My Ancestry

(4) Aaron Luther Murrow

Born 24 Nov 1894, southwest of Dacoma, Woods Co., OK

Died 7 Jan 1981, Alva, Woods Co., OK

Buried Alva, Woods Co., OK, Municipal Cemetery

Obituary

Parents

(5) Mildred Myrtle Hall

Born 5 Feb 1904, Oto, Woodbury Co., IA

Died 30 March 1996, Alva, Woods Co., OK

Buried Alva, Woods Co., OK, Municipal Cemetery

Obituary

Parents

Married 15 Feb 1920 at Alva, Woods Co., OK

Wedding Portrait ~ February 1920

Children:

• (2a) Wendell Dean, born 9 Aug 1922
• (2b) Eula Jean, born 19 May 1926

NOTES:

Lute Murrow attended grade school at the Walnut Grove school (southwest of the Greensburg corner on highway 281). Early in their married life, Grandpa and Grandma lived on a farm six miles east of Avard. My dad and my aunt Jean were both born on the farm, delivered by the local country doctor, Dr. D. B. (Danny Boy) Ensor.

Grandpa served in the US Army in World War I. He took basic training at Camp Logan, TX, where he was trained to be a cook. His "School of Military Courtesy" card is shown below. I also have the certificate he received upon completion of the cooking school at Camp Logan.

Grandpa was a farmer northwest of Alva before purchasing a grocery business in Alva (my dad attended first grade at the Longfellow school in Alva and they lived a block west of the school); in 1929, they moved to Cherokee and operated a produce house for Swift and Co; shortly after that, they moved to Dacoma, where they opened Murrow's Produce Company, buying and selling cream, poultry, and eggs. Dad had begun second grade in Cherokee, but finished the second semester in Dacoma.

This card is postmarked Aug 22 1915 and depicts businesses
on the west side of Main St. in downtown Dacoma. On the left
is the Dacoma Drug Co. (who printed the card), on the right is
the State Bank of Dakoma (using the original spelling of the name
of the town), and by 1945 the building in the center was home to
The Jot 'Em Down Store, formerly Smith and Murrow.

In 1938, Lute became part owner in Smith and Murrow Grocery Co.; in 1945, it became the Jot 'Em Down Store, a family-owned business operated by Lute and Dean. On June 7, 1947, they opened a state-of-the-art refrigeration plant and the business became known as Murrow's Grocery and Locker and was located in the next block north of the old Jot 'Em Down Store. In Dacoma's early days, the building that eventually became Murrow's Grocery and Locker was the town's original skating rink and was for a time a furniture and hardware store.

HERE IS A SCAN OF AN EARLY AD FROM THE JOT 'EM DOWN STORE (it was printed on a one-cent postcard):

In 1956, Lute was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives, serving Woods County and later, Woods and Woodward Counties (after redistricting). He served for ten years, until his health began to decline. A "Lute Murrow Appreciation Dinner" was held at Northwestern State College in Alva in the spring of 1966 to honor his years of service. Governor Henry Bellmon was the speaker for the occasion.

Mildred was active in the family business, too, putting in long hours at the store, then running the household as well. Many people still remember that she was one of the finest cooks in town, and her gardens (both flower and vegetable) were extraordinary visionary and culinary displays. Like many people, she canned and froze vegetables at their peak during the summer, so we enjoyed her garden produce year-round. Many of my favorite memories of her - we were best friends, practically - involve gardening, cooking, fishing, hunting for the "perfect" Christmas tree, and hanging wallpaper! She was a "rockhound" and liked to collect unique rocks for her flower beds. She and Grandpa loved life and the living of it - and they lived it to the fullest.

She and Grandpa were active in the Dacoma Church of God, including stints on the board, the trustees, teaching Sunday School - and they were part of the group of local citizens and church members who helped build the church's new physical plant in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

After retirement, Grandpa maintained a very large vegetable garden and sold his produce locally - and they gave much of it to friends and neighbors. After a couple of emergency situations, they moved to Alva in order to be nearer their doctor and the hospital. They lived at 511 Ninth St., adjacent to the Church of God in Alva, where they transferred their church membership. They remained active in church as long as their health allowed them to.

PHOTOS:

Family Portrait c. 1925:
Wendell Dean, Mildred M., Aaron Luther

Family Portraits, date unknown

Grandpa and his cousins, the Houghton boys -
L to R: Perry Houghton, Lute Murrow, Guy Houghton, Vern Houghton

Three WWI Soldiers
L to R: Callie Hall (cousin of Mildred Hall Murrow), Clay Murrow
(wounded in France, Sept. 1919), and Luther Murrow

United States Army, Camp Logan, TX
Lute Murrow, second from right
(others unidentified)

Lute's military registration card,
dated June 5, 1917

Local Board notice that Lute was
classified and recorded "Class One"
(postmarked July 24, 1918)

Card from Camp Logan, TX (U. S. Army), Jan. 15, 1919

Four Sisters-in-Law
Norma, Ada, Mildred, and Lillie
Wives of Clay, Frank, Luther, and Lionel

The very first "Murrow's Grocery" - in Alva, OK, c. 1927-1928
(it was located on SW corner of square, on College Ave.)
Lute Murrow and Ruth Wheatley

Lute Murrow and Silbert Lanman
(date unknown)