She was the only child of Samuel Newell and Mattie Romines Newell. Mattie was Samuel's second wife, the first being Martha Covey. Martha Melvina married Vallie Burkett in 1920 and they had one child. She married Sam J. Lewis in 1925. Apparently her third husband was Ewing, first name unknown. The origin of her nickname (Litlie) is unknown. Litlie was my mother's cousin but the historical record would indicate their paths seldom crossed over the years, until the last years of their lives. Here's what I remember about Litlie.
I grew up on a farm in Love County, OK, about 30 miles southwest of Ardmore. Generally my family's shopping would be done in Wilson or Ringling; rarely going as far as Ardmore. On those occasions when we did go to Ardmore the route we took was Highway 70 that runs west of Ardmore. At a point about 3 miles west of Wilson we'd pass by a little house that sat some distance north of the highway and my mother would invariably comment that one of her cousins lived there. I never met Mom's cousin during those times and didn't know anything about her, and being a typical child, didn't have enough curiosity to ask.
Fast forward. About 1987 I was visiting my mother who lived at Orr, OK when two ladies drove up in a very large old car. I don't recall the make; perhaps an old Lincoln. This was my first introduction to Litlie. Litlie and my mother carried on a very lively conversation for several hours, primarily about family I guess, but at the time I wasn't all that interested in family matters and couldn't relate to much of what they discussed. A few months later I was visiting Mom again when she asked me to take her to Comanche to see Litlie, which I agreed to do.
We didn't have an address for Litlie but Comanche is a small town and she wasn't hard to find. We stopped at a gasoline/convenience store on the highway leading into town to inquire about Litlie. A nice lady at the cash register, when I inquired about Litlie, with a big smile, replied that, yes, Litlie lived a short distance away and pointed to a house just down the street. She went on to add a few comments about Litlie that suggested she thought Litlie a bit peculiar. One thing she said that I remember was that Litlie would sometimes dress in antebellum dresses and parade around outside.
Mom and I proceeded to cousin Litlie's house where we were warmly greeted. During our stay she happily showed us around her home which which was filled with antique furnishings; not priceless antiques, just old. I specifically remember a very large old piano that appeared to have had better days. It was an interesting experience for me but even then I didn't pick up on who she was exactly.
A year or so later I was again visiting my mother when Litlie called to tell Mom that her son had died. During the conversation she learned that I was there visiting and asked Mom to ask me to come to Comanche and serve as a pallbearer at her son's funeral. Unfortunately I had to leave the following morning for Denver where I lived at the time and it wasn't possible for me to go to Comanche. It bothered me at the time that I couldn't be more supportive of an elderly lady who was grieving for the loss of her only child, and even today I have a touch of guilt when I think of it.
When I found the photo that's shown on this memorial, and the description of the photo, I was able to piece together a bit of the history of Litlie. Her father, Sam, who's in the photo, along with his brother Louis and sister Sallie, were three of the four children of my great grandfather James C. Newell from his first marriage. When his first wife died he married my great grandmother and together they had 14 children. I'm descended from one of those children.
Charles Walker, Asheville, NC, June 12, 2020
I grew up on a farm in Love County, OK, about 30 miles southwest of Ardmore. Generally my family's shopping would be done in Wilson or Ringling; rarely going as far as Ardmore. On those occasions when we did go to Ardmore the route we took was Highway 70 that runs west of Ardmore. At a point about 3 miles west of Wilson we'd pass by a little house that sat some distance north of the highway and my mother would invariably comment that one of her cousins lived there. I never met Mom's cousin during those times and didn't know anything about her, and being a typical child, didn't have enough curiosity to ask.
Fast forward. About 1987 I was visiting my mother who lived at Orr, OK when two ladies drove up in a very large old car. I don't recall the make; perhaps an old Lincoln. This was my first introduction to Litlie. Litlie and my mother carried on a very lively conversation for several hours, primarily about family I guess, but at the time I wasn't all that interested in family matters and couldn't relate to much of what they discussed. A few months later I was visiting Mom again when she asked me to take her to Comanche to see Litlie, which I agreed to do.
We didn't have an address for Litlie but Comanche is a small town and she wasn't hard to find. We stopped at a gasoline/convenience store on the highway leading into town to inquire about Litlie. A nice lady at the cash register, when I inquired about Litlie, with a big smile, replied that, yes, Litlie lived a short distance away and pointed to a house just down the street. She went on to add a few comments about Litlie that suggested she thought Litlie a bit peculiar. One thing she said that I remember was that Litlie would sometimes dress in antebellum dresses and parade around outside.
Mom and I proceeded to cousin Litlie's house where we were warmly greeted. During our stay she happily showed us around her home which which was filled with antique furnishings; not priceless antiques, just old. I specifically remember a very large old piano that appeared to have had better days. It was an interesting experience for me but even then I didn't pick up on who she was exactly.
A year or so later I was again visiting my mother when Litlie called to tell Mom that her son had died. During the conversation she learned that I was there visiting and asked Mom to ask me to come to Comanche and serve as a pallbearer at her son's funeral. Unfortunately I had to leave the following morning for Denver where I lived at the time and it wasn't possible for me to go to Comanche. It bothered me at the time that I couldn't be more supportive of an elderly lady who was grieving for the loss of her only child, and even today I have a touch of guilt when I think of it.
When I found the photo that's shown on this memorial, and the description of the photo, I was able to piece together a bit of the history of Litlie. Her father, Sam, who's in the photo, along with his brother Louis and sister Sallie, were three of the four children of my great grandfather James C. Newell from his first marriage. When his first wife died he married my great grandmother and together they had 14 children. I'm descended from one of those children.
Charles Walker, Asheville, NC, June 12, 2020
She was the only child of Samuel Newell and Mattie Romines Newell. Mattie was Samuel's second wife, the first being Martha Covey. Martha Melvina married Vallie Burkett in 1920 and they had one child. She married Sam J. Lewis in 1925. Apparently her third husband was Ewing, first name unknown. The origin of her nickname (Litlie) is unknown. Litlie was my mother's cousin but the historical record would indicate their paths seldom crossed over the years, until the last years of their lives. Here's what I remember about Litlie.
I grew up on a farm in Love County, OK, about 30 miles southwest of Ardmore. Generally my family's shopping would be done in Wilson or Ringling; rarely going as far as Ardmore. On those occasions when we did go to Ardmore the route we took was Highway 70 that runs west of Ardmore. At a point about 3 miles west of Wilson we'd pass by a little house that sat some distance north of the highway and my mother would invariably comment that one of her cousins lived there. I never met Mom's cousin during those times and didn't know anything about her, and being a typical child, didn't have enough curiosity to ask.
Fast forward. About 1987 I was visiting my mother who lived at Orr, OK when two ladies drove up in a very large old car. I don't recall the make; perhaps an old Lincoln. This was my first introduction to Litlie. Litlie and my mother carried on a very lively conversation for several hours, primarily about family I guess, but at the time I wasn't all that interested in family matters and couldn't relate to much of what they discussed. A few months later I was visiting Mom again when she asked me to take her to Comanche to see Litlie, which I agreed to do.
We didn't have an address for Litlie but Comanche is a small town and she wasn't hard to find. We stopped at a gasoline/convenience store on the highway leading into town to inquire about Litlie. A nice lady at the cash register, when I inquired about Litlie, with a big smile, replied that, yes, Litlie lived a short distance away and pointed to a house just down the street. She went on to add a few comments about Litlie that suggested she thought Litlie a bit peculiar. One thing she said that I remember was that Litlie would sometimes dress in antebellum dresses and parade around outside.
Mom and I proceeded to cousin Litlie's house where we were warmly greeted. During our stay she happily showed us around her home which which was filled with antique furnishings; not priceless antiques, just old. I specifically remember a very large old piano that appeared to have had better days. It was an interesting experience for me but even then I didn't pick up on who she was exactly.
A year or so later I was again visiting my mother when Litlie called to tell Mom that her son had died. During the conversation she learned that I was there visiting and asked Mom to ask me to come to Comanche and serve as a pallbearer at her son's funeral. Unfortunately I had to leave the following morning for Denver where I lived at the time and it wasn't possible for me to go to Comanche. It bothered me at the time that I couldn't be more supportive of an elderly lady who was grieving for the loss of her only child, and even today I have a touch of guilt when I think of it.
When I found the photo that's shown on this memorial, and the description of the photo, I was able to piece together a bit of the history of Litlie. Her father, Sam, who's in the photo, along with his brother Louis and sister Sallie, were three of the four children of my great grandfather James C. Newell from his first marriage. When his first wife died he married my great grandmother and together they had 14 children. I'm descended from one of those children.
Charles Walker, Asheville, NC, June 12, 2020
I grew up on a farm in Love County, OK, about 30 miles southwest of Ardmore. Generally my family's shopping would be done in Wilson or Ringling; rarely going as far as Ardmore. On those occasions when we did go to Ardmore the route we took was Highway 70 that runs west of Ardmore. At a point about 3 miles west of Wilson we'd pass by a little house that sat some distance north of the highway and my mother would invariably comment that one of her cousins lived there. I never met Mom's cousin during those times and didn't know anything about her, and being a typical child, didn't have enough curiosity to ask.
Fast forward. About 1987 I was visiting my mother who lived at Orr, OK when two ladies drove up in a very large old car. I don't recall the make; perhaps an old Lincoln. This was my first introduction to Litlie. Litlie and my mother carried on a very lively conversation for several hours, primarily about family I guess, but at the time I wasn't all that interested in family matters and couldn't relate to much of what they discussed. A few months later I was visiting Mom again when she asked me to take her to Comanche to see Litlie, which I agreed to do.
We didn't have an address for Litlie but Comanche is a small town and she wasn't hard to find. We stopped at a gasoline/convenience store on the highway leading into town to inquire about Litlie. A nice lady at the cash register, when I inquired about Litlie, with a big smile, replied that, yes, Litlie lived a short distance away and pointed to a house just down the street. She went on to add a few comments about Litlie that suggested she thought Litlie a bit peculiar. One thing she said that I remember was that Litlie would sometimes dress in antebellum dresses and parade around outside.
Mom and I proceeded to cousin Litlie's house where we were warmly greeted. During our stay she happily showed us around her home which which was filled with antique furnishings; not priceless antiques, just old. I specifically remember a very large old piano that appeared to have had better days. It was an interesting experience for me but even then I didn't pick up on who she was exactly.
A year or so later I was again visiting my mother when Litlie called to tell Mom that her son had died. During the conversation she learned that I was there visiting and asked Mom to ask me to come to Comanche and serve as a pallbearer at her son's funeral. Unfortunately I had to leave the following morning for Denver where I lived at the time and it wasn't possible for me to go to Comanche. It bothered me at the time that I couldn't be more supportive of an elderly lady who was grieving for the loss of her only child, and even today I have a touch of guilt when I think of it.
When I found the photo that's shown on this memorial, and the description of the photo, I was able to piece together a bit of the history of Litlie. Her father, Sam, who's in the photo, along with his brother Louis and sister Sallie, were three of the four children of my great grandfather James C. Newell from his first marriage. When his first wife died he married my great grandmother and together they had 14 children. I'm descended from one of those children.
Charles Walker, Asheville, NC, June 12, 2020
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