| Edgar N. Ratcliffe was born March 5, 1857, at Hillsborough,
Texas, the fourth son of James T. Ratcliffe, a leading lawyer of
Hillsborough, and Miss Whiteside, daughter of Mr. Whiteside, a
well known merchant and silversmith of Ashville, North Carolina.
Edgar attended public school until fifteen years of age, after which
he entered Trinity University, Tehuacana, Texas, where he remained until eighteen years of age, when he became clerk for Alfred Youug, of that town, remaining until he was twenty, and
then established a mercantile business for himself, which he conducted until 1884, and, selling out, removed to Vinita, Indian
Territory, where he started a grocery store, and in 1888 extended
his business to general merchandise, which he carries on at present.
In September, 1881, Mr. Ratcliffe married Miss Era Foster,
daughter of Robert Foster (a large stockman from La Grange,
Bastrop County, Texas,) and Jane Fields, of a leading Cherokee
family. By this marriage they have four children Fred Foster,
born May 28, 1884; James Wilton, born September 23, 1886;
Robert Furnis, born June 23, 1889, and Mary Era, born September 25, 1891. Mrs. Ratcliffe is a graduate of Trinity College,
Tehuacana, Texas, and is a lady of many accomplishments. Mr.
Ratcliffe carries a stock of $18,000 in general merchandise, and
does the most extensive business at the present time in Vinita.
The store building is also his property, beside 200 acres of farm
in cultivation. He owns, in partnership with Mr. Skinner, the Vinita
roller mills, and he is also owner of five business and residence lots,
a fine residence, and a good deal of land in Texas. He is vice-president, and was chief organizer, of the First National Bank of
Vinita, capital $50,000. Mr. Ratcliffe is a man of fine intellectual
appearance, gentlemanly in manner and address, and is possessor
of rare business qualifications. He is a progressive man in the
proper sense, and very popular in Vinita. |
