Harry Swofford

Related by William N. Swofford (March 6, 1968

"You asked me about Uncle Harry. Yes, I remember him well and the last things he did. He was a very kind young man. He was about five feet
and eleven inches tall and weighed 170 pounds. He had coal black hair that was slighty wavy. He was avery strong young man.
"On the day he ws hurt, he and several young men went for a swim in what was called a tank. His best friend was Isom Nickels. He was riding a black stallion by the name Ned. The boys were racing their horses down a lane when a mule walked out in front of Uncle Harry's horse. He hit the mule and all three piled up with Uncle Harry under the pile. Someone came for Grandpa and Grandmother. It was some time before a doctor from Weatherford.
"Uncle Harry wanted to join the army and go to Cuba, but Grandma and Grandpa talked him out of going. So he did the next best thing. He got together platoon, or squad of young men from Agnes, Poolville, Central, Pigtail,Springtown and several other little towns near by and started training them. He made wooden guns, made them all by hand. Several of these boys went to Cuba and fought in the Spanish-America War.
"Uncle Harry was to be married to a young lady-- Liv Sullivan, I think her name was. Grandpa had given him some land in the Southwest corner of his place. How many acres, I don't know. He had built a small house-- one big room and a lean-to for a kitchen. Grandpa late gave the place to Fred and Aunt Lula.
"Yes, Uncle Harry was very fond of Gladys. He never went to a store but what he came back with candy for her. He was very good to Lewis and me too.
"He could outdo almost any man out near Central -- ride, hunt, cut wood, or do field work. He could make almost anything with his hands--use a saw, a pocket knife, a drawn knife, an auger, which we call a drill now. There were all sizes from a gimlet to a two-incher.
"Harry was so kind to his mother. He always had plenty of wood cut for the cook stove and [plenty of water in the kitchen. I remember that he made a fly-sweep or brush that hung over the dining table. It was operated by a petal or a treadle on a sewing machine. You pumped it up and down. It (the sweep) had old papers tacked on it cut in long strips to shoo the flies away from the table. He made several buckets, churns and butter molds.
"He made the wagon that Tom got hurt on.Gladys was in the wagon.Tom fell and the wheel ran over his leg. Lewis and I were pulling the wagon He cried some, but we went on playing. Tom rode in the wagon until his leg quit hurting.
" Yes, it was quite a blow whenwe lost Harry. He was so kind and everyone liked him. If someone needed help, Harry was first one to go whether the weather was good or bad.

Source: One Man and His Family, John Franklin Swofford (1853-1921) Page 84