Margaret Walch & the Drew Family of Caldwell, Kansas -- Part II

Thomas and Margaret Drew were in their late 20s when they arrived in the small cattle town of Caldwell, Kansas in 1878, just as the town’s population was ready to explode. They most likely had in tow Maggie's two younger brothers, Ike, 14, and William, 20, to help in the building of their new home. If Jimmie Walch did not come directly with them, he would arrive shortly to help in the home building.

By 1880, the Drews had settled into their new home in the city of Caldwell. In that year their household was composed of Tom and Maggie, 30, their two young sons, Stephen, 5, and Alfred, 4; Maggie's brother, Ike, 23, a stonemason; and Frank Higgins, 23, a stonemason; and Bob Smith, 22, a laborer. Tom Drew was working as a building contractor at the time. In the spring of 1882 Maggie and Tom added their third and last child to the household: Maude Mildred Drew.

Tom was such a successful building contractor that he owned, and most likely built, a commercial building in downtown Caldwell as noted in The Caldwell Journal of October 11, 1883:

“The Directors of the Cherokee Strip Livestock Association have made arrangements with Mr. Drew to occupy the south half of the second floor of the new block which is the buildings south of the Journal office. The floor will be divided into two rooms, furnished with folding doors. The front room will be furnished as office, and a bookkeeper has already been employed to take charge of affairs. This is certainly one of the wisest things the Directors have done, and is a great improvement over the old order of affairs. The Journal complements them on the wisdom of their choice.”

The Cherokee Strip Livestock Association was an association of cattlemen who leased grazing rights In the Indian Territory. The largest cattle operations of the time were owned by corporations of English investors. One wonders if Tom's English background was beneficial in his dealing with these cattlemen. In any case, Tom Drew was successful enough to afford a visit to England, arriving back in New York aboard the ship Servia on the 23rd of February 1886.

Tom also opened a general store in Caldwell and was most likely instrumental in helping his two sons open up general stores in Oklahoma following the land rush. Like his Walch brother-in-laws, Tom also staked out an Oklahoma Land Rush claim in Kingfisher. Given Tom's multiple business ventures and construction background, the Drew home in Caldwell most likely was a stately affair. We know it was large enough to house a piano on which their daughter Maude gave lessons.

Margaret Walch, 68, died on the 29th of April 1918 while in Wichita, Kansas, and was buried in the Caldwell Cemetery. Following her death, her husband Tom returned to live in the town of his birth, Paington, England, where he died in 1934.

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We'll take a closer look at the Drew family experiences in the Oklahoma Land Rush and follow the trail of descendents in later blogs.

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The photo of the Thomas Drew family is courtesy of Jean (DeFord) Conlin of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Maggie's great grandniece.