One lone grave

By BARBARA LEWIS, PVGS

On U.S. Forest Service land near the Stapp Zoe area, surrounded by nothing except forest, sits one lonely tombstone.   Although several people know about the tombstone, it is still difficult to find without GPS coordinates or someone to lead you to it.  Just as difficult or perhaps more so, is finding who the stone belongs to.  Scratched into the stone is G W Ison.

The forest service took steps to protect the site after becoming aware of it.  They put the red barricade tape around it and later added a wire fence.  However, time and weather conditions have made the stone illegible.  

LeFlore County history

One would expect a name as unusual as G.W. Ison to be fairly easy to research.  Wrong! 

Anyone who has delved into genealogy would guess the G.W. stands for George Washington and that seems to be correct.  Unfortunately, there are three or four men with this name born about the same time. These men were born in Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana and all traveled very close to this area. 

Research first led to an interesting story that revealed George Ison to be a prospector.  Documentation proved he was in Oklahoma in 1866 soon after his release from the confederate army.  He had a claim on 80 acres of land and had several mines as he searched for gold and silver.  He died at age 89 in 1933.  However, that was in the Wichita Mountains not the Ouachita Mountains. This is not the G.W. Ison buried in the forest near Stapp.

After chasing many leads one family was found in LeFlore County.  This family was first found in Searcy County. Arkansas in 1870 and Stone County, Arkansas in 1880.  The census reports the father, George W. Ison, was born in Kentucky.  The mother is reported as Mary E Warner or Warren. 

A group of siblings from this family – Mary, Charley, Joshua, Cora, and Elbridge Ison – were located in Yell County Arkansas in 1900 with their father George.  He is shown to be a widower born July 1847 in Indiana. While the birth shows a different state, the children are the same.  Researchers are well aware that discrepancies are not uncommon in census records.

All of these children were found in the Houston (Hodgen) and Heavener areas before statehood.  They remained in the area until about 1935.  

The oldest sibling in this family, Mary Ison was born in 1873 in Batesville Arkansas.  She married George Dennis Baker.  Their children included Fred, Claude and Opal.   From the Bates news in 1911, we know that Mrs George Baker and sons, Fred and Claud visited in Hodgens in April. 

The Heavener ledger April 10, 1930 included this article.  “Injuries suffered by Claude Baker, 22 years old, laborer of Stapp, when run over by a truck two weeks ago resulted in his death at a Fort Smith hospital at 6 o’clock Friday evening.  Mr. Baker was injured when the heavy truck, which was loaded with logs, rolled back on him when he was attempting to scotch the wheel.  The truck was being driven by Pat Casey of Stapp.  Mr. Baker was taken to the Fort Smith hospital on the day following the accident, where his condition was reported at that time to be critical.  Both his hips were crushed, and he was suffering from internal injuries.  Mr. Baker was a member of the Pentecostal church at Stapp.  He is survived by his wife. Mrs. Lora Baker, one brother, Fred, a sister, Miss Opal Baker, and his parents Mr. and Mrs. G.D. Baker, all of Stapp.  The body was shipped to Stapp Sunday for burial.”   

Fort Smith newspapers reported that the body was removed to Fentress Mortuary and then shipped to Stapp early Sunday morning for funeral services Sunday afternoon.  No burial site has been located. 

Charles Ison, 29, and his bride, Nora Mayfield, 19, both of Heavener were married June 13, 1906, in the Central District of Indian Territory.  Their children were Gene, Fred, Bertha Jordan, Edna Meeks Gentry, William and Charles Ison.  This family moved to Modesto California where Charles, a retired lumber company employee died at age 76. 

Joshua Ison was married at age 27 to Viola Wilch in Sevier County, Arkansas.  Their children were Lillian Reaves Wray, Cecil, Felix and James Ison.  They lived for awhile in Houston (Hodgen) where Josh worked as a filer for the sawmill.  They later moved to Artesia New Mexico where he once again worked for a sawmill.  Josh died there at age 78. 

Cora Ison married Eugene McPhetrige.  Their children were Maye Stalcup, Eugene, Ted and Helen Mozelle Loyd.  Eugene and Cora left Heavener about 1935 and lived at Hatfield and Mena Arkansas.  Cora and Eugene died at Mena at age 90 and 86. 

Louis Elbridge Ison, known as Bridge, married Josie Ellen McDugle.  They had a son Loyal and a daughter Imogene.  In 1930, Bridge was sawmill foreman and they lived on Poteau Mountain Road in Heavener. Later Bridge worked as a lumberman in the White Mountains on the border of Arizona and New Mexico.  In 1964 he moved to Pinetop Arizona to join his son and daughter.  He died there at age 75 and Josie died at age 80.

Absolute proof of the identity of G. W. Ison buried in the National Forest near Stapp has not been found.  However, evidence seems to suggest that this G. W. Ison is the head of this family and father of these children.  Our research continues.