Alice Stewart (1920 – 2002)
By Paul Ricketts
Alice Stewart Birth
Alice Stewart was born Alice Lorene Legrande, on Sep 9th, 1920 near the small town of Meridian, Logan County, Oklahoma 1,2,4,5. Her father was James Oscar LeGrande and her mother Gertrude Eva Burrows 2.
Alice Stewart Early Life
In 1930, at the time of the U.S. national census, she was living with her parents and siblings (Edna, Lemuel, and Charles) in the Springvale District of Logan County, Oklahoma. The census shows the family living next door to two other LeGrande families headed by Lemuel LeGrande and John L. LeGrande, the later being Alice’s Uncle2.
The Dust Bowl took hold of large parts of Oklahoma in 1931 and was to have a lasting effect until as late as 1939. During this time many Oklahoman families traveled west to California. It seems that Alice’s family was no exception as we have in our archives a school certificate for her from a school in California.
By 1935 the LeGrande’s returned to Oklahoma and Logan County. Alice is attending school and Graduates from 11th Grade with a ceremony held in the town of Guthrie.
Marriage, Family and Midway Station
Between 1937 and 1941 Alice keeps a journal of her daily activities. During this time there are several key family events that are noted including her marriage to Lorne Stewart in 19395,6, the birth of their first son Eugene in the same year and the opening of the Midway Station.
Midway Station, a community store and automobile shop, became a focal point for the local community. Later Lorne trained how to fix televisions and added that to their business. Midway Station continues to thrive through to the mid-1970s, during which time Alice and Lorne have four children (Eugene, Ivan, Velma and a daughter who died soon after birth). The 1940 census shows Alice, Lorne and a young Eugene living in Logan County5, with Lorne as the:
Proprietor General Store
Alice and Lorne’s Deaths
Lorne Stewart died in 2000 after a farming accident on the family pasture. Whilst mowing, he had not realized the grass had caught fire and got caught in the blaze. He suffered severe burns and died in hospital.
Alice continued to live at Midway Station. In late 2001, after feeling unwell for some time she was admitted to hospital with advanced cancer. Shortly before her death, Alice was moved back to her home at Midway, where she passed away January 1st, 20021,3,5.
Both Alice and Lorne were cremated, and their remains are buried in the local cemetery, less than a mile from their home.
Sources:
1 Ancestry.com, U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011), Ancestry.com, Number: 448-56-6662; Issue State: Oklahoma; Issue Date: 1969.
2 Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002), Ancestry.com, Year: 1930; Census Place: Springvale, Logan, Oklahoma; Roll: 1912; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0036; Image: 649.0; FHL microfilm: 2341646.
3 Ancestry.com, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015), Ancestry.com.
4 Ancestry.com, U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), Ancestry.com.
5 Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), Ancestry.com, Year: 1940; Census Place: Le Bron, Logan, Oklahoma; Roll: T627_3307; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 42-21.
6 Ancestry.com, Web: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Marriage Index, 1889-1951 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013), Ancestry.com.
Oklahoma Sunset at Midway Station
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