the mortgage . He now worked as a book-keeper for a wholesale company in Chickasha, circa. 1920, and then moved back to Duncan where he was involved in a restaurant. He didn't stay long at that and he was to become the manager of the Chickasha Cotton Oil Mill in 1921. He then lost this job when the mill was sold during the depression. The family returned to live on the farm, four miles S.W. of Marlow, on Hell Creek. Unfortunately times were very difficult and he could not keep up the payments. The family property was repossessed by the mortgage company. The local official delivering the eviction notice, in about 1937, was a friend and he was to say "Marvin I hate to do this to you." The poor man's only response was "You have to, its your job." Marvin put the papers on the kitchen table in the house and never looked at them. The whole tragic experience hit him very hard indeed and really robbed him of all subsequent motivation. They now put the family furniture in storage but could not even keep up these payments; consequently it too was all lost. To add insult to injury, some years later oil was discovered ont he farm and today (1997) there is a sign which says; "Chevron USA Inc, W.M. Payne Lease Sec 35-2N-8W."

Grace's mother was unable to keep up payment on her own home mortgage, and sold the residence to her daughter and Marvin for a dollar. The families moved in with Mary on Spruce road. It was not long, however, before Marvin was unable to keep up those payments, and that house was lost as well. It was a bitter time. At some point the family returned to the old Marlow farmstead which they had been forced to leave, paying rent to live there. Marvin eventually went to work with a cattle auction company.

According to Fay Payne Yeager, Thomas R. Marshall (Vice President of the United States) was a cousin of Martha Jane Marshall Payne. He stayed in the home of Marvin and Grace (Gentry) Payne while on a speaking tour of Oklahoma. He said he remembered attending family reunions with Martha when he was younger.

M. W. Payne, Long Resident Here Dies

Duncan Banner Monday Jan. 5, 1947 Pg. 1 Transcribed by C. R. Strong 11-29-2003

Marvin Walter Payne, 1106 Oak, died at 10 o'clock Sunday night in a local hospital after a lengthy illness. He was a retired accountant.
The funeral service will be held at the Beeson Grantham Funeral Home chapel at 3:30 p. m. Tuesday, with the Rev. John A Callan (sic), pastor of the First Methodist Church, and the Rev. Thurmond George, pastor of the First Baptist Church, officiating.
Born in Gainesville, Tex., Pay ne came to Duncan in 1904 and had been a resident here for more than 40 years.
Surviving are the widow; three sons, Chad In Berlin, Germany, Lewis Adair of Stillwater, and Marvin W. jr., Duncan; one daughter, Mrs. Bob Thompson, Pampa, Tex;, one brother, Aubry (sic) H., Muleshoe, Tex; and five grandchildren.
Pallbearers are Rich Edwards, Bill Boydston, J. B. McLendon, Leroy Tucker, Oscar Young, J. D. Walker, Leonard Bumpas, and H. C. Allen.

Marvin Payne is Buried in Marlow From an unidentified Duncan, OK newspaper, dated 1948

Death took a longtime resident of Stephens County this week after he had been ill for many years. Marvin Walter Payne died in a Duncan Hospital Sunday night. He had lived in Duncan and vicinity most of the time since 1904 and will be remembered as the manager of the Duncan Cotton Oil Mill, a position which he held for many years. Payne was born in Gainsville, Texas. When he was a child, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Payne, moved to Quannah, Texas, where they owned one of the big ranches in that part of the country. Payne was reared and educated in Quannah. He came to Duncan as a young man. He married Grace Ellen Gentry of Arthur in 1907.

He was in Chickasha for many years where he was connected with the Chickasha Cotton Oil Mill. In the early thirties he became ill and moved back to the old homeplace northwest of Duncan. He is survived by his widow and his four children, Chad who is now stationed with the Army in Berlin, Germany; Lewis Adair, Stillwater; Marvin W. Jr., Duncan, and Mrs Bob Thompson, Pampa, Texas. Funeral Services were held at the Beeson-Grantham Funeral chapel on Tuesday afternoon with the Rev. John A Callan of the First Methodist Church and the Rev. Thurmond George of the First Baptist Church officiating. He was buried in the Marlow Cemetery.

NOTE No Headstone in Marlow Cemetery, but known to be in Sect 10 Blk 10 (Lot 5?), Believed to be b.1-17-1881 d. 1-4-1948

(Research):World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918
Name: Marvin Walter Payne
City: Chickasha
County: Grady
State: Oklahoma
Birth Date: 17 Jan 1881
Race: White
Roll: 1851777
DraftBoard: 1
Age: 37
Occupation: Book keeper
Employer: J.D. Turner & Co., Chickasha, Grady Co. OK
Nearest relative: Grace Payne, Chickasha, Grady Co. OK
Height/Build: ------
Color of Eyes/Hair: Brown/Brown

Census Information:

1930 census Stephens Co. OK King Twp., ED 69-7
Sheet 13B 511 So. 8th (?)
217/233
Payne, Marvin W., MW 49 M 26 TX MO MO
Payne, Grace, wife FW 41 M 18 TX TN WV
Payne, Chadwick, son MW 22 S OK TX TX
Payne, Mary, dau. FW 17 S OK TX TX
Payne, Lewis, son MW 16 OK TX TX
Payne, Marvin, Jr., son MW 4 9/12 S OK TX TX

They owned their home, with a value of $2000, and owned a radio as well.

(Courtesy of Lynell Cordell)

Marvin married Grace Ellen Gentry on 22 Jan 1907 in Stephens County, Oklahoma. Grace (daughter of William Miller Gentry and Mary "Molly" Evelyn Mounts) was born on 3 Nov 1888 in Decatur, Wise County, Texas; died on 16 Dec 1966 in Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma; was buried in Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Possibly lived in Paris, Lamar Co., Texas at some point. This town was sometimes referred to by Grace Ellen Gentry.

Died at 2010 Admiral Road, Stillwater, OK.

She had a strong dislike of all things Texan.

Photograph at 140 lbs (usually 125lbs) Norvelle Studio, Chickasha, Oklahoma, circa 1923. She disliked the picture as a result.

1927-She was instrumental in organizing the Payne/Gentry family reunion in 1927. The event took place at the home of Annie O'Neill's home in Duncan.

1934-On the sixth of April 1934, Mary E. Gentry, widow, sells to Grace Payne (her daughter) for one dollar and love and affection the west half of lot six (6) in block sixty-seven (67) together with all improvements thereon, in the City of Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma. Grace and Marvin had just lost their farm being unable to pay the mortgage. Molly continued to live for another six years but this house on 8th and Spruce Street was also lost for the same reasons. Molly continued to live with her daughter and her family until she died.

1948-Grace Payne (nee Gentry) notified "To Whom it May Concern" on the 21st of June that she, E.J. Gentry, J.W. Gentry, Pearl Hall, E.H. Gentry, Carl H. Payne, J.E. Payne, Vera Young, Virginia Hardin, Louise Birnie, Mary Ethel Jones and Jeanne Turner, all heirs of W.M. Gentry, claimed to own the mineral rights of their father's old property and intended to have the matter determined by the Court. [Payne, Grace Ellen (1948) Affidavit giving legal notice of intention to file suit in District Court of Stephens County, Oklahoma, Ref: Book 414, page 344] It is not clear who this claim was directed at. Frank and Emory had continued the farn between them. Frank had died in 1928, and John Vernon Gentry continues the connection with his grandfather's land to this day (1997).

Grace Gentry was a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). She claimed membership under her grandfather, W.J. Gentry. It was actually her grandfather John Melton Gentry, whose name Grace confused, who served in the Confederate Army. Grace was determined to get into the UDC and it was known she was not going to let anything, such as her other grandfather William J. Mounts' service in the Union Army, to get in her way. An incomplete draft of her application, remaining in the family, lists her parents as William Melton (sic) Gentry (born 1851 TN, died Sept. 1829 Duncan, OK) and his wife as Mary Evelyn Mounts (born Aug 1857, Died Aug 10, 1940 Duncan, OK). She went on to list her grandfather as William John Gentry (of Darnells, TX born in TN) and his wife as Pamela Harpoole (also born in TN).

Notes:

William Mead McWethy was born in Dark County, Ohio, near Dallas, after his father returned from the Civil War.

Following his mothers death the three younger children and their father lived among the three elder children's homes. William remembered living with his older sister "Aunt Mag," in Joplin, Missouri. He attended school here but never completed the third grade.

(Research):

Census Listings:

1900 Census
Oklahoma, Lincoln County, Osage Twp
Enumerated 15 Jun 1900
SD 219 (lined through) ED 125 Sheet 9B
170-174
McWethy, William Head W M Feb 1867 33 M 3 Ohio Ohio Ohio Farmer
McWethy, Ethal Wf W F May 1874 26 M 3 1/1 Kansas Ind Iowa
McWethy, Faye Dtr W F Aug 1898 1 S Ok Ohio Kansas

William married Ethel Arretha Phenis on 29 Sep 1897. Ethel (daughter of William Riley Phenis and Flora Jane Norton) was born on 11 May 1874 in Madison, Greenwood County, Kansas; died on 3 Dec 1965 in Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma; was buried in Fairlawn Cemetery, Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

The family data below needs confirmation;

Ethel listed her gt.uncles and aunts (children of William, son of Marmaduke Coats) as John, Thomas -whom she personally knew as Uncle Tom, William, her grandmother Sally, Esley Coats Hayworth and Hester Coats McCool.

John Coats had offspring George, Harmon (who had four children), Marthy and Sindy.

Thomas Coats had offspring Oliver, Albert, Hester, Lotta and Sinda.

Esley Coats Hayworth had offspring Rodssanna, Lottie, Rilla, Henry and John.

Hester Coats McCool had offspring Henry (husband of aunt Maggie? Phenis) and Emeline (mother of Mrs Paxton).