
Library Clerk is Interested in Gray County History
(The museum appreciates John Mead’s contributions to Museum Mementos.)

Eloise Lane

Eloise Lane
John A. Mead, Lovett Library clerk, was born in Pampa in 1940. His paternal grandfather was Judge J. A. Mead of Miami, a long-time Roberts County Judge who was known for his collection of curios in the Roberts County courthouse. His maternal grandfather was T. A. Landers, who published the “McLean News” from 1921 to 1946. John graduated from Pampa High School in 1958, and then left Pampa for many years.
He returned to Pampa and has been working as a clerk at Lovett Library since 1995. While living in California some years ago, John became interested in genealogy and spent some time researching his own family. While he has been working at the library he has tried to gather records on the history of Gray County and its people. The records that John has collected fall into various categories. For example, the library now has lists of people buried in most of the cemeteries of Gray County. With the help of many people in Alanreed, Lefors and McLean, John typed lists of people buried in the cemeteries of these towns.
The former manager of Fairview Cemetery in Pampa furnished lists of people of people buried in that cemetery, and John 1s hopeful that the library will receive a list of those buried in Memory Gardens Cemetery. From various sources the library has also received lists of people buried in the cemeteries of Miami, Shamrock, Mobeetie, Canadian and Clarendon. Lovett Library also has census records for Gray County. The records from 1880 to 1930 are on microfilm rolls from the National Archives. Also John has downloaded copies of the complete Gray County census pages for the 1910, 1920, and 1930 censuses and put them into binders.
John has typed partial transcriptions for the 1900 and 1910 censuses, and has typed surname indexes for the 1910 and the 1920 censuses. Recently the library bought a CD that contains an every-name index for the 1930 Gray County census. Several years ago the Friends of the Pampa Library and the “Pampa News” micro- filmed ~the issues of the “Pampa News” back to 1925, as well as several other Pampa papers such as the 9’ampa Daily Spokesman, “and the Pampa News” has con- tinued to microfilm issues of the paper. The library also has on microfilm an almost complete run of the “McLean News” from 1909 to the present, as well as in- complete microfilm holdings of newspapers from Miami, Canadian and Wheeler.
Fran these microfilmed newspapers John can obtain obituaries and other articles about individuals. John has collected many obituaries for peoples buried in McLean, Alanreed and Lefors and put them into scrapbooks. From the newspapers John has made collections of articles on various topics of Gray County history and put them into scrapbooks. So far he has collected articles on World War I, the Gray County oil boom of 1925-1930 and its effects on the town of Pampa, the special editions of the “Pampa News” which have appeared from 1952 to 1992, and the Pampa Army Air Field from 1942 to 1945.
John is now working on extracting articles on the home front in Pampa during World War II. John has worked on several other types of data on Gray County history. The library has bought a microfilm roll containing the World War I draft registration records for the county, and John has indexed these records. He has also indexed the records of original grantees and patentees of land in Gray County from the Texas General Land Office in Austin. Lovett Library has still other resources on Gray County history, including city directories from 1929 to the present, Pampa High School annuals from the 1950s on, and several Gray County history books. The library also has public Internet computers on which many genealogical sites and databases may be consulted. Among these:. are the Texas Death Records database for deaths from 1964 to 1998 and the Social Security Death Index.
Also useful is the Heritage Quest database of census material and index variable from the Texas State Library’s Texshare databases. John invites those interested in their Gray County ancestors to contact him at the Library’s e-mail address (/library@pampa.com/) or to drop by the library when it is convenient. Perhaps he may help find a census record, an obituary, or some other type of record on their relatives.
Over 200 Articles, written by Eloise Lane, were published in the Pampa News. These articles may be accessed by clicking on each section below. A list of articles will be revealed that are linked to a page containing the text of the article.
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Articles 1-20
- Origin Of The "White Deer" Name
- The Log House On White Deer Creek
- Obtaining The Land
- The Lands Organized
- Cattle Brands Tell Story
- Ghosts And All
- Southern Kansas Railroad
- Fire Guard Dam
- When The Railroad Came
- The Sutton RR Station
- Post Office At Pampa
- The Bell Family
- J.C. Short
- Pampa 1892-1902
- Pampa Laid Out In 1902
- Crystal Palace Founded
- Gray County Organization
- Organization - Continued
- Gray County - Lefors
- McLean - The Largest Town
Articles 21-40
- Gouge Eye
- The "Mother Road"
- German Family Reunion
- Desks From Hopkins
- Grandview School Begins
- The Oil Money
- History Wall Painted
- Boydston Or Boydstun?
- Ontario???
- Laketon - Early Farming
- Laketon - Continued
- First Couple To Marry
- Hoover
- Water Well Drilling
- Kingsmills Visit Pampa
- George Tyng Left
- Tragedy In Utah
- T.D. Hobart - Manager
- M.K. Brown Arrives
- Rider Livery Stable
Articles 41-60
- The Pioneer Cottage
- Pampa's First Doctor
- Doctor Makes House Calls
- A Red Cross Nurse
- Pampa's First School
- Hobart Went To London
- Cemetery Began In 1904
- First Business District
- C.P. Buckler Arrives
- Five Barrett Brothers
- Influence Of The Santa Fe
- Trains Still Roll
- John V. Thomass - Teacher
- Cattle-loading Center
- Rolla J. Sailor & Arrowheads
- A.H. Doucette Arrives
- Lands Are Advertised
- The Holland Hotel
- Wheat Left Pampa
- First National Bank Begins
Articles 61-80
- Pampa News Begins
- First Denominational Church
- 2nd Office Of WD Lands
- J.N. Duncan Arrives
- Nels Walberg Sells…
- Dormer Simms
- Fourth Of July Celebrations
- Pampa's First Cars
- Pampa In 1907-08
- J.S. Wynne Family Arrives
- Gray Count State Bank
- Baptist Church Organized (Under Construction)
- Joe & Lizzie Bowers
- Threatened By Prairie Fire
- Library Began In 1907
- J.R. Henry
- Sir Gordan & Lady Cunard
- Three Vicars Brothers
- Dodd Grain And Produce
- December 29, 1991
Articles 81-100
- D.C. Davis Family
- Long Christmas Celebration
- First Christian Church
- Facts About Pampa
- Buster Brown
- The Last Hanging
- Bones Hooks
- The "Red Brick" Is No More
- The Purviances Family
- The Dr. E. von Brunow Park
- Boards Of First Headquarters
- Mary Jane Purvis
- Cook - Adams Addition
- Nativity Scenes
- Clyde Carruth
- The Mine Tragedies
- Additions To Pampa
- Third Family In Pampa
- Frank Dittmeyer
- Bricklayer Indian Jim
Articles 101-120
- A.A. Tiemann
- First Movies And Lights
- Pampa Incorporated
- Mark And Sara Fletcher
- Annie Baker Daniels
- Pampa's Business District
- Birthday Tea Of 1919
- Former Pampa Minister
- John Mack Patton
- The First Brass Band
- Early Graduating Class
- "How We Met"
- F.P. Greever Is Assassinated
- George Tyng's Father
- L.H. & Lula Greene
- John & Lena McKamy
- Robert & Mary Yeager
- "Dear Old PHS"
- Supt. Believed In People
- William A. & Ruth Green
Articles 121-140
- Jason A and Alice Poole
- Wayside School
- Pampa Football Begins
- The Pampa School Building
- Rev. C. E. Lancaster
- Panhandle Lumber Co.
- Will Wilks & Mora Hughey
- An Unusual Valentine
- Charles A. Tignor
- O. A. Barrett
- Poppies In Flanders Fields
- Barnard & Williams Families
- 4th of July Celebrations
- Cuyler Street Underpass
- The King Family
- Kretmeier and Baer Families
- Stephen B. Oates
- Phebe Worley
- Organization of Gray County
- First Courthouse
Articles 141-160
- Pampa Laid Out in 1902
- Pampa in 1902
- W. R. Kaufman
- The Pampa Country Club
- Living In Pampa in 1902
- Pampa Buildings of 1902
- May Foreman Carr
- Scaffers - Early Residents
- Nita Luna
- Former Sub Debs Reminisce
- PHS In 1932
- PHS Appreciated
- The Forth Worth and Denver
- From Pampa to Childress
- The Origination Of "Taps"
- The Warners
- J. C. Studer
- Floyd, John and Otto
- Our American Flag
- Stories and Memories
Articles 161-180
- Museum in Pampa?
- The Franklin Farm
- The Franklin Family
- Beryl Wayne Vicars
- Historian Made Cookies
- The Pioneer Cottage
- The Orginial Swastika
- Library Clerk
- Women's Clothing Store
- Jon and Pat McConal
- Whitey Walker Gang
- How Rudolph Began
- Gwendolen Avenue
- Jerry Kerbow
- Two Paintings
- Second Part - Paintings
- Bones Hooks
- Original Nativity Figures
- Why "V" Instead of "U"
- Pampa Incorporated